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Counties brace for big tax losses next year

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Almost all of Indiana’s 92 counties, including Marion and surrounding counties, will see big drops in income tax revenue in 2011 because of the economic downturn.

The State Budget Agency released distribution amounts for local income tax revenue on Friday that show counties collectively will receive almost 16 percent less next year than they did in 2010.

Overall, counties are expected to receive $1.3 billion in income tax revenue in 2011, $255.9 million less than they got this year.

Marion County will collect $250.4 million next year, 16 percent less than it did in 2010. Hamilton County, the second-largest county in central Indiana, will receive $82.3 million, 17 percent less than it did in 2010.

Income tax distributions mostly provide funds for property-tax replacement and relief, the homestead credit and public safety.

Distributions for 2011 are based on income tax returns from 2009, the height of the recession.

David Bottorff, executive director of the Association of Indiana Counties, said he's hopeful economic conditions will improve this year, so income tax distributions will increase in 2012.

“Hopefully, this is the bottom,” he said. “We hope that in [2012] we’ll see slight increases again.”

Among other Indianapolis-area counties, distributions will drop 20 percent for Boone, 13 percent for Shelby, 11 percent for both Johnson and Morgan, 10 percent for Madison, and 8 percent for Hendricks.

Counties in manufacturing-heavy northeast Indiana will see some of the largest drops statewide.

Whitley County, just west of Fort Wayne, is projected to lose nearly $4 million, or 37 percent, of its income tax revenue, The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne reported, citing data compiled by Allen County Deputy Auditor Tera Klutz.

Neighboring Wells and Kosciusko counties also were forecast to lose more than 25 percent of their income tax revenue, the newspaper reported. Allen County, home to Fort Wayne, and Adams and Huntington counties also were expected to see losses greater than the statewide average of 15.9 percent, it said.


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  • foolish to cancell out your own vote
    You forget that our republic is based upon the local form of govt. IT has become too top heavy. Dont give up on your local twp. they are the only ones who will listen to you. Not for one minute will Lugar take your call but your trustee and the twp board will. so go ahead and foolishly give more power to the state or feds.
  • Get Rid of Townships
    Get rid of township gov. & the big drain on our local $$ available.
  • Brace yourself
    Between this shortfall and the property tax refunds slowly working through the system, it will be an interesting reassessment year in 2012!! This can't be a surprise considering the number of people on unemployment....are they paying their personal taxes?
  • County Tax Loss
    The schools need to cut back on property rehab. I have seen a lot of waste go into school building remodels and new buildings. Letting teachers go is not an option. We must cut the high cost of scholl rehab and stop the architects, construction managers & Program Managers from getting fat off of schools.
  • homestead credit
    This could call for the homestead credit from our property taxes to be done away with, The state government is going to get more from us somehow!
  • So where is the money going to come from
    So if the publics income is down and the public refuses to accept a local adjusted income tax, what services are to be cut? I suspect that the public will use this opportunity to take away their own "local" political structure. What i mean by that is we will force our local politicians to cut our local services, all the while it is the federal government that should be taking the blame. What will happen once we cut the local oppotunities to govern ourselves? Those whom we already do not trust (who do not pay taxes; Daschall, Rengal) will make more and more laws, and unfunded regulations that only control you (the public) more. Remember this when you go to the polls do not fall for the streamlining of your local Government, all that means is volunteering your power to the federal government.

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  1. To get a pay raise, the teacher must score a "4" on a rubric that only has a "4' as the highest score. therefore all the administrator has to do is mark you a '3" in one area and no pay raise. My wife's evaluation "interestingly" now is lower than the last three years and no pay raise. My brother teaches around Indy where all of a sudden the highest score is 3.25 ie frozen pay raises.This is a faulty scoring system when a teacher would have to score perfect in all categories.Meanwhile, the administrators all got pay raises and two more were hired.It will be interesting to see what the administrators spouses score.
    The state needs a scoring system the rewards an effective teacher not a perfect teacher. I taught bfor 40 years and never used a scoring system that required perfection to reward my top students

  2. 'Floundering' would seem to indicate the sport is not long for the world. Sixteen years seems like a long time to 'flounder.'

    When one looks objectively at the metrics that matter; e.g., sponsorship, attendance an ratings, all are up.

    Is this another of those silly hater deals where you hold the sport of today up against the sport of twenty years ago then try some cutesy, childlike comparison to validate your little straw man?

    Here's another question: What is the specific purpose of television ratings?

  3. It will be really nice having another parking garage across the street from the two already on Illinois's east side. And there is another huge one just north of Michigan. If we fill in the surface lot north of Vermont and tear down that ridiculously old fashioned Rink Building we can achieve something few other municipalities can boast of: a 3 full city block canyon of parking garages.

    Plus, if there is a building downtown that merits imitation it is the One America tower. I propose it be the standard for all future design. And I propose we change our city name to Dystopolis.

  4. What is it on it's way back from? Pick one, let's discuss:

    - All oval series = FAILURE
    - Control AOW, Kill Sport = SUCCESS
    - Quality Field versus Quantity Field = FAILURE
    - Driver Death/Poor Chassis Design = FAILURE
    - More American/Less Foreign Drivers = FAILURE
    - More Street Courses/Less Ovals = SUCCESS
    - Merger/Asset Aquire with CCWS = SUCCESS
    - Penske wins all the time = SUCCESS
    - LOTUS barely is 3rd Manufacturer = FAILURE
    - Less Major Network TV/More Obscure TV = SUCCESS
    - Traditions Sacrificed for Survival = SUCCESS

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  5. Chicken in a Biscuit

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