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Governor Daniels' Weekly Wrap-up: 02/05/08
Weekly Wrap-up
A look at news and events in the Daniels Administration
Volume 2, Issue 67
January 28 - February 3, 2008
Governor holds forums to discuss property tax relief plan
Jan. 29, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels attended several events this week to discuss his plan to bring immediate and permanent property tax relief to Hoosiers. He spoke to a gathering of county government officials in
Daniels encouraged controlled local spending during a discussion about his proposal at
"The question can no longer be: How much does government think it needs? It has to be: How much can the taxpayer reasonably be expected to pay?" said Daniels.
The governor later addressed a large crowd and took questions from
Daniels answers questions at Saint Joseph's College
Jan. 31, 2008- During a visit to campus, Governor Daniels held a question and answer session with
With a large assembly of education majors and professors, many attendees asked for the governor's thoughts on various education issues, ranging from ISTEP testing to school funding. While discussing higher education, Governor Daniels encouraged the
Governor Daniels also discussed the Healthy Indiana Plan health insurance program, the state's economy, immigration and transportation issues during the forum.
President Bush signs disaster declaration for northern Indiana
Jan. 31, 2008- Governor Daniels has received word that President George W. Bush has approved the request for federal assistance for Hoosier homeowners, renters and businesses in northern
The president sent a letter to the governor declaring a major disaster in the state of
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Read the news release. Read the governor's letter to President Bush.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATES
Technology company to expand its
Jan. 30, 2008- Governor Mitch Daniels joined executives from technology distributor and service provider Defender Direct to announce the company's plans to expand its
The company, which distributes and provides products and customer service support services for ADT, GE Security and Dish Network, plans to invest more than $15 million in its Indiana operations by expanding its international headquarters in Indianapolis by at least 300 jobs. The company has not yet determined if the balance of the new jobs will come to one or more of the company's current locations in
"Today, we celebrate major job growth in
Founded in 1998 as a local security systems distributor, Defender Direct has grown into a 40-state distributorship for multiple technology brands and a provider of customer service operations that range from sales to home system installation. The company, which currently employs more than 400 associates in
Check printer to relocate manufacturing operation to Jeffersonville
Jan. 28, 2008- Harland Clarke Corp., a leading provider of payment and technology solutions, marketing services and best-in-class security to financial institutions, announced it will expand its check printing operations in
The company will relocate its
"A decision like the one Harland Clarke is making to continue to invest in
Parts supplier to expand its
Jan. 31, 2008- M-Tec Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of steel frames and components for the recreational vehicle and industrial markets, announced it will expand its operations in
The company, which develops and manufactures products ranging from trailer frames to custom sink and slide out mechanisms for recreational vehicles, will invest more than $3 million to add more than 60,000 square feet to its existing production facility.
"M-Tec joins a growing list of companies who continue to create new opportunities for hard working Hoosiers," said Nathan Feltman, Secretary of Commerce and Chief Executive Officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "From
Governor's schedule for February 6-7
NOTE: All times are local.
Wednesday, February 6
- Governor Mitch Daniels will discuss the role of the hardwood industry in the state's economic development efforts at the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association legislative breakfast.
8 a.m.
Hyatt Regency (Cosmopolitan Ballroom B)
- The governor will join executives from Cook Pharmica for an economic development announcement.
10:15 a.m.
- Governor Daniels will discuss his property tax relief proposal at a Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce luncheon event.
Noon
Bloomington/Monroe County Convention Center
- The governor will provide an update on the state's economic progress to chamber of commerce members from several southwest
5:30 p.m.
Santa's Lodge and Convention Center (Celebration Room)
91 West Christmas Boulevard
Santa Claus
Thursday, February 7
- Governor Daniels will discuss his plan to bring property tax relief to Hoosiers at a Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce breakfast event.
7:30 a.m.
(intersection of
IN THE NEWS
Daniels touts tax relief in Valpo
The Times of
February 01, 2008
BY Phil Wieland
Making his 55th appearance in Porter County, Indiana's governor was in town to outline his plan to reduce taxes and government spending.
"I would like to put the (Department of Local Government Finance) out of business," Daniels said, referring to the state agency responsible for reviewing and setting the spending limits on the budgets of all 2,600 local taxing bodies in
"They are supposed to run around and check on every one of these and make sure they did it right," he said. "That's not respectful of the local autonomy. The question should no longer be how much does government need, but how much the taxpayers should be expected to pay."
If the bill passes as now written, Daniels said
The governor fielded questions from the crowd, most of which dealt with his tax relief plan. The exception was one on the plan to divert a portion of the sales tax from Lake, Porter, LaPorte and
A man said he thought the project was moving very fast for a billion-dollar project and asked Daniels if the local funding should be put on a referendum for the voters to decide. Daniels said the fact it is moving quickly makes it more attractive to him, but at the same time he doesn't think the state should "leap into it thoughtlessly."
Daniels said he will sign the bill if it gets to his desk because it seems to have the support of most of the people in
January 31, 2008
By Scott Smith
Gov. Mitch Daniels said the state could be on the verge of the largest tax cut in
In an 90-minute public forum, Daniels repeated his mantra that spending - particularly local spending - has been outpacing the growth of Hoosier incomes for years.
His property tax reform proposal - increasing the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent and using part of the state's surplus for tax relief - is only part of the solution, he warned.
"There are no villains. There are no bad guys in this play. I think there are a lot of good people in a flawed system," Daniels said. "The question can no longer be how much does the government think it needs. The question is how much the taxpayer can reasonably expect to pay."
That statement drew applause from the audience of about 400 at
As it has been consistently, Daniels' message pegged local spending as the prime culprit behind recent property tax increases, a contention which hasn't met with universal agreement among local officials.
But the cornerstone of his plan for introducing caps on property tax bills - 1 percent for residential, 2 percent for rental and 3 percent for business - has already survived amendments in the Democrat-controlled Indiana House, and Tuesday, Daniels said he's more than pleased with the progress made so far.
In making that point clear, Daniels also took time to defend his ideas during answers to a series of questions posed by the Kokomo-based tax reform group Citizens United for Tax Reform.
On the issue of whether all property should be taxed equally, Daniels said "speaking for myself, I don't have any problem giving specific protection to home ownership."
"When people talk about the American Dream, people put [home ownership] in there somewhere at the very center," he said.
On CUTR's assertion about 30 percent of Indiana residents rent, and won't receive any direct tax relief in return for paying higher sales taxes, Daniels noted that the federal tax code also favors home ownership over renting, "maybe too much," he added. That's part of why he proposed a lower property tax cap on rental properties, he added.
Daniels also wasn't hesitant to address the issue of greatest importance to many of CUTR's members, whose next public forum will feature conservative activist Eric Miller, a proponent of complete property tax elimination.
While Daniels didn't entirely discount the elimination idea, saying "meaningful limits on local spending could [eventually] bring elimination into the conversation," he said his more important goal is acting on property tax relief "right now."
"Plans to eliminate property taxes didn't help anybody for four years," Daniels said. "And to those who favor elimination, I'd say be careful: If you push forward with something that can't work, you risk discrediting the entire goal of elimination, particularly if it gets in the way of real reform this year. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
Daniels said he thinks the Legislature has been given enough guidance on what he won't accept from a final reform package that he was hesitant to use what he referred to as "the V word," when asked what he might veto.
"I would veto a bill that doesn't have a clear element of permanence to it," Daniels said, but he steered clear of the controversy in the Statehouse Wednesday, when House Democrats refused to hear a proposal to amend the state's constitution to include permanent property tax caps after House Republicans submitted several amendments to the bill, including one calling for a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
Instead, he stayed close to the topic of local government reform, speaking in favor of the Kernan-Shepard plan's call to reform county government in the executive model of city government, with a single, mayor-like county executive responsible for appointing key positions, and a county council responsible for the budget.
But Daniels said that's a subject he'd like to address next year, after considerable study and consensus building. He said he thought the mayoral system encouraged "accountability."
"I congratulate the mayor," Daniels said, pointing to Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight in the audience. "But with the congratulations comes the burden on your shoulders. The mayor's a tough job. Everyone knows where you live, so to speak."
Indiana company moves to create new jobs
CNBC.com
January 30, 2008
Indianapolis-based Defender Direct, which distributes ADT and GE Security systems and Dish Network, has about 400 workers in Indiana now, company president David Lindsey said Wednesday.
The new jobs will pay an average of $18 an hour and will involve sales, customer service and management, Lindsey said. The jobs will be in
Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard congratulated Lindsey for the expansion at a Statehouse news conference.
"We're really proud that you're going to stay here," Ballard said.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered up to $6 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $345,000 in training grants. Lindsey, an
"We had a number of good options but are real happy to stay here," he said.
The announcement comes just days after drug maker Pfizer Inc. announced it will lay off 660 workers at its
Daniels said a dynamic economy loses and gains jobs as competition determines which products and services survive. He said government's job is not to keep failing companies in business but to attract new companies and expansions to make up for losses.
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