X-Tra Rant

Alright, so I’ve been horribly neglecting this blog. I’ve been caught up with work, football season and writing at CWAMB. But something good to post about. Finally, the Bart Peterson campaign is saying what I’ve been wishing they’d say for MONTHS now about the property tax thing. before I get into the campaign’s comments I want to reiterate what huge whiners the people who’ve been “marching” on the Mayor’s residence about this. For many of them, they have been paying under what they should have for years. All this talk of “fairness” really pisses me off when the most vocal are the ones with the huge houses in the nicest areas of town that have been paying less than their fare share until now.

But anyway, on to the email I received from the Peterson campaign. I will quote liberally from it (ba da dum! pun intended). All emphasis will be mine.

Compounding the problem is that the property tax system is hard to understand. For example, as much as taxes went up for some people, the City-County budget that I am in charge of effectively doesn’t get additional money from those increases. Rather, in many cases, taxes have been shifted so that homeowners are paying more and businesses are paying less – both because of certain state law changes and as a result of inaccurate local. In addition, taxes have increased in Marion County not because of local municipal government actions but because of the budgets of the State-run child welfare program, schools, and other government increases.

In other words the whiners and Greg Ballard can try and pin it on Peterson all they want, but the big change came down from State level. Yes, there have been inaccurate local reassessments but again that’s in the process of being re-assessed. You can’t just magically snap your fingers and make a problem go away. Remember, he’s just a man - he’s not Captain Indianapolis.

As much as we are all frustrated by this, it is increasingly important that we talk about solutions. The first thing government at all levels should do is try run the leanest operations possible while still promoting safe and vibrant communities. That’s why I ordered $83 million in cuts to the City-County budget before 2007. And while maintaining a commitment to adequately fund public safety and the criminal justice system in Marion County, we cut another $13 million for 2007, and are cutting property taxes by $50 million for the 2008 budget.

Sure would be nice if the Indy Star, instead of just being a press release organ for opponent Greg Ballard, would actually - I dunno - acknowledge things like this.

In addition to these budget cuts, here are the things we have done or I believe must be done to attack the property tax problem:

1. Complete the county-wide reassessment to more fairly assess property for homeowners.

2. Pass remainder of Indianapolis Works to make government smaller and more efficient by consolidating additional township fire departments, township trustees, and township assessors.

Dear Greg Ballard: Just stealing the incumbent’s ideas and passing them off as your own is not leadership and does not a candidate make. Your proposal to eliminate townships has sorta, I dunno, already been thought of. And it was your own GOP that killed it in the State House.

3. Take funding for the State-run child welfare program off the county property tax rolls retroactive to 2005.

Ummmm DUH? It’s state run, the funding is state mandated… but the money is county money? Strange. Seems no-nonsense to me.

4. Establish by local ordinance the local government efficiency commission proposed by the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.

5. Continue to fight for property tax deductions or credits for seniors, low-income homeowners and other of our most vulnerable taxpayers.

So the last two here are pretty much politician speak. Get cred with the CoC and the typical “we want credits for old and poor people”. Can’t argue with it but #5 is again going to take work at the State level. And that really sums up the problem - this problem was started and exacerbated by state government. If you want to bitch at anyone, bitch at them.

Anyway, it’s nice to see the Peterson campaign finally put out the release I’ve been wishing they would. Now - will the Star cover it, or will they just print another Ballard press release and pretend it’s an original news story?