City-County Council: Taxes Good, Curfew For 17-Year-Olds Bad
- City approves vehicle tax hike, claims funds for road repairs but skepticism remains
- Proposal for oversight on public health & safety contracts rejected, no accountability
- Council rejects curfew for 17-year-olds, despite their status as 'children' needing restrictions
City-County Council: Taxes Good, Curfew For 17-Year-Olds Bad
The Indianapolis City-County Council’s recent decisions have left many wondering what’s behind the city’s priorities. Tony Katz discussed three key proposals that were either approved or rejected by the council.
One of the proposals that passed was the vehicle tax increase in Marion County. The tax will see a significant hike, with police registration fees jumping from $20 to $100 for most vehicles, and $240 for large trucks and RVs. This move is expected to raise $356 million over the next five years, which will be put towards road improvements. However, Tony expressed skepticism about their repairing the roads, saying, “I really don’t believe it at all.”
Another proposal that was rejected was the oversight on the Office of Public Health and Safety. This proposal, put forward by Michael-Paul Hart, a Republican, aimed to create a centralized system for tracking and managing contracts and invoices. It also included ethics training for employees, which would have been mandatory within six months. Tony noted, “This fell on a vote of six to eighteen. Okay, so no oversight, got it? Just this really important measure of public health and safety and why should anybody pay attention to what it is they’re actually doing.”
The council also rejected a proposal to extend the curfew rules for 17-year-olds. The new rules would have prohibited 17-year-olds from being in public spaces after 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and after 9 pm on other days. Tony questioned the logic behind this decision, saying, “Seventeen is not eighteen. Seventeen is not an adult. Absolutely seventeen gets a curfew. Can I help you to think otherwise? It’s nutty, it’s nuts. It’s under restrictions on what children. Yeah, children have restrictions because they’re children, because you love them enough to have restrictions.”
Tony’s frustration with the council’s decisions is palpable, and it’s clear that they’re concerned about the impact these decisions will have on the city. As they pointed out, “If there’s another proposal out there, let’s go see that happen. But what was the vote count was?” The lack of transparency and accountability in the council’s decision-making process is a worrying trend. To learn more about these proposals and Tony’s thoughts on the council’s decisions, tune in to the full “City-County Council: Taxes Good, Curfew For 17-Year-Olds Bad” segment here:
