Welcome!

The Auditor's office has recently released the 2008 payable 2009 property tax rates. An official copy of the rate sheet is available in that office on the second floor of the courthouse. I would like to put a good word in for the hard work and diligence of our local officials in getting all components in place for the approval and release of these rates.  Here is a link to the rates:

2009 Owen County Property Tax Rates

In addition to the rate sheet, I have also taken the rate information for our District and created a resource that you may also find valuable. It splits out each property tax dollar you pay by each taxing unit.  You'll be able to know to the nearest 1/1000th of a cent how much of each dollar you pay goes to each taxing unit.

All of this information is available on this District 2 Council website at the following link:

2009 District Two Property Tax Dollar Analysis & Charts

Two things I would like to note--your final tax due is dependent on any applicable homestead, mortgage, or other exemptions that apply to each property you own.  In addition, state-directed tax relief may also apply which can lower the net amount of tax due.  The Treasurer's office will be processing all data and send out tax statements in the coming month.  As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

On January 12th, the Owen County Council conducted its first meeting of the year.  It is an honor and pleasure to continue representing District Two as your Council member. Enclosed is information you may find helpful when you have questions or need assistance throughout the coming year.  Being accessible is a responsibility as a public official that I take very seriously.

WHO IS, AND HOW DO I REACH MY DISTRICT'S COUNCIL MEMBER?

Anton Karl Neff
Owen County Councilman, District 2
306 North Park Avenue
Spencer, Indiana  47460

(812) 829-4254 Home
(812) 325-4029 Cell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.antonkarlneff.com

WHO ARE ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE OWEN COUNTY COUNCIL?

Irma Jean Franklin, At-Large member
Mark Snapp, At-Large member
Mike Wood, At-Large member (President)
Nick Robertson, District 1 member
Anton Karl Neff, District 2 member
Kristin Szczerbik, District 3 member
Patty Steward, District 4 member (Vice-President)

WHAT IS THE COUNTY COUNCIL?

It is a seven member board consisting of four elected from districts and three elected county wide.  The Council reviews and sets county operating budgets, establishes compensation for county officials and employees, appropriates public funds, and has the ability to secure financing for county government projects.  The Council also makes appointments to various local boards.

WHEN DOES THE COUNTY COUNCIL HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS?

Regular meetings and budget hearings are open to the public.

Regular monthly meetings are held at the Owen County Courthouse in the 2nd floor meeting room on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 PM.  The deadline to be a part of the meeting agenda regarding an issue relating to the County Council is the Monday morning prior to the meeting.  All agenda inquires can be directed to the Auditor at 829-5000.

Annual budget hearings are also held at the Courthouse and usually are conducted late August/early September.

Special meetings, work sessions, and committee meetings can also occur as needed and may be advertised on a per case basis in the Spencer Evening World.

WHAT ISSUES MAY I CONTACT MY COUNCIL MEMBER ABOUT?

Any issue relating to budgets, compensation, funds, taxes, etc., as noted above.

If you have a question that is outside the realm of County Council's duties, I can still help point you in the right direction for assistance.  Owen County government also has an official website now and you may visit it at:

http://www.owencounty.in.gov/html/

Communication is a two-way street and I also often contact folks in the District to ask for their opinions and insight on issues as well.  Before the holidays, an on-line local government survey became available.  I was very pleased with the responses received thus far.  If you have not had a chance to participate, please do so by visiting the following link:

http://www.antonkarlneff.com/surv1

You can also specifically contact me regarding County Plan Commission issues as I serve as the Council's appointment to that board.

WHAT IS YOUR POLICY ON CONFIDENTIALITY?

I encourage open communication and in order to do so, I simply ask that people identify themselves.  I do not respond to unsigned letters, anonymous calls, etc.  If a person specifically requests that I keep their name confidential when I work to address an issue, I will honor that.

There are a lot of challenges facing local government and a lot of issues specific to Owen County that affect everyone.  Many folks do not know of a lot of these issues and thus have not had a chance to come up with an opinion on them.

A survey is now available for you to take which highlights some of the more common issues facing county government.  This gives you a chance to know what some of those issues are and for you to offer your opinion or ask questions about them.  This is my first attempt at offering a survey to constituents, so they will improve over time as future surveys are offered.  I attempted to highlight some of the more common issues that come up for discussion, however the survey also give you an opportunity to ask a question about any issue not addressed in the survey.  Please take the survey and offer your opinions and think about any other questions you may want me to address.

You may start the survey by clicking here:    Owen County Government Survey

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey.  Your comments are welcome!