Monday, September 08, 2014

Council Votes To Raise Income Taxes $30 Million A Year

It's the biggest tax and spend council in the state of Indiana, and tonight's vote by the Indianapolis City County Council to hike the local public safety income tax rate 0.15% to 0.50%, a nearly 10% increase in the local rate, didn't disabuse us of that notion. Thirteen fiscally irresponsible Republicans and six Democrats joined hands on a 19-11 vote to shove it up the asses of hard-working taxpayers again so they could have more money in the pot to hand out to their campaign contributors, their number one spending priority. The only real Republican on the council, Christine Scales, voted against the tax increase. If the Republicans on the council had gotten their way, they would have also raised your taxes another $9 million a year by eliminating the homestead property tax credit. The other Republicans who voted to hike your taxes, included many of the same hypocrites who ran against Democratic councilors in 2007 who voted to raise income taxes 65% to fund public safety.

The claim that this $30 million in additional income taxes will be used to hire more police officers is a total lie. It is as much of a bait-and-switch as the 2007 public safety tax increase proved to be, which resulted in fewer, not more police officers than we had before that tax increase was enacted. The fact is that all of this tax increase will be consumed by promised pay raises for current public safety officers and the enormous additional costs that will be incurred when the Ballard administration rams through next year its plan to rely on a private developer to build a more than half billion dollar criminal justice center.

The administration and irresponsible council members' addiction to TIF slush fund spending is now consuming at least $120 million a year in property taxes paid by local property owners rather than funding basic city services The Mayor and the majority of the council prefers diverting property tax dollars to the slush funds so they can dole out your tax dollars to wealthy campaign contributors who kick back money to their campaign committees and who provide jobs to their family members and friends. Nothing is more important to these people than passing out subsidies to wealthy contributors for their private real estate development projects. They could care less about public safety when push comes to shove.

Furthermore, all of this talk about more police officers meaning less crime is total bunk. If more police officers meant less crime, then Detroit should be one of the safest cities in America. Detroit has nearly a thousand more police officers than Indianapolis with a much worse crime problem. Raising taxes on Marion County residents will only provide an additional incentive to higher-income earning taxpayers to flee to the suburbs where schools are much better, taxes are lower and crime isn't a serious concern. If you want to pay the highest income tax rate in the state of Indiana, then by all means move to Indianapolis. If you want to keep more of the income you earn, then choose anywhere but Indianapolis to live because this city is on the fast track to becoming South Detroit with the tax and spend policies advanced by Democrats and Republicans alike. Our politicians are as bribed up as much as Detroit politicians to boot.

VOTING TO RAISE YOU INCOME TAXES 10%

MARY MORIARTY-ADAMS (D)
ZACH ADAMSON (D)
JOHN BARTH (D)
VIRGINIA CAIN (R)
JOSE EVANS (R)
AARON FREEMAN (R)
WILL GOODEN (R)
JASON HOLLIDAY (R)
BEN HUNTER (R)
MAGGIE LEWIS (D)
ROBERT LUTZ (R)
BRIAN MAHERN (D)
MICHAEL MCQUILLEN (R)
JEFF MILLER (R)
JANICE MCHENRY (R)
MARILYN PFISTERER (R)
JACK SANDLIN (R)
JEFFERSON SHREVE (R)
STEVE TALLEY (D)

VOTING AGAINST

MONROE GRAY (D)
PAMELA HICKMAN (D)
LAKEISHA JACKSON (D)
MAGGIE LEWIS (D)
ANGELA MANSFIELD (D)
FRANK MASCARI (D)
WILLIAM OLIVER (D)
VOP OSILI (D)
LEROY ROBINSON (D)
CHRISTINE SCALES (R)
JOE SIMPSON (D)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's see....we have a Cricket Field that cost millions, including damages in the wells of the residents around it.

The Pacers have a new fieldhouse at our expense....but who gets parking and concession revenues? Who runs it?

The Colts have a president with a drug problem, yet we have a stadium for them, when the prior stadium wasn't paid off. He's popping pills, and handing out money, but we're handing him our tax money! -It's sick. It's the Democrat "TAX AND SPEND" credo....

We probably will get a few more bike lanes in Broad Ripple, too! -What everyone (except contractors) hates!

We have the smallest police force in history...so much for public safety.

Now public safety is suing the city for contract violations, both police & fire. Ballard LIES, just like Peterson!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous, the article said, " Thirteen fiscally irresponsible Republicans and six Democrats joined hands on a 19-11 vote to shove it up the asses of hard-working taxpayers again so they could have more money in the pot to hand out to their campaign contributors, their number one spending priority". THIRTEEN REPUBLICANS VS. 6 DEMOCRATS!

Why is it that everyone always blames the democrats and refuses to see what the republicans are doing too! Hello! They are all crooks.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:28 -The Democrat Credo:
TAX AND SPEND prevails.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Tax and spend is the Republican credo in Indianapolis as well.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for reporting the real news, Mr. Welsh. Can't wait to see how the Star spins this in the administration's favor.

As you've pointed out there is no long-term operational savings that will magically pay for the criminal justice center - that's what part of this tax increase is for. The numbers just don't add up. We won't see more cops on the streets a few years from now. It's another bait and switch just like in 2007.

Isn't the City County Building heavily occupied by public safety and criminal justice facilities? Who wants to bet the next $500M+ project for the "downtown mafia" will be a new City County Building after most of these services are relocated to the new criminal justice center? The campaign contributor hogs will need another trough to feed at once that one is milked dry.

And isn't one of the jail buildings on the national register of historic places? Good luck finding another use for these properties, or getting permission to tear them down for a new (publically subsidized) development.

The pre-K plan is a re-election campaign pitch for Ballard. He and his cronies must be worried about Hogsett. I'll never understand why the Mayor's office needs to meddle in education... What the hell is my local elected school board for? They are both pretty damn good at pissing away my hard earned tax dollars.

Anonymous said...

More bike lanes in Broad Ripple! That's what the tax increase means.

Pete Boggs said...

Detroit's the poster child. "The power to tax is the power to destroy."

Anonymous said...

I already feel safer knowing that my hard-earned tax dollars will be well-spent hiring more alcoholics to break the same laws they are sworn to uphold.

Anonymous said...

And Pence met with the Koch Brothers in TX last week and now in Iowa with Gov of Iowa on fundraiser with buds from Indy pretending to be on a mission for jobs from Japan...Japan/and Iowa...so far apart...Report the tax dollars being spent here as well...

Anonymous said...

I know we're already getting unwanted bike lanes on Michigan ST and New York ST downtown, but with the new tax increase can the contractors put even more bike lanes in Broad Ripple?

Never mind the shootings and lack of street lights in the neighborhoods, more bike lanes favors the pay-to-play, so bring them on!!! TAX AND SPEND!

But, sooner, rather than later, they'll run out of other people's money to spend.

Anonymous said...

Everyone acts like this was some kind of a surprise. Nice to see the Mahern's are still in on the gig same as they always were.
I've watched this dance since way back when the Bulen gang ran this town. I suppose they still do, just different people carrying on the time honored tradition of graft.
The theft will stop when there is nothing left to steal and the city gasps it's last financial breath.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for adding the listing of the Councilors who participated in a complete sham. Shortly after this superb news article was posted I began a comment requesting this list as it is so difficult to find in one location online the votes of our Planet's Worst City Council. I never posted my comment as I found myself (again) so disgusted by these 19 morons that I closed out my browser.

These nineteen fools are like enablers in an unhealthy codependent relationship because they allow the disease of poor public tax dollar misuse to continue unchecked.

I hope every Marion County voter keeps this list handy. Some of these people are running for re-election... and some of them are losing their somewhat easy "at large" positions. None of these 19 deserve to again grace an Indianapolis City County Council seat. Not one.

Anonymous said...

I'll bet that the majority of those voting to increase our taxes live in a household that receives income from the City of Indianapolis. this might be a salary or a contract.

Anonymous said...

Jack Sandlin's firm has a six-figure no-bid contract with Terry Curry's office. Bipartisan corruption?