Westfield Washington Schools · November 3, 2026 ballot

What the Westfield Washington referendum would do to your property tax bill

Indiana's 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) changes homestead deductions over the next five years. Westfield Washington Schools is asking voters to replace its 17¢ operating referendum (which runs through 2030) with one capped at 39.41¢; the district's own projection is a flat 33.81¢ from 2027. Enter your home's assessed value to see both effects together, year by year.

Early release. Read the assumptions and known gaps.

Year by year

Pay year Without referendumper mo. With referendumper mo. Difference / yrper mo. Old law (pre‑SEA 1)
With referendum Without referendum Old law, no SEA 1 (existing 17¢ referendum renewed)
How this is calculated

SEA 1 deductions. For a homestead, the $48,000 standard deduction shrinks each year and the supplemental deduction grows, per the schedule certified by the Indiana DLGF. Taxable value = (gross AV − standard deduction) × (1 − supplemental %). Non‑homestead residential (2% cap) property gets SEA 1's smaller new deduction, phasing from 6% to 33.4%.

Pay yearStandard deductionSupplementalRef. rate if it failsRef. rate if it passes

Tax caps and credit. Non‑referendum taxes are capped at 1% of gross AV (2% for non‑homestead residential). Referendum taxes sit outside the cap. SEA 1 then subtracts a homestead credit of 10% of the non‑referendum bill, up to $300; by law the credit does not apply to referendum taxes.

Referendum rates. The district's own calculator projects a flat 33.81¢ every year from 2027 through 2034; the ballot maximum is 39.41¢. The board sets the actual rate annually and can go lower (not higher) than the maximum. If the referendum fails, the current 17¢ rate continues through 2030 and then expires. Westfield also has a separate 7.9¢ referendum debt rate (for buildings) that is unaffected by this vote and is included in both scenarios.

Old‑law line. What the bill would have been had SEA 1 never passed: $48,000 standard deduction, 35% supplemental deduction (25% on value above $600,000), no credit, and the existing 17¢ referendum renewed at its current rate.

Validation status. The shared deduction and ballot-rounding rules have automated checks. District projections and total-bill assumptions remain subject to source review; matching a ballot example does not validate a future total bill.

Not modeled. Changes to the county, city, township or library rates; the over‑65 and disabled‑veteran credits; property‑specific abatements; and any future reassessment beyond the growth option above.

Sources

Westfield Washington Schools referendum page and the district's referendum calculator — 39.41¢ maximum, 33.81¢ expected rate, assessed‑value growth assumptions.

WFYI / Chalkbeat referendum guide, Aug. 17 2026 — $873 ballot figure vs. ~$494 net for a $450,000 home.

Hamilton County Reporter — board resolution, $38 million maximum levy.

Hamilton County Reporter, 2022 — current 17¢ rate approved Nov. 2022 for eight years.

Indiana DLGF memo on SEA 1 (June 2025) — deduction schedule, homestead credit rules.

DLGF 2026 Hamilton County budget order — certified 2026 district and school fund rates (Westfield‑Washington total $1.2883: operations 0.3394, debt 0.6999, referendum 0.17, referendum debt 0.079).

Indiana DLGF property downloads — assessment year 2025, taxes payable 2026; address, gross assessed value and deductions.

DLGF May 27, 2026 memo — current deduction guidance, including removal of the old 60% standard-deduction limit.