St. Joseph County Assessor holds Town Hall ahead of 2026 Property Assessments

SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- St. Joseph County Assessor Michael Castellon says transparency and education have been central to his tenure, and he is taking that effort directly to residents through a series of county assessor town halls.

Ahead of 2026 property tax assessments coming to residents, the public was invited to asked questions about the last tax season and prepare for the next at Saturday’s town hall.

The previous assessment cycle came with nearly 14,000 property tax appeals, and many expressed frustrations with rising rates. 

This year, Castellon said, many homeowners could see relief.

“About 86 percent of the county is going to go down,” he said.

Using data from last year’s appeals, the assessor’s office created what Castellon described as “sub-markets,” grouping comparable properties more precisely.

With new assessments underway, Castellon expects residential property taxes to decrease by roughly 1% to 4%.

Even with that outlook, he said more work is needed to ensure accurate assessments — particularly in South Bend. Rising property values near University of Notre Dame have contributed to concerns, as redevelopment and demand reshape nearby neighborhoods.

“If you look at the University of Notre Dame and you have all those homes being torn down and driving up value,” Castellon said. “It’s going to take community leaders to get together to come up with a plan that’s legal, that allows them to maybe register or maybe look at a way to make them report to the city.”

2026 assessments are scheduled to be mailed beginning Monday, April 27. The spring installment deadline for last year’s property tax bills is May 10.

The assessor’s office plans to hold three additional town halls after that deadline.

- May 16th, 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. at St. Joseph County Main Library 

- June 13th, 10 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. at Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library

- August 15th, 10 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. at Centre Public Library