Sec. 4. (a) As used in this section, “county board” means a county property tax assessment board of appeals.

     (b) Upon request by a county assessor, an employee of the Indiana board may assist taxpayers and local officials in their attempts to voluntarily resolve disputes in which:

(1) a taxpayer has filed written notice to obtain a county board’s review of an action by a township or county official; and

(2) the county board has not given written notice of its decision on the issues under review.

     (c) If an Indiana board employee assists in attempts to voluntarily resolve a dispute as authorized in subsection (b), the employee may not:

(1) act as an administrative law judge on; or

(2) participate in a decision relating to;

a petition for review of the county board’s action on that same dispute.

     (d) Notwithstanding any other law, including IC 5-14-1.5, a conference attended by an Indiana board employee acting in the capacity described in subsection (b) is not required to be open to the public. Such a conference may be open to the public only if both the taxpayer and the township or county official from whose action the taxpayer sought review agree to open the conference to the public.

     (e) Notwithstanding any other law, a conference attended by an Indiana board employee acting in the capacity described in subsection (b) is not a proceeding of the Indiana board, and the Indiana board is not required to keep a record of the conference.

As added by P.L.113-2010, SEC.41.