Dec
8
Daniels Slashing Lake Co. Funds
Filed Under Lake County, Mitch Daniels, taxes
Figuring out ways to cut back government spending in the Region won’t just be talk when Gov. Mitch Daniels slashes state funding sent to Lake County.
Writes the Northwest Indiana Times’ Patrick Guinane:
Lake County will get no reprieve from the severe spending cuts local government would be forced to make under looming state property tax caps, Gov. Mitch Daniels emphatically declared Friday.
So-called circuit breakers already on the books for 2010 would sap an estimated $279 million a year from cities, schools and other taxing units in Lake County. Daniels wants to make those property tax breaks even sweeter, a move that would force the county to shave another $88 million in local spending.
“Business as usual would have to change in Lake County, but people have said that for a long time,” Daniels told reporters. “Even existing law will compel that. What won’t work is to continue on with 88 taxing districts doing their own thing, no cooperation, no consolidation, no economies of any kind and ask for a bailout from the rest of Indiana. That ain’t happening.”
Is the state going to force Lake County into “Unigov?”
Would creating consolidated fire, police, schools, and other tax districts be a good thing for Lake County?
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2 Responses to “Daniels Slashing Lake Co. Funds”
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Chris, it was Munster and Highland that considered consolidating their fire districts, but ultimately couldn’t do it.
Bigger is not necessarily better. Yes, if Muster Republicans ran unigov Lake County, it would be well run. But if Democrats run it, which they will, it will just be an opportunity to steal from a larger base of people than they can now.
If Munster Republicans ran Lake County, you would rename it “DuLake County” (after that well run Chicago suburban county, Dupage County, the best run county in the entire region).
Hi Buzzcut,
DuLake County sounds like an interesting idea.
I have faith that things will improve in our county.
Maybe the current and coming tax crises will spur the adoption of good government practices by Lake County governmental, municipal and other taxing entities.