Marion County Assessor: County messed up hundreds of assessments

INDIANAPOLIS(WISH) - The Marion County Assessor says there's been a mistake in hundreds, possibly thousands of new property assessments.

Marion County Assessor Joseph O'Connor says his office messed up. He says during the assessment, he realized more than 200 homes in the Irvington Terrace neighborhood were wrong. He fears that number could climb.

“From our standpoint it was an oversight by this office. We made a mistake,” O’Connor says.

Just more than a month before property assessments are mailed out, the Marion County Assessor realized at least 221 homes were assessed at the wrong amount.

“I'm sure there will be hundreds of people appealing,” says homeowner Mike Theard.

Theard lives in the Irvington Terrace neighborhood where the mistakes were made. He says the property taxes in the area haven't been stable. He not only worries about his tax bill, but also about the neighborhood's future.

“Property around here their average is $900-$1,300. I've seen them go up to $2,500 and $2,600 — that scares people away from potential of buying of a home,” Theard says.

The County Assessor's office has been busy. Unlike previous years when assessments were decided by a computer, O'Connor says the new property assessments are based on analysts walking house to house. It took 18 months for the general assessment and O'Connor worries a lot more homes will be affected.

“How widespread is the problem? How long will it take to correct the problem? And I don't want to take any chances working through the problem when we send out a notice that is wrong,” says O’Connor.

O'Connor says he will spend this week figuring out how many more properties are affected. He believes thousands of assessments are wrong. He says while they did send out letters to the initial batch, no more letters will be sent out so the office can save money. Property assessments are supposed to be in the mail by mid-November, but O'Connor plans to ask for an extension. If granted, they would go out mid-December.

O'Connor stresses homeowners can always appeal, but as it stands, the office is still working on appeals from 2007.