Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Residents implore County officials to hold the line on taxes at CCD hearing

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

Thirteen residents attended the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance’s hearing Thursday morning to remonstrate against the Porter County Commissioners’ action to reestablish the capital cumulative development (CCD) fund at the maximum rate of .0233 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

However, only about half of the attendees actually spoke out about the proposed increase.

Some accused County officials of ‘mismanaging” funds and are now seeking a tax increase because of it. Others said they don’t want the money spent on “benefits” for county employees. Most complained about seeing their property taxes spike over the last year.

“We’ve got to stop tax increase after tax increase,” said Jackson Twp. resident Frank Howard.

In attendance, County Commissioner President John Evans, R-North, said the CCD rate’s adjustment passed by his board was not to increase property taxes as some of those opposed had surmised but simply to move $825,000 from the General Fund to the “more appropriate” CCD fund to pay for power, water and sewage expenses.

“This will free up that (money) in the General Fund to help the County Council manage the budget shortfall,” Evans said.

The Commissioners in July approved a new ordinance to raise the rate from 1.89 cents to .2333 cents, an effort which stemmed from a suggestion in a report by H.J. Umbaugh and Associates that the move could help the County balance the general fund as property tax caps come in to play.

Evans said if the rate is increased by four-tenths of a cent, a home with an assessed valuation of $150,000 and standard deductions would pay an additional 25 cents per month, or three dollars a year. “The impact on taxpayers should be negligible,” he said.

Timed with the County paying off its bonds for the Juvenile Center, there shouldn’t be any effects to anyone’s property taxes, Evans added.

Bob Clifford of Umbaugh said that because of the tax caps and the recession, reconfiguring the CCD rate would be “a prudent thing to do.”

Meanwhile, others from the floor mentioned news stories they had seen about other proposed increases like the new $10 per month stormwater fee for the unincorporated areas of the county.

Valparaiso resident Darrel Korth said tax increases have a detrimental effect on people with fixed incomes and County government officials should “take a good hard look at themselves in the mirror” when considering these tax hikes. “Enough is enough,” he said.

Although not related to the CCD fund, Center Twp. resident Betty Williams said the recent argument over whether to use money from the sale of the former County hospital did not sit well with her. “That money belongs to us, the taxpayers.”

After hearing Evans’ comments, Howard thanked Evans for doing what he could to “keep the County straight” but suggested the study done by Umbaugh should have looked at solutions other than increasing tax rates.

“We’ve got to be more efficient with the money we have,” Howard said.

Kurt Ott of the DLGF, who conducted the hearing, said the General Counsel for DLGF will take under consideration the views expressed and will return a decision within 30 days of whether to approve the proposed changes to the CCD rate.

A public hearing was required because over 50 local taxpayers signed a petition of remonstration against the rate increase in the County Auditor’s office.

Evans said the new ordinance designates that $2.5 million of CCD funds can be used on maintenance and repair of county buildings, $800,000 for roads and right-of-ways, $300,000 for police vehicles and $275,000 for purchasing ITS equipment.

 

Posted 9/26/2014

 
 
 
 

 

 

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