I feel vindicated. Mayor Greg Ballard is calling for a nearly $18 million tax reduction in the county option income tax over the next three years. "The proposal, drafted in response to a recent Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF)advisory, will go before the City-County Council on Monday evening," says a press release from the Mayor's office. "If approved, it will result in $5.7 million being returned annually to Marion County taxpayers for the next three years."
Ballard earlier conditioned a return of any of last year's COIT increase upon implementation of government consolidation and other local government reforms. This year, voters approved the elimination of township assessors; however, much more government consolidation remains, including the elimination of township government and further consolidation of township fire departments with the city fire department. When I originally called on the Mayor to seek a reduction in the COIT, several detractors attacked my position, saying the state law would not permit the City to reduce last year's tax increase without a change in the state law. It looks like the DLGF interpreted the law the same way I interpreted it.
5 comments:
You should feel vindicated, Gary. The Mayor's advisers kept pushing the Mayor in the direction of bigger government and more corporate welfare, a disasterous course of action if he wants to be re-elected. This tax cut, albeit small, is perhaps a sign that the wisdom that you've been offering is starting to seep upwards to the 25th floor.
I expect you have had to endure a lot of attacks by fellow Republicans who saw you as being against the Mayor. In fact, you're the one who actually has the Mayor's best interests in mind while those advisers are more interested in themselves and their futures.
Over time politicians learn that brutal honesty is not a sign of a lack of support or dislike for the pol. I think some of Mayor Ballard's advisers have successfully misled the Mayor into believing that those who offer constructive criticism are in fact ardent opponents of the Mayor who want to see him fail. No, those are just honest people who do not want the Mayor to continue on a path that dooms him to failure in 2011.
Gary, both you and Paul Ogden are doing an amazing job. I am glad you never quit blogging!
I am glad that Mayor Ballard is finally acting on the recommendations of the Democratic minority on the city council. It is just too bad that a larger cut is not being proposed.
art... if you will remember, it was the DEMOCRATS who passed the COIT increase. Bart Peterson had so many items hidden in his last budget, its a miracle that the city wasn't sold in foreclosure sales.
Bart Peterson took 8 years to get the city in the mess it is in. Mayor Ballard can't fix it over night.
Since you blame G.W. Bush for the condition the country is in, economically, Obama has until Feb. 1 to get it fixed. Thats more time than you and yours gave Ballard to fix the city, or we start saying what a failure he is as President.
Too late. You and your crowd are already blaming things on Obama and he hasn't taken office yet. Rush Limebaugh says the recession is Obama's fault........
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