Property tax statements show breakdown of entities’ share

The phones at the county treasurer’s office have been ringing off the hook ever since residents got their property tax statements.

“Tax statements went out on Thursday, and they hit mailboxes yesterday — and I’ll tell you how I know that,” Jasper County Treasurer Doug Bishop said during the Aug. 15 board of supervisors meeting. “We had a rough day. Taxes, of course, are up for the most part all the way through the county.”

Residents want to know why or who is to blame. Treasurer’s staff are used to it at this point and help when they can. Oftentimes, the treasurer’s office gets the brunt of the calls since Bishop’s name is at the top of tax statements. But this year staff are trying to direct callers to look on the back of the statements.

There they will find a handy pie graph and additional information that shows a breakdown of their taxes, down to how much each taxing entity gets. Bishop handed supervisors another graph to show how the 2022-2023 taxable years affect a home with an assessed value of $200,000 in each community.

According to the information presented in the graph — which was provided to Newton News — residents in Colfax will be paying the most in taxes, followed by Baxter and Newton. Bishop noted there is an anomaly this year because the City of Kellogg did not get its taxes certified, which will get corrected next year.

“This is just a general idea of where everybody is at,” Bishop said. “It’s funny to see some of the schools are up and the cities are down (in one community), and the next one is just the opposite depending on where you’re at. I took this to the Baxter City Council … We used to be No. 7 or No. 8 on the list. And we’re No. 2.”

Bishop commended the board of supervisors for doing “a fantastic job” keeping the county’s budget down. He has also encouraged residents to get involved.

“If any of those (taxing) bodies don’t lower their levy, respectively, next year, you’re going to be in for a worse year than you were this year,” Bishop said. “…Don’t go to the coffee shops and complain … Get involved. Go to council meetings, go to school board meetings. Or take out papers and run for council or school board.”