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MAST task force set to start June 24; officials warn SB1 could shift LIT receipts and affect schools
Summary
County staff said Baker Tilly will begin MAST task force meetings June 24 with a report due in October for DLGF/legislative-council review. Tiffany warned schools may lose part of their Local Income Tax (LIT) allocation under proposed Senate Bill 1; staff provided preliminary 2026 LIT distribution figures and urged broad local participation and data-sharing.
Tiffany, speaking for county staff, outlined a schedule for the Municipal Strategic (MAST) Task Force and warned that proposed state changes could change how Local Income Tax (LIT) is distributed.
“June 24th is going to start the first meeting,” Tiffany said, describing Baker Tilly’s role in facilitating the county’s task-force meetings and report. She said the county expects meetings roughly every other week June through September if needed, with Baker Tilly compiling a report in October so the county can submit materials to the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) by November for legislative-council review prior to Dec. 1.
Tiffany told the council that, based on current information, “schools right now receive a piece of that, they will no longer receive a piece of LIT funds,” and said that change would be a major impact on local education budgets. Tiffany provided preliminary 2026 distribution figures during the update: public safety just over $2,000,000; seated funds about $1,500,000; county certified shares just over $6,000,000; property tax relief roughly $420,000; jail LIT a little more than $2,000,000; economic development just over $1,000,000; and certified-share distributions to townships/libraries/schools totaling about $6.7 million. She said a worksheet from the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC) was expected to let local officials model specific impacts but had not yet been received by county staff.
Council members and department heads discussed outreach: Tiffany said municipalities and townships were included on initial emails but that direct follow-up contacts had been limited; she urged department heads and elected officials to attend the June 24 meeting and to bring local data to show specific impacts. Multiple council members said the AIC has been pressing state lawmakers and that legislative language on SB1 is still being revised; they urged coordinated, unified local feedback to illustrate countywide effects rather than focusing only on single programs.
No formal action was taken on the MAST update; the task force meetings are scheduled to begin June 24. County staff said participation from townships, libraries, schools and municipal governments will inform the county’s report to state officials.
