Late Tax Distributions Hurt Town


(posted Jan 15)

Speedway Clerk Treasurer Sharon Zishka told the council at its January 14 meeting that the town will not receive its final 2007 tax distributions until July 2008. The June 2008 distribution will come in November and the fall distribution won't arrive until Spring 2009.

Zishka said she received notice from the Marion County Treasurer  that tax distributions will be later than usual because of the reassessment. She advised the council to call a special session to look at spending constraints and borrowing money from other sources to do daily operations. The late distributions nixes the council's interest free haven of borrowing from sewer and water funds because the town can't pay the utilities back by the December 31 deadline.

During the public comment period, District 14 City County Councilor Marilyn Pfisterer committed to the town residents that she would fight consolidation legislation because it did not make sense for Speedway. She said consolidation among the excluded cities would require a city-county council vote and that she would not vote for it. Her commitment to the town also included actively lobbying to block it.

She invited the town's residents to Mayor Greg Ballard's visit to Speedway January 19 at the IMS from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Town Council President Gary Raikes invited the town residents to the Chamber of Commerce January 23 luncheon from 11:30 to 1 to hear Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. He said it was an opportunity to hear tax issues.