Say No Just Got Bigger than Geist

Geist residents, you are used to “Say No to Fishers” but did you know “Say No to …” is springing up all over the state. More and more cities that are miss-managed are looking to annexation to cure their funding problems and are jumping on this bandwagon. From Carmel trying to gobble up SW Clay and Home Place or Jefferson trying to eat up its surrounding communities. What about Westfield going after SW Washington Township and Carey Commons. Or Valparaiso where they were going to annex an area of 1,122 acres but skipped one property because it was not on a sewer system and it would cost to much to include it. Muncie, Frankfort, Pendleton, Whitestown, South Bend, … This becomes very clear if you read the history behind the Fort Wayne annexations, they were broke and tried to annex land to make money. In a way we could call annexation a hostile takeover. Fishers and Carmel are overspending and will need money in the future, so why not annex and get more citizens with property and then we can use their money. It’s great to annex new neighborhoods they don’t need any maintenance and we can use all that money for our current problems. The Mayor of Carmel needs money to build an arts center for $120 million, Fishers needs money to expand its government and city hall. Maybe Fishers shouldn’t grant tax abetments to business and just collect tax dollars. Maybe Fishers should look inward and say where can we save instead of how do we grow and get more tax money, to hell with the taxpayer, we can con them we need more money. In some states to raise the property tax you have to get voters to agree. If that happened in Indiana, every Town and City would have to start to operate like a business. To sell what it does to get citizens to approved an increase. Do you realize what you pay in taxes is only part of your taxes. Add additional services that are paid for in some counties, trash collection, snow removal and the list goes on. Add all of these to your tax base and see how much you are really paying. Of course the Fishers will counter that everyone has to pay for trash collection and yes but in areas where a contract is made citywide the fees are much lower. Not in Fishers. Geist residents, you are used to “Say No to Fishers” but did you know “Say No to …” is springing up all over the state. More and more cities that are miss-managed are looking to annexation to cure their funding problems and are jumping on this bandwagon. From Carmel trying to gobble up SW Clay and Home Place or Jefferson trying to eat up its surrounding communities. What about Westfield going after SW Washington Township and Carey Commons. Or Valparaiso where they were going to annex an area of 1,122 acres but skipped one property because it was not on a sewer system and it would cost to must to include it. Muncie, Frankfort, Pendleton, Whitestown, South Bend, … This becomes very clear if you read the history behind the Fort Wayne annexations, they were broke and tried to annex land to make money. In a way we could call annexation a hostile takeover. Fishers and Carmel are overspending and will need money in the future, so why not annex and get more citizens with property and then we can use their money. It’s great to annex new neighborhoods they don’t need any maintenance and we can use all that money for our current problems. The Mayor of Carmel needs money to build an arts center for $120 million, Fishers needs money to expand its government and city hall. Maybe Fishers shouldn’t grant tax abetments to business and just collect tax dollars. Maybe Fishers should look inward and say where can we save instead of how do we grow and get more tax money, to hell with the taxpayer, we can con them we need more money. In some states to raise the property tax you have to get voters to agree. If that happened in Indiana, every Town and City would have to start to operate like a business. To sell what it does to get citizens to approved an increase. Do you realize what you pay in taxes is only part of your taxes. Add additional services that are paid for in some counties, trash collection, snow removal and the list goes on. Add all of these to your tax base and see how much you are really paying. Of course the Fishers will counter that everyone has to pay for trash collection and yes but in areas where a contract is made citywide the fees are much lower. Not in Fishers.

What has become very interesting is that Towns and Cities don’t want to change the annexation laws; it’s their way to save their rear ends when they overspend and get into trouble. But other government agencies don’t always look at it that way. The county government has a lot to lose when a city annex’s unincorporated land. The county provides government services for the entire county so when an area is annexed the county loses those tax dollars and then it has to raise taxes to make up for the loss to the remaining citizens of the unincorporated area. So when Scott Faultless says, the Geist people don’t pay for services, we in Geist should respond, Scott you don’t pay for service we in county provide. Scott you don’t pay for the Courts, the jail, and etc. county roads and bridges you drive on, etc. Scott while you at it tell your people to stop telling everyone we don’t pay for the schools, in fact you don’t pay for the schools either with Fishers Taxes. But we all do with HSE Taxes. Everyone in the school district pays those taxes no matter if you live in Fishers or Geist. By the way Scott can we help it if the County government is run better than the Town and our taxes are lower. Maybe the Town should go out of business and become the county again. Then all the people in Fishers could get a reduction on their taxes. I think this is a great idea.

OK what can you do, write, visit, call you state representatives. I don’t care where in the state you live. If you are in an unincorporated area write your state senator and house representative. Need to know who they are go to: http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/ and just type in your zip code and indicate you want the Indiana House and Indiana Senate and their names will pop up.

If you live in City that is trying to annex land, start asking why, ask your elected officials why can’t they live within their budget, why have they overspent, and what’s wrong with the city that they are willing to take over land and homes without the consent of the people.

Somehow I remember from High School government class that we are a nation where voters determine what they want from their government. I remember from history that we became a nation in 1776 to stop a government to determine what is right for us without our representation. What is different here why should a government not elected by the residents of an area determine who should govern them. Its not right and its time we the citizens of Indiana take back our government. Its time the people living in Towns and Cities make their leaders accountable for their actions. Would that be a novel approach. What has become very interesting is that Towns and Cities don’t want to change the annexation laws; it’s their way to save their rear ends when they overspend and get into trouble. But other government agencies don’t always look at it that way. The county government has a lot to lose when a city annex’s unincorporated land. The county provides government services for the entire county so when an area is annexed the county loses those tax dollars and then it has to raise taxes to make up for the loss to the remaining citizens of the unincorporated area. So when Scott Faultless says, the Geist people don’t pay for services, we in Geist should respond, Scott you don’t pay for service we in county provide. Scott you don’t pay for the Courts, the jail, and etc. county roads and bridges you drive on, etc. Scott while you at it tell your people to stop telling everyone we don’t pay for the schools, in fact you don’t pay for the schools either with Fishers Taxes. But we all do with HSE Taxes. Everyone in the school district pays those taxes no matter if you live in Fishers or Geist. By the way Scott can we help it if the County government is run better than the Town and our taxes are lower. Maybe the Town should go out of business and become the county again. Then all the people in Fishers could get a reduction on their taxes. I think this is a great idea. OK what can you do, write, visit, call you state representatives. I don’t care where in the state you live. If you are in an unincorporated area write your state senator and house representative. Need to know who they are go to: http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/ and just type in your zip code and indicate you want the Indiana House and Indiana Senate and their names will pop up. If you live in City that is trying to annex land, start asking why, ask your elected officials why can’t they live within their budget, why have they overspent, and what’s wrong with the city that they are willing to take over land and homes without the consent of the people. Somehow I remember from High School government class that we are a nation where voters determine what they want from their government. I remember from history that we became a nation in 1776 to stop a government to determine what is right for us without our representation. What is different here why should a government not elected by the residents of an area determine who should govern them. Its not right and its time we the citizens of Indiana take back our government. Its time the people living in Towns and Cities make their leaders accountable for their actions. Would that be a novel approach.