Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon unveiled his legislative agenda for this session of the General Assembly, and while Republicans were generally supportive, there was a definite underlying tone of "we can do better" in the response of local legislators.
"The governor's proposal for the next biennium budget for 2000-01 has some good provisions and is a beginning toward reaching the final budget the Republicans hope to see come from this session of the General Assembly," said state Sen. Kent Adams (R-Bremen). "In fact, the governor's proposed budget contains much of what the Senate has passed in prior years, such as property tax relief; income tax credits for textbooks, technology and tutoring; increased dependent income tax credits.
"But it adds new programs with questionable cost effectiveness for the benefits gained, such as full-day kindergarten," he added. "I do not support adding new, major programs in education, such as full-day kindergarten, because we need to provide adequate funding for programs now in place, where the state is falling short, for example, prime time-smaller class size, vocational education and remediation."
Under O'Bannon's proposal, the state would fund operating costs of full-day kindergarten for any of the 294 school corporations that want to offer it. Only 67 do now, and they have been paying their own way.
During the first year of the biennium, which begins July 1, schools would share $15 million to develop plans for moving to full-day kindergarten if they choose to.
It would be implemented during the second year at an annual cost of about $96 million, based on 80 percent of eligible students attending. It would not include local costs for such things as classroom construction.
O'Bannon also touted his tax-relief plan, a package of cuts in property and inventory taxes, higher income tax exemptions and tighter controls on local property tax growth that he says would save taxpayers $1.7 billion over four years.
Adams said the Republicans in the General Assembly also want to see some of the $2.7 billion surplus forecasted by summer 2001 to be returned to Hoosiers through a tax cut.
"Republicans are interested in broader tax cuts of a permanent nature. We feel Indiana citizens and taxpayers, who have created the surplus, should be the recipients of this excess surplus in the form of substantive, permanent tax cuts," he said.
Key points to the program being advocated by General Assembly Republicans, according to Adams, include program funding increases at a rate closer to the rate of inflation, currently at 1.5 to 2 percent; permanent property tax relief; inventory tax relief; additional funding for local roads and streets, disabled group programs and in-home health care; increased Build Indiana funds for local projects; and stabilization of teacher, firemen and policemen pension funds.
