How Was Your Day?
I’ve spent most of my day over at the Indiana General Assembly. Listed below is a timeline of events starting from this morning until now.
11:30 A.M.
BUDGET DEAL?
Some more details are now available about the budget. It has tax caps as well as tax increases. Senator Luke Kenley tells me there would be about $550 million in tax relief (money that would likely come from expanding slots) for Hoosiers. It would provide a statewide average reduction in the tax increases of 15% in the first year and 13% in the second, but it would also give local governments new taxing authority. Local Governments would be allowed to levy a replacement income tax as well as a public safety tax. The replacement income tax would be used if local governments need funds beyond what the get in standard tax levy.
The public safety income tax would be used for future revenue streams and also reduce property taxes. A Capital Review Board would be implemented to keep local building projects under control.
The Mayor of Indianapolis, Bart Peterson is also here. He’s waiting outside House Speaker Pat Bauer’s office for a meeting on Indy Works, Part III.
I’ll have more later today.
12:30 P.M.
THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT A MAYOR
I’ve been shadowng Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson for the last hour or so as he’s been waiting to meet with House Speaker Pat Bauer. He’s chatted with a few a folks and even had a few seconds to meet with Bill Crawford. What’s interesting about all this is watching the most powerful elected official in Marion County have to wait for a meeting with the Speaker like a little kid outside the principal’s office who got in trouble and is about to get some bad news.
This is the man who was almost his party’s nominee for Governor if he wanted the job. What’s really ironic about all this is that as one old political hand told me, Pat Bauer is speaker because of the Black Democrats. The Black Democrats (particularly the Marion County ones) want to protect the Center Township Trustee and other black elected Trustess (although they probably really don’t care all that much for Mike Hobbes of Lawrence). So the biggest obstacle to the Mayor’s consolidation plan is his own party.
It’s pretty sad. But then again this is probably pay for the Mayor’s crackdown on peashake houses, which Black Democrats have been adamant about protecting. Or it could be payback because the Mayor is an advocate for charter schools and has gotten well-deserved national attention for the city’s progress in that area. And the Black Democrats hate charter schools, which is why there is no new funding for them in this budget.
And for the record, the Mayor’s been waiting for an hour now.
12:35 P.M.
THAT WAS QUICK
Well if the Mayor was here for a meeting with House Speaker Pat Bauer it didn’t happen. The Mayor was here for about and hour and a half. The Mayor said he may have something to say later today about the Indy Works impasse. This has got to suck for him.
I’m also picking up a vibe that House Republicans aren’t crazy about the budget plan and they may be the lone holdouts on all this. The word is they want more money set aside for property tax relief.
2 P.M.
LIBERTARIANS NOMINATE PETERSON FOR MAYOR, FRED PETERSON THAT IS
Although I’m spending the day at the Indiana General Assembly, I just found out the the Marion County Libertarians have nominated long-time activist Fred Peterson to be their candidate for Mayor. Peterson says his big priorites are crime, taxes, getting the city’s priorities in shape.
Libertarian says they chose Peterson because he is a good candidate and it’s coincidental that he has the same last name as incumbent, Bart Peterson.
The Libertarians also nominated four candidates City-Council. Tim McGire (at-large), Margret Kantz (D-1), Paul Dijack-Robinson (D-16), and Barry Campbell (D-21).
Nominated in the Lawrence Mayoral race was Chris Ward. And Eric Barnes was nominated to run in Lawrence District 2.
3:15 P.M.
CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson is asking lawmakers to pass fire consolidation and worry about other merger issues later. The Mayor held a news conference this afternoon between the House and Senate chambers. He said since both the House and Senate versions of consolidation include merging all fire departments in Marion County, then that’s what lawmakers should pass.
Peterson said since Democrats don’t want to consolidate the Trustee offices and Republicans don’t want to merge the Assessors offices, then all sides should just focus on the area where they agree.
The Mayor says without fire consolidation he will have to raise taxes by $15 million.
He did admit that House Democrats supported consolidating the Trustee offices three years ago when Indy Works was introduced and did not want to speculate on why their position has changed now.
I’m willing to offer Hizzoner a thought on what changed, it was the party holding several of the Trustee offices. When Indy Works was introdcued Democrats controlled only Pike and Center Townships. After the 2006 election they gained control of Lawrence, Washington and Wayne Townships.
Seems pretty simple what’s motivating some people here.
