At the public-comment portion of the meeting, Claudia Humphreys of Lebanon urged Warren County commissioners to consider giving county taxpayers a local credit matching the state homestead exemption to ease property-tax burdens for homeowners on fixed incomes.

Humphreys said she pays between $3,500 and $4,000 a year in property taxes and that the increase makes it difficult to manage on a fixed income. She asked whether the board had considered the idea and whether it could be implemented.

A commissioner responding during public comment said the board has instructed staff and the prosecutor's office to research the matter and noted the issue had been discussed in a prior public session. The commissioner said the county is “certainly considering it and finding out what our options are.”

The responding commissioner cautioned that real estate taxes fund many local entities and services, saying schools, townships and other units are heavily reliant on property tax revenue. The commissioner said the auditor has testified on the valuation issue, and that the county will be gathering information and expected to take up the homestead exemption question before the end of the year.

Humphreys thanked the board and staff for their responses and said she had already contacted state representatives and that their staff had been helpful. No formal action, ordinance or vote on a homestead-credit policy occurred at the meeting.