‘There Will Be Deaths,’ Say Firefighters

Filed Under Hammond Indiana, Mitch Daniels, firefighters, government spending, property tax crisis, property tax reform

Will property tax cuts result in the deaths of Hammond, Indiana residents?

Firefighters in that city say saving money will kill people.

About 60 Hammond firefighters traveled to Indianapolis to protest property tax caps that would trim about $21 million from Hammond’s budget next year, reports Patrick Guinane in the Northwest Indiana Times.

A throng of Hammond firefighters descended on the Statehouse on Monday in the hopes of heading off a financial emergency.

The city stands to lose nearly a third of its budget, or about $21 million next year, if lawmakers press ahead with property tax caps sought by Gov. Mitch Daniels. So roughly a third of the Hammond Fire Department, or about 60 firefighters, came out to show legislators what’s at stake.

Dozens more public safety officials from across Indiana, including a handful of East Chicago firefighters and paramedics, formed a dense crowd outside the House Ways and Means Committee. Inside the hearing room, Hammond Fire Chief Dave Hamm warned legislators that the budget cuts triggered by the tax caps would cost lives.

“One thing that I can assure you is our response time will worsen, and there will be deaths,” Hamm said. “Please, please do not take that as a threat. … It’s just a matter of fact. It’s going to happen.”

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