Council May Delay Vote on Tax Increase
The City-County Council may delay tomorrow’s committee vote on the Mayor’s proposed public safety tax increase. Council Vice President Joanne Sanders says there is a possibility the Administration and Finance Committee may delay voting for the 65-percent tax increase. Sanders says they discussed delaying the vote tonight. Sanders says there is a question as to whether the Governor has the legal authority to extend the deadline for counties to use the local option income tax to for homestead property tax credits and whether that extension would apply to Marion County’s public safety tax. It’s unclear whether the recent protests, including today’s where at least a thousand people showed up to protest property taxes, is having any effect on that decision.
If the Committee does delay a vote, the Council could either reschedule another committee meeting or take it up at the July 23 meeting as a committee of the whole. Councilors will likely meet shortly before tomorrow’s meeting and decide whether to delay the vote.
July 15th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
After today’s Black Sunday protests, I predict no tax increases anytime soon. Even for public safety!
July 15th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Gosh – I think someone asked Abdul if they would delay the vote . . .
:)
July 15th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
I predict that they will delay the vote to a later date since people would be pumped from today and will be expected to be at tomorrows meeting. They would be sadly mistaken if they think the people will forget anytime soon…
July 16th, 2007 at 9:06 am
We’re watching them like a hawk. Of course councilors will not enact this tax increase. However, they were plenty prepared to do it before people took to the streets. They are rightfully afraid.
Rather than waiting for the Governor to clean up their mess, they should be looking to clean it up themselves. NOT A SINGLE CITY OFFICIAL has said a thing about cutting costs! Why is that?
If they do not do what the public wants and cut spending, I’m plan to start install a “Wall of Shame” of yard signs in my front yard on Central Avenue in Meridian Kessler where 1,000′s drive by daily.
The city needs to start cutting out the do-nothing positions that draw fat salaries. That’s what the corporations have to do. The city also needs to prepare to do a line by line audit of everything city government spends OUR money on so that WE THE PEOPLE have transparency and know exactly what we are getting for our money.
City government is only part of the problem. We need to look next at the schools. What I understand from friends who teach is that there is a thick layer of school administrators who do little all day long, draw fat paychecks, and generally make life difficult for caring teachers. The education of our children should not be political!
Part of the problem we have today with crime is the fact that our schools have under performed since the early 90′s. Now we have raised our crop of uneducated teenage thugs.
I’m not sure what all the problems are, but I do know the results our schools get are shameful! I’m sorry but with 50% of my tax bill paying for substandard schools, the results are unacceptable. I’m not sure if the public realizes that Meridian Kessler residents PAY PRIVATE TUITION on top of taxes because IPS is inadequate to teach their children.
What’s going on with the talks to give the assessors, the election clerk, and the coronor a raise?
July 16th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Don’t forget about the bloat that is township government. It’s an expensive, duplicative level of government that is a ripe candidate for massive overhaul and/or extinction.
July 16th, 2007 at 11:59 am
In a city there is no need for Township government at all. In Indianapolis Township government is currently nothing but a giant waste of our tax money!
Look at Center Twp, with $11 million of our tax dollars in the bank, three giant office buildings (one is a former YMCA, and another has a bar inside of it), and a patronage payroll of over 100!!!
The Center Twp constable lives in a $500,000.00 home! Marion County is the only county with a constable….now we know why! Obviously the $$$ is GREAT!
This is a gross abuse of our tax money.
Township government has to GO!
July 16th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Constables receive NO tax money whatsoever. NONE. They are paid strictly out of court fees. They also have to hire their own employees out of their court pay. Constables also have the task of evicting deadbeats – perhaps that commenter has been thrown out of her “crib” by a Constable?
July 16th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
At one point the highest paid (base pay I believe) elected official in the State was in fact the Center Township Constable. It was a bonus question on a test in college, don’t know if it’s still true today.
Kind of ironic considering the poverty is so bad in Center Township. A government employee in charge of the poorest part of the city living in a $500,000 home. Wow. I know he’s got some really nice cars, too, assuming the ones I seem him in are his.
July 16th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
A Constable has NO “base pay” – he is paid a fee from Small Claims Court filing fees. No salary – nothing from taxes. Constables in some other townships make comparable amounts as the Center Township Constable. There are lots of urban myths and fables circulating out there. Don’t believe everything you hear from failed political candidates!
July 16th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Melyssa, that is beautifully said! Thank you. See you at the revolution.
July 16th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Oh, okay. If he doesn’t have a base pay it must have been calculated on a long-term average. It wasn’t a political class, in fact. If he’s living in that much opulence obviously the bonus question had some merit. Thank you for the clarification, though.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
If you believe what Wilson says, I have a lovely bridge for you. One with NO taxes.
Last week he advised me to file a “Simple” protest to my 100% increase in property taxes. I went (not because he said to do it, I was going to anyway) and checked my lot card and told my story whilst handing in a 30 page detailed study of why they should lower my taxes and the response I got was “I’m certianly sorry. It’ll be 9 months before you go up for a hearing and then, if we agree that we made a mistake, we have three years to credit the portion that was in error”. WHile she was very nice, she didn’t look at it, she stamped the copy I brought and dropped it on top of the stack. Summarily dismissed I was while a line formed OUT THE DOOR behind me. Man, I thought even I could get a date, that office was HAPPENIN’!
Yeah Willie, that was real “simple”.
Please get your own blog so that people who are as politically brainwashed as are you can read it and talk about how absolutely magnificent and philanthropic the politicians of this festering city/state are. People who are mad as Hell and want a solution don’t give a broasted rack of rat’s butt what Democratic spin you put on anything…we’re tired of having smoke blown where the sun don’t shine by ALL the politicians to wit: Julia, Bart, Ferret Headed Pat Bauer, Mitch, Golfin’ Dan Burton, Sweet Pea Defaultin’ Gray, Bling Bling Anderson and Where’s Waldo the police chief et al. They in turn don’t give broasted rack of rat’s butt what we want. They represent thier own interests. Man, the way you spin stuff, you should work for W, he needs the help.
July 16th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
I doubt if there’s any bridge in Marion County that’s taxed: bridge construction and maintenance are financed by taxes…
July 16th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
And so are two take home cars for six deputy mayors. Time to cut the spending. Time for accountability.
July 16th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
“I predict that they will delay the vote to a later date since people would be pumped from today and will be expected to be at tomorrows meeting. They would be sadly mistaken if they think the people will forget anytime soon…”
I love it when I’m right!
July 16th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I find it interesting that in todays presentation the mayor proposal had 30 million in it to cover property tax relief. They said since they would be raising the in OCT but the budget does not start until Jan they can use that money right away.
What were they going to do with that 30 million BEFORE they came up with this idea today ?
They made it sound like they would be spending that 90 million by the end of NEXT Year – but in reality they would have collected 120 million by the end of next year.
That is a nice 30 million dollar slush fund the mayor would have had.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:51 am
I doubt if there’s any bridge in Marion County that’s taxed: bridge construction and maintenance are financed by taxes…
Care to address the rest of his comment?
July 17th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Of course Wilson doesn’t want to talk about anything else. All his little buddies he likes to defend have gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar! You can’t defend the ‘tax and spend’ dems anymore! Sure, he will like to bring up ancient history under previous adminstrations but guess what? I didn’t move here until 2000 so I don’t care about the previous adminstrations I want the crooks that are robbing us NOW to be held accountable.
Sure, he likes to attack “anonymous nobodies”, but I wear that as a badge of honor thank you very much. I am out there, at rallys and such, and I will be at CCC meetings from now on. The anonymous people will be heard.
Politics is cyclical. Republicans in, get arrogant and start acting stupid so everybody rushes to put in Democrats, who makes empty promises and get all arrogant with their “you can’t touch us” thoughts. This is exactly where we are at right now. The time is NOW to vote them out. Register to vote now and make sure your friends and family are also registered. Then these idiots will hear us loud and clear!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Constable. Now that’s a fine position…I recall a prior Center Twp Democrat constable that was prosecuted for his corruption.
The current one has a 1/2 million dollar home, appoints the Center Twp Trustee as ‘deputy constable’ (wink, wink)….and has people with questionable histories as employees.
It’s time to ELIMINATE all Township offices in the Consolidated City, but let’s start with Constable! Why does Marion County have a constable and the other counties don’t have one?
Is it because William Crawford & Glenn Howard had something to do with it?
August 7th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Constables need to go!
Perry twp constable supposidly purchased a police package dodge charger r/t w/ his own money. BUT the police dept/whoever plated it for him w/ our tax dollars. Yes, his car has police plates on them but supposidly he bought the car w/ his own money. This is a $30K + car. He has also added a VERY large garage to his home in the last few years and has added on to the home itself. BUT his tax assessment was less than anyone else in the neighborhood and his home is much larger and nicer than those surrounding it. HMMMMM go figure.
can anyone tell me what they make? a salary range??? anyone?????