LARRY DeBOER: Revenue forecast up, but still not soaring

On April 16, the Indiana General Assembly heard the long-awaited revenue forecast update. "Up" is the right word.

LARRY DeBOER: A conservative revenue forecast for Indiana

Starting today, the Indiana General Assembly will craft a budget for the state that covers state services from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2015, fiscal years 2014 and 2015.

LARRY DeBOER: Looking over the fiscal cliff

Economics is not an experimental science. We can't say to Congress, "Honorable ladies and gentlemen, please drastically raise taxes and cut spending all at once so we can measure the effects on the economy of changes in the federal government's budget." This is not what elected officials do.

LARRY DeBOER: To stop property tax chaos, send in a form

There's potential for chaos in Indiana local government in 2013. Indiana taxpayers can prevent this chaos. All we have to do is send in a form.

LARRY DeBOER: Soil productivity factors and farmland property taxes

The assessed values of farmland for property taxes have been rising. Mostly this is because of increases in the "base rate" per acre of farmland. But now, another element of the assessment calculation, the "soil productivity factors," might rise as well.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Behind the numbers of six unemployment rates

Each month the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics releases new data on the unemployment rate. January numbers were released on Feb. 3; excitement ensued. The unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a point, to 8.3 percent. That's down from 9 percent in September. Perhaps the recovery is fina…

GUEST COMMENTARY: Valpo must take immediate action

I have attended the last two board meetings held by the Valparaiso Community School Board. As a parent of two children who attend Valparaiso schools, as a former Valparaiso administrator, and as a current school superintendent, I feel there has been way too much finger-pointing and too littl…

LARRY DeBOER: A gateway to Indiana local government

Just in time for Christmas, or the holiday of your choice, Indiana's Department of Local Government Finance has released its new Gateway data site. It contains a virtual ton of budget and tax information about counties, cities, towns and other local governments. You can see it at https://gat…

LARRY DeBOER: Europe is caught in-between

The biggest threat to our economy these days comes from Europe. The Greek government borrowed a lot of money that it cannot repay. If Greece defaults the resulting financial crisis could plunge the world back into recession.

LARRY DeBOER: This economic recovery isn't like the last Great Recession

What's wrong with the recovery? It's been almost two years since the end of the Great Recession in July 2009. The recession ended in the sense that the economy stopped declining and started growing. But growth has been very slow.

LARRY DeBOER: Rules of thumb for property-tax caps

Indiana caps property taxes for taxpayers, at 1 percent of gross assessed value for homesteads, 2 percent for other residential property and farmland, and 3 percent for everything else. The results of this simple system turn out to be pretty complicated, but there are rules of thumb that mak…

Economist: Local government needs to downsize to match revenue

CROWN POINT | Schools and local governments across Northwest Indiana can expect a grim future of more budget cuts from a recession that keeps on depressing.

Session leaves local schools, government in a money pit

Local government officials listen Tuesday to a remote video presentation by Purdue University economist Larry DeBoer, an expert on local government finance. His sobering presentation on the financial challenges ahead was broadcast via the Internet at the Purdue Extension campus in Crown Point.

Purdue professor to dish budget advice to Northwest Ind. leaders

CROWN POINT | Purdue University economics professor Larry DeBoer will look into how Indiana's local government officials will make ends meet in an era of smaller budgets because of lower property taxes and other revenue sources depressed by the economic downturn.

Larry DeBoer

Larry DeBoer is professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Farmers' good times will yield higher property taxes

My colleagues in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue tell me this is a good time to be a farmer. Corn and bean prices are high, incomes are up and land values are rising. But into every life a little rain must fall, and every silver lining has a cloud. The very factors that ar…

GUEST COMMENTARY: Analyzing trends emerging from school referendums

Indiana had 18 school referendums in the November election. Six passed; 12 were defeated. Why were there so many referendums? And what explains the results?