Anthony Gianoli News Today

SOUTH BEND — Anthony Gianoli doesn’t remember if he voted for the South Bend School Corp.’s $220 million referendum last year, but he said school officials led him to believe the measure would have little impact on his property taxes. So Gianoli, 69, was shocked when he opened a letter from the county treasurer’s office this spring and found the referendum tacked on $324, helping drive a 35% spike in his overall property tax bill. “They said it will be a minimal increas...

I received my 2021 property tax bill and was puzzled by a $324.46 item. After calling three county departments, I was told this related to the 2020 school referendum, though no one could explain how or on what basis this was calculated. The school board in its proposal provided calculators which appeared to indicate the impact on property taxes would be a very nominal annual increase. The actual individual costs included in the 2021 tax bills appear to be far higher than those communicated, and...