Indiana

City Stuff

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Here are some interesting tidbits and information regarding matters affecting Indianapolis and Marion County.

• Capital Improvement Board officials say they won’t use property taxes, and other taxes and fee increases are the last items on their list, as they try to plug a near $50 million operation deficit.  At a meeting today, CIB officials outlined $5 million worth of cuts that included hiring freezes, scaling back on maintenance, advertising, security and legal fees. They say they are still talking with the Colts, Pacers, Indians and other vendors on how to make up the rest of the shortfall.  More details will be available next month.

• The City of Indianapolis and Perry Township are both moving forward with plans to merge their fire departments.  An ordinance was introduced at tonight’s City-County Council meeting approving the merger and a formal presentation will be made Tuesday night to the Perry Township Advisory Board.  Township Trustee Gary Coons says if the merger goes through, Perry Township residents would see a nearly 20% drop in the portion of their property tax bills that pays for fire service.

• And the opponents of charter schools who are trying to protect IPS from competition may want to think their position.  A school bus driver was suspended for three days, with pay, for dropping off students at Castleton Square Mall after a downtown field trip.  Three of the students ended up getting arrested for shoplifting.  The students were from Arlington.  There’s no word yet on how the students managed to convince the bus driver to take them to the mall or where the teacher was who was responsible for the students.  And charters are a bad idea.

Gotta run.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on February 09, 2009 (boomark / email).