Life After Recession: Local Government Finance Update

The recovery from recession is probably underway, but it may be some time before it improves the prospects for the state and local government budgets in Indiana.  Property tax bills went out on time in 85 counties, the best performance since 2002.  That means we have new information about the effects of the March 2008 tax reform on taxpayers and local governments.  May 4 will see more than a dozen tax and capital project referenda.  And we're facing a Constitutional referendum on the tax caps in November.

Professor Larry DeBoer from Purdue's Agricultural Economics Department will offer an update on the state budget, looking ahead to the next biennium.  He'll take a first look at the results of the property tax billing for 2010, including the effects of the tightened tax caps.  He'll report on the results of the tax referenda, and offer some thoughts about what an informed Constitutional referendum voter might think about in the voting booth on November 2.