Comments on Advance Indiana™: Ballard And Republican Councilors Seeking Another Tax Increase

All good questions, Jon. A significant amount of t...

2010-05-18T18:16:03.610-05:00

All good questions, Jon. A significant amount of the income tax increase was earmarked for the pension liability. When the state took over that obligation, it saved the state about $25 million. There were additional savings from county welfare costs the state picked up. This was all relief Peterson had sought before enacting the income tax increase, but Daniels and the Republicans in the legislature turned him down. Ballard then tried to take credit for the property tax caps, which he did nothing to further, and never mentions all of the costs the state picked up. But he never misses an opportunity to say how much the City supposedly will lose as a result of the property tax caps, losses which I believe have been grossly over-exaggerated by all units of local government.

Where is the money from the state taking over the ...

2010-05-18T17:44:02.579-05:00

Where is the money from the state taking over the police and fire pensions? Where is the money from the fire department mergers? Where is the money from the increase in county option taxes?
Oh never mind we can just raise taxes!

I understand the mayor was on the radio this morni...

2010-05-18T08:29:34.504-05:00

I understand the mayor was on the radio this morning telling all kinds of stories about the utility transfer. Your water and sewer rates are only going to go up 75% and 300%, respectively, and if this deal doesn't go through, the rates will go up more than 100% and 400%, respectively. It's sort of like his claim that the City would lose more than 60,000 jobs if the council didn't approve his tax, spend and borrow bailout plan for the CIB.

I eagerly await the press release that notes how t...

2010-05-18T08:17:41.690-05:00

I eagerly await the press release that notes how this is a 'minimal impact' increase and 'we haven't increased these fees in X years so it's long overdue.'

You know they're going to say it.

What a disturbing report! Personally, I would fee...

2010-05-18T06:53:44.736-05:00

What a disturbing report! Personally, I would feel so much more at ease if the same people that were filling the city-county assembly room three years ago, denouncing the Democratic-controlled Council and Mayor for increasing the taxes and fees, were now doing the same re the Republican-controlled Council and Mayor plans to do so, because then I would know that they were sincerely disturbed about being abused by big government.

I do not comprehend why any aware citizen who lives in Marion County still rationally thinks that the Ballard administration is better than the Peterson one, or that the Council President Vaughn, is better than Gray. Call me disgusted!