A majority of those responding to State Senator Karen Tallian’s legislative survey said they oppose the South Shore extension project, with even more respondents saying they oppose a tax to fund it, while also overwhelmingly supporting property tax caps at different levels for different categories of property.

Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, released the findings of her survey, which was mailed to households throughout the Senate district and made available on her website.

The results:

•When asked if they support or oppose the extension of the South Shore line to Lowell and Valparaiso, 64 percent said they oppose the plan.

•Eighty-four percent of respondents said they oppose a minimal tax increase on gasoline and/or diesel fuel to provide the local match for the South Shore extension.

A bill that sought to capture state sales revenue to raise the local match of $350 million for the South Shore extension was stripped in the Indiana Senate, which decided to send the issue to a summer legislative study commission. A spokesperson for the bill’s author, State Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, said Dobis intends to concur with the Senate changes.

•When asked if they support a plan to allow taxpayers to pay their property taxes through an automatic monthly deduction from their bank accounts, 54 percent said yes.

Tallian authored S.B. 208, which has cleared both chambers, allowing the automatic tax bill payments. Tallian has also amended the language into H.B. 1001, the main tax bill now in conference committee.

•When asked if they support capping property taxes at different levels for Indiana’s three categories of property -- residential, commercial and agricultural -- 81 percent said yes.

•When asked if they support having the state pick up the costs of school general funds and away from locally controlled property tax levy, 59 percent said yes. Tallian noted that lawmakers generally support this move, but that the Senate Democrats have warned that the state should protect against school funding shortfalls that could result under other property tax relief provisions.

Posted 3/11/2008