Here is the meat of the proposal:
A PROPOSAL FOR A GENERAL ORDINANCE amending the Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County to adopt the operational financing plan authorized for the Capital Improvements Board of Marion County by House Enrolled Act 1001, of the 2009 Special Session of the Indiana General Assembly, by approving the expansion of the Professional Sports Development Area, approving operational borrowings from the State of Indiana, and adopting an increase in the county innkeeper’s tax.
WHEREAS, House Enrolled Act 1001 of the 2009 Special Session of the Indiana General Assembly authorized an operational financing plan for the Capital Improvements Board of Marion County that required certain actions be taken by the City-County Council, and
WHEREAS, the City-County Council finds that such plan should be approved and adopted, and
WHEREAS, on July 15, 2009, the Metropolitan Development Commission of Marion County, Indiana, acting as the Redevelopment Commission of the City of Indianapolis, Indiana (the Commission”), adopted its Resolution No. 09-R-009, entitled “Resolution of the Metropolitan Development Commission of Marion County, Indiana, Acting as the Redevelopment Commission of the City of Indianapolis, Indiana, Supplementing and Amending Resolution No. 97-D-052 and Resolution No. 05-B-018, Declaring an Area in Marion County, Indiana as a Professional Sports Development Area and Approving a Development Area Plan” (the “Declaratory Resolution), declaring a certain geographical area located within the City of Indianapolis, Indiana, as an expansion to the existing Marion County Professional Sports Development Area (the “Prior Tax Area” and, as expanded, the “Expanded Tax Area”), pursuant to the provisions of Indiana Code 36-7-31, as amended (the “Act’), and approving a supplement to the existing Marion County Professional Sports Development Area Plan prepared in connection with the Original Tax Area; and
WHEREAS, on August 5, 2009, it is anticipated that the Commission, following a public hearing thereon upon notice as required by law, will adopt its Resolution entitled “Resolution of the Metropolitan Development Commission of Marion County, Indiana, Acting as the Redevelopment Commission of the City of Indianapolis, Indiana, Confirming Resolution No. 09-R-010, Declaring an Area in Marion County, Indiana, as an Expansion to the Marion County Professional Sports Development Area and Approving a Supplement to the Marion County Professional Sports Development Area Plan” (the “Confirmatory Resolution”), confirming in all respects the Declaratory Resolution; and
WHEREAS, on ________, 2009, the Capital Improvement Board of Managers of Marion County, Indiana (“Board”) is anticipated to adopt a resolution to issue notes to borrow up to Nine Million Dollars ($9,000,000) in 2009 from the State of Indiana pursuant to IC 5-13-10.5-18 to meet and fund the operational requirements of the Board (“Operational Borrowings”), which use was anticipated in the Board’s 2009 approved budget; and
WHEREAS, the Board has requested the approval of such borrowing by the City-County Council; and
WHEREAS, House Enrolled Act 1001 of the 2009 Special Session of the Indiana General Assembly authorizes the city-county council to increase the county innkeeper’s tax rate by not more than one percent (1%); and
WHEREAS, the city-county council finds that such increase is both advisable and necessary; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY-COUNTY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND OF MARION COUNTY, INDIANA:
SECTION 1. The Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County, be and is hereby amended by adopting a new Article I of Chapter 116, to read as follows:
ARTICLE I – CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS BOARD OF MARION COUNTY
Sec. 161-101. Marion County Professional Sports Development Area. Pursuant to the provisions of IC 36-7-31 for purposes of financing the Capital Improvements Board of Marion County, the Marion County Professional Sports Development Area is approved as determined and confirmed by the Metropolitan Development Commission of Marion County acting as the Redevelopment Commission of Indianapolis as set forth in the Declaratory Resolution No. 09-R-009 and confirmed by the Confirmatory Resolution No. 09-R-010, as described therein, to wit:Sec. 161-102. Operational Barrowings Approved. The City-County Council hereby approves the Operational Borrowings from the State of Indiana, pursuant to IC 5-13-10.5-18 in an amount not to exceed Nine Million Dollars ($9,000,000) in 2009 as approved by the Capital Improvements Board of Marion County.
SECTION 2. Section 121-204 of the "Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County," regarding the county innkeeper’s tax, hereby is amended by the deletion of the language that is stricken-through and by the addition of the language that is underscored, to read as follows :
(a)
After June 30, 2005, tThe county innkeeper's tax imposed by section 2 of IC 6-9-8 (as amended by H.E.A.11201001 of the2005 Regular2009 Special Session of the Indiana General Assembly) is hereby increased fromsix (6)nine (9) percent tonine (9)ten (10) percent.(b) The increase in the tax rate authorized by this section
expires on:continues in effect unless the increase is rescinded.
(1) January 1, 2041;
(2) January 1, 2010, if on that date there are no obligations owed by the CIB to the Authority created by IC 5-1-17 or to any state agency under IC 5-1-17-26; or
(3) October 1, 2005, if on that date there are no obligations owed by the CIB to the authority or to any state agency under a lease or a sublease of an existing capital improvement entered into under IC 5-1-17, unless waived by the director of the state budget agency.
The Proposal is to be assigned to the Rules & Public Policy Committee which next meets on Tuesday, July 28, beginning at 5:30 pm in room 260 of the City-County Building. Council President Bob Cockrum is listed as the sole sponsor of the proposal thus far.
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4 comments:
Pat, you know as well as anyone how closer Decatur Township has become on races down there. Any chance that Cockrum is close enough that a Democrat will take that seat next time? I realize he may not run for re-election
Paul,
Cockrum is held in high regard down here - at least in Decatur, which is the lion's share of his district - on a personal level. I don't know anyone of either party who would question his integrity at all. They might question his politics, but not his integrity.
I know there has been grumbling since he began his stint as Council President, that he has not done anything for Decatur. But, I see a number of traffic signage improvements being authored by him. That might be coincidence, but there are a goodly number on the next Council agenda.
His MO has been to stick with easy things like Parks, and not really put forth efforts on controversial issues. He prefers working behind the scenes, so any missteps end up invisible. He is a true believer when it comes to the supposed need for a CIB bailout. But, I'm not sure he can sell it down here. Folks will likely make up their minds without taking his opinion into consideration, and therefore he might get a pass on his (I assume) support of a tax hike.
He'd put a 'practical' spin on what would really be a pro-party vote. I don't think there is anything he can do to get strongly linked to Ballard, so negative coattails can't be counted on.
If he can't come up with all 15 Council votes, the CIB bailout vote won't hurt him much. If he succeeds, it could be used against him among a section of voters who do not know him.
If the CIB mess reappears next year, as promised by Ballard, it could cause some erosion of Cockrum's support as it would become more of a pattern for him to appear to support tax increases.
Of course, his age is an item of interest.
All that said -- the Rs have a hearty percentage of straight ticket voters, making any challenge difficult. If a D had a good platform, worked their butt off, could turn out Ds and got some luck, it could be done. Difficult, but more and more possible with each passing year for a Democrat to win down here.
I have to think he has a fairly secure seat, but it is possible with the right alignment of the stars.
The real question will be, does he decide to run again?
When I looked at the numbers, some of those Decatur township races were down to a few hundred votes spread between the two.
I think I see Cockrum as being more tarnished by this. The fact is he council leader and he is going to end up taking the fall for the Mayor's unpopular agenda if he pushes it. I doubt he'll run again though, so it might be a moot point.
Paul, I certainly think the gap is closing down here. Our population is about 30,000 for the whole Township and not all eligible folks vote. The reliable voters tend to be Republican and they have a higher percentage of straight party voters. Not that I advocate for that as a good way to vote, mind you. It just is the way things are at the moment.
The population size down here makes us more likely to know our elected officials and have a personal reflection of who they are as human beings. I can see where Cockrum will take heat in the County as a whole for pushing the Mayor's agenda - but down here I think the voters will give him a pass, unless he makes a habit of voting for tax incrases.
There are a few precincts in Perry and Wayne that are in Cockrum's district and they might reflect a negative reaction to Cockrum's job as Council President, because they don't just run into him as they go about their daily lives; to them he could be more of an elected official than he is a neighbor.
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