INDIANAPOLIS -- Colin Staubach made an error that will cost him hundreds of dollars in this year's property tax bills. And because Marion County sent spring bills to homeowners late, he can't even fix it for next year.

Staubach didn't reapply for homestead and mortgage exemptions when he refinanced and removed a name from his home's title. Had he received his spring property tax bill in April as usual, he would have noticed the missing exemptions and had time to reapply for them for next year's bills.

But thanks to delays in reassessments and other problems, Marion County residents didn't receive their spring bills until this month -- past the June 10 deadline to apply for exemptions for 2008's bills.

The result is painful for Staubach and other similarly situated homeowners in a year when property tax bills are skyrocketing even with exemptions.

"It makes me a little bit angry that I didn't have an opportunity to present my case and have someone listen to me," Staubach told 6News' Norman Cox.

Adding to Staubach's frustration is the fact that his refinancing and title change happened in 2005. He thought everything was OK with his exemptions because they appeared in his 2006 tax bills. However, changes to the bills generally run a year behind, so the exemptions didn't drop until this year, Cox reported.

County Auditor Billie Breaux said she is seeing plenty of situations like Staubach's. She said she is sympathetic but powerless to do anything because the exemptions' filing deadlines are set in stone by the state Legislature.

"These are stipulated in the Indiana Code, and there's certain dates that they have to be filed in our office. If they are not, then they do not get credit for it," Breaux said.

Breaux and Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson have called for a special session of the Legislature -- which adjourned in the spring and isn't scheduled to reconvene until January -- to deal with property tax issues. Breaux said lawmakers in a special session could retroactively extend the filing deadline for the two exemptions.

Key legislators from both parties have rejected calls for a special session. However, on Monday, Gov. Mitch Daniels said he was exploring some ideas with legislative leaders" about how a special session might provide property tax relief.