SB 436 was passed by the Indiana State Senate on 2/24/2015 on a 49-1 vote. It now heads to the House for a vote. Ironically, Sen. Delph (who authored two competing Senate bills with language which specifically prevented county assessors from reclassifying “ag” land as “excess residential”; I am going to contact him asking for an explanation of why he voted of favor of SB 436).
As detailed in previous posts (Senator Delph Introduces Zoning Legislation, Senate Bill 436 Committee Hearing, Competing Senate Zoning Bill and Zoning Bills in State Senate and House), SB 436 does little to nothing to address the situation many of us find ourselves in: “agricultural” land being reclassified as “excess residential” and the associated massive increase in tax liability.
If you are affected by this issue or simply believe that once property is classified that it should not be reclassified until the use of the land changes or it is sold, please contact your state representative(s) and let them know your opinion. If you don’t know who your representatives are you can find them by going here.
