Another "Taxing" Situation - The Sequel...
Those in Aboite...welcome to Sherwood.....I mean (the Socialist Republic of) Fort Wayne. If you picked up this morning's paper, you're probably not going to be THAT happy a camper. Then again, if you read THIS blog yesterday, you could have SEEN this coming, yes? Expect to see (up to) a 57% INCREASE in your taxes (the county average is about 12%).

Overall, Allen County property values increased about 15 percent (that explains the "better" class of ghetto-fleas & white trash I see around me THESE days). Good old Lisa Blosser released the 2007 tax figures yesterday (I told you that was the OTHER SHOE DROPPING sound you heard), and the bottom line is this: The so-called TAX RELIEF we were told over and over about was the "chief culprit" behind the higher tax bills (I wish someone would clue me in on this NEW MATH, as well as the OXYMORONIC phrase "POLITICAL LOGIC") for most residents (she said it, not me).

And thanks to all you "Aboiters" out there paying taxes into Fort Wayne, the tax rate went DOWN because property values INCREASED (I still don't follow the "increased value + lower rate = higher taxes" equation.....it just doesn't add up).

But we CAN point our primate digits at this "trending" gig...this new market-based process that determines property values (gee, and here we thought inspections and two functioning EYES worked just as well in the past...who'da thunk?), and since this is the FIRST year that trending was used, all you "lucky" people that moved out of the city are once again part OF the problem you sought to escape (not excape...lol).

Welcome home (again). It's good to have all of you BACK!

Oh, did I mention that this trending was designed to LESSEN the effect of periodic property reassessment which determined the tax bills? Didn't seem to LESSEN the TAX BILL ITSELF though, did it?
Add to that the SWAC schools helped in your tax bill, too.

Now here's a case of the STATE putting money into one of your pockets while reaching deeper into your OTHER pocket... The General Assembly (and you cannot have an assembly without an ASS) provided $100 million in P/T relief, which knocked off about $30 on a $100K house (big whoop, huh?). That amount will DECREASE by $5.2 million this year (still with me?) on the state level. But the state has PROMISED about $300 million in revenue generated from new slot machines at Indiana race tracks and could be distributed to taxpayers as a year-end "rebate". That boils down to about a 15% decrease, with an additional $250 million for 2008 (according to Lisa Blosser).
But it's still fuzzy what "formula" the state would use to distribute that money...hell, it's not even clear IF the money will be available this year.

Now if all this has you running for the nearest bean-counter....don't worry. Just be a good Hoosier, stop the pissing and moaning, and pay the damn money. Ask no questions (because all you'll get is another runaround), and you'll hear no lies. Simple, huh?

OR...you COULD ask for some accountability at every local and state level (a well as some EXPLANATIONS on all this bull$hit). That might work. It would have the novelty of never having been tried in this instance...YET.

SO mark off August 17.....that's what the TENTATIVE due date is for the tax bills.

THEN...you can get that pacemaker you've always wanted to jump start your heart!

(We now return you to your regularly-scheduled paycheck...happy spending)