Another "Taxing" Situation...

Today's J-G has a nice little article about how the COUNTY is thinking of a PROPERTY TAX HIKE for the Maplecrest Road extension...
(I think that was the "other shoe dropping" sound you just heard)

So here we go yet AGAIN....more property tax hikes by another county "plan". I started digging through my rather large stack of old papers to find other tax hikes of note within the past several years. I'm still searching, but I DID find these snippets that I think you'll find most interesting:

12 September, 2004 - Tax hikes to hit Allen properties - Most to be 5% to 25% higher (this article speaks about more law changes, expanding schools, and a "variety of other reasons" that will FORCE Allen county taxpayers to dig a little DEEPER into their pockets...how did your PAY INCREASES keep up with this? Lisa Blosser said "we were expecting this"...yeah, tell me about it)

11 September, 2005 - Programs tap rising property tax - County levies for family, child services CONTROLLED BY STATE (This gem of a story that tells about a state run segment of property tax growth that is apparently allowed to to grow AS MUCH AS IS DEEMED NECESSARY. In that year within 66 counties in Indiana, the monies requested jumped 47%, but did not include Marion or Lake counties, which have the 2 largest budgets. County officials were frustrated at being forced to approve whatever increases the state recommends. Blame Connie Lawson, R-Danville who sponsored bill SB 529 which removed caps on how HIGH property taxes could increase to pay for these programs).
Are we seeing the pattern yet?

25 October, 2005 - Property tax hike coming - State budget changes, rising costs create "perfect storm" for increases (this story suggests that where you live will determine the increase...big surprise there. There were suggested statewide increases of between 5% to 8% which would save the state $436 MILLION over two years).
Anyone know how THAT is working out for US?
How much has the average TAXPAYER saved?

In a related PERSPECTIVE section from the J-G dated 21 August, 2005, Tracy Warner talks about the "property tax shakedown".
In this article is told how every unit of government - schools, cities, towns, townships, public bus companies, airport authorities, and others rely (heavily) on property taxes. He goes on to say that it is all but IMPOSSIBLE to hold any SINGLE group of officials responsible. And let's not forget how the public library cost us a 3% hike in that mix back in '03-'04. In Allen County (he goes on), property tax rates are set by TWENTY townships, EIGHT cities and towns, FOUR school districts, a fire district, Citilink, the public library, the FWIA authority AS WELL AS THE STATE!!!

EVERY Allen County resident has the ubiquitous honor of living in one of more than FIFTY combinations of those taxing districts. How's that for "diversity", people?

There you go...all those "entities" I told you about all these past months. Quite a list, right? And we're not even talking about RATE HIKES from utility companies such as NIPSCO, or even the city water and sewer department (who have swung a 25% hike at us recently).

So whenever I see ANY story in the paper or TV about ANOTHER tax hike...well, I think you KNOW what I'm thinking...

We're all in the SAME boat...just at different oars.
("Ramming Speed" anyone? The Emperor wants to go water skiing AGAIN)