July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Follow the bouncing ball on tax policy (06/15/07)
Editorial
The temptation to blow the whole thing up and start over is undeniable.
Anyone who sat through the excellent - though depressing - explanation provided to the Jay County Council and Jay County Commissioners of the latest changes in local government finance would be forgiven if that thought crossed his mind.
The last serious, comprehensive attempt to restructure how local government is funded was back in the 1970s. Otis Bowen, one of the state's most popular governors, shepherded through a complicated package aimed at providing relief to property taxpayers.
Since then, as Indianapolis attorney Gretchen Gutman spelled out for county officials, the history has been one of almost endless tinkering.
Take the Homestead Credit, for example.
Established in 1983 at 4 percent, it was increased to 6 percent for 1990, lowered back to 5 percent in 1991, then 4 percent in 1992, then increased to 8 percent in 1996, decreased back to 6 percent in 1997, then to 4 percent in 1998. Soon it will be gone entirely.
It's as if two dozen shade-tree mechanics were working simultaneously to fix the family car. Don't ever count on it running smoothly.
For county officials, the constant tinkering is a constant headache. For taxpayers, it's been a roller coaster.
What's needed is the kind of comprehensive, top-to-bottom revision that the Bowen plan represented 30 years ago.
But don't look for that to happen.
Governments of rural and urban counties were different enough 30 years ago. Today they may as well be operating on different planets. The economic realities, the demographics, and the politics simply aren't comparable.
Coming up with a one-size-fits-all system probably isn't going to happen.
So county council members and commissioners - who should be commended for attending this week's briefing - are going to have to play the cards they've been dealt.
The game keeps changing, but it's the only game in town. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
Anyone who sat through the excellent - though depressing - explanation provided to the Jay County Council and Jay County Commissioners of the latest changes in local government finance would be forgiven if that thought crossed his mind.
The last serious, comprehensive attempt to restructure how local government is funded was back in the 1970s. Otis Bowen, one of the state's most popular governors, shepherded through a complicated package aimed at providing relief to property taxpayers.
Since then, as Indianapolis attorney Gretchen Gutman spelled out for county officials, the history has been one of almost endless tinkering.
Take the Homestead Credit, for example.
Established in 1983 at 4 percent, it was increased to 6 percent for 1990, lowered back to 5 percent in 1991, then 4 percent in 1992, then increased to 8 percent in 1996, decreased back to 6 percent in 1997, then to 4 percent in 1998. Soon it will be gone entirely.
It's as if two dozen shade-tree mechanics were working simultaneously to fix the family car. Don't ever count on it running smoothly.
For county officials, the constant tinkering is a constant headache. For taxpayers, it's been a roller coaster.
What's needed is the kind of comprehensive, top-to-bottom revision that the Bowen plan represented 30 years ago.
But don't look for that to happen.
Governments of rural and urban counties were different enough 30 years ago. Today they may as well be operating on different planets. The economic realities, the demographics, and the politics simply aren't comparable.
Coming up with a one-size-fits-all system probably isn't going to happen.
So county council members and commissioners - who should be commended for attending this week's briefing - are going to have to play the cards they've been dealt.
The game keeps changing, but it's the only game in town. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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