Member counties and municipalities of the northwest Indiana

# (1)

The county, city, or town fiscal body must adopt an ordinance authorizing the homestead credits. The ordinance must specify the amount of additional revenue that will be used to provide homestead credits in the following year.

# (2)

The county, city, or town fiscal body that adopts an ordinance under this subsection must forward a copy of the ordinance to the county auditor and the department of local government finance not more than thirty (30) days after the ordinance is adopted.

# (3)

The homestead credits must be applied uniformly to provide a homestead credit for homesteads in the county, city, or town.

# (4)

The homestead credits shall be treated for all purposes as property tax levies.

# (5)

The homestead credits shall be applied to the net property taxes due on the homestead after the application of all other assessed value deductions or property tax deductions and credits that apply to the amount owed under IC 6-1.1.

# (6)

The state comptroller shall determine the homestead credit percentage for a particular year based on the amount of additional revenue that will be used under this subsection to provide homestead credits in that year.

(c) This subsection applies only to LaPorte County as follows:

(1) This subsection applies if:

(A) the county fiscal body has adopted an ordinance under IC 36-7.5-2-3(d) providing that the county is joining the northwest Indiana regional development authority; and

(B) the fiscal body of the city described in IC 36-7.5-2-3(d) has adopted an ordinance under IC 36-7.5-2-3(d) providing that the city is joining the development authority.

(2) Additional revenue that is allocated each year for economic development purposes under IC 6-3.6-6-9 may be used by a county or a city described in IC 36-7.5-2-3(d) for making transfers required by IC 36-7.5-4-2. In addition, if the allocation of additional revenue for economic development purposes under IC 6-3.6-6-9 is increased in the county, the first three million five hundred thousand dollars ($3,500,000) of the tax revenue that results each year from the allocation increase shall be used by the county only to make the county's transfer required by IC 36-7.5-4-2 and shall be paid by the treasurer of state to the treasurer of the northwest Indiana regional development authority under IC 36-7.5-4-2 before certified distributions are made to the county or any cities or towns in the county.

(3) All of the additional revenue allocated for economic development purposes under IC 6-3.6-6-9 that results each year from an allocation increase described in subdivision

(2) and that is in excess of the first three million five hundred thousand dollars ($3,500,000) must be used by the county and cities and towns in the county for homestead credits under this subsection. The following apply to homestead credits provided under this subsection:

(A) The homestead credits must be applied uniformly to provide a homestead credit for homesteads in the county, city, or town.

(B) The homestead credits shall be treated for all purposes as property tax levies.

(C) The homestead credits shall be applied to the net property taxes due on the homestead after the application of all other assessed value deductions or property tax deductions and credits that apply to the amount owed under IC 6-1.1.

(D) The state comptroller shall determine the homestead credit percentage for a particular year based on the amount of additional revenue that will be used under this subdivision to provide homestead credits in that year.

(d) This subsection applies only to Porter County. The additional revenue designated each year for economic development purposes under IC 6-3.6-6 shall be allocated and used as follows:

(1) First, the revenue attributable to an income tax rate of twenty-five hundredths percent (0.25%) shall be allocated to the county and cities and towns as provided in IC 6-3.6-6-9.

(2) Second, the next three million five hundred thousand dollars ($3,500,000) of the revenue shall be used for the county or for eligible municipalities (as defined in IC 36-7.5-1-11.3) in the county, to make transfers as provided in and required under IC 36-7.5-4-2. The additional revenue used to make the transfers as provided in IC 36-7.5-4-2 shall be paid by the treasurer of state to the treasurer of the northwest Indiana regional development authority before certified distributions are made to the county or any taxing unit in the county. If Porter County ceases to be a member of the northwest Indiana regional development authority under IC 36-7.5 but two (2) or more municipalities in the county have become members of the northwest Indiana regional development authority as authorized by IC 36-7.5-2-3(h), the treasurer of state shall continue to transfer this amount to the treasurer of the northwest Indiana regional

development authority under IC 36-7.5-4-2.

(3) Third, except as provided in IC 36-7.5-3-5, all of the revenue each year that is in excess of the amounts described in subdivisions (1) and (2) must be used by the county and cities and towns in the county for homestead credits. The following apply to homestead credits provided under this subdivision:

(A) The homestead credits must be applied uniformly to provide a homestead credit for homesteads in the county, city, or town.

(B) The homestead credits shall be treated for all purposes as property tax levies.

(C) The homestead credits shall be applied to the net property taxes due on the homestead after the application of all other assessed value deductions or property tax deductions and credits that apply to the amount owed under IC 6-1.1.

(D) The state comptroller shall determine the homestead credit percentage for a particular year based on the amount of additional revenue that will be used under this subdivision to provide homestead credits in that year.

(e) A transfer made on behalf of a city, town, or county under this section after December 31, 2018, is to be considered a payment for services provided to residents by a rail project as those services are rendered.

(f) A pledge by the northwest Indiana regional development authority of transferred revenue under this section to the payment of bonds, leases, or obligations under this article or IC 5-1.3:

(1) constitutes the obligations of the northwest Indiana regional development authority;
and

(2) does not constitute an indebtedness of:

(A) a county or municipality described in this section; or

(B) the state;
within the meaning or application of any constitutional or statutory provision or limitation.

(g) Neither the transfer of revenue nor the pledge of revenue transferred under this section is an impairment of contract within the meaning or application of any constitutional provision or limitation because of the following:

(1) The statutes governing local income taxes, including the transferred revenue, have been the subject of legislation annually since 1973, and during that time the statutes have been revised, amended, expanded, limited, and recodified dozens of times.

(2) Owners of bonds, leases, or other obligations to which local income tax revenues have been pledged recognize that the regulation of local income taxes has been extensive and consistent.

(3) All bonds, leases, or other obligations, due to their essential contractual nature, are subject to relevant state and federal law that is enacted after the date of a contract.

(4) The state has a legitimate interest in assisting the northwest Indiana regional development authority in financing rail projects (as defined in IC 36-7.5-1-13.5).

(h) All proceedings had and actions described in this section are valid pledges under IC 5-1-14-4 as of the date of those pledges or actions and are hereby legalized and declared valid if taken before March 15, 2018.
As added by P.L.197-2016, SEC.72. Amended by P.L.248-2017, SEC.1; P.L.189-2018, SEC.60; P.L.165-2021, SEC.97; P.L.9-2024, SEC.194.