The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana bill allows county councils and commissioners to unanimously abolish township assessors
Last action · January 6, 2026: First reading: referred to Committee on Local GovernmentSponsor: Timothy Wesco
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 1330 permits county councils and county commissioners to unanimously vote to abolish the office of township assessor and consolidate its duties, employees, property, and funds into the county assessor's office. The legislation outlines record-transfer procedures, ballot updates for primary and general elections, and requires the legislative services agency to prepare follow-up statutory corrections for the 2027 session.
Local property assessment administration and ballot layouts change in any county where local officials vote to eliminate the township assessor office, directly affecting township staff transition rights and county-level consolidation of assessment duties.
- Township assessors in Indiana are elected officials responsible for determining the assessed value of real and personal property within their respective townships for property tax purposes. context
- County assessors in Indiana oversee countywide property assessments and frequently coordinate with or absorb township-level assessment functions as local government reforms are enacted. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Township assessor employees
Employees transfer to the county assessor's office upon abolition of the township office and retain their positions until resignation or standard termination.
County assessors
County assessors assume the assessment duties, properties, funds, and staff of eliminated township assessor offices.
County councils and county commissioners
Elected county bodies gain the authority to jointly eliminate township assessor offices by unanimous vote.
Key Facts
- The county council and county commissioners in a county may jointly eliminate the office of township assessor by adopting unanimous ordinances.
- If eliminated, the office of township assessor is abolished and its duties are assumed by the county assessor on the following January 1.
- All employment positions, real and personal property, outstanding obligations, and funds of the township assessor transfer to the county assessor on January 1.
- Transferred employees retain their positions until resignation or termination, and may only be terminated in the same manner as other county assessor employees.
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- The department of local government finance must determine a procedure and schedule for the transfer of records and operations between assessors.
- The department of local government finance shall adjust the maximum permissible ad valorem tax levy of each county and township to reflect assessor duty transfers.
- Ballots for primary and general elections exclude the township assessor office if it has been eliminated by a unanimous vote.
- The legislative services agency, under the code revision committee's supervision, must prepare conforming legislation for the 2027 general assembly session.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a county eliminate the office of township assessor?
What happens to the employees of an eliminated township assessor's office?
How does the consolidation affect primary and general election ballots?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 6, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Local Government
- Jan 6, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Wesco
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Local Option for Assessment Consolidation
The bill shifts discretion to county councils and commissioners to eliminate township assessors through unanimous local ordinances rather than imposing a statewide mandate.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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