IS IT TRUE SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

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IS IT TRUE that the well orchestrated effort by the majority (5 members) of Evansville City Council to raise taxes on the residents of the unincorporated parts of Vanderburgh County simply because they can, could be considered a perfect example of “TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION?”

IS IT TRUE to add insult to injury was when Councilman Jonathan Weaver (D) made a condescending remark towards Councilman Justin Elpers when he ask him whom does he actually works for? …this remark was leveled at Councilman Elpers over his opinion that what the City Council is doing amounts to TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION?

IS IT TRUE if you want to understand why unification between the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County failed at the ballot box and will probably never will pass, look no further than aggressive acts of TAXING PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT REPRESENTED?

IS IT TRUE this is not the first time that this has happened either?…people who live in the county are also charged a fee of $35 per month extra on their sewer and water bill because they live outside the City of Evansville but are dependent on them for water and sewer services?

IS IT TRUE the roads to Warrick, Gibson and Posey County has never looked better because five members (Weaver, Mosby, Robinson, McGinn and Brinkmeyer) of the Evansville City Council just can’t seem to resist increasing taxes on people who can’t vote their arses out of office?

IS IT TRUE it seems as though the powers that be are bound and determined to drive people out of Vanderburgh County?…with Vectren raising rates again, the water and sewer bills projected to rocket into the $250 per month range when the EPA mandate is satisfied, projected property tax increases over the next several years, another reduction of the Homestead tax credit for 2018, and now an increase in the local income tax things are looking dim for the average taxpayer?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that that some of the projected $8 Million local income tax grab will be used to expand the Vanderburgh County jail?…could this be the reason why members of the Vanderburgh County Council remain quiet on this issue and letting the Evansville City Council take the political heat?

IS IT TRUE we hope that the majority of members of the Evansville City Council will support Councilman Justin Elpers and John Hayden resolution that will allow members of the Vanderburgh County Council and County Commission to have a say on the proposed local income tax increase?  …if City Council refuses not to do this it will be a prime example of TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION?

Todays READERS POLL question is: Do you feel that the Evansville City Council should allow the Vanderburgh County Council and County Commissioner to vote on the local option income tax issue?
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15 COMMENTS

  1. Take a couple of minutes and read these budget orders from the DLGF for Vanderburgh County.

    http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/Vanderburgh%20County%202017%20Certified%20Budget%20Order.pdf

    Pay particular attention to the number of times you see: “Budget has been decreased because projected revenues are insufficient to fund the adopted budget.

    So when the Editor of CCO says that local government does not have a revenue problem, they have a spending problem, here is the PROOF that backs up that statement. These so called public servants could not care less about what the local populace can afford, i.e. revenue projections, and that is made clear by the grossly inflated budgets they submit to the DLGF for approval.

  2. Good IIT! I live in Vanderburgh Co and what goes on with the idiot politicians in our city is the main reason I am fixing my home up to sell. Warrick, Gibson or Posey look better than Vanderburgh county. We have people in political office who have no business being there, mainly due to the fact that they are uneducated or in way over their head. Missy Mosby and Weaver are buffoons. As long as we keep electing or appointing realtors to these councils/boards/committees, Evansville will continue to go down hill.

  3. You write, “IS IT TRUE if you want to understand why unification between the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County failed at the ballot box and will probably never will pass, look no further than aggressive acts of TAXING PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT REPRESENTED?”

    This makes no sense! Because we didn’t have unification we’re left with taxation without representation. One of the biggest positives from unification was going to be that the new city/county council would decide tax rates and would represent everyone. Our current system is broken and allows taxation without representation. Unification would have fixed this!

    • Why not stop growing government and start growing the local economy? The school corporation’s budget is obscene. A lot of their money is pissed away on things that can only be described as corporate welfare and also on questionable jobs that serve only to keep local employment, supported by taxpayer dollars, artificially higher than it would be in a true “market” economy.

      • Simply . . Winnie is out of money and his “Friends of Winnecke” need more . .so, raise income taxes . . .problem solved . . .

    • The best taxes are always user taxes. You use it, you pay a portion of the freight. I guess you could make an argument you don’t use City things, but certainly many of the county people do, and it makes sense for them to bear some of the freight. That’s not a political statement. It’s just common sense.

      And you can also make the argument that if you want to have representation? Then you want unification, sounds like to me. Again, not a political statement.

      But for a CCO community that complains loudly on a daily basis that governments and municipalities should operate more like businesses that have no choice but to follow budgets, and make sustainable capital improvement decisions – or they go out of business – then it is hypocritical to say you’re not for unification. From business management perspective, it makes no sense to have two governing infrastructures (city and county) with duplication out the ying-yang when only one could do the job much more cost efficiently.

      Will voters like that? No. Will politicians who want to protect turf and control things want that? No. Will political bosses want that? No. But set aside the changing shallow whims of voters and set aside politics, that is clearly the efficient business thing to do. Again, not a political statement. Just a comment on hypocrisy.

  5. We beat the City unification plan in 2012, but they still have their claws in our backs.

  6. What hypocrites the members of City Council truly are . . .the following is an article published in the CP back in January of this year…

    City Council members opposed to local income tax increase
    Zach Evans, zach.evans@courierpress.com Published 8:14 p.m. CT Jan. 23, 2017
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    Evansville City Council members want state lawmakers to know they oppose a bill that would let Vanderburgh County raise the local income tax without the city’s say.

    “We are not for this bill,” City Council President Missy Mosby, D-2nd Ward, said during Monday night’s council meeting.

    House Bill 1487 would give the Vanderburgh County Council power to raise the local income tax to 1.25 percent from its current 1 percent. The money would go toward the county’s public safety needs, including expanding the county jail, paying for its operations and hiring more personnel.

    As the Courier & Press reported Sunday, an extra 0.25 percent income tax would cost the average Vanderburgh County resident $107 more per year. The county’s tax revenues would grow $11 million in 2018.

    Vanderburgh County Commissioners are pushing for the legislation as an option to address jail overcrowding and under-staffing. The bill’s author is listed as Rep. Holli Sullivan, R-Newburgh, but she told the Courier & Press that Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, wrote the bill.

    Mosby said the idea is one-sided.

    “We don’t get that money. That money won’t go to our public safety. It won’t go to our police officers. It won’t go to our fire department. It would go strictly in the county,” she said.

    Finance Chairman Dan McGinn, R-1st Ward, said the city and county could raise the income tax right now by using the local tax board, which is made up of city and county councils. But that means splitting the revenues, with the city receiving the majority share.

    “The purpose of the legislation is to change that so no one gets to share,” McGinn said.

    City Council Vice President Justin Elpers, R-5th Ward, said an increase to the income tax would add to the other new taxes and charges, such as the water and sewer utility rate hikes.

    Councilman Dan Adams, D-At-Large, questioned the motivation behind the legislation.

    “It seems to be awfully one-sided; doesn’t make sense. Not only does it jump the tax quite high, but it breaks precedent as to what has been working very well. It’s not like our police don’t need help as much as the sheriff’s office,” Adams said.

    Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer said Mayor Lloyd Winnecke is aware of the bill and will speak with Sullivan. As the county looks for options to address jail overcrowding, Schaefer said the ideal solution would be to fund the expansion through existing funding sources.

    There are several steps before anyone in Vanderburgh County would see an increase on their income tax. The House Ways and Means Committee has to approve the bill, then the House. It would then need a companion bill in the Senate, which in turn would have to be approved and sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb. That’s when the Vanderburgh County Council would have the option to vote to increase the tax, City Council attorney Joshua Claybourn said.

    That’s also assuming the bill’s language doesn’t change between now and then.

    City Council will likely vote on a resolution opposing the bill at its next meeting. County Commissioners are expected to vote on a resolution in support of the bill at their 3 p.m. meeting Tuesday.

  7. folks . . the proposed increase in our state and local incomes tax is 17% . .the C&P’s article stating that the increase is 2 cents per every$100 of income is BS . . the rate is going from 1.0% to 1.20& or a 17% increase. Now, Butterfly McGinn a/k/a two-fiths, took 25% of our Homestead Credit while Can’t Past Again (CPA) Lloyd smiled and said, “the administration does not support this” Now we have the County Council increasing the wheel tax, two-fiths McGinn eliminating our Homestead Credit, and now according the ordinance before city council raising our income tax by 17% . . .these idiots need to go . . of course, why are we not surprised to see Adam’s name as on of the supporters? Guess his 401k from the heart surgery days served him well…

    • Hey Susan . . why are we not surprised about Adam’s support of the income tax increase . . doesn’t his son become a direct benefactor since he is on the Evansville Police Dept????? WOW!!!!!

      • Hey Dances . . don’t forget that surely there is a Mosby somewhere either on the EPD or EFD . .

  8. Poor Teamsters!!! Evidently, the only unions that courts in Evansville are the FOP and/or the Firefighter’s Unions . . . Guess Weaver & Mosby need to tell Chuck’s people get use to eating cake!!!!!

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