Sec. 31.5. (a) As used in this section, “department” refers to the department of local government finance.

     (b) If the department makes a determination and informs local officials under section 31(c) of this chapter, the department may order a state conducted assessment or reassessment in the county subject to the time limitation in that subsection.

     (c) If the department orders a state conducted assessment or reassessment in a county, the department shall assume the duties of the county assessor. Notwithstanding sections 15 and 17 of this chapter, a county assessor subject to an order issued under this section may not assess property or have property assessed for the assessment or under a county’s reassessment plan prepared under section 4.2 of this chapter. Until the state conducted assessment or reassessment is completed under this section, the assessment or reassessment duties of the county assessor are limited to providing the department or a contractor of the department the support and information requested by the department or the contractor.

     (d) Before assuming the duties of a county assessor, the department shall transmit a copy of the department’s order requiring a state conducted assessment or reassessment to the county assessor, the county fiscal body, the county auditor, and the county treasurer. Notice of the department’s actions must be published one (1) time in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county. The department is not required to conduct a public hearing before taking action under this section.

     (e) A county assessor subject to an order issued under this section shall, at the request of the department or the department’s contractor, make available and provide access to all:

(1) data;

(2) records;

(3) maps;

(4) parcel record cards;

(5) forms;

(6) computer software systems;

(7) computer hardware systems; and

(8) other information;

related to the assessment or reassessment of real property in the county. The information described in this subsection must be provided at no cost to the department or the contractor of the department. A failure to provide information requested under this subsection constitutes a failure to perform a duty related to an assessment or under a county’s reassessment plan prepared under section 4.2 of this chapter and is subject to IC 6-1.1-37-2.

     (f) The department may enter into a contract with a professional appraising firm to conduct an assessment or reassessment under this section. If a county entered into a contract with a professional appraising firm to conduct the county’s assessment or reassessment before the department orders a state conducted assessment or reassessment in the county under this section, the contract:

(1) is as valid as if it had been entered into by the department; and

(2) shall be treated as the contract of the department.

     (g) After receiving the report of assessed values from the appraisal firm acting under a contract described in subsection (f), the department shall give notice to the taxpayer and the county assessor, by mail, of the amount of the assessment or reassessment. The notice of assessment or reassessment:

(1) is subject to appeal by the taxpayer under section 31.7 of this chapter; and

(2) must include a statement of the taxpayer’s rights under section 31.7 of this chapter.

     (h) The department shall forward a bill for services provided under a contract described in subsection (f) to the auditor of the county in which the state conducted reassessment occurs. The county shall pay the bill under the procedures prescribed by subsection (i).

     (i) A county subject to an order issued under this section shall pay the cost of a contract described in subsection (f), without appropriation, from the county property reassessment fund. A contractor may periodically submit bills for partial payment of work performed under the contract. Notwithstanding any other law, a contractor is entitled to payment under this subsection for work performed under a contract if the contractor:

(1) submits to the department a fully itemized, certified bill in the form required by IC 5-11-10-1 for the costs of the work performed under the contract;

(2) obtains from the department:

(A) approval of the form and amount of the bill; and

(B) a certification that the billed goods and services have been received and comply with the contract; and

(3) files with the county auditor:

(A) a duplicate copy of the bill submitted to the department;

(B) proof of the department’s approval of the form and amount of the bill; and

(C) the department’s certification that the billed goods and services have been received and comply with the contract.

The department’s approval and certification of a bill under subdivision (2) shall be treated as conclusively resolving the merits of a contractor’s claim. Upon receipt of the documentation described in subdivision (3), the county auditor shall immediately certify that the bill is true and correct without further audit and submit the claim to the county executive. The county executive shall allow the claim, in full, as approved by the department, without further examination of the merits of the claim in a regular or special session that is held not less than three (3) days and not more than seven (7) days after the date the claim is certified by the county fiscal officer if the procedures in IC 5-11-10-2 are used to approve the claim or the date the claim is placed on the claim docket under IC 36-2-6-4 if the procedures in IC 36-2-6-4 are used to approve the claim. Upon allowance of the claim by the county executive, the county auditor shall immediately issue a warrant or check for the full amount of the claim approved by the department. Compliance with this subsection constitutes compliance with IC 5-11-6-1, IC 5-11-10, and IC 36-2-6. The determination and payment of a claim in compliance with this subsection is not subject to remonstrance and appeal. IC 36-2-6-4(f) and IC 36-2-6-9 do not apply to a claim submitted under this subsection. IC 5-11-10-1.6(f) applies to a fiscal officer who pays a claim in compliance with this subsection.

     (j) Notwithstanding IC 4-13-2, a period of seven (7) days is permitted for each of the following to review and act under IC 4-13-2 on a contract of the department entered into under this section:

(1) The commissioner of the Indiana department of administration.

(2) The director of the budget agency.

(3) The attorney general.

     (k) If money in the county’s property reassessment fund is insufficient to pay for an assessment or reassessment conducted under this section, the department may increase the tax rate and tax levy of the county’s property reassessment fund to pay the cost and expenses related to the assessment or reassessment.

     (l) The department or the contractor of the department shall use the land values determined under section 13.6 of this chapter for a county subject to an order issued under this section to the extent that the department or the contractor finds that the land values reflect the true tax value of land, as determined under this article and the rules of the department. If the department or the contractor finds that the land values determined for the county under section 13.6 of this chapter do not reflect the true tax value of land, the department or the contractor shall determine land values for the county that reflect the true tax value of land, as determined under this article and the rules of the department. Land values determined under this subsection shall be used to the same extent as if the land values had been determined under section 13.6 of this chapter. The department or the contractor of the department shall notify the county’s assessing officials of the land values determined under this subsection.

     (m) A contractor of the department may notify the department if:

(1) a county auditor fails to:

(A) certify the contractor’s bill;

(B) publish the contractor’s claim;

(C) submit the contractor’s claim to the county executive; or

(D) issue a warrant or check for payment of the contractor’s bill;

as required by subsection (i) at the county auditor’s first legal opportunity to do so;

(2) a county executive fails to allow the contractor’s claim as legally required by subsection (i) at the county executive’s first legal opportunity to do so; or

(3) a person or an entity authorized to act on behalf of the county takes or fails to take an action, including failure to request an appropriation, and that action or failure to act delays or halts progress under this section for payment of the contractor’s bill.

     (n) The department, upon receiving notice under subsection (m) from a contractor of the department, shall:

(1) verify the accuracy of the contractor’s assertion in the notice that:

(A) a failure occurred as described in subsection (m)(1) or (m)(2); or

(B) a person or an entity acted or failed to act as described in subsection (m)(3); and

(2) provide to the treasurer of state the department’s approval under subsection (i)(2)(A) of the contractor’s bill with respect to which the contractor gave notice under subsection (m).

     (o) Upon receipt of the department’s approval of a contractor’s bill under subsection (n), the treasurer of state shall pay the contractor the amount of the bill approved by the department from money in the possession of the state that would otherwise be available for distribution to the county, including distributions of admissions taxes or wagering taxes.

     (p) The treasurer of state shall withhold from the money that would be distributed under IC 4-33-12-6, IC 4-33-13-5, or any other law to a county described in a notice provided under subsection (m) the amount of a payment made by the treasurer of state to the contractor of the department under subsection (o). Money shall be withheld from any source payable to the county.

     (q) Compliance with subsections (m) through (p) constitutes compliance with IC 5-11-10.

     (r) IC 5-11-10-1.6(f) applies to the treasurer of state with respect to the payment made in compliance with subsections (m) through (p). This subsection and subsections (m) through (p) must be interpreted liberally so that the state shall, to the extent legally valid, ensure that the contractual obligations of a county subject to this section are paid. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create a debt of the state.

     (s) The provisions of this section are severable as provided in IC 1-1-1-8(b).

As added by P.L.228-2005, SEC.12. Amended by P.L.146-2008, SEC.82; P.L.112-2012, SEC.22; P.L.86-2018, SEC.37; P.L.181-2023, SEC.2.