By Dan Carden, Times of Northwest Indiana
dan.carden@nwi.com
INDIANAPOLIS | Legislation inserting Indiana's property tax caps into the state constitution survived three attempts to kill it Thursday in the House, setting up a final vote next week.
State Rep. William Crawford, D-Indianapolis, proposed amending the tax caps resolution to take out a provision that makes property taxpayers in Lake and St. Joseph counties pay more than the rest of the state. Current state law and the proposed amendment allow both counties to charge higher tax rates through 2019 to pay down debt.
"This is a not a political ploy," Crawford said. "This is a sincere belief that we do not put discrimination in our constitution."
Changing the resolution would have the effect of killing the proposed amendment, since constitutional amendments must be approved in identical form by two General Assemblies before the question is submitted to voters.
Republican leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said he also wished the Lake and St. Joseph county provisions weren't in the proposal, but said he will "not vote to wait until 2012 to have the public vote on this issue."
"Any amendment to this proposal delays, delays, delays," Bosma said. "Now is the time to tell taxpayers: no more delay, no more head fakes, you get to vote."
Crawford's proposal was voted down, 68-31.
If the proposed amendment is approved by both the House and Senate, Hoosiers will vote in November on whether to add tax caps to the state constitution.
State Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, who voted to change the resolution, said Lake County taxpayers won't be the only Hoosiers hurt if tax caps are added to the constitution.
"When this is done, a lot of people will suffer all over the state of Indiana because they don't have a plan for the magic 1, 2 and 3," Harris said.
The proposed constitutional amendment sets a maximum tax rate of 1 percent of assessed value on homesteads, 2 percent on rental property and 3 percent on business or industrial property.
State Rep. Craig Fry, D-Mishawaka, also unsuccessfully tried to change the resolution. He proposed putting a limit on annual increases in assessed value.
"Don't believe, people, that this is going to cap your property taxes," Fry said. "The only way to stop property taxes from going up is to cap assessments."
The House rejected his proposal, 82-15.
State Rep. Nancy Michael, D-Greencastle, introduced, but later withdrew, a proposal capping the value of farm property at 1 percent.
Snow doesn't deter House:
Thursday's snowstorm didn't scare House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend.
"I'm from South Bend. This isn't snow," Bauer said.
The Indiana Senate canceled its session Thursday ahead of the storm, which dumped about 5 inches of fluffy, powdery snow on Indianapolis. The House met as scheduled.
"Our members, on both sides, wanted to do these bills, wanted to this business, and they wanted to do this work," Bauer said.
Not one member asked for the day off because of the snow, he said.