New plat map proposal may soon attack property tax shortfall

That's a shortfall which a new $76,000 proposal to investigate and redraw plat maps by an Indianapolis firm may soon attack.

Even so, if some sites weren't taxed initially, the county can only go back so far to collect those levies, said County Auditor David Bailey.

"You can only assess back three years," Bailey said. "So it will depend on what they find."

Representatives of WTH Technologies, enlisted by the county in November 2008 to identify incorrectly represented property splits and other areas whose mapped boundaries don't match recorded deeds, now says about 1,856 parcels could need work.

WTH has already engaged in Phase I of that work, identifying the sites whose plat maps don't align with recorded deeds.

Soon, WTH could seek county approval for funding Phase II, which means incurring $76,475 in additional work needed to correct the plat maps.

That request could come by February's County Council sessions, Bailey said.

Of that work, $49,000 would be needed to draw missing parcels, redraw existing parcels, and draw new splits, per a proposal provided to the Greene County Council last week.

An additional $27,475 is needed to obtain plats and deeds, then define problems with how the plat maps align with recorded deeds.

The corrections could address plat problems which have occurred over the past six decades.

Since the 1950s, the methods of recording plat maps has changed multiple times as the Greene County Auditor's offices switched from a plat book to computer drafting programs which, in the present day, can overlay legal descriptions such as the right-of-ways.

Many of the incorrect plat maps involve property splits -- which typically entail instances where a larger property has been divided among several owners, such as in an inheritance.

However, County Commissioners Attorney Marilyn Hartman said last March those have been recorded properly, and there's no need for landowners to worry.

A review of those maps, correlated with the deeds, has revealed some property splits documented in the county recorder's offices don't align with the mapping.

In total, 1,267 parcels have been identified by WTH, having "known or suspected issues" which must be corrected.

Of those, 862 parcels are missing. Another 233 require redrawing on the county's present maps, with another 172 existing parcels expected to be redrawn additionally, according to the proposal.

At least some of 589 properties in Greene County may not have their parcel splits recorded properly, and hence go untaxed according to WTH officials.

"Do you think that there are parcels out there which should be getting taxed, but aren't?" Councilman Ed Cullison asked during last week's Council session.

WTH officials suggested that's likely with at least some of the 589 parcels.

"With that number, I have got to believe that at least some of those we find should be getting taxed," said WTH chief service officer Eric Lowry.

However, how many of those there are -- and what amount of tax may have gone unpaid -- remains uncertain.

It's estimated if a contracted abstractor works 20 hours per week, then the work on researching documents and redrawing parcels could be completed in about 40 weeks, the proposal suggests.

Parcel drawing could add another four weeks, making it possible work could be completed by the end of 2010.

However, WTH officials caution in the proposal the work's timetable is only a rough estimate, and could be affected by the complexity of problems as they are discovered.