Recently, I attended a luncheon forum sponsored by The Times entitled "One Region, One Vision". At that gathering, Publisher Bill Masterson Jr. Bishop Dale Melczek of the Gary Diocese both issued firm, strong and well-deserved scoldings directed to the Northwest Indiana legislative delegation, many of whom were present. The lecture directed at them was based upon their "airing dirty laundry" in Indianapolis and not presenting a unified front.
As I listened to this, I realized my concern is not so much that our legislative delegation doesn't present a unified front, but more so that they are unified, often in ways that are adverse to their constituents and the region.
As I have said previously, much of our legislative delegation has been on board when things like House Bill 1858 were passed which transferred the tax obligation from corporations to homeowners; House Bill 1902, which mandated a freeze of municipal levies (except schools) without a county option income tax; and now House Bill 1001, which has imposed property tax caps.
We have all had the chance to see the impact this poorly conceived legislation has had. Now, the impact is truly coming home to roost as municipalities are forced to pass a 2009 budget that has to take into consideration the increased cost of fuel, utilities and health insurance, all the while having to base the budget upon the property tax revenue generated in 2007.
The Legislature's strong-arm tactics to compel the Lake County Council to pass a county option income tax are going to force municipal governments and the county government to reduce services. Although most taxpayers enjoy the fact that the property tax bill on their home is going to be capped at 1 percent, very few want it at the cost of closed fire stations. Fewer still want to have disgruntled police and public service employees taking a 20 percent pay cut as suggested in Gary.
To add insult to injury, the delegation has also passed a law that compels the Lake County Council to review all municipal taxing district budgets and make recommendations upon those proposed budgets.
Although tax caps are enjoyed by the average homeowner and will, certainly, be a hot topic of conversation in Gov. Mitch Daniels' re-election campaign, a more thoughtful approach should have been taken by the Legislature. The state controls what taxes can be raised and was not shy about raising the state sales tax by a percentage point to fund schools and welfare. I agree with this approach as both should be funded by the state and residents should see a substantial reduction in their property tax bill.
If we are to have one region and one vision in addition to consolidating services, we need to have a common sharing of ideas and programs with open and honest discussion between local and state elected officials so a positive vision for this region can be realized.
