Sec. 6. (a) With respect to any township or county for any year, the department of local government finance may initiate a review to determine whether to order a special reassessment under this chapter. The review may apply to real property or personal property, or both.

(b) If the department of local government finance determines under subsection (a) to initiate a review with respect to the real property subject to reassessment under IC 6-1.1-4-4.2 within a township or county, or a portion of the real property within a township or county, the division of data analysis of the department shall determine for the real property under consideration and for the township or county the variance between:

(1) the total assessed valuation of the real property within the township or county; and

(2) the total assessed valuation that would result if the real property within the township or county were valued in the manner provided by law.

(c) If the department of local government finance determines under subsection (a) to initiate a review with respect to the real property within a particular cycle under a county's reassessment plan prepared under IC 6-1.1-4-4.2 or a part of the real property within a cycle, the division of data analysis of the department shall determine for the real property under consideration and for all groups of parcels within a particular cycle the variance between:

(1) the total assessed valuation of the real property within all groups of parcels within a particular cycle; and

(2) the total assessed valuation that would result if the real property within all groups of parcels within a particular cycle were valued in the manner provided by law.

(d) If the department of local government finance determines under subsection (a) to initiate a review with respect to personal property within a township or county, or a part of the personal property within a township or county, the division of data analysis of the department shall determine for the personal property under consideration and for the township or county the variance between:

(1) the total assessed valuation of the personal property within the township or county; and

(2) the total assessed valuation that would result if the personal property within the township or county were valued in the manner provided by law.

(e) The determination of the department of local government finance under section 2 or 3 of this chapter must be based on a statistically valid assessment ratio study.

(f) If a determination of the department of local government finance to order a special reassessment under this chapter is based on a coefficient of dispersion study, the department shall publish the coefficient of dispersion study for the township or county in accordance with IC 5-3-1-2(b).

(g) If:

(1) the variance determined under subsection (b), (c), or (d) exceeds twenty percent (20%); and

(2) the department of local government finance determines after holding hearings on the matter that a special reassessment should be conducted;

the department shall contract for a special reassessment to be conducted to correct the valuation of the property.

(h) If the variance determined under subsection (b), (c), or (d) is twenty percent (20%) or less, the department of local government finance shall determine whether to correct the valuation of the property under:

(1) IC 6-1.1-4-9 and IC 6-1.1-4-10; or

(2) IC 6-1.1-14.

(i) The department of local government finance shall give notice to a taxpayer, by individual notice or by publication at the discretion of the department, of a hearing concerning the department's intent to cause the assessment of the taxpayer's property to be adjusted under this section. The time fixed for the hearing must be at least ten (10) days after the day the notice is mailed or published. The department may conduct a single hearing under this section with respect to multiple properties. The notice must state:

(1) the time of the hearing;

(2) the location of the hearing; and

(3) that the purpose of the hearing is to hear taxpayers' comments and objections with respect to the department's intent to adjust the assessment of property under this chapter.

(j) If the department of local government finance determines after the hearing that the assessment of property should be adjusted under this chapter, the department shall:

(1) cause the assessment of the property to be adjusted;

(2) mail a certified notice of its final determination to the county auditor of the county in which the property is located; and

(3) notify the taxpayer as required under IC 6-1.1-14.

(k) A reassessment or adjustment may be made under this section only if the notice of the final determination is given to the taxpayer within the same period prescribed in IC 6-1.1-9-3 or IC 6-1.1-9-4.

(l) If the department of local government finance contracts for a special reassessment of property under this chapter, the department shall forward the bill for services of the reassessment contractor to the county auditor, and the county shall pay the bill from the county reassessment fund.

As added by P.L.198-2001, SEC.82. Amended by P.L.112-2012, SEC.45; P.L.122-2015, SEC.3; P.L.86-2018, SEC.62.