Loading ...The $329 Million Subsidy
I just got some shocking information from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget. Marion County got nearly $330 million in property tax subsidies in 2006 from the state of Indiana. That means this government would have cost you an extra $329 million had it not been for the state picking up part of the tab.
All this does is hide the real cost of government. The state should not be paying that $329 million, you should be paying for it directly! That way you can see the real costs of how much this government costs and decide if it’s something you really want to pay for instead of just complain about.
June 29th, 2007 at 11:57 am
This gets easier every minute.
Bart must go
June 29th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
According to the city/county budgets from http://www.indygov.com, the total city/county budget for 2006 was about $814M, of which $298M came from property taxes.
If this information is true, then my question is whether or not the published budgets on the indygov website are genuine. Did we spend $814M or $1.143B?
June 29th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Wow…unbelieveable that Bart has the nerve to go begging on the Governor’s steps to fix the mess he got us into.
I think Bart is done.
June 29th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
How much of this was PTRC for school levies? How about child welfare? Will they pick up for the tab for the program they administer?
June 29th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
From Polis Politics blog: (This site is as good as Indiana Barrister)
Despite making two major policy announcements in two days, Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson’s website is missing a few documents he gave press during two press conferences. First, as of 9:15am EDT this morning, Peterson’s release related to his demand that the State Legislature and Governor Daniels hold special session to address Peterson’s largest political problem (a.k.a. property taxes) is missing from his website. Second, the very helpful chart we referenced yesterday, containing the details of Peterson’s “Indianapolis’ 21st Century Crime Package,” is also not his website, despite the Peterson press release it was distributed with stating “More information attached.”
The chart is helpful, not only because it succinctly illustrates what Peterson is proposing in his crime plan, but it also serves as a comparison as to to how in depth this plan is in comparison to other Peterson Proposals.
June 29th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
This is simply the property tax replacement credit put into place over 25 years ago by the sainted and ultra-conservative Republican Governor Otis Bowen …
June 29th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
The spend and then tax Democraps flunked math!
June 30th, 2007 at 6:34 am
Wilson, riddle me this: How many years does Peterson have to be in officed before ANYTHING is his fault? Oh wait, that’s right, he’s already been here for nearly 8 years and you’re still blaming his actions on his predecessors. Geez, it’s straight-ticket thinkers like you that got us into this mess to begin with…
June 30th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Matt Tully’s Star column
June 29, 2007
Crime hits the GOP
Posted by Matt Tully
Marion County Republican Party Chairman Tom John woke up this morning to find his garage had been broken into — for the fourth time in the past five years.
John, who lives in Herron-Morton Place near Downtown, lost two bikes, a lawn mover and a few other items.
“You know what’s funny?” he said. “My wife called the police and they just take these over the phone anymore. They don’t even come out.”
So does he support the mayor’s plan to raise income taxes to fund public safety measures?
“I support a plan that puts police on the streets and community policing back in place,” he said. “Peterson’s plan just doesn’t do that.”
By the way, John’s property taxes just jumped 120 percent.
June 28, 2007
Nothing changes
Posted by Matt Tully
Here is the headline of a press released issued by Mayor Bart Peterson today: “Mayor asks governor for special session of State legislature to protect homeowners.”
Here is the headline of a Peterson release from July 12, 2003, the last time Marion County was hit with massive property tax increases: “Peterson asks governor to call special legislative session to ease burden on homeowners hit by property tax increases.”
For the record, then Gov. Frank O’Bannon did not call a special session.
Peterson said he called Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office 45 minutes before calling for a special session at a Statehouse press conference today. Daniels is out of town, but it sounds as if the governor’s office isn’t too happy with the timing.
“The suggestion from Mayor Peterson came completely out of the blue with no prior notice,” Daniels’ office said in a statement. “Governor Daniels has supported some elements of the mayor’s proposal, but this year?s General Assembly chose a different way to assist homeowners with property tax relief. If there proves to be significant legislative sentiment for the extreme measure of a special session, the governor will give the idea consideration.”
Times change
Posted by Matt Tully
In the wake of Mayor Bart Peterson’s call for an income tax increase to, in part, fund police and fire pension debt, it is worth looking back to his 2000 State of the City Address.
Here’s what he said at that time: “Unfortunately, the part of the city budget that goes to cover police and firefighter pensions is the same part of the budget that pays for ongoing police and fire operations, including additional resources needed for public safety. We will meet our pension obligations, and we will also find a way to pay for the additional public safety resources we need. And it is important to do both without raising taxes. Raising taxes may sound like an easy answer, but if we want to avoid the urban death spiral that so many other American cities have experienced, we cannot give individuals and businesses an incentive to leave our city.”
This will undoubtedly provide Republicans with plenty of fodder. But in response to those who criticize Peterson, let’s quote Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels. When attacked by Democrats, he often gives this response: “What’s their plan?”
July 3rd, 2007 at 8:32 am
The PTRC has been around for 30 years. This is nothing new, and it’s not like Marion County is the only entity that gets PTRC! Find a new tree to bark up, Abdul, that dog don’t hunt.