Northwest Indiana Discussion

It has been widely reported the Lake County Optional Income Tax, after the election will be raised to be between 3% and 3.5%. The source? Well, one of the visitors to the
Campfire under the Hohman Avenue Bridge reported a conversation with Hamm @ a lunch.

If re elected, the source said, it would be golden Lake County Residents would see a new income tax increase.

Tom's water boy David Hamm, D-Hammond, voted for the Lake County Optional Income Tax has raised $2,200 and spending $971.

Antonio Daggett Sr., who told The Times he has raised approximately $2,400 and spent about $1,700.

Besides carrying Tom's drinks, I can't see any value in Hamm on the County Council and his re election is as dangerous as McDermott being king of Lake County.

The proof in the pudding regarding a LCOIT increase?

Both state houses approved bills to reduce the business property tax. Pence is in favor of eliminating the tax on business equipment and supplies. This makes up about $1 billion for local governments each year.

What ever happened to the LCOIT being used for Public Safety.... forgotten?

Hamm needs to go with it.

You and Ken Davidson call post all the lies you want to about the county income tax being raised, but Dave Hamm will win this election.

I assure you I didn't CALL post all the lies you want about the county income tax being raised...

but I will assure you Dave Hamm will join the long list of guest at Club Fed.

Dave, you have got to stop drinking so early in the morning....

A increase in the LCOI will happen with in the next 3 years or less, it is just a matter of time. I understand Dave Hamm has a increase proposal to go, just after the November elections.

So JCMT, rhetorically shoo this away:

Lake council faces million-dollar demands

11 hours ago • Bill Dolan bill.dolan@nwi.com, (219) 662-5328
CROWN POINT | The Lake County Council is trying to steer county government around budget-busting spending demands without getting them in trouble with a federal judge.

The council met Thursday behind closed doors on whether to give raises to employees of Lake Circuit and Superior judges, and let Sheriff John Buncich hire 24 new corrections officers and three mental health professionals to work in the county jail.

Those demands could cost taxpayers nearly $4.5 million a year in new spending.

Council President Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said Thursday afternoon council members hope to work out a deal to give judicial employees a one-time pay supplement for this year and take up the issue of permanent pay raises when they begin 2015 budget discussions this summer.

Buncich said he believes the council will vote Tuesday on a reshuffling of the sheriff's 2014 budget to give him the new corrections officers he needs without the additional spending.

Since passing a Lake County income tax last spring, council members have faced a rising tide of pay-raise requests from county employees whose salaries have been frozen for six years because of declining public revenues under the state's property tax caps.

Together, the judges and sheriff have 942 full- and part-time employees and a payroll of more than $28 million.

The council declined the judges' request last fall despite the potential threat of a mandate that would order payment of higher salaries for judicial employees and have delayed or reduced the sheriff's repeated pleas to grow his corrections officer staff, which now stands at nearly 200 officers.

Buncich said he must satisfy a mandate to upgrade the lockup, which the U.S. Department of Justice cited in 2009 as so deficient in health care and sanitation it violated inmates' civil rights. Council members had to sign an agreement to correct the problems.

Council members have spent more on the jail, already having paid out more than $18 million for inmate health care and jail infrastructure improvements in the past three years, as well as $7 million to settle a class action lawsuit by inmates because of overcrowding in the jail in past years.

But they have recently resisted more demands.

The sheriff made public Thursday a memo by Ken Ray, the county jail compliance consultant, warning that if the council doesn't approve the 24 new corrections officers Tuesday, the Justice Department will ask a federal judge to hold the council in contempt of court for backing out its agreement.

He warned federal authorities may force the county to hire even more corrections officers than the sheriff wants because the jail's population has been rising to more than 800 inmates. Ray states 300 are diagnosed with mental illness, and 100 of them are judged to have "a serious mental illness."

He said their needs exceed the county's health resources

Neo, as a frequent visitor to the campfire under the hohman avenue bridge, da boys will increase the lcoit to 3%.

They can't do it before the election.