Sec. 9. (a) This section applies only to Hancock County.

(b) The county fiscal body may, by ordinance, allocate part of the tax rate imposed under IC 6-3.6-5, not to exceed a tax rate of fifteen hundredths percent (0.15%), to a property tax credit against the property tax liability imposed for public libraries in the county, if all territory in the county is included in a library district. The county treasurer shall establish a library property tax replacement fund to be used only for the purposes described in this section. Tax revenues derived from the part of the tax rate imposed under IC 6-3-5 that is designated for property tax replacement credits under this section shall be deposited in the library property tax replacement fund. Any interest earned on money in the library property tax replacement fund shall be credited to the library property tax replacement fund.

(c) The amount of property tax replacement credits that each public library in the county is entitled to receive during a calendar year under this section equals the lesser of:

(1) the product of:

(A) the amount of revenue deposited by the county auditor in the library property tax replacement fund; multiplied by

(B) a fraction described as follows:

(i) The numerator of the fraction equals the sum of the total property taxes that would have been collected by the public library during the previous calendar year from taxpayers located within the library district if the property tax replacement under this section had not been in effect.

(ii) The denominator of the fraction equals the sum of the total property taxes that would have been collected during the previous year from taxpayers located within the county by all public libraries that are eligible to receive property tax replacement credits under this section if the property tax replacement under this section had not been in effect; or

(2) the total property taxes that would otherwise be collected by the public library for the calendar year if the property tax replacement credit under this section were not in effect.

The department of local government finance shall make any adjustments necessary to account for the expansion of a library district. However, a public library is eligible to receive property tax replacement credits under this section only if it has entered into reciprocal borrowing agreements with all other public libraries in the county. If the total amount of tax revenue deposited by the county auditor in the library property tax replacement fund for a calendar year exceeds the total property tax liability that would otherwise be imposed for public libraries in the county for the year, the excess must remain in the library property tax replacement fund and may be used for library property tax replacement purposes in the following calendar year.

(d) A public library receiving property tax replacement credits under this section shall allocate the credits among each fund for which a distinct property tax levy is imposed in proportion to the property taxes levied for each fund. However, if a public library did not impose a property tax levy during the previous calendar year or did not impose a property tax levy for a particular fund during the previous calendar year, but the public library is imposing a property tax levy in the current calendar year or is imposing a property tax levy for the particular fund in the current calendar year, the department of local government finance shall adjust the amount of property tax replacement credits allocated among the various funds of the public library and shall provide the adjustment to the county auditor. If a public library receiving property tax replacement credits under this section does not impose a property tax levy for a particular fund that is first due and payable in a calendar year in which the property tax replacement credits are being distributed, the public library is not required to allocate to that fund a part of the property tax replacement credits to be distributed to the public library. Notwithstanding IC 6-1.1-20-1.1(1), a public library that receives property tax replacement credits under this section is subject to the procedures for the issuance of bonds set forth in IC 6-1.1-20.

(e) A public library shall treat property tax replacement credits received during a particular calendar year under this section as a part of the public library's property tax levy for each fund for that same calendar year for purposes of fixing the public library's budget and for purposes of the property tax levy limits imposed by IC 6-1.1-18.5.

(f) For the purpose of allocating tax revenue under IC 6-3.6-6 and computing and distributing tax revenue under IC 6-5.5 or IC 6-6-5, the property tax replacement credits that are received under this section shall be treated as though they were property taxes that were due and payable during that same calendar year.

As added by P.L.243-2015, SEC.10.