Sec. 28. (a) Each year the department of local government finance shall notify each public utility company of:
(1) the department's tentative assessment of the company's distributable property; and
(2) the value of the company's distributable property used by the department to determine the tentative assessment.
(b) The department of local government finance shall give the notice required by subsection (a) not later than:
(1) September 1 in the case of railcar companies; and
(2) June 1 in the case of all other public utility companies.
(c) The department of local government finance shall notify the county assessor of the department's tentative assessment, or information related to tentative valuation changes, of each utility company's distributable property located in that county not later than June 1.
(d) Not later than fifteen (15) days after the department of local government finance sends the notice required by subsection (a), the company may:
(1) file with the department its objections to the tentative assessment; and
(2) request that the department hold a preliminary conference on the tentative assessment.
(e) If the public utility company does not file its objections under subsection (d)(1) within the time allowed:
(1) the tentative assessment is considered final; and
(2) the company may appeal the assessment under section 30 of this chapter.