Technology park: Bloomington OKs $50K for IU Public Policy Institute to help with maintaining certification

Bloomington redevelopment commission meeting (Aug. 22, 2023)

At its regular Monday meeting, Bloomington’s five-member redevelopment commission approved a $49,825 agreement with Indiana University’s Public Policy Institute, to help meet state requirements for reporting about the city’s certified technology park (CTP).

Bloomington’s CTP is a 65-acre chunk of downtown land located north and west of city hall. The CTP includes the Trades District, a 12-acre area that is currently the focus of redevelopment efforts.

The information, which IUPPI is supposed help report to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) by Oct. 13, includes among other things: the number and names of businesses in the CTP; employment, payroll, and average wage for each active business in the CTP; the cumulative amount of capital investment made by each business for the last year, and the last three years. Continue reading “Technology park: Bloomington OKs $50K for IU Public Policy Institute to help with maintaining certification” →

Budget notebook: Monroe County mulls shift, not increase in local income tax

Monroe County councilor Marty Hawk

Table of local income taxes in different cateogories

Monroe County councilor Geoff McKim

If Monroe County councilors stay on the course they have now charted out, they could have around $100,000 more to spend on jail operations for the final quarter of this year.

It would also mean in subsequent years about $424,000 more to spend each year to support the county jail.

The council’s vote on Tuesday night was just to direct the county staff to move forward with all necessary means to advertise holding the first reading of a change to the local income tax (LIT), at the “earliest possible possible time,” while following all the direction of state officials.

But the plan is not to increase the LIT—at least not right now. That could come later, once the site of a new jail is selected, its square footage is determined, and its construction cost is dialed in.

For now, the county council is just looking to shift one category of local income tax to another. The idea is to reduce by 0.01 percent the LIT in a category called the special purpose LIT, but to impose, for the first time, a rate in the corrections LIT by a corresponding 0.01 percent.

That would leave the overall rate paid by taxpayers at 2.0350 percent, the same as it is now.

Councilors Geoff McKim and Marty Hawk have been working on the proposal to shift the LIT rates to make more money available for jail operations. Continue reading “Budget notebook: Monroe County mulls shift, not increase in local income tax” →

8.5-cent property tax increase for early childhood ed mulled by MCCSC board, public outreach on May 24

Monroe County Community School Corporation superintendent Jeff Hauswald (May 23, 2023)

Monroe County Community School Corporation board president Brandon Shurr (May 23, 2023)

No referendum to increase property taxes has yet been placed on the Nov. 7 ballot by the Monroe County Community School corporation board.

But at its Tuesday night meeting, the board voted unanimously to pass a resolution authorizing district superintendent Jeff Hauswald to consult with Monroe County auditor Cathy Smith about the calculations that would go into increasing MCCSC’s property tax rate by 8.5 cents.

A press release issued immediately following the board’s meeting says, “In the November 7th election, MCCSC expects to ask voters to approve the rate not to exceed $0.085 per $100 of assessed property value.”

The revenue generated by the additional tax would go towards early childhood education for 3-to-5-year-old children, as well as other initiatives to make education more accessible.

The other initiatives include free instructional technology, supplies, and consumables for all students. Also made free would be Advanced Placement (AP) exams and tests that are needed for workplace certificates. The additional revenue would also mean free career education, including tuition, testing, supplies, and associated fees.

To lay out details of the potential referendum and to get feedback from the public, MCCSC is hosting a meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (May 24) at the MCCSC Co-Lab at 553 E. Miller Drive, which is the regular board meeting location. Continue reading “8.5-cent property tax increase for early childhood ed mulled by MCCSC board, public outreach on May 24” →