By ANNIE GOELLER, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
Building less-expensive schools, cutting out take-home cars and travel for government employees and upping the sales tax could lead to one common goal: reducing property taxes.
Taxpayers have their own ideas for how to change government and reduce or eliminate property taxes.
They join Gov. Mitch Daniels' commission to review local government, which is making a stop in Franklin next week, and state legislators in looking at ways to reduce spending and taxes and replace the revenue needed to fund local government services, such as school districts and police and fire departments.
One common theme among taxpayers, including home and business owners, is to cut spending by local governments and hold them to a tight budget.
"I live within a budget, and I expect the government to live within theirs," said Sandy Tanner, a Center Grove area resident.
The cost-saving ideas start with the benefits government workers and elected officials receive, including pay raises, insurance, retirement, trips and take-home vehicles.
And they move on to services government provides, such as public transportation, and the way money is spent, such as on schools and government buildings.
Nothing is safe.
"If (officials) say they've already cut to a bare minimum, it's a lie," said Alan Ray Whitaker, who owns ARW Trucking and serves on the Whiteland Town Council.
What government can cut depends on the services residents and businesses want, he said.
Taxpayers' thoughts on what government should provide include a bare minimum of services: public safety, sewers and roads.
"If you're a reasonably minded person, you don't expect much from the government at all," said Mike Hardamon, a Union Township resident.
Some argue there likely isn't that much waste to cut, and other options, such as tax and fee increases, should be reviewed.
"If there was that much waste, it would have likely already been cut," said Bob Heuchan, president of Mutual Savings Bank.
But others listed specific suggestions that include cutting out travel expenses or making it less expensive, not allowing employees to take home cars - some suggested including police officers in that group - and reducing benefits for government employees.
"Cut out some of the waste and look at the services that are really necessary," Tanner said.
Franklin resident Bill Harmening suggested eliminating take-home police cars, allowing police departments to cut their fleet of vehicles and their spending on fuel and maintenance.
"It's a nice thing for them to have, but I don't know if we can afford nice. We might just be able to afford OK," he said.
Others suggested a better review of school building projects, with the focus on cutting unnecessary expenses and reducing costs.
"Center Grove has gone bananas spending money on things that have nothing to do with education and everything to do with image," Greenwood resident Joan Elliot said.
One way to save money is to use the existing Maple Grove Elementary School as a freshman academy, instead of expanding the high school, Tanner suggested.
"They used it for a school. It was designed for a school, so why can't they do that?" Tanner asked.
Taxpayers also questioned spending by Clark-Pleasant and Franklin schools.
And schools weren't the only focus.
Taxpayers were convinced spending cuts could go as far as the federal government.
"To be honest, I don't know that the federal government does anything except spend a lot of money," Elliot said.
Many budgets likely could be cut, especially when they are growing too fast. Increases of as much as 5 percent can be explained by inflation, a common reason officials use, but higher than that requires an in-depth explanation, said Robert Everline, a Center Grove area resident.
"They should be spending money that is only necessary to spend," he said.
And others looked closer to home, at township government.
"The time for township trustees passed about 30 years ago," said Terry Fewell of Greenwood.
What the taxpayers really want is action by state leaders to reduce property taxes.
"This is not working. This is not fair. They've got to do something and do it quickly," said Mike Venatta, a Clark Township resident.
And some believe their worries are finally getting attention, between legislators debating the issue outside of session and Daniels' commission.
"We jump up and down, scream and holler about property taxes, and people are listening," Elliot said.