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Sticker shock: Taxpayers say South Bend schools referendum drove bills higher than expected

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 increase, maybe $10 or $15,” Gianoli said. “I think we were misled on this thing.” Gianoli is not alone. Staffers at the St. Joseph County Auditor’s office have been taking non-stop phone calls from taxpayers demanding to know why they owe hundreds more dollars this year, office manager Kathy Gregorich said, with most of the calls focusing on the impact of the ballot measure that raised money for the school district.

Elkhart schools to ask voters for property tax hike to bring in $15 million per year

ELKHART — Those involved in the effort to pass a property tax hike for Elkhart Community Schools know that it isn’t the best time to ask residents to volunteer to pay more. In the midst of the pandemic, many people are out of work or underemployed — even in the greater Elkhart area, which has rebounded rapidly from the coronavirus-induced recession, thanks largely to a surge in demand for RVs, boats and other products made in the area. Though RV companies and their suppliers are doing well, the pandemic is still having an enormous impact on restaurants, hotels and other small businesses — some of which have closed over the past several months, said LeVon Johnson, president and CEO of the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce.

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