News
Leising co-authors farmland assessment formula revisions
Senate lawmakers approved a measure Tuesday to revise the formula used to calculate the value of bare farmland for assessment, a process farmers believe is currently unfair, according to State Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg).
Senate lawmakers voted 50-0 in support of Senate Bill 396 sending the measure to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
Leising, co-author of the bill, said state figures show farmers are experiencing unanticipated increases in farmland assessments based on an experimental formula crafted in 2006.
Leising attributes the increase in farmland assessed values to the increase in grain prices that occurred when ethanol production was increased following the spike in oil prices.
A statewide per-acre value for agricultural land is set each year by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF). Currently, DLGF uses an adjusted six-year average and takes into account net-income and cash-rent models, according to Leising. The base rate used for calculating the assessed value has doubled in a five-year period.
Senate Bill 396, supported by the Indiana Farm Bureau, would use an adjusted rolling average that eliminates the highest and lowest values over a six-year period. This is known by economists as the “Olympic Average.” The model would give farmers and local governments more stable agricultural property assessments.
Officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency routinely use the Olympic Average technique in determining agri-business programs nationwide, including here in Indiana.
Leising stated, “Lawmakers have worked together to reduce the dependence of schools on property taxes.” The state now pays the operating funds for public schools from the state general fund. “This legislation helps give stability to our farmers who have seen their farmland assessments double.”
Leising represents Senate District 42, which is composed of Decatur, Fayette, Rush and Shelby counties and a portion of Franklin County.
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ISP closes Connersville Post
The Indiana State Police Post serving our area relocated from Rushville to Connersville in 1938. Since that time, the post known as “Old Post 6” has been a fixture south of Connersville on State Road 1.
- Labor Day signals end of summer Labor Day weekend represents the unofficial end of summer for many people. By early September, the kids are back in school, crops are maturing and soon the fall harvest will be in full swing.
- Commissioners to ban “K2” Mark Fields of the Rush County Probation office, Rush County Sheriff’ Jeff Sherwood and RCHS assistant principal Rob Hadley, representing the Local Coordinating Council, attended Monday’s county commissioner meeting and requested a countywide ban on what is marketed as a incense and known as Spice or K2.
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Orme makes history at State Fair
What has one young lady accomplished that has never before been accomplished by a Rush County 4-H member?
- RMH Brian’s Cause walk raises $18,000 In late 2006, lifelong Rushville resident and 1981 RCHS graduate Brian Conner was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
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Board approves new attorney in RPD’s Lane firing
The Rushville Board of Public Works and Safety approved hiring outside legal counsel in the dismissal of Patrolman Chris Lane’s litigation at a special meeting Tuesday at City Hall.
- Franklin County manufacturer to expand Rubber products producer, Sperry and Rice Manufacturing Co. LLC, has announced it is expanding its manufacturing operations here, creating up to 40 new jobs by the end of 2010.
- Franklin County manufacturer to expand Rubber products producer, Sperry and Rice Manufacturing Co. LLC, has announced it is expanding its manufacturing operations here, creating up to 40 new jobs by the end of 2010.
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