Published: November 14, 2009 09:53 pm      

Council eyes tax payment plan

A non-penalty payment plan for property taxes? Elkhart County Council members say, “We’re looking at it.”

Such was the news at Saturday’s Elkhart County Council meeting, where Council president John Letherman indicated a non-penalty payment plan for property taxes has not yet been ruled out, though he added passage of such a plan would require some rather hefty extenuating circumstances.

“We did some research after learning of the plan last week, and Allen County does have a similar plan in place right now,” Letherman said. “We have been looking at that.”

Spurring the announcement was a rather impassioned speech by Middlebury resident Barbara Ong, who first spoke of the possibility of such a plan through an interview with The Goshen News last Sunday.

Ong’s story at the time was fairly typical of many Elkhart County residents — unemployed, three kids, having a hard time coming up with her property tax payment and concerned about accruing fees.

Currently, the county’s payment policy allows taxpayers to pay their bills in installments, though each installment is accompanied by a penalty — penalties Ong said she simply couldn’t afford.

However, after doing some digging and making several phone calls to her local and state representatives, Ong uncovered an Aug. 7 memo from the Department of Local Government Finance sent to all Indiana counties suggesting implementation of such a non-penalty payment plan in light of these tough economic times.

“County officials are not required to offer taxpayers the option of paying through monthly deductions or monthly installments,” the memo states, “but based upon the tough economic times being experienced, the Department respectfully requests that such a plan at least be considered.”

Memo in hand, Ong spoke once again with members of the Council and Elkhart County Treasurer’s office, though news of the plan was essentially dismissed as being too costly and requiring too much manpower.

However, after learning of the memo early last week, Letherman said he would try to get discussion of such a plan on Saturday’s agenda.

Ong was in the crowd Saturday to make sure he did just that.

“I am taking issue with the brick wall I hit with regard to property taxes,” Ong said while addressing the Council. “I refuse to believe that it would be more work to do an installment plan than to attach penalties.”

Ong went on to voice her frustration over learning that several county officials, including the county treasurer, received the DLGF memo and failed to notify the Council.

“It just bothers me so much,” Ong said, “because I know that the governor and the DLGF contacted each county and asked them to at least consider this, and it’s like they just ignored it — pushed it aside.”

Council members said they are in fact looking into a similar plan already in place in Allen County.

Even so, they noted that the county is currently under some pretty hefty financial stress of its own, and implementation of such a plan at this time is unlikely.

Among their main concerns is how far out such a payment plan should reach, and who would have to pay for it.

“If we do this, do you put the schools on a payment plan then too?” asked Council vice president Dennis Sharkey. “Should other taxpayers have to foot the bill for this?”

Letherman said research into the DLGF’s suggested payment plan will continue, though any action on the matter would most likely require a much larger outcry from the general public.

“Frankly, this woman is the only person who has ever said anything about this,” Letherman said. “If it turns out there’s a good way to do it and it’s similar in scope to what we’re doing in the country right now, we may do it. But at this point, I think we’d have to have some significant concern from a lot more people from the community before something like that would happen.”