Between 2023 and 2025, the first years of Amy Drake’s tenure on the St. Joseph County Council, more than 25 percent of homeowners saw their tax bills climb by at least 50 percent, and over 10 percent saw their bills more than double.
Only 2.1 percent of households saw their taxes decline by 6 percent or more, and several elected officials were among them.
Five members of the County Council saw reductions during that period: Amy Drake, Joe Thomas, Randy Figg, Andy Rutten, and Bryan Tanner. County Treasurer Mary Beth Wisniewski’s household recorded a decline as well. So did Jamie O’Brien, the former County Council attorney, current candidate for County Council District C, and vice chair of the St. Joseph County Republican Party.
Across the county’s roughly 88,000 taxable parcels, more than 60,000 properties experienced larger jumps than the council members whose bills fell.
These were not marginal reductions.
Tanner’s tax bill dropped by more than 21 percent. Figg’s fell by roughly 12.5 percent. Thomas saw a reduction of about 7 percent. Drake’s bill decreased by approximately 6 percent. Councilman Andy Rutten’s property posted a one-year drop of more than 34.5 percent after a prior spike. Wisniewski’s household saw a 9.8 percent decline. O’Brien’s property also recorded a 5.9 percent decrease.
The County Council sets the budget and the levy that funds it. That levy influences the tax rate applied to assessed values and, ultimately, the property tax bill.
For homeowners with mortgages, property taxes are typically paid through escrow accounts managed by lenders. When tax bills increase, lenders raise escrow requirements and monthly mortgage payments rise. When tax bills decrease, escrow requirements fall and monthly payments decline. As property taxes climbed across much of the county, mortgage payments climbed with them, meaning these escrow adjustments have stressed household budgets.
More than 60,000 parcels saw larger increases than Drake, Thomas, Figg and Tanner during the same years those officials were voting on budgets and levies.
The public record shows who paid more and who paid less. It does not explain why several officials were in the smallest band of tax relief. For the tens of thousands who saw increases of 50 percent or more, the contrast speaks for itself.