Under IC 4-22-2-24, notice is hereby given that on October 30, 2009, at 10:00 a.m., at the Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N1058, Indianapolis, Indiana, the Department of Local Government Finance will hold a public hearing on the proposed rule that amends Level Two Certified Assessor-Appraiser requirements to include achievement of Level One, establishes course requirements for Level Three, requires tax representatives and professional appraisers to achieve Level Three, and amends certification revocation requirements.

The Department of Local Government Finance finds the rule necessary because IC 6-1.1-35.5-4.5 requires the Department to design a curriculum for Level Three assessor-appraisers. Moreover, in order to ensure that property tax assessments are fair and accurate throughout the state, those individuals involved in the assessment process must, at the very least, be minimally qualified to perform their jobs. The classes required are generally accepted in the assessing community as the minimum necessary to be considered qualified. In addition, the legislature has required that a candidate for county assessor for an election after January 1, 2012, must be a certified Level Three assessor-appraiser. The Department estimates that the cost of achieving Level Three certification is approximately $2,000 per student. This cost is based on a $400 per class cost multiplied by the five required classes.

Copies of the rule are available on the Department of Local Government Finance website at www.in.gov/dlgf.

Copies of these rules are on now file at the Indiana Government Center North, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room 1058 and Legislative Services Agency, One North Capitol, Suite 325, Indianapolis, Indiana and are open for public inspection.