HB 1386

Bill Subjects

Engineers And Land Surveyors Land And Landowners Property Taxes, Assessments, Notices, And Penalties

Abstract

Repeals the provision that requires the county surveyor to make a survey of certain land, if an assessor and a landowner fail to agree on the amount of land included in assessments involving rights-of-way, levees, and public drainage ditches. Provides that a survey must be done if an assessor and a landowner fail to agree on the amount of land in those circumstances, and: (1) requires the landowner to provide written notice of the disagreement to the assessor; (2) requires the survey to be completed within six months from the date of the landowner's notice; (3) allows the landowner to elect to choose the surveyor to conduct the survey (if the landowner does not choose a surveyor, the county surveyor is required to conduct the survey); and (4) specifies the party who is required to pay for the survey. Provides that the attorney general, upon written request of a county assessor, may authorize the chief administrative officer of the office of judicial administration to hire private counsel to represent the county assessor: (1) in a judicial review initiated by the county assessor for review of a final determination of the Indiana board of tax review regarding the assessment or exemption of tangible property; and (2) in a judicial review seeking relief from the tax court to establish that the Indiana board of tax review rendered a decision that was: (A) an abuse of discretion; (B) arbitrary and capricious; (C) contrary to substantial or reliable evidence; or (D) contrary to law (the office of the attorney general may not represent the assessor in these actions under current law).