You’ve already heard me talk about potential conflicts of interest with tonight’s Council vote on the public safety tax, however there are much bigger issues to consider beyond the tax. Having government employees serve on the same board that oversee them can turn into a land mine of problems. What if a government employee wants […]

On Monday the full City-County Council will vote on whether to raise the County Option Income Tax to help pay for public safety; raises for police and firefighters, 100 new police officers, pensions, crime prevention programs etc. While I still have my doubts about whether the votes are there to pass it, I do believe […]

I know that sounds like a harsh title, but it’s appropriate for what I’m about to write. In order to get a feel for the second Saturday night of Indiana Black Expo I worked the door at my favorite downtown establishment, Nicki Blaine’s, just south of Monument Circle. I originally planned to work from 9 […]

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson today called for a 10-percent across the board cut in non-public safety areas of city-county government, a hiring freeze and creating an efficiency committee to deal with the city’s fiscal problems. The Mayor made the announcement this afternoon. He said a 10-percent cut will yield $13 million in savings. The cuts […]

Mayor Bart Peterson is going to tell us media folks later this morning what he proposes to “cut” from the budget should his public safety tax increase plan not go through. I’m told his administration won’t layoff any police or firefighters, but they could go after new purchases and equipment. I’ll have more for you […]

Marion County Taxpayers got a major victory yesterday when Governor Daniels ordered a reassessment and froze property rates at 2006 levels. However, if you will indulge the science-fiction part of my nature, this reminds me of the Star Wars triology. When Luke Skywalker blows up the first Death Star the Rebellion has a big party, […]

I have to give it to Governor Mitch Daniels. He did today what more than 65 taxing units and dozens of Marion County elected and appointed officials were either unwilling or unable to do. He got a lot of Hoosiers some badly needed property tax relief. Daniels is ordering that Marion County taxpayers only pay […]

Governor Mitch Daniels is going to unveil a plan this morning to provide Hoosiers with short and long-term property tax relief. In the meanwhile, I’ve got a thought, consolidate and privatize every school district in Marion County. Take all nine school districts: IPS, Pike, Washington, Lawrence, Wayne, Warren, Franklin, Perry and Decatur and consolidate them […]

This will be short and to the point. I am predicting the Mayor’s proposed public safety tax will not pass when it comes up for a vote on Monday. There are at least two previous “yes” votes that are now in the “no” column. The dissention in the ranks is growing. It’s unclear whether the […]

I’m not really quite sure of what to make of the tax revolt taking place in Marion County. The people are mad about their taxes and their elected officials are going to raise their taxes. So I figure if taxes are going up, maybe a little truth is necessary here. CLAIM: City officials have consistently […]