WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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An unusually large group of local government officials are meeting tomorrow to decide whether Monroe County will keep its new public safety income tax. Officials have described tomorrow’s meeting as historic, because it brings together members of the Bloomington Common Council, the Monroe County Council, the Ellettsville Town Council, and the Stinesville Town Council. All four bodies must vote on whether to keep the .25% tax, which is expected to raise about $7MM for local government entities. If no action is taken, the tax will expire at the end of the year.
The tax was first passed earlier this year, partly to pay for expenses at the County’s 911 Dispatch Center. But about 70% of the money can be spent on anything that falls under the umbrella of public safety. To a certain degree, the tax has bipartisan support.
The chair of the Monroe County Republican Party, William Ellis, says his party supports the implementation of the tax, although he still has questions, “Where I do have opposition is the fact that a good portion of it is non-designated to where it it is going. Anytime a tax is passed, it should be for a specific need; and it should also plan for the growth of that need. In other words, not just what we need today, but the growth curve. A couple things we need to ask is why a lot of it is being allocated after the tax has passed. Everything should be allocated prior. The second concern we do have is why the current tax is not keeping pace with the current growth of the needs of Monroe County. Are we wasting money somewhere? Are we over-expanding on areas of public safety that doesn’t need it? Do we not have the infrastructure in places where we do need it?”
Despite his concerns, Ellis says he believes the money is needed now and he supports the passage of the tax.
At the Monroe County Democratic Party, chairperson Mark Fraley says some members also had some concerns about the tax at first, saying “The Democratic Party does this because we’ve got a lot of folks who have some different ideas as to how the tax should be structured and how the services should be arranged; but I think we’ve managed to be able to reconcile those differences for the most part. And for the most part elected officials, both Democratic and Republican seem to be behind this.”
The meeting tomorrow about whether to renew the public safety tax begins at 5:30 p.m. It takes place in the Nat U. Hill Room on the third floor of the Monroe County Courthouse. The group will take public comment.
