STATEHOUSE (Aug. 15, 2025) – State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) met with Elkhart County officials on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Elkhart County Administration Building in Goshen to discuss property tax relief and reform advanced through Senate Enrolled Act 1. Attendees included the mayors of Elkhart, Goshen and Nappanee, Elkhart County commissioners and council members, and other officials from Bristol, Elkhart, Goshen, Millersburg, Wakarusa and Middlebury.
King said Indiana lawmakers have worked to keep taxes low for hardworking Hoosiers, cutting taxes every year over the last decade, including advancing over a billion dollars in tax relief this legislative session.
King said after talking with Hoosiers in her district, one of the focuses of this legislative session was on providing a robust package of property tax relief for homeowners and longer-term reforms that move the state toward a better, more transparent system.
Through a combination of credits and reforms in SEA 1, homeowners will save more than $1.3 billion in property taxes over the next three years. Two-thirds of Hoosier homeowners will see a lower tax bill in 2026 than they did in 2025, and nearly all Indiana residents will see relief.
"I wanted leaders in our community to come together to have a positive and insightful meeting about the impacts of Senate Enrolled 1 and what is means for residents," King said. "This was a productive meeting and we discussed how the law will provide immediate, meaningful relief to homeowners and move us to a more accountable system that keeps our communities thriving without burdening taxpayers."
King said the new law provides increased credits and deductions for all homeowners, as well as additional relief for fixed-income seniors. It also phases in a two-thirds property tax deduction for all homesteads, as well as a new one-third property tax deduction for other residential properties and farmers. She said this property tax reform is significant relief in the short-term and creates a system that improves accountability in local government spending, reins in local government debt and reduces local reliance on property taxes long-term.
King added that through these reforms, Senate Enrolled Act 1 decreases the total amount of local income taxes local governments can collect by $1.9 billion, lowering the cap to 2.9%.
She said it also puts additional pro-taxpayer reforms in place to prevent property tax hikes. This includes requiring a property tax referendum to be held during general elections to align with higher voter turnout and creating a Property Tax Transparency Portal to allow taxpayers to compare their current tax bill with proposed tax rate changes.
Hoosiers with questions or comments about property tax reform can contact King's office at h49@iga.in.gov or 317-232-9657.
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State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) represents House District 49,
which includes a portion of Elkhart County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
Photo 1: State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) (seventh from left) listens to Elkhart County officials during a meeting to discuss Senate Enrolled Act 1 on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Elkhart County Administration Building in Goshen. King and other lawmakers were there to discuss property tax relief and reform. Others pictured are (from left) State Rep. Craig Snow (R-Warsaw), State Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton), House Fiscal Analyst, Wakarusa Town Manager Rob Slagle, Wakarusa Town Council President Rocco Rigsby, State Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger) and State Rep. Doug Miller (R-Elkhart).
Photo 2: Elkhart County officials meet on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Elkhart County Administration Building in Goshen to discuss property tax relief and reform advanced through Senate Enrolled Act 1.
