It seems we all need a college education, even if it is not an education that we can use? A letter response to the Evansville Courier from a state university professor was critical of Governor Pence for wanting four year colleges to graduate students in four-years. The professor is from a school which has a four-year graduation rate 8.3 percent, which is among the lowest in the country.

It seems also that many in the education fields believe that if you construct enough buildings, rooms, and purchase enough chairs that someone will come,– even if it’s just to sit in one of the chairs, ala, California style. This professor states that his school offers the students an opportunity to rise even if they are unprepared for the college level. The professor states that, “yes” his college could improve their graduation rate by denying academically unqualified students admission. However, this professor believes that everyone is eligible and eventually will get a diploma. As a taxpayer and former employer of many of these students, I believe this is a discredit to all of the qualified students at this college, those who were qualified and passed the rigid requirements for their diplomas. The necessity of social justice should not be in the relaxing of college requirements.

As a taxpayer, I thought education was what our state colleges were all about!

STATEHOUSE — Senate Bill (SB) 319, sponsored by State Representative Don Lehe (R-Brookston) and cosponsored by State Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler), passed the Indiana House of Representatives on Monday with a 97-0 vote. SB 319 is the first piece of legislation to pass both houses in the 2013 legislative session.

SB 319 addresses the assessment of farmland for property tax purposes. The Department of Local Government Finance had produced a list of changes last year that equals an immediate 20 percent increase in property taxes on farmland. Taxes on farmland the last few years have increased dramatically as the newly enacted controls have held other classes of property static or reduced. By fast tracking the bill, local assessors can implement the new statute before spring documents are mailed out to property owners.

“This bill has been fast tracked because of its important to many Hoosiers,” said Rep. Bacon. “A recent study showed that agricultural land has experienced the largest property tax increase of any type of land since 2007. SB 319 prevents farmers from having to pay a significant increase in taxes, providing some much needed relief following the recent drought last summer.”

In SB 319, the current soil productivity factors, used for the March 2011 assessment of agricultural land value, would remain in place for property taxes payable in 2014. The new soil productivity factors could not be used until 2015. The bill also establishes an interim study committee to study agriculture property tax issues.

“We are really appreciative of those individuals who got this bill to the Senate in a hurry and to the House for now fast tracking it,” said Indiana Farm Bureau tax and local government specialist Katrina Hall. “This is an issue our members have been facing, and we appreciate the efforts to delay this for one more year to access it more generally.”

SB 319 now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

AGENDA
Vanderburgh County
Board of Commissioners
February 26, 2013
5:00 pm, Room 301

1. Call to Order
2. Attendance
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Permission to Open Bids: Old Courthouse Corridor Restoration Project
5. Action Items
• Southern Indiana Classic Marathon and Half Marathon
• Substance Abuse Council 2013 Grant Funding
• First Reading of CO.02-13-003: Ordinance Setting Forth Responsibility of Cleanup of Hazardous Materials or Spills on County Roadways
• Permission to Award: VC13-02-01: Broadway Ave. Bridge No. 270 Deck Replacement and maintenance to Blankenberger Brothers, Inc. for $99,245
• Contracts, Agreements and Leases
i. Health Department
• Bioterrorism Preparedness Grant Agreement
• Champ Software HIPAA Business Associate Contract
• Teletask Annual Maintenance Agreement
ii. Auditor:
• Kronos Annual Software Maintenance Service Contract
• Tax Management Associates contract for Homestead Standard Deduction Audit Services
iii. Burdette Park:
• Yellow Pages Advertisement Renewal
• Annual Agreement with University of Southern Indiana for use of pool for Lifeguard Training
6. Department Head Reports
7. Board Appointments
8. New Business
9. Old Business
10. Public Comment
11. Consent Items
• Approval of prior meeting minutes: February 5, 2013
• Employment Changes
• Approval of Township Trustee Standards:
i. Armstrong
ii. Center
iii. German
iv. Knight
v. Perry
vi. Pigeon
vii. Scott
viii. Union
• Commissioners:
i. Sale of 819 Jackson
ii. Appropriation Request
iii. Transfer Request
• IBAP Gatekeeper: January 31, 2013 report
• Sheriff:
i. Permission to surplus 1999 Dodge Van and 2001 Ford Taurus for disposal
ii. Agreement Termination Letter to Correctional Risk Services, Inc.
• American Medical Response
i. Third Quarter 2012 Report and Expenses
ii. Fourth Quarter 2012 Report and Expenses
• County Ozone Officer: January 2013 Report
• County Clerk January 2013 Monthly Report
• Treasurer:
i. December 2012 and January 2013 Year-to-date reports
ii. January 2013 Monthly Report
• Weights and Measures January 16- February 15 Monthly Report
• County Highway Department: Permission to surplus various equipment for scrap metal
• County Engineer:
i. Pay Request No. 4314 for TIF Projects in the amount of $55,165.41
12. Adjournment

New state, national figures released on anniversary of National Mortgage Settlement

INDIANAPOLIS – One year after the National Mortgage Settlement, the nation’s five largest banks reported extending more than $134 million in total relief to Indiana consumers.

The settlement resulted from state and federal investigations which found that Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo routinely signed foreclosure related documents outside the presence of a notary public and without really knowing whether the facts they contained were correct. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said the state’s total is made up of more than $125 million in relief to help consumers avoid foreclosure and more than $9 million in loan modifications that are currently in progress.

“This announcement means more than 3,200 Indiana consumers have received much-needed relief through refinancing or home-loan modifications,” Zoeller said. “While there has been substantial success, it is clear that the servicers have more to do to meet the requirements set by the National Mortgage Settlement.”

The Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight released their report Thursday which outlined the state and national consumer relief activities of the banks from March 2012 through December 2012. Nationally, the report revealed $45.83 billion in gross relief was extended to 550,000 borrowers.

The full report and the monitor’s state-by-state data map are available at www.mortgageoversight.com.

Zoeller will participate in a National Mortgage Settlement conference in Chicago today at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. The conference will focus on the housing market collapse, the intricate path to the National Mortgage Settlement and the independent monitor that has been established to oversee the terms of the agreement. Zoeller will speak during a panel titled, “An Innovative Approach to Law Enforcement: A Bipartisan State-Federal Partnership.”

The monitor’s office has certified that as of Feb. 1, 2013, Ally/GMAC completed its consumer relief requirements and that the bank is in substantial compliance with its requirement to reach out to consumers and provide them with loss mitigation assistance.

Indiana homeowners who were foreclosed upon and experienced a servicer error between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2011 will receive a total of $31.4 million in cash payments. Claim forms were mailed to eligible borrowers last fall and the deadline to submit a claim has now passed. If you have submitted a claim form, the settlement administrator will contact you if any additional information is needed to complete your claim. Checks to borrowers who submitted claim forms are expected to be mailed mid-year in 2013. The exact amount of the payment to be made to each eligible claimant is not yet known, but it will exceed the minimum payment of $840 that was indicated on the claim form.

As part of the overall settlement, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office received $43.8 million, with $28.8 million dedicated to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the rest committed to the Consumer Protection Division and Homeowner Protection Unit consistent with the terms of the agreement. Zoeller said the LIHEAP funding helps low-income individuals, including homeowners who are most at-risk to be foreclosed upon, pay their heating bills.

Zoeller said the banks, as part of the settlement, were also required to implement comprehensive servicing reforms by Oct. 2, 2012. The monitor is currently evaluating compliance with those reforms and plans to file its first report on servicers’ compliance with the court later this year.