(ANGOLA) - The Angola Common Council is joining a new countywide task force aimed at helping the state rewrite how local income tax dollars are distributed.
Mayor Dave Martin told council members Monday night the group will include one county council member and a financial officer from every city and town in Steuben County, with Angola Clerk-Treasurer Ryan Herbert representing the city.
The task force is being formed after state lawmakers changed the local income tax distribution law, a move Martin said could leave Angola 10 to 25 percent below its budgeting needs if no long-term fix is adopted.
The county group is expected to meet through the summer and develop a non-binding recommendation by October for the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance and, ultimately, state lawmakers.
Martin said the state has already pushed the formula change back one year, moving implementation from 2027 to 2028, which gives communities more time to develop a replacement model.
He said Angola remains in a relatively stable position because the city carries no taxpayer-backed debt, but the uncertainty has already forced officials to slow forward planning and prepare more conservative department budgets.
The mayor said the city sees the task force process as an encouraging sign that state leaders recognize problems with the current formula and are now looking to local governments for guidance on a permanent solution