Comments on Advance Indiana™: A Smarter Idea For Closing A Budget Gap?

Jon, I have never seen food and beverage tax credi...

2013-01-22T16:09:57.091-05:00

Jon, I have never seen food and beverage tax credited to City accounts. I have only seen those taxes flow to the CIB.

In that instance, the 2013 CIB budget expects $20.2 million from that source.

Pat you may know the answer to this question,...

2013-01-22T14:10:51.931-05:00

Pat you may know the answer to this question, is there any accounting of the money collected from the food and beverage taxes? Or is that money simply a revenue stream that feeds into the city budget?

Of course they are - they want folks to think they...

2013-01-21T17:25:08.816-05:00

Of course they are - they want folks to think they actually need the tax increases.

They're still throwing the number around, Pat,...

2013-01-21T16:48:43.415-05:00

They're still throwing the number around, Pat, as if it's still there.

There is no $46 million gap. That talk was before...

2013-01-21T12:59:16.393-05:00

There is no $46 million gap. That talk was before the income tax error was discovered by the State. The taxes we should have received for this year, will instead be used for next year's budget.

There is no discussion of the fact that the budget squeeze will soften as the economy improves, and does not need a long term, new revenue stream; rather it requires penny pinching to make it through the hard times.

We are, in fact, sitting on $80 million purportedly to keep our bond rating. It was said a couple of years ago when it was created, that it was only needed for a couple of years. Either come clean about our ability to pay our debts, (and stop adding new debt with new TIF districts), or release a couple of million to tide us over.

The new tax money is not earmarked for recruit classes - which was the reason the Council put a $15 million PILOT on the CIB. $11 million was to substitute for keeping the homestead credit and the rest for a recruit class.

Both the Mayor's budget and the Council's budget was equally balanced. So, why raising taxes, the third alternative, is superior to 'getting through' until the economy improves, is beyond rational thought.

I miss Carl Moldthans work for Indianapolis but yo...

2013-01-21T12:50:03.864-05:00

I miss Carl Moldthans work for Indianapolis but you have stepped up to take his place. Bravo.

Of course, the simple solution would be to stop gi...

2013-01-21T12:01:36.091-05:00

Of course, the simple solution would be to stop giving away taxpayer funds to rich people.

We're broke, but it is fine to waste a million...

2013-01-21T11:58:35.150-05:00

We're broke, but it is fine to waste a million dollars (taxpayers)on a special election so that billions of dollars of contracts (Friends of Ballard (FOB)) can let and bonds can be issued (taxpayers) to fund a transit system whose chief proponents will never ride (except when they have free tickets to Colts or Pacers games).

And they are going to get away with it again - while wringing their hands about what to do about the current and future budgetary problems that they just exacerbated.

Of course, the question is why vote it out of comm...

2013-01-21T11:24:44.538-05:00

Of course, the question is why vote it out of committee at all. Why not take public testimony at another committee meeting?

Once it gets to the final vote stage in the Council, the game is over.