County board approves mixed exemptions, cuts and tables in nonprofit tax hearings

The Property and Development Appeals Board on Oct. 24 approved multiple property tax exemptions for nonprofit operators, set a reduced assessed value for a downtown office building owned by Community Action of Greater Indianapolis and tabled a residential training-center exemption for a site visit.

The board approved a late-filed exemption for Steps of Life Ministries at 3 bedrooms on an otherwise residential lot, granted a partial exemption to a small animal-rescue and food-pantry operator, and approved an exemption for Better Way Outreach after staff confirmed required paperwork was complete. The board also approved a limited exemption and accepted an adjusted assessed value for Community Action’s 10‑story building at 3266 N. Meridian Ave., after hearing testimony about building condition, occupancy and renovation plans.

Why it matters: the votes will affect how much property tax revenue the county collects and which nonprofit uses receive relief. Board members and staff weighed program activity at each site (shelter beds, food‑pantry frequency, training classes, leased nonprofit space), whether properties were occupied and used for charitable purposes on Jan. 1, and physical obsolescence (including an unused, condemned parking garage) when deciding exemptions and assessed values.

Steps of Life Ministries — late filing approved The board heard from Rufus Brown, who identified himself as representing Steps of Life Ministries Incorporated and described a residential reentry program operating since 2013. Brown said the program houses up to six men in a three‑bedroom house two blocks east of Community Hospital East, charges $150 per week in rent and relies on donations and work by residents. He said he had recently transferred the property into his name (April 19, 2023) and learned of the exemption application process only in the closing process.

After discussion about timing and eligibility, the board voted to accept the late filing for the 2025 application (payable 2026). Brown told the board, “All we do is we help men who have substance abuse problems turn their lives around, and we've had a very high success rate.”…