State Rep. Mark Genda used his Friday morning appearance on WILO’s Party Line to encourage residents to attend an upcoming public meeting focused on a proposal to eliminate property taxes in Indiana.
Genda said the meeting will be held Thursday, May 21 at the Frankfort Community Public Library Skanta Theatre, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation beginning at 6 p.m. State Rep. J.D. Prescott is expected to present his proposal, followed by a question-and-answer session with those in attendance.
“He’ll have about a 20 or 30 minute presentation and then the rest of the evening will be questions and answers,” Genda said.
Property Tax Questions
Genda said Prescott has been working on legislation that would remove property taxes as a funding source for local government units, schools and libraries. Genda emphasized that he has intentionally avoided studying the plan in detail before the meeting.
“I don’t want to walk in there with any kind of jaded opinion,” Genda said. “I’m going to be sitting there listening just as grassroots as the rest of you are.”
Genda said he wants those attending to understand that eliminating property taxes would not mean eliminating the need to fund local services. He said police departments, fire departments, roads, schools, libraries and other government services still need financial support.
“If you think that there’s not going to be a replacement for these funds, don’t come in with that attitude,” Genda said. “Don’t come in with the attitude that, oh good, we’re going to do away with property taxes and it’s not going to get shifted someplace else.” Genda said he will be listening for two main answers during Prescott’s presentation: how local units would fund daily services and how they would bond for major projects.
- “How do local units fund under J.D.’s proposal?” Genda said.
- “Number two, how do local units bond?”
Campaign and Public Concerns
Genda also raised concerns about campaign spending in Indiana elections, questioning the amount of outside money that came into the state during recent races.
“Why did $12.5 million of dark money come into the state of Indiana for Indiana elections?” Genda said. “Not from the state of Indiana. Came into the state of Indiana.”
A caller challenged Genda on broader federal spending, debt and campaign money. Genda responded that he has not seen the national deficit go down in his lifetime and said the issue reflects larger concerns about government spending and personal finances.
Housing And Jobs
The conversation also turned to affordable housing and the difficulty younger residents may face when trying to buy a home. Genda said he continues to ask what price point truly defines affordable housing in communities like Frankfort and Clinton County.
“What is an affordable house?” Genda said. “And then why are we not figuring out how to drive that market?”
Genda said he recently toured manufactured and modular homes in northern Indiana and was encouraged by what he saw. He described one four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home with a two-car garage that he said was priced around $179,000, with smaller models available at lower prices. “These are starter homes,” Genda said. “This is the 1950s again with National Homes.”
Genda said he believes House District 41 is largely made up of blue-collar workers, retirees and farmers, and said policy discussions should focus on clear numbers rather than political buzzwords.
“Let’s quit doing politics,” Genda said. “Let’s talk about policy.”
The “For the People” broadcast of the Property Tax meeting at Skanta Theatre will be available LIVE and archived on demand at HoosierlandTV.com, made possible by our HoosierlandTV partners and by District 41 State Representative Mark Genda.
