Jan
17
The Indiana House Ways and Means Committee will hear about a plan to use 12.5 percent of Lake and Porter County sales tax money to fund the proposed extension of the South Shore train line to Valparaiso and Lowell.
The plan wouldn’t require any tax increases, reports the Northwest Indiana Times.
The House Ways and Means Committee, which meets at 9 a.m., will hear legislation to divert 12.5 percent of the sales tax money Lake and Porter counties send the state, a move that would generate $30 million a year without rasing local taxes. The proposal, authored by state Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, would close a $350 million shortfall in the $1 billion plan to extend South Shore lines to Lowell and Valparaiso.
Dobis met with Gov. Mitch Daniels Wednesday afternoon to discuss the plan.
“They had a good visit. The governor was glad to hear more about the idea,” said Jane Jankowski, the governor’s spokeswoman. “He supports the idea of expanding the South Shore…But there are some practical issues with the funding portion of the plan.”
Expanding train service to Chicago’s Loop promises to be an economic development boon for Northwest Indiana because it will make it easier for commuters to access higher paying jobs in Chicago. Some of the wealthiest areas in Illinois are served by Metra line service.
Related Posts
Jan
16
Huge Billboards, Little Type Fonts
Filed Under billboards | 2 Comments
I’ve noticed a trend on billboards popping up around the Region.
Huge billboards displaying complicated messages directing people to visit websites using small font sizes that are impossible to read while driving by at the speed limit.
The Come IN signs soliciting businesses and people to move to Indiana because of lower taxes and housing costs are great, but the web address is impossible to read while driving 55 MPH. I suspect the state wants people to get the general idea — that message comes through strongly. But, I can’t remember what the web address is for the state’s welcome wagon because the font size is too small to read while driving by.
The same is true for a billboard along the Indiana Toll Road westbound near Cline Avenue advertising a college savings program. It has a huge “Diddly Squat” and then a web address with a lot of letters and numbers. I think the number “20″ might be in the address, but I’m not sure. The web URL is too long and the font size is too small to comprehend from a speeding car.
The worst — a billboard on I-65 south near 37th Avenue on the eastern side of the road — celebrating the King of Thailand or something to that effect. Or, it could be a protest against him. Is the King good or evil? Is he committing human rights abuses or is he a human rights hero? Should I travel to Thailand? Should I stay away? I can’t tell because there are multiple lines of type, including some in Thai (with no translation).
And, once again, the URL is extra long and extra small. (Maybe it’s an email address?) Adding to the comprehension problem is the fact is in the middle of a construction zone lined with jersey barriers and routinely patrolled by the State Police. I’m not going to lift my eyes from the constantly changing construction zone roadway to spend a couple of seconds reading a long message.
I’d love to check out the websites, but I’m not going to stop my car to read the billboards.
Next time, simplify the message and enlarge the website address for maximum comprehension.
Think of a billboard as a text message. Less is more.
Most Commented Posts
Jan
16
Local Legislators Embrace Bipartisanship
Filed Under Mitch Daniels, State of the State, property tax crisis, property tax reform | 2 Comments
I missed the Indiana State of the State speech last night — I had to work late at the office for some things I had on the agenda today and also had my first radio interview around the time Mitch Daniels was speaking.
By the time I got home, I was distracted by Batman Begins on cable. By the time I flipped on the radio before falling asleep, the talk was about the Michigan results.
OK. I admit it. I probably wasn’t going to watch the State of the State anyway. The last time I watched a State of the State speech was back in 1992 when I was an intern working at the Statehouse during a short session. Let’s give thanks for all of the reporters who do all of the hard work and cover these things so that citizens can keep informed about what’s happening in Indianapolis.
But here’s a quick recap as the speech applies to Northwest Indiana.
Mitch Daniels is pushing forward on his property tax reforms and has called out to legislators to embrace in a showing of bipartisanship. It seems that Northwest Indiana legislators have no problem going “bi” — bipartisan that is.
Writes Patrick Guinane of the Northwest Indiana Times:
Other Northwest Indiana legislators praised the tone and message of Daniels’ speech, including Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, and Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso. Both region lawmakers were part of the group that escorted the governor into the House chamber.
“I thought he hit a home run,” Soliday said of the speech. “I thought he made some major efforts toward bipartisanship.”
