"Our Councils' Gift to Us" - The logo adorning the now popular “sea of red” T-shirts having made public appearance at the December 2008 option tax hearing is an image of a grinchly figure withdrawing money from the pocket of a sleeping taxpayer.Text Box: Want to see examples of St. Joseph County’s excessive spending? Text Box: 

(forgive incomplete development—we need people like you to help our online sector get moving)

Text Box: Just two weeks from now, South Bend and St. Joe County will try to more than double your county income taxes – if you let them! County income taxes would go from less than 1% (.8%) to nearly 2% (1.75%). What do YOU make in a year? Are you ready to give $2 of every $100 to City and County governments who have doubled in size since they got the FIRST option tax? THEY NEED TO CUT BACK, NOT TAX! The last thing one should do in hard economic times is raise taxes. It only makes matters worse. Yet while we all struggle to keep our homes, pay our bills, and feed our families, South Bend and St. Joe County want to double our county income taxes! Why? Because they have doubled their budgets! Look at these graphs: In 1994, before South Bend voted for the first option taxes, their General Fund budget was $33 million. If it had increased merely by inflation every year since then, it would now be $48M. Instead, it's now $69 million! In 1994, before the County imposed option taxes, their General budget was $26 million. If it had increased merely by inflation every year since then, it would now be $38 million. Instead, it's now $66 million. In 2004, we did a complete analysis and found that a full 2/3 of the County’s new money had gone into payroll – growing the size of government while the population they are serving has NOT grown. Instead of asking for more tax dollars to pay for all this expansion, they need to cut back substantially. The City and County were functioning BEFORE the option taxes. They can cut back to something between then and now and still survive! South Bend is pushing the new taxes because their tax rates exceed the caps which the state put on to protect us. They feel they are OWED those exorbitant taxes. Yet they pour thousands of tax dollars into a Hall of Fame losing $1 million a year, they pay four different organizations for “development” ideas, and have a legal department and mayoral staff many times the size of comparably sized cities like Evansville and Fort Wayne. Meanwhile, the County has dozens of non-police take-home cars, a Juvenile Justice Center so huge it is trying to rent out excess space, a Sheriff making over $150,000 because he keeps the tax warrant fees, a massive new Domestic Violence program whose rape conviction rate may actually be WORSE than before it was created, and they're charging us for both private and public security guards. As Seen in Recent Press Conferences South Bend should first look at releasing some of its TIF funds. A TIF is an area set aside for development, such that any new property taxes from that area do not go to police, fire, EMS, schools or any government unit. South Bend has defined THOUSANDS of acres as TIFs. The rest of us pay for their police, fire, and general government, while they stockpile those taxes for streets and landscaping! South Bend COULD release a portion of that assessed valuation and lower the property taxes of all of us. Plymouth did it just last year. South Bend should not impose any new taxes without first releasing equivalent TIF valuation! And what about the County's and South Bend's excessive unreserved fund balances? They invest the lump-sum tax distributions they get twice a year and do what with the dividends? South Bend has $47 million, the County has a similar amount. Why don't these monies go back into the budget and lower our taxes? Here's what you can do to STOP THE OPTION TAXES! e-mail the South Bend Council: mbwisnie@southbendin.gov (or check our Contact info for individual e-mail addresses and phone numbers) e-mail the County Council: cocouncil@co.st-joseph.in.us copy and distribute our <FLIER> far and wide so more people know get a free "No New Taxes" sign from Frick's Dairy Queen (3907 S. Mich.) stay tuned to this website or get on our e-mail list for updates attend the hearings and speak up! THEY WILL VOTE:

And yes, attend BOTH  --  either one can stop it!

 

 
$26 million$69 million$48 million$33 million$66 million$38 million

Please click on “The Citizens for Common Sense Facebook Group” if you follow the Facebook link.
Text Box: Don't Be Left Out! With only a dozen days to fight these option taxes, there won't be time for another newsletter through the mail. If you want last-minute updates: We need your e-mail address! We pledge to keep your e-mail address confidential. We never share the list. Our e-mails are sent “blank carbon copy” so no one sees your address and you don't see anyone else's. We send only Click Here to See Examples of County Inefficiency