Open Letter to Sue Errington Regarding Indiana Property Taxes

There was a "moment in time" when I thought you were performing your elected and legislative responsibilities in a respectable fashion. Even, as I admitted at the time, contrary to what I had resolved within myself. I was optimistic that you would be able to see through the smoke and mirrors and the "chicken-little" diatribes of the "special interests." I don't believe that to be the case now. Bear in mind your voting positions and flip-flopping on the very serious issues of serious and permanet property tax reform are a matter of record no matter what the reasons.

 

The bottom line is that local governments have stooped to new lows in an effort to save their established stakes of the holy tax dollars. They are like irresponsible teenagers with a credit card without limits at the Mall or "Drunken Sailors in a Brothel" as referred to the County Commissioners this past Monday. It's a sham, and you've taken the bait hook, line and sinker. The General Assembly has seriously minimized if not virtually eliminated the motivation for local governments and other taxing units to live within the "reasonable means" of the community it serves.

 

Sue, I will not accept an excuse of credulity regarding what's truly going on here. You're too intelligent to let the obvious slip by you. While you're excusing your position with the reasons you've mentioned, the local taxing units (schools and governments) are to continuing to cater to special interests with horrific economical ramifications. It's hypocrisy to the "Nth degree."

Just over the past couple years and most recently over the past couple months and days, the local taxing units have squandered millions upon millions of tax dollars just by illegal appointments and "fixing" of the Common Construction Wages on various public projects. The MCS squandered over $8 million on their $55 million renovations, the Delaware County Commissioners just last Thursday squandered over $200,000.00 and Ball State over $300,000.00. The Ball State new residence hall project has been sold down the tubes at a "premium" of nearly $7 million. Just to name a few.

All this waste directly at the taxpayer's expense.This is an abomination! And yet, you are "sold" on the fact that they can't cut costs and live within "reasonable means"? Let's be perfectly honest here. What you really mean is that they can't cut costs and continue to "serve" the "special interests" that bear absolutely no relevance to the real needs of any given community. That the truth is, the once "bottomless pocket" of tax dollar driven spending is starting to run dry and has reached "critical mass." That's the bottom line. Be fair forewarned all this is about to explode in the current elected officials' faces. The local Commissioners are already very upset at me/us for starting to oversee and expose these issues. We are NOT going away, Sue, and I'm sure we've only scratched the surface.

I will candidly share with you that the statewide Alliance of the property tax citizens groups is purposefully posturing themselves to make broad sweeping changes of their own. The general consensus is to allow, without further intervention, the miserable political blunders of the General Assembly to play themselves out so as to insure that each and every current sitting legislator is swathed in the cloak of failure.

This summer you will probably witness the people come together in their own "congress" to address the issues realistically and without special interest influences as they plan their effort to expunge the General Assembly of those who just don't get it. I suggest you might find yourself surrounded with a lot of new faces, Sue. It wouldn't surprise me to see a multitude of additional candidacy filings before the June 30th deadline. Mark these words and let's compare notes later.

I told the Governor, just yesterday (in a phone call prompted by HIS office, for the record), that the best thing he could do for the moment is have the Red-Cross setup about 150 cots in the rotunda and change the locks on the doors and just simply veto each and every submission until we got back to the very basics of what needs to happen.

He kinda liked that idea, Sue.

So, my parting words of advice is that you might want to pack your sleeping bag and fuzzy slippers next week.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Chris Hiatt, President
Citizens of Delaware County for Property Tax Repeal
765-289-7756
765-744-0809
www.propertytaxrepeal.com