Property taxes are out of whack

I have always found Morton Marcus’ columns both entertaining and informative. I read the Dec. 7 column, in which
Marcus seems to insinuate that property taxes were acceptable as they were and do not require modifications. As a resident
of Marion County, I could not disagree more.

The inequities in tax rates from county to county are particularly
disturbing to me. The tax rate on an investment property I own in Hamilton County was nearly a full percentage point lower
than my primary residence in Marion County. I could not understand this, as the majority of property taxes go to public safety
(police, fire and rescue). I believe most would agree that those services are far superior in Hamilton County.

To
make things even worse, the Marion County assessor cannot seem to assess properties anywhere close to their fair market value.
I purchased my home in Meridian-Kessler in 2001, and it was recently reassessed at more than double what I paid for it. I
of course appealed this assessment, along with the previous reassessments. My original appeal was in July 2007, and I have
yet to receive any decision from the assessor on the original appeal or any of the subsequent ones. It seems the consolidation
of the township assessors’ offices has not improved their service or accuracy. It may have made it even worse.

I seriously considered moving to the suburbs and will still pursue that if the Legislature does not come up with a permanent
solution to the property tax issue. I simply cannot afford property taxes that constitute nearly 40 percent of my total monthly
mortgage payment.

The only reason I am still living in Marion County is the wonderful Indianapolis Public Schools
magnet school Center for Inquiry 84 that my son is attending. Kurt Wiegand wrote a column on school competition and magnet
programs in the same issue of IBJ. These magnet schools are a great option for Marion County residents if you can
get your child enrolled in one. Although they don’t justify the higher taxes, they certainly make them a little easier
to stomach.
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Eric A. Gleissner
Civil Site Group Inc.