The United Way’s 211 Call Center has seen a higher number of requests for utility assistance, rent and food. There were 980 phone calls taken in February 2007 and 1,500 calls taken in February 2008. The local 211 serves 10 northeast Indiana counties and helps connect residents to information about available services.
But there is one agency that has been placed on lockdown preventing it from helping it's own taxpayers.
Wayne Township Trustee Office has been shortchanged. Wayne Township is working under a structural deficit. The deficit is constricting the office from providing a safety net to those seeking a little hope during these difficult times. A deficit allegedly caused by the former Wayne Township Trustee. I'm not buying it. I am not buying the pointing the finger at one lone individual. The deficit, more than likely is and was caused by the distribution of the heavy windfall from the first reassessment which occurred in late 1999, that fell into the hands of other taxing units by conniving local officials unwilling to share the wealth with the resident of Wayne Township. Racialist behavior, yes I said it. If you believe those folks don't have a racialist bone in their bone look at their action.
During the reassessment, local official lacked due diligence in getting property owners' tax bill in a timely manner. Bills were delayed, provisional bills were sent out, informal minor readjustment to folks properties assessments, and so called computer glitches. Over 2000 homes just in Wayne Township taxes were reconfigured, saving these taxpayer over $30 million. Wayne Township makes up around 49,000 parcels out of the 153,000 parcels taxed in Allen County.
Greedy folks was trying to determine how much could they actual milk the citizens and how they could hide the windfall. This delay caused a delay in distribution of funds to Wayne Township Office. This madness is still in the work,nevertheless, Rick Stevenson after three months in office had to request an advance of $1 million of the anticipated revenue from the late property tax collection from county council in early 2007.
Was the county attempting to keep the $2.4 million?
The News-Sentinel reported (July 2008) that this was a loan No it was not a loan it was a demand of give me my money, which the county council borrowed from their own coffer to give the township what was due the township. But blamed it on Wayne Township, but this is what the paper wrote:
In March 2007, , Allen County Council loaned Stevenson $1 million from the county’s rainy day fund – money Stevenson said was needed to offset slower-than-expected tax revenues and has since been repaid.By October, 2007 Wayne Township for the first time had to borrow money and was granted the approval to borrow $430,000 of a $1 million request to the Indiana Local Tax Control Board in December.
Now Stevenson office paid it back, don't you think the County Council owes the township that $1 million? I think so. How much money was really owed to Wayne Township? You do the math.
But the $2.4 budget was not enough to meet the needs of the township so an addition $1 million beyond the $2.4 million was made to the Wayne township board in August, while the auditor was reporting millions of additional dollars in their private little stash.
Wayne Township went before the Local Tax Control Board in November 20, 2007 and December 13, 2007 and got only $430,000 of that first so called million dollar loan, see minutes and video click here.
On October 23, 2008, Wayne Township will visit the Local Tax Control Board a second time with another request for an emergency loan of $1 MILLION DOLLARS. The proposed budget varies from $3.2 million to $4.2 depending on who you talk to about the township levy. Still, the township will borrow money that will fall on the taxpayers. So why not just go with an increase in the levy? Local officials are not caring about folks in Wayne Township..Stevenson needs to be bold.
Who cares what impact it has on the other taxing units? Is it fair to cut the hours of one group, while other units sacrifice nothing? Sure, Stevenson can introduce new program such as the 30-90 to jump start the Fort Wayne Housing Authority to do what they were created to do..find housing for those who are eligible. And the fact that the township has found employment for 130 individuals since January should shame both Fort Wayne Urban League and Indiana`Workforce. But the fact of the matter is`Allen County had no problem giving Harrison Square millions of taxpayer dollars while leaving Wayne Township wanting doing an economical downturn. Even members of the Indiana Local Tax Control Board had questions about Harrison Square.
So no I'm not believing it was the former trustee's fault for the hand dealt Stevenson, nor do I believe its the`state's fault..the`finger goes straight to Allen County. Can we say over assessment, developer land banking, tax abatement and TIF lockdowns.
These so called bi-partisan folks have destroyed Wayne Township in order to maintain their lifestyle on the outside of Fort Wayne. It's time to make them pay. I don't believe the Township is limited to the 4% tax cap, to get more from the over $10 billion assessed value in the city. This will prevent the yearly emergency loans that still falls on the taxpayer's back.
There will be public hearing on September 30, 2008, go support your community, because those folks in city hall sure ain't.
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