CAPITOL CONVERSATION
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is testifying this morning before the House Ways & Means Committee on the Governor’s Circuit breaker plan which would put hard caps on property tax assessments.
Ballard told the committee he supports the caps in the wake of eliminating property taxes. However, he also said the best thing the state could do is give Marion County the tools it needs to solve its own problems. Those tools include government consoldation (particularly the township fire and trustee offices).
State Representative Peggy Welsh asked if the Mayor would support an increase in the Local Option Income Tax to offset the tax caps. Ballard told her it would not fly in Marion County. Ballard also told the committee he is also looking at saving from not renewing some large city contracts and reviewing city processes.
Ballard also said the state could help out by picking up the costs of the city’s police and fire pensions which cost the taxpayers about $26 million last year.
Committee Chairman Bill Crawford pointed out the revenue losses from a number of city agencies such as Indy Go, the Library and Health and Hospital. The agencies would lose about $16 million under the tax caps, however a more telling story is that the Mayor does not have direct control over each of these municipal corporations which are allowed to spend the taxpayers money with no real direct accountability. This, in my opinion, is an even bigger issue.
And despite the “cuts” Representative Jeff Espich pointed out that government will still grow at an average four percent a year, so over a three-year period, with an average of a five percent cut in government funding, the locals would still come out ahead with seven percent more of the taxpayers money. The cut, Espich says, is a one time loss.
The committee did not take a vote on the bill.
In retrospect though, all this continues to prove to me that there is too much government in Indiana and it’s time for sharp cuts and bigger consolidation and let the chips fall where they may.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
excellent reporting. commendable.
February 11th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/LOCAL1901/80211035 I’m thinking that when and if the Legislature mandates increased costs to Cities then they should send the money to pay for them. The Legislature itself, in terms of funding the pensions of teachers, is not covered with glory exactly, and, often steals monies from taxes that were sold to the public as the means of funding those same unfunded pension liabilities. I don’t know if that was the Mayor’s argument but boiled down it amounts to whoever calls the tunes needs to pay the Piper.
February 11th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Basically, it boils down to putting the cart before the horse.
Government needs to spend what they have, period. It’s quite simple really, econ 101. If you don’t have it don’t spend it. If we ran our family budgets like the government does we would all be bankrupt. Hmmmm!
REMEMBER NOVEMBER
February 11th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Ballard is a genius and everyone else is stupid. It is no one’s business but his where he secretly plans to cut the budget. Now just sit there and take it!
February 11th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Greg Ballard was elected over 3 months ago and he still doesn’t have a clue where any his campaign’s promised budget cuts are coming from? After 3 months?
Today he said: “I can’t say. I just don’t know. You’re asking me questions that I don’t know.”
Greg: it’s been three months now. Why don’t you know?
February 11th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
To the state legislatures: GET RID OF TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT. If you want to know what is wrong with it, go read the IBJ. Excellent piece on the raping of Center Township by Carl Drummer. THAT IS OUR TAX MONEY – NOT HIS FOR PERSONAL GAIN.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Some of the loudest anonymous outcries against Township government are made by failed Township candidates who were roundly and soundly rejected by the Township voters. Their whine is fermented from sour grapes…
February 11th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
i watched mayor ballard before the house ways and means committee online and i must say he looked like he didn’t have a clue. i know people were mad at peterson and all, but come on, can’t we all just admit that at least he knew what he was doing. ballard looked like a fish out of water. give it a year or two and people will be wishing they could do the election over again and get peterson back in there. at least he was competent.
February 11th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Wrong again Wilson. I am not a failed candidate but a regular citizen who is tired of the crap.
February 11th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Well unfortunately any man with zero political experience is at the mercy of the wolves of his/her political party. In the Honorable Mayor’s case, the wolves haven’t been fed as well in 8 years since their trainer Goldsmith left them like a mother abandoning a baby. They were just getting Peterson trained to follow commands when suddenly they were stuck with Ballard. Training him has proven to be like Pavlovs Dog. I am sure as a former Lt. Col. he had an idea that he would need to learn some ropes, in his case, the rope he needs to find is the one that climbs out of the office and back to the street to find out what his now not so loyal followers think. Insulation for a newby is in his case going to be devastating. He has to have the support of the people if he is going to cut the budget, promise safe streets and shine. Without us, he is merely a nice looking chair sitter.
February 11th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Wilson,
Greg has only been in office since January 1. And it’s also hard to know everything when the people who left shredded documents up until the last hour of the last day of the last minute. What were they hiding? I wonder.
February 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
In the three months since his election, surely Greg Ballard surely should have discovered at least one teeny-tiny shred of “fluff” to hold up proudly in the Legislature? It’s a 400-page online budget: couldn’t Greg find at least one strangely-named item? Just one? If only for public relations?
As it stands now, poor Mayor Greg Ballard was let down bigtime by his handlers. Can’t you help him, Abdul? Find a scrap of “fluff” for the Lt. Colonel?
February 11th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Wilson and Miss. Dem.
At least Ballard has the guts to get out there and do something. Sure there are going to be surprises and pitfalls and learning curves. Who doesn’t face those with a new job? And if you think he is going to come in and make wholesale changes in month your living in a dream land. I am a loyal follower and a believer, not a fair weather fan. We must all hang in there and see how it goes. I guess the simple fact that he won an almost un-winnable election should be proof that most people (at least a majority) believe in him too.
“We’ll see” REMEMBER NOVEMBER
February 12th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Yeah: REMEMBER NOVEMBER. Today is FEBRUARY 11 – over 3 months later. No “fluff” at all found in 3 months? Why not?
February 12th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
It will take several months to untangle the corruption left behind. They have had 8 years of perfecting the art of “hide the money”. Any good audit takes months, not weeks. In the end, it is not politics, it is about honest governance. Quick hits, like the Wilson’s of the world want, are almost always shallow. But then, the last 8 years were pretty shallow.
February 12th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Hey Wilson 46201,
Abdul has already reminded you that Ballard has been in office since January 1, not since November as you keep insisting. Maybe if Bart and his people would have not left the CCB in a shambles and helped with the transition Greg could focus more energy on the task’s that he should be taking care of and not wasting it on stuff that the old admin. should have done. I guess that means that Bart and buddies really didn’t care for the citizens, if they did he would have done everything in his power to help the new guy’s. I guess your real problem is that you do-REMEMBER NOVEMBER- and can’t get over it.
February 12th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Greg-
No more excuses. The budget is hiding in plain view on the city’s website. Always has been. I love how you guys just throw around words like “corruption” with nothing to back it up.
For you information, Goldsmith did not leave a shred of paper for Peterson. Not one.
Abdul- you ought to be ashamed of yourself. No one was hiding anything. If it was so bad, bring charges. Oh I guess you don’t have the guts for that.
No more excuses. Lead. Now!
February 13th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
MissouriDemocrat
February 11th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Well unfortunately any man with zero political experience is at the mercy of the wolves of his/her political party. In the Honorable Mayor’s case, the wolves haven’t been fed as well in 8 years since their trainer Goldsmith left them like a mother abandoning a baby. They were just getting Peterson trained to follow commands when suddenly they were stuck with Ballard. Training him has proven to be like Pavlovs Dog.
******* I am sure as a former Lt. Col. he had an idea that he would need to learn some ropes, in his case, the rope he needs to find is the one that climbs out of the office and back to the street to find out what his now not so loyal followers think. Insulation for a newby is in his case going to be devastating. *******
Let’s hope Ballard doesn’t wait too long!!!!
February 17th, 2008 at 1:58 am
Well, the Ballard Administration has put its foot in its mouth already and is being slowly manuevered into the bottoms-up position by the most racists Amos Brown.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008802160476
This is sooo funny because Ballard really thinks he doesn’t need his ‘learned street negroes’ from his campaign in his life anymore. He thinks he can deal with Rep. Crawford, the Black Caucus, the Indianapolis Recorder and Radio One with the three blacks he’s selected for his admininstration.
Unfortunately Ballard doesn’t realize the black community must be dealt with using a flank of ‘generals’, not tokens and not privates. Its so sad, we have so many talented black professionals in this community who could have helped him but no, they were to smart and independent thinking, you know? Too much like assertive ‘white” people.
So now, the Urban League will force Ballard to give it money to train people on how to be ‘sensitive’, the racists Indianapolis Recorder will get assistance from the Mayors office in shaking down every corporation in the state for ad money, and ultimately the black community will once again, not have a Mayor, just symbolisms of diversity and inclusion.