Wheel Tax Voted Down; Council Will Vote Again Next Week
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
Wheel Tax Voted Down; Council Will Vote Again Next Week
- A vehicle registration wheel tax and surtax did not pass during the Kosciusko County Council meeting Thursday because of a lone dissenting vote.
Council member Jon Fussle was the only vote against the tax, which is expected to gather either $25 or $40 yearly from each vehicle owner who renews or applies for a registration.
Passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks and vehicles weighing less than 11,000 pounds would be assessed $25 per vehicle. Vehicles weighing more than 11,000 pounds would be assessed $40 per vehicle.
The tax was proposed as a source of funding for the county highway department and an effort to prevent a projected budget deficit in the millions by 2016.
The new tax could only be approved by either a unanimous vote or two majority votes. Council will meet June 19 at 7 p.m. to vote again, a meeting set ahead of time in case the vote failed Thursday. The tax would need to be passed before the end of the month to begin collecting money next year.
Further explaining his no vote this morning, Fussle said he considered the issue rushed and expressed doubt over the deficit projection from Umbaugh and Associates. The tax was proposed as a source of funding for the county highway department and an effort to prevent a projected budget deficit in the millions by 2016.
The new tax could only be approved by either a unanimous vote or two majority votes. Council will meet June 19 at 7 p.m. to vote again, a meeting set ahead of time in case the vote failed Thursday. The tax would need to be passed before the end of the month to begin collecting money next year.
Further explaining his no vote this morning, Fussle said he considered the issue rushed and expressed doubt over the deficit projection from Umbaugh and Associates.
“From just a snapshot of 2012 and 2013, things look pretty good. Then a month and a half ago, we had a meeting with Umbaugh and Associates where they painted a pretty bleak picture of us eating into reserves and approaching the 15 percent limit in some funds. Project the numbers far enough and we would go into the negative. Bad stuff,” Fussle said. “So the commissioners and a few councilmen started talking about the wheel tax as an option. Before too long, it was ‘the only option.’”
The vote followed statements from residents both against and in support of the tax during the two-hour meeting.
Also Thursday, council approved real property tax abatement compliance statements from Biomet, Louis Dreyfus, Maple Leaf Farms, North Central LP, Thornburg Family LP, Custom Engineered Wheels Inc. and Cass Holdings. They approved personal property abatement compliance statements from Louis Dreyfus, Maple Leaf Farms, Custom Engineered Wheels, Precision Medical Technologies and Biomet; the personal property statement for RR Donnelley was tabled for now.
And they approved the following fund transfers:
• In pre-trial diversion, $13,000 from staff incentive to part-time prosecutor and $1,000 from staff incentive to social security benefits .
• In sheriff, $3,424.46 from insurance payment to repairs and maintenance.
• In health, $3,000 from part-time nurse to community health worker.
• In Prenatal, $6,883.47 from part time to community health worker.[[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Wheel Tax Voted Down; Council Will Vote Again Next Week
- A vehicle registration wheel tax and surtax did not pass during the Kosciusko County Council meeting Thursday because of a lone dissenting vote.
Council member Jon Fussle was the only vote against the tax, which is expected to gather either $25 or $40 yearly from each vehicle owner who renews or applies for a registration.
Passenger cars, motorcycles, trucks and vehicles weighing less than 11,000 pounds would be assessed $25 per vehicle. Vehicles weighing more than 11,000 pounds would be assessed $40 per vehicle.
The tax was proposed as a source of funding for the county highway department and an effort to prevent a projected budget deficit in the millions by 2016.
The new tax could only be approved by either a unanimous vote or two majority votes. Council will meet June 19 at 7 p.m. to vote again, a meeting set ahead of time in case the vote failed Thursday. The tax would need to be passed before the end of the month to begin collecting money next year.
Further explaining his no vote this morning, Fussle said he considered the issue rushed and expressed doubt over the deficit projection from Umbaugh and Associates. The tax was proposed as a source of funding for the county highway department and an effort to prevent a projected budget deficit in the millions by 2016.
The new tax could only be approved by either a unanimous vote or two majority votes. Council will meet June 19 at 7 p.m. to vote again, a meeting set ahead of time in case the vote failed Thursday. The tax would need to be passed before the end of the month to begin collecting money next year.
Further explaining his no vote this morning, Fussle said he considered the issue rushed and expressed doubt over the deficit projection from Umbaugh and Associates.
“From just a snapshot of 2012 and 2013, things look pretty good. Then a month and a half ago, we had a meeting with Umbaugh and Associates where they painted a pretty bleak picture of us eating into reserves and approaching the 15 percent limit in some funds. Project the numbers far enough and we would go into the negative. Bad stuff,” Fussle said. “So the commissioners and a few councilmen started talking about the wheel tax as an option. Before too long, it was ‘the only option.’”
The vote followed statements from residents both against and in support of the tax during the two-hour meeting.
Also Thursday, council approved real property tax abatement compliance statements from Biomet, Louis Dreyfus, Maple Leaf Farms, North Central LP, Thornburg Family LP, Custom Engineered Wheels Inc. and Cass Holdings. They approved personal property abatement compliance statements from Louis Dreyfus, Maple Leaf Farms, Custom Engineered Wheels, Precision Medical Technologies and Biomet; the personal property statement for RR Donnelley was tabled for now.
And they approved the following fund transfers:
• In pre-trial diversion, $13,000 from staff incentive to part-time prosecutor and $1,000 from staff incentive to social security benefits .
• In sheriff, $3,424.46 from insurance payment to repairs and maintenance.
• In health, $3,000 from part-time nurse to community health worker.
• In Prenatal, $6,883.47 from part time to community health worker.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092