Bowen Sort Of Supports Manigault

The AFA-backed Republican candidate for mayor of South Bend rolled out the names of sum big guns in the GOP who are backing his campaign against incumbent Mayor Stephen Luecke (D), including former Gov. Otis Bowen and former U.S. Rep. John Hiler (R), along with a former Democratic candidate for mayor, Bill Davis, who lost this year's primary to Luecke. When the South Bend Tribune's James Wensits contacted the 89-year-old Bowen about his support of Manigault, he was a little tentative in his support of Manigault. His reaction was actually downright hilarious. Wensits writes:

"Governor Bowen has been around a long time," said Manigault, noting that Bowen and Hiler don't support just anybody. "They choose their endorsements wisely," he said.

Actually, Bowen said he hasn't made a formal endorsement of Manigault."I OK'd having my name put on a list of people supporting him," the former governor said in a telephone conversation from his Bremen home. "How do you pronounce his name?" he asked.

Bowen, now 89, said that based on what he knows about Manigault's background, he felt safe putting his name on a list of supporters and, "obviously I support the Republican candidate."

In other words, Bowen has never met the guy and doesn't know who the hell he is. If you're going to use a big name like Bowen to promote your candidacy, you better make sure he knows something about you when the press comes calling.

Governor Daniels, What Were You Thinking?

Up to now, I've been extremely pleased with the responsiveness Gov. Daniels has shown to the property tax debacle. This is a mess he largely inherited, and he's seemed willing to use the opportunity to revolutionize the way we've been doing business. He understands the lack of accountability for undertaking major construction projects with virtually no public scrutiny is breaking the backs of property taxpayers. He understands the assessment process is broken and is in need of a major fix. And he seems to understand that the inherent unfairness of the property tax is threatening a way of life for many Hoosiers. Then, he made a big mistake. He decided we need another study of the same problems which have been studied numerous times over the decades. And who does he pick to head the commission charged with studying the problems? A former governor who had 8 years in state government and more than a decade of experience running South Bend as its mayor to make a change. And a Yale-educated Supreme Court Chief Justice who has no business attempting to re-write our property tax laws because it's his job to interpret our laws, not write or administer them. His participation in any case coming before the Court is crucial. A recusal prompted by his role on this commission is not in the best interests of the Court on which he's so honorably served in the past.

Today, the governor added five more names to the list of people who will sit on this commission and look at ways to reform property taxes and streamline local government. His choices for this task could not have been worse. He chose:

• Former Indiana Secretary of State Sue Anne Gilroy. She's a nice lady who dutifully served as Secretary of State for 8 years, but she now earns a living running a not-for-profit foundation. Hint to Gov. Daniels, NFPs don't pay taxes.
• Former IU President Adam Herbert. He is perhaps the worst university president at IU in recent memory. He has lived in Indiana but a short time and his experience is limited to drawing a huge public salary and spending lots of public funds. It hardly qualifies him for this task.
• Ian Rolland, a retired Lincoln Financial CEO. Other than meeting the certified list of Who's Who among Indiana elites, what does he bring to the commission?
• Louis Mahern, professional politician and lobbyist. He's also responsible for heading up our local library board, which has saddled taxpayers with tens of millions in costs for building an absolutely unnecessary central library. As Matt Tully once noted, he saw his role on the library board as taking care of Democrats with jobs and contracts. If there is any negative connotation you can associate with a career politician/lobbyist, Mahern is dripping with it.
• John Stafford, director of the Community Research Institute at IPFW. Stafford is probably the only person appointed to the Commission that has any substantive understanding of our property tax system. He also spent many years lobbying the legislature on these very issues. Does he offer any new approaches?

The makeup of this Commission leaves me to conclude that someone over at a certain law firm which seems to control every major decision of this administration sat down and drew up a list of people it could easily manipulate to write a report suited to its self-serving liking, faxed it over to Daniels' office and after glancing at it for a few brief moments, Gov. Daniels instructed Jan Jankowski to issue a press release announcing the names. Is that what really happened? Who knows? But, Gov. Daniels, you should know we are insulted by this narrow list of folks to whom you have assigned this great task. There's nobody on that commission who offers fresh thinking and the independence of judgment this task requires. Would you please just do this one thing? On this issue of such great importance, stop listening to the folks at that law firm and start listening to real folks who are capable of offering you advice untainted by a desire to serve their own self-interests. This issue is just too important.

Council Democrats Vote To Tax You More

Unable to reign in their uncontrollable habit to spend, Democrats on the City-County Council's Administration and Finance Committee outvoted Republicans on the committee by a 4-2 vote to send a proposal to increase the county option income tax 65% to pay for pensions, more police officers and added criminal justice expenditures and a supposed freeze in local property tax levies. Council member Lance Langsford (R), a firefighter, was on vacation and did not vote. Councilor Vernon Brown (D), another firefighter on the committee, voted for the tax increase to fund his own department's budget. Councilor Lincoln Plowman (R), a police officer, voted against the proposal. Committee members were forced to reconvene in the Assembly room after the public hearing room quickly filled up.

About 20 police officers were detailed for crowd control tonight. It seemed a bit of an overkill, particularly to the gentleman who testified against the proposed tax increase and whose wife was beaten and robbed outside a donut shop this morning. "Where were you all this morning when my wife needed help," the man said to the police officers lined up behind Sheriff Frank Anderson (D).

Committee Chairman Joanne Sanders (D) opened tonight's meeting by publicly apologizing to Jack Borgerding, the Lockerbie resident who was ejected from Monday night's meeting after he publicly testified against the tax increase. Borgerding was in the audience tonight. I spoke to he and his wife, Christine, tonight before the council meeting. Jack wants to move on and not let what happened to him be the center of focus. Christine jokingly asked me if Jen Wagner wants to know if they have a joint bank account in reference to Wagner's suggestion that her husband did not testify honestly about his property tax bill because their home is listed in her name.

There was considerable discussion tonight on the portion of the income tax increase that will be used to fund police and firefighter pensions. An historical explanation tells us that the unfunded liability was first addressed back in the 1970s when a portion of the cigarette and liquor taxes was earmarked for pension liability relief. In the 1980s, Indianapolis enacted its first county option income tax for the first time at the rate of 0.2% for the sole purpose of funding a pension relief trust fund. The rate eventually increased to 0.9% by the late 1990s. The COIT originally generated about $8.5 million for the trust fund. Transfers to the trust fund rose to $11 million annually in the Goldsmith administration, even reaching $15 million at one point. Over time, however, the City-County Council began raiding COIT funds for other uses--namely public safety expenditures. So now we are facing yet another 65% increase in the COIT to only partially fund the pension problem. The bulk will go to added public safety and criminal justice spending. Although Councilor Nytes suggested the increase would allow the council to freeze local property tax levies, audience members weren't buying it.

There was also some discussion about what happened to the supposed savings from police and fire consolidation. A city official claimed nearly $18 million in annual savings from the consolidation of IPD and the sheriff's department and the consolidation of two township fire departments, Washington and Wayne, into IFD. The city is, however, spending an extra $53 million in the annual budget for public safety, compared to an overall city budget increase of $47 million. So the short answer is that we saved you $18 million by consolidating, but we plowed all those savings and then into additional spending on public safety.

The consensus of members of the public who testified at tonight's meeting was that the council should table the tax increase for now. Let's see what comes of legislative attempts to address the statewide property tax and local government financing problems in the coming months. It was apparent to audience members that this tax increase is a stop gap measure at best. What did last year's 0.1% increase in the COIT get us? The loudest reaction from the audience came when Tom Miller of the Indiana Firefighters suggested Indianapolis was one of the lowest taxed cities in the country and this new tax increase would not be particularly burdensome. That evoked a strong reaction from the audience. Miller quickly ended his testimony and took his seat.

Sanders tipped the Democrats' hand when she hinted that the Mayor would announce steep budget cuts tomorrow morning in store if the council fails to pass his tax increase. It will likely include laying off police officers and firefighters. Council Republicans, for their part, will announce an alternative 10-point plan on Monday to get by without an immediate tax increase. Councilor Plowman suggested that proposal would be offered as an amendment to the ordinance committee Democrats passed tonight.

Council To Issue Apology To Borgerding

The City-County Council's Administration and Finance Committee intends to issue a written apology to Jack Borgerding, who was ejected from last Monday's hearing on Mayor Bart Peterson's proposed 65% increase in the county option income tax moments after he delivered compelling public testimony in opposition to the tax increase according to an e-mail sent by the committee's chairman, Joanne Sanders. "I am sending him a letter of apology on behalf of the committee," Sanders wrote. "It's my understanding that the officer escorted him out not because of what he said at the podium but because of the interchange between him and the officer." Sanders said in the e-mail she viewed the video recording of the hearing, but she could not ascertain all of what occcurred from the tape. "I watched the tape as well because I wanted to see what went on," she wrote. "I could only see some movement behind whoever was speaking and then it was of individuals from the waist down. I could not pick up any audio on what was being said." "From my vantage point, it looked like people were approaching him to applaud his comments," she said.

Sanders insists she had nothing to do with Borgerding's removal from the meeting. "I have been contacted by a few people who believe that I ordered him out which I did not," Sanders said. Others like myself who have viewed the tape of Monday night's meeting could clearly discern the council's attorney, Aaron Haith, standing up and motioning to get someone's attention. Eyewitnesses recount that Haith was directing his communication to the police officer who escorted Borgerding out of the meeting. Haith was observed to say, "Get him." At that point, the officer and another man approached Borgerding, who was sitting in an aisle seat, and escorted him from the Assembly room after a brief exchange.

Following AI's call for a public apology earlier this week, at least one Democratic blogger accused Borgerding of misrepresenting his property tax bill to the committee, claiming he owned no property in Marion Co. according to county property tax records. Mr. Borgerding is in fact a neighbor of mine, who lives at 539 E. Vermont. Telephone records list that address as his home. Property tax records list the residence in the name of his spouse, Christine Fields.

Borgerding has attained folk hero status following his speech at Monday night's meeting among those protesting against property taxes. I noticed WTHR featured him in their lead story with a sound bite from his testimony as Pink Floyd's "Money" played in the background. The thrust of Borgerding's testimony was that the city found itself in the mess it is in today because it did not choose to place public safety first in the past when it made spending choices. Now, the council is asking us to raise taxes to pay for what should have been the city's first priority all along.

The City That Doesn't Work

The late long-time Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was fond of his city's reputation as "The City That Works." Laying aside the corrupt nature of his long-running Chicago Machine, the buses and trains ran on time, the streets and sidewalks got repaired, and the snow got plowed in the winter time. As Matt Tully mulls today, Marion Co. taxpayers can't feel similarly about their local government. Tully writes:

If you are a Marion County taxpayer, you might feel that you are getting a bit ripped off this year.

Consider for a moment what you have received in return for your tax dollars in 2007.

Gov. Mitch Daniels said it best when he pointed to a "clear failure" on the part of local assessors charged with determining the tax value of Marion County business property. . .

Think about it: Many assessors dared to turn in half-finished work even though they knew their inadequate job performance meant homeowners would get socked. It's hard to remember the last time we saw such an utter failure on the part of local government.

Oh, wait. I just remembered the last time. Which brings me to my second category. . .

Not long ago, before we started spending every waking minute thinking about property taxes, there was an election disaster in Marion County. I'm sure you remember primary day: Polls didn't open. Voters couldn't vote. Democracy stalled
for a day. Like the assessors, Marion County Clerk Beth White was unable to provide a basic government service -- in this case, an election. . .

Finally, let's turn to our local schools to complete the trifecta of government dysfunction.

This spring, a Star reporter learned Indianapolis Public Schools had left private and sensitive information about students available to anyone with Internet access. When it comes to safeguarding privacy, we'll give IPS an F.

Then this week, we learn IPS may have to return hundreds of thousands of dollars to the state because middle school students spent only 177 days in school last year -- three days short of the state requirement. For goodness sakes, would someone buy IPS a calculator?

I mentioned to Mayor Bart Peterson the other day that this has been a bad year for Indianapolis government. He suggested I was cherry-picking the negative news and argued that there has been plenty of good news to counter the bad. . .

Marion County taxpayers pay plenty. But all we're getting in return is one bungled service after another.

Anyone think it's time for a change in our city's leadership?

Council Members Have Personal Stake In Income Tax Vote

Finally, the Star's Brendan O'Shaughnessy points up the conflict of interest several council members face as they prepare to vote on Mayor Bart Peterson's proposed 65% increase in the county option income tax to fund, in part, the salaries of law enforcement officers and firefighters. O'Shaughnessy writes:

Three of seven City-County Council members voting on a 65 percent increase in the county income tax today have a personal interest in passing the measure.

Councilmen Vernon Brown and Lance Langsford, both firefighters, and Councilman Lincoln Plowman, an Indianapolis police officer, would benefit from pay hikes resulting from the additional income.

Mayor Bart Peterson has asked for the tax to be increased to 1.65 percent from 1 percent, raising $90 million, most of which would be used for public safety expenses including contract pay raises for police officers and firefighters.

The measure will be considered by the Administration and Finance Committee.

On Monday the full council, which includes other public safety workers, votes on the measure. Council President Monroe Gray is a firefighter, and Councilwoman Sherron Franklin is a police officer.

Two other council members are married to police officers or retirees, some of whose pensions also depend on the new funding from the income tax.

Brown, a Democrat, said he supports the income tax increase and will not duck the vote based on a potential conflict of interest. As a deputy chief in the Fire Department, he said, his salary is not dependent on the contract.

"We vote on budgets and other measures that affect the police and Fire Department all the time," Brown said. "It's better to vote with a potential conflict than to not represent your constituents."

Brown said council members can't pick and choose when they vote, though some abstain because of a potential conflict.

One of those who has abstained is Plowman, who said he won't vote on issues that affect only his department and hasn't decided whether he will vote on the income tax issue.

"It's a tough decision," Plowman said. "But I've voted in the past against public safety money, and I would have voted against the income tax if we'd voted on it Monday."

The city's corporation counsel, true to form, sees no conflict of interest. He tells O'Shaughnessy:

Kobi Wright, the city's top attorney and the adviser to the city's ethics board, said council members with public safety jobs do not face a conflict of interest in the vote on income taxes or budgets. He said several members have asked, and he has given them his oral opinions on the matter.

If public safety officers couldn't vote on budgets, Wright said, they wouldn't be able to serve on a council whose major role is fiscal responsibility.

"They're not voting on the contract itself, which is negotiated by the (city) administration and the unions," Wright said. "They're only voting on the money to fund it, not to determine the salaries."

Recall that Wright also failed to see any serious problem with City-County Council President Monroe Gray failing to disclose the financial interest his concrete firm had in a city-financed public works project. As to the legality of their service on the council, O'Shaughnessy relies on the biased Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. "Firefighters and police officers have been allowed to run for office since the mid-1980s and regularly seek office, said Julia Bearce, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns." "The only qualification is that they live in the district for at least two years before taking office." O'Shaughnessy does point out that Indiana is in the minority nationally. "But nationally, it is uncommon for police and firefighters to seek office. Illinois recently passed a law allowing police and firefighters to run for office, but it is being challenged in court." "Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky severely limit political activity; firefighters and police cannot serve in office in those states."

As O'Shaughnessy's story notes, firefighters and police officers in Indiana have only been allowed to run for public office since the 1980s. That would be the time the Indiana legislature in its infinite wisdom decided the Indiana Constitution can be ignored. Article 1, Section 3 prohibits a person who is charged with duties under one of the three separate branches of government from exercising any of the functions of another branch. Could someone please do something about this?

Don't forget today's vote by the Administration and Finance Committee today at 5:00 p.m. at the City-County Building on the proposed tax increase. I can't ever recall a government hearing being scheduled at 5:00 p.m. on a Friday, except for the legislature working over-time to wrap up a session. And it falls during the height of Black Expo celebration downtown. Abdul Hakim-Shabazz had his own ideas about the timing of this evening's vote, which I won't repeat for fear of being labeled a racist. Go to this evening's vote, and don't forget to tell Brown, Langsford and Plowman they have a duty to abstain from voting on tonight's tax increase because of their blatant conflict of interest.

GOP Calls For Bowes Resignation

Several GOP city-county council candidates today called for the resignation of Greg Bowes as Marion County Assessor. Kurt Webber, who is challenging City-County Council President Monroe Gray (D) in District 8 this November, led the charge. “It is now apparent that one of the many causes of Marion County’s property tax crisis was a faulty assessment on homeowners,” said Kurt Webber, a Council Candidate in District 8. “Greg Bowes was unable to do his job properly, and he should step aside. “Whether an assessor is a Democrat or a Republican makes no difference in the eyes of the public right now. They need public servants who are willing and capable of performing,” Webber added.

Webber points to Bowes' own admissions during an interview on WXNT to support his view that Bowes should resign. "Bowes stated he made errors, specifically sending an assessment containing errors to the state." “The sole duty of a County Assessor is to do an accurate assessment of property values in his county. Bowes was unable to do his one statutory role properly. Why should he remain in office?” Webber asked.

Meanwhile, assessors sought today to deflect blame for the property tax fiasco. "We did not break they system," said Becky William, Indiana Assessors Association President. "The state legislature chose to favor businesses by giving them personal property investments and deductions and doing away with the inventory tax." "Apparently the legislature is getting bad advice. We saw this coming. They should have." "We've said over and over again in Marion County, this was a perfect storm. We made no provision for doing away with inventory tax. Our council didn't want to do it. They were warned what was gonna happen. Nobody paid any attention. We screamed and yelled, but nobody listened to us. They never listen to the people that do the work every day," Williams said. Williams told WTHR the new reassessment ordered by Gov. Daniels in Marion Co. would only reduce homeowners property tax bills if business assessments are raised "a whole lot."

Ice Miller Arrives In Illinois Politics

When I want to catch up on what's happening in politics in my native state of Illinois, I head over to Rich Miller's Capitol Fax Blog. One of his posts today, in particular, caught my eye. It was entitled, "Schillerstrom Lining His Pockets With Dem Money?". Rich wanted to draw attention to a column about how Republicans in DuPage County, the biggest Republican County in Illinois to the west of Cook County, were upset with the DuPage Co. Board Chairman, Robert Schillerstrom, because of his lobbying ties to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D), Gov. Rod Blagoyevich (D) and other Democrats. "Eric Krol has a must-read story today about a prominent DuPage County Republican who might be engaging in some quid pro quo with the Chicago Democrats," Miller writes. The problem it seems happened after an Indiana law firm, which wanted to replicate its political influence in Illinois that it enjoys here in Indiana, hired the big-shot Republican as a lawyer-lobbyist in its Chicago office. That firm is of course Ice Miller. Eric Krol of the Daily Herald writes:

One of the most powerful Republicans in DuPage County is using his Democratic ties to enrich his private law practice on bond deals while awarding allies of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Gov. Rod Blagojevich taxpayer-funded lobbying contracts.

DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom is drawing fire from some county officials who question the intersection of public and private interests.

“I think that it’s extremely disappointing. It generates a perception that Bob’s support for these matters of important public policy have been determined perhaps by less than just good government terms,” said Brien Sheahan, a DuPage County board member from Elmhurst. “That perception is very damaging.” DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett said he found the situation “troublesome.”
“It’s the type of story that is going to attract scrutiny,” said Birkett, who railed against Blagojevich-tied lobbyists last year during his run for lieutenant governor.

Schillerstrom flatly denied any correlation between his law firm’s work and county contracts and dismissed the criticism as coming from those with agendas against him.

“There is no relationship between what I do governmentally and what (my law firm) does,” Schillerstrom told the Daily Herald Wednesday. “People can say that, and talk is cheap. But it’s simply not true. There’s no quid pro quos.”

“Joe Birkett can say anything he wants to say. There’s no wrongdoing or he would have said he would scrutinize it (himself),” he added.

Krol then goes on to identify nearly a half-million dollars in bond work Schillerstrom's firm, Ice Miller, has gotten courtesy of Democratic administrations. Krol writes:

Schillerstrom’s law firm has made at least $421,750 in legal fees for work on bond deals at the Democrat-controlled Illinois Finance Authority, Illinois Housing Development Authority and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, a Daily Herald analysis found.

The money comes as Schillerstrom awarded a $100,000 taxpayer-funded contract to a lobbyist who works for Victor Reyes, Democratic Mayor Richard M. Daley’s former patronage chief who also is being investigated by federal prosecutors in a government corruption probe.

In addition, Schillerstrom hired a former Daley press aide to a much-criticized $107,000-a-year contract to do public relations work despite already having a county staff member to handle that task. And Schillerstrom awarded an $80,000-a-year lobbying deal to John Wyma, Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s key adviser and fund-raiser, to lobby on the county health department’s behalf the past two years. The Blagojevich administration controls the state agencies where Schillerstrom’s law firm got the bond work.

All of the deals flowing in both directions come after Schillerstrom changed DuPage’s long-standing opposition to O’Hare International Airport expansion that Daley long has coveted. The Daily Herald previously reported that Schillerstrom collected more than $46,000 from O’Hare contractors in the year leading up to that change of position, an amount that has grown since then as Schillerstrom flirted with and then dropped a run for governor.

“I don’t think so,” said Schillerstrom when asked if he was trying to get closer to the Daley administration. “As the area becomes Democratic, I’m dealing with more Democrats than I have in the past.”

After years on his own in private practice, Schillerstrom joined Indianapolis-based law firm Ice Miller in November 2004. The firm brought Schillerstrom in as its Illinois rainmaker, charged with getting new business.

“Mr. Schillerstrom will be engaged in the growth of Ice Miller’s Illinois presence in the areas of public finance, general corporate representation and litigation, real estate, labor and governmental affairs,” the company wrote. Shortly thereafter, the company began getting more work as bond legal counsel on deals from Democrat-controlled boards. Ice Miller’s presence in Illinois government bond deals has grown significantly since Schillerstrom came on board, according to records in industry publication the Bond Buyer . . .

Schillerstrom’s been so successful at rainmaking that Ice Miller recently opened up a new DuPage office in Lisle after acquiring the suburban practice of another Chicago firm.

“I’d like to think that is true, that I have brought in some business for Ice Miller and I’ve had some success doing that,” Schillerstrom said. “But there is no relationship between what I do governmentally and what Ice Miller does.”

But the revelation of Schillerstrom’s dealings are bound to cause more grief for him as he struggles with a recent revolt on the county board.

Sheahan said Schillerstrom’s dealings with Democrats “really undermines Schillerstrom’s claim to Republican leadership.”

When I worked for the House Republican Staff in Illinois, my boss was the House Republican Leader, Lee A. Daniels, who was from DuPage County. One of Schillerstrom's predecessors, Jack Knuepfer, was always hanging around my boss' office working on deals to enhance his power as county board chairman through the DuPage Water Commission, airport authority or whatever other commission he and his cronies could cook up to build a fiefdom at the expense of the municipalities in DuPage County. I vaguely recall Schillerstrom as one of the guys in the background working on these deals. The Knuepfer crowd was thoroughly despised by many of us who worked on the House Republican Staff at that time because their deals were always so obviously self-serving and just plain bad public policy.

The fact that Ice Miller has been able to use this hack to develop such a successful bond practice in Illinois in such a short period of time is a tribute to just how business gets done over there--the same as it gets done here. That he is able to cross political parties with his influence peddling should come as no surprise. It is another example of the growing problem within our two party system which is leading to disaffection among true party believers. The folks calling the shots in both political parties really have no ideological attachment to their respective parties. These influence peddlers weave a complex web of business ties which they use to distort and obscure the distinctions between the political parties. Ice Miller's lobbying practice here in Indiana wields enormous influence over the administration of Gov. Daniels at the State House and Mayor Bart Peterson, although they come from different parties. It's hard to see either Daniels or Peterson make an important decision without seeing the hand of someone from Ice Miller at play. While I single out Ice Miller, the firm is not alone. It's just the most obvious example to look to in Indiana. It's much worse in our nation's capitol where dozens of similar lobbying/law firms supplant the public interest with their special interest pursuits on a daily basis.

As someone who used to work hard in the trenches as a party activist, it really is disheartening to see what the influence peddlers have turned our two party system into. Throwing one party out in favor of another party doesn't seem to stem the influence of these folks at all. Good public policy and old-fashioned party loyalty take a back seat with these people in charge. I see little hope on the horizon that things are going to change any time soon.

How Did Your Township Fare?

The Star has a helpful tax chart showing how much tax bills increased by township. Washington Township taxpayers fared the worst with an average 85% increase in tax bills followed by Center Township with a 67.2% increase. Taxes rose on average the least in Decatur Township, which saw average increases of 19%. The average bill increased $3,363 in Washington Township compared to $345 in Decatur Township. It will be interesting to see how these statistics change following the reassessment. People have to remember they are not necessarily off the hook. The Governor's action yesterday in ordering a reassessment in Marion Co. acts as a temporary reprieve. You will have to pay up your 2007 tax bill in about 10 months based on the new reassessment, plus begin paying at that level in 2008. I have to hand it to the Star. I think their coverage of the property tax mess over the past month has been excellent. Putting the data in the hands of readers has been very helpful. I would be interested in seeing some statistics from the Star on how many hits its database of assessments has been getting since it was uploaded to the Star's website.

UPDATE: Matt Tully informs me the Star's database of property tax assessments has gotten 1.1 million page views since it was uploaded to Indystar.com. The databases are sure worth the time and investment for news publications like the Star looking to drive more traffic to their website. That's a lot of additional traffic the newspaper's website otherwise wouldn't have seen.