Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014

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WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1, 2014

IDS INDIANA DAILY STUDENT | IDSNEWS.COM

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Monroe County property taxes could increase By Neal Earley njearley@indiana.edu

Property taxes might be on the rise in Monroe County, according to Monroe County auditor Steve Saulter. Saulter said the county plans to file an excess levy appeal, essentially asking the state’s permission to temporarily raise property taxes. The potential tax increase is caused by two separate issues, Saulter said. One involves a 2012 assessment error of nonprofits. The other concerns the settlement Monroe County reached with the Fields, an apartment complex located on South Fenbrook Lane in Bloomington. The settlement led to a $732,840 tax refund to the apartment complex. “We obviously didn’t have the 700,000 (dollars),” Saulter said. “We had to move money from the rainy day fund to cover that. I guess you could call it a shock since it sort of came out of left field.” About seven years ago, the Fields appealed the assessment made by Monroe County assessor Judy Sharp, who assessed the value of property at $37 million. The Fields apartment complex disagreed with Sharp’s evaluation and filed an appeal that eventually went to the state courts. “It’s extremely high,” Saulter said. “The county will give refunds but nothing to the magnitude of 735,000 (dollars).” This past winter, Monroe County decided on a settlement with the Fields apartment complex, which meant the county needed to pay more than $700,000 in back taxes. Saulter said, in order to recoup lost revenue from the settlement, Monroe County needs to raise taxes. First, though, it needs the permission of the state by applying for an excess levy appeal with the

Department of Local Government Finance, a state organization that oversees taxes made by counties, cities and townships or taxing units in Indiana. Monroe County is seeking an excess levy appeal of $241,881, about $133,227 which was caused by the settlement with the Fields apartment complex. The appeals are then reviewed by the DLGF, where they can either grant permission or deny permission to Monroe County to raise taxes. Saulter explained that, in Monroe County, applying for excess levy appeals is not an annual occurrence. “It’s not as common in the sense that you see this done year after year,” Saulter said. The loss of revenue from the settlement with the Fields complex did not only cost Monroe County. The loss also cost Bloomington, the Monroe County Community School Corporation and the Monroe County Public Library, all of which have applied or plan to apply for a separate excess levy appeal. After years of an appeal battle in the state courts with the Fields apartment complex, Monroe County decided to settle. “We finally said enough is enough, settled, cut our losses because we probably would still be out here waiting for an answer,” Sharp said. Sharp said assessment appeals often take years to decide. The county, in this case, settled with the Fields apartment complex in order to avoid potentially losing even more money in a court decision. As of now, it is unclear how much the potential tax increase will affect Monroe County residents. Saulter said if the county’s excess levy appeal were to be approved, property taxes in Monroe County would temporarily increase for 2015.

TIANTIAN ZHANG | IDS

Performers with the University Gilbert and Sullivan Society practice for their opening performance this weekend. The students designed their own set, costumes and lighting for their opera production.

On their own Independent student-run opera opens this weekend By Alison Graham akgraham@indiana.edu | @AlisonGraham218

An independent opera performance group has been working since May, beginning with auditions, for its first show of the year. More than 40 students auditioned, and each one was offered a part in the opera. Since that day more than four months ago, the University Gilbert and Sullivan Society has tirelessly rehearsed, built sets and perfected their vocal performance for their opening production this weekend. The society formed early last year after graduate student Will Perkins decided the group would be a perfect fit for the IU campus. Gilbert and Sullivan societies have sprung up on college campuses across the country. Each group is dedicated to performing operas written by W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan created 14 comic operas during the Victorian era. Gilbert wrote the dialogue and plots and Sullivan composed the music. Perkins originally talked to his friend Rachel Evans about starting a Gilbert and Sullivan society on IU’s campus. “He had the idea that it would be fun to start something like that here,” Evans said. “He approached me and the two of us made this happen.” Evans is a doctoral student in vocal performance and plays the role of the fairy queen in the group’s production of “Iolanthe.”

MEN’S SOCCER

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN SOCIETY’S PRODUCTION OF “IOLANTHE” 8 p.m., Friday-Sunday, Oct. 3-5, Harmony School 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 5, Harmony School

Inside look at ‘Iolanthe’ Check out a video preview of the show at idsnews.com The opera’s plot centers around the main character, Strephon, who is half-fairy and half-mortal. Strephon is in love with Phyllis, who is being courted by all of the lords in Parliament. This pits the fairies against the lords for the entirety of the show, with Strephon and Phyllis stuck in the middle. “We chose this because it’s a lesser-known Gilbert and Sullivan,” Evans said. “We thought it would give the most opportunities to students because of how many roles it has.” The cast includes 11 different roles and a chorus. Evans said they decided to double cast the show, meaning each role has two separate actors to perform it. The cast of the show is comprised of a large sample of the IU music community. Doctoral students work alongside freshmen in daily rehearsals, not only practicing their vocal performance but also working on set design, costumes and lighting. SEE OPERA, PAGE 6

By Michael Hughes

Construction along Jordan Avenue to begin in 1-2 weeks

michhugh@indiana.edu | @MichaelHughes94

By Ashleigh Sherman

IU, St. Louis face off tonight in battle of perennial powerhouses

aesherma@indiana.edu | @aesherma

IU has won eight College Cups in its history. Only one other college soccer program, St. Louis, tops that number with 10. The two will play in Bloomington 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. “They’re a storied program,” IU senior Patrick Doody said. “That’s what makes the rivalry and the game so great.” IU leads the all-time series against St. Louis 20-9-4. The last time St. Louis beat IU was in 2007. The last time they did it in Bloomington was in 1999. This season both teams are representing their respective programs well. IU (5-1-3) is ranked No. 16 in the NSCAA poll while St. Louis (71) is ranked No. 8. In the initial NCAA RPI rankings released Tuesday, IU was ranked LUKE SCHRAM | IDS

Midfielder Jamie Vollmer competes for the ball with a Northwestern defender on SEE SOCCER, PAGE 6 Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

IU students used to taking Jordan Avenue might want to find a new route to class. Jordan Avenue construction is expected to begin this week or next and is expected to wrap up by the end of the year, said Mia Williams, University landscape architect. Upon completion, Jordan Avenue will boast six new crosswalks and a median, stretching from Third Street to the Musical Arts Center, Williams said. Six new crosswalks will be added, including one near the southern end of Simon Music Center, two near Jones Avenue and two near East University Road, Williams said. The crosswalk at the intersection of Jordan Avenue and Third Street will also be replaced and upgraded.

Jordan Avenue will still boast a travel and bike lane running in each direction as well as a bus pull-off lane at the bus stop near the southern end of the Musical Arts Center, Williams said. She said construction on the west side will be completed before construction on the east side begins. One travel lane running north and one travel lane running south will be open throughout the entire project due to these construction stages, she added. Traffic, however, may be backed up. “It’s a major north-to-south emergency vehicle access way, so there’s no way that we can close the street completely during construction,” she said. “So we will be building it in phases.” The addition of six new SEE CONSTRUCTION, PAGE 6


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