Rebate checks sent to printer

By KEN de la BASTIDE
Tribune enterprise editor

Sat, May 17 2008

— Residential property owners in Howard County should receive their long promised property tax checks within the next two weeks.
Last year the Indiana General Assembly voted to provide residential property owners a rebate check expected to average $240.
Auditor Ann Wells told members of the Howard County Council that the necessary paperwork was sent to the printer Wednesday. She said there were three other counties already being processed.
To make sure the correct person receives the rebate check, Wells said county offices went through the list of 24,000 parcels five times to ensure the right person gets the checks.
“The checks are going to the owner of record as of March 1, 2006,” Wells said.
She said any delinquent money owed to the county was being paid with the rebate to the county.
Checks that are not deliverable will be returned to the auditor’s office and eventually sent to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office.
Howard County received $3.1 million to fund the rebate checks. Wells said the checks will range from 90 cents to $1,100 depending on township.
“We did make interest on the money,” she explained. “It allowed us not to take $35,000 from the general fund for mailing and processing the checks.”
Wells said her top priority was getting the necessary information to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance for the setting of a property tax rate for 2008.
Treasurer Martha Lake said Howard County will receive approximately $130,000 in delinquent taxes.
“We really want the taxpayers to have the money,” Wells said. “We don’t want to send a check to someone who doesn’t deserve it.”
Anyone receiving a check that is not in their name is asked to return it to the auditor’s office.
Ken de la Bastide can be reached at (765) 454-8580 or via e-mail at ken.delabastide@kokomotribune.com