Nearly a week has passed since the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute released a study showing urban counties in the state
pay more in state taxes than they receive in benefits. In effect, tax revenue flows from cities to rural areas, Ball State
University found.
The methodology has been criticized, mainly by people living in rural counties, but the results
reflect similar studies in other states.
The study has both confirmed what people in the Indianapolis area have
said for a long time—that funding flows are reasonably equitable—and rekindled discussion about the perpetual
resentment toward Indianapolis.
State Rep. Bob Behning, a Plainfield Republican, says anti-Indianapolis sentiment
is running at about the same fairly high level as when he was elected to the office in 1993. Behning’s District 91 includes
parts of Marion and Morgan counties as well as a section of Hendricks County, which was second behind Vanderburgh County in
paying more tax than it received.
He witnessed Indianapolis resentment surfacing again during the competition between
Marian University in Indianapolis and Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion over the new osteopathic medical school snagged
by Marian. One representative from the Marion area suggested Indiana Wesleyan should have gotten it because “Indianapolis
has so many things, why don’t we share,” Behning recalls.
“Because people come from varied backgrounds
in different communities, there will always be jealousy,” he says. However, Behning adds that Indianapolis is perceived
as dragging too many of its problems, such as the Capital Improvement Board’s financial mess, to the doors of the Statehouse.
Nevertheless, he believes most of the resentment is unjustified. Indianapolis gets lots of attention because of its
size and the unique issues it contends with—professional sports, for example. And for those same reasons it will for
a long time to come.
What’s your take? Does the Indianapolis area get more than its fair share of the pot
from the General Assembly? Are there legitimate reasons for the resentment?








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The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of a Nation: and our State
Sustainable Cityâ??s / Solve City Design Issues / Recreate Walkable Cityâ??s
By Design: Happy Cars 1 to 5 Mile Grid vs. Happy People Walkable Grid
No Connectivity; No Grid; Congestions traffic solution: Widen & More Roads????
Land Capacity vs. Access Capacity / Loss of Quality of Life / Loss of Time /
2 hrs of Traffic per day
Bankrupting many Local and State Governments
Creates: Abandon Housing / Crime / Historic Measures
Facts:
Average Household Drives 100 miles Per Day
Average Lot size = .3 Acre
Current rate of expansion in U.S. America = 0 Acres left by 2050
Cost of Transportation / Energy Savings / Drainage Use / Etc.
Once upon a time: Corner Stores â?? Goshen Indiana (Walk to work)
Candy Store; Gelato; Bakery; Restaurants; Pharmacy; Coffee = Neighborhoods
Auto% of households that have cars:
1895â??1905 1920 1930 1950 1960 Today
Start of Auto 25% Depression 50% 90% 2.5 cars per household
â?¦..Not Sustainable Financially / (COSTS:)
Roads = $5.2 Million per 1 Mile + Land + Sewer + Water + Utilities ++++
Costs are hidden to Subsidize Sprawl: Road Out; Fire; Police; Utilities; Schools etc.
= $20 Mil. Per Mile / Expense Spent Towards Out Growth
���Creating the Fiscal Problems of Today
Solutions = â??Public & Private Partnership Investments Help Cities Growâ?? â?? Hudnut
Solutions by Design:
Urban Growth Boundaryâ??s / Force Public Investment Capital Back into Center
Infill / Reconnect to the Center / Public Redevelopment Tool Box:
Environmental Clean Up
Housing
Infrastructure
Energy Sustainability
Economic Development
Solutions: Better Quality of Life / by Design:
City & State Spending $ where they can get return on investment
Create better Walkable road systems with in our walkable community
Complete the Streets with Multi Modes of transportation
Density Done Well â?? Mixed Use with in our Historic Commercial Nodes
Pocket Parks â?? Reconnect our Neighborhoods our communityâ??s and our people.
Cityâ??s and Neighborhoods that are walkable are the ones that will succeed
Demand Reinvestment into the Center of our most dense locations and communityâ??s vs. Sprawl The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of a Nationâ?¦Subsidized by the foreign investment