All over Indiana and, in particular, Boone County, land is now being “re-classified” from agricultural land into “excess residential”. This is being done by the local assessors. The result, in a high-growth area like Boone County for instance, is a 1200% increase in assessed value of the land.
Example: one 17 acre parcel currently assessed as agricultural land at $17,000 would be reclassified as “excess residential” at $195,000. All land has the same rate with this “law” including flood plain, wooded ravines, land under high tension utility lines, horse pasture, etc. And this is perfectly legal unless the land-owner can prove the land is tilled for farm land and producing income.
The law being quoted is as follows:
Indiana Code section 6-1.1-4-13(a) declares, “In assessing or reassessing land, the land shall be assessed as agricultural land only when it is devoted to agricultural use”.
Several items have been found to contradict this in the assessors guide, but they are all over-ruled by this law.
A group, lead by Pam Faerber and others, wants to make it abundantly clear that land should not be “re-classified” unless the use of the land changes. State Senator Mike Delph has agreed to meet to discuss this issue at 4:30pm Monday, October 27th at the Traders Point Hunt House, 7240 Old Hunt Club Road (just west of Kissel Road). He is up for re-election Nov. 4th so it is imperative that we clearly understand where he is on this issue and that he understands what is happening to our land.
