You are invited, one and all, to join us at the American Countryside Farmers Market on
Tuesday, May 4th (Primary Election Day!)
7p.m. for the Wesco Victory Celebration!
Hors d’oeuvres will be served!
So come out, bring the whole family, and show your support for Timothy Wesco and the values for which he stands. Be a part of the momentum that will take this campaign through November and beyond! You don’t want to miss this tremendous opportunity to stand up for a stronger Indiana!
Working to eliminate St. Joe County’s Additional Property Tax!
In 2008, Indiana passed the 1-2-3 property tax cap law. Homeowners' property taxes are capped at 1% of assessed value, rental properties and farms at 2%, and commercial real estate at 3%.
While the 1-2-3 property tax caps are law in the State of Indiana, St. Joe County residents are paying more!
Indiana Code 6-1.1-20.6-7.5 allows St. Joseph County as an "eligible county" to exceed the 1%, 2%, and 3% caps in order to pay debt service or make lease payments for bonds or leases issued or entered into before July 1, 2008. St. Joseph County is eligible because of “debt service” for economically misguided projects such as the Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend.
This law was worded in such a way as to hide the fact that it was tailor-made for St. Joe and Lake Counties, making them an “eligible county.” This contradicts the spirit, if not the letter, of our State Constitution Article 4, Section 23 which states,
In all the cases enumerated in the preceding section, and in all other cases where a general law can be made applicable, all laws shall be general, and of uniform operation throughout the State.
But this is not the case with the 1%, 2%, 3% property tax caps in St. Joseph and Lake counties. This is simply not justice! Timothy Wesco will work and fight for legislation, such as was in Senate Bill 250 in the 2010 short session, to eliminate this tailor-made exclusion of St. Joseph County from the property tax caps.
Timothy Wesco believes the taxpayers of St. Joseph County should not have to pay for fiscal irresponsibility. Rather, these governments need to cut back and redirect funds from elsewhere to cover these irresponsible debts.
Timothy Wesco, a homeschool graduate and candidate for Indiana State Representative District 21, will host an informative session about our state government. We will take a practical and educational behind-the-scenes look at how our Indiana government works. This seminar is a great addition to any government or social studies course.
DATE: Friday, April 23
TIME: 7:00-8:30PM
PLACE: Republican Headquarters 4133 S. Main Street South Bend, IN
“Every man and every body of men on Earth possess the right of self-government.”
-Thomas Jefferson
Timothy believes localized, “close to the people” township government needs to be preserved and improved in Indiana!
As a Penn Township Firefighter, Timothy Wesco has taken great interest in understanding the role, functions and history of township government. As a result, he has come to regard it as an important and effective form of governing that must be preserved and improved.
Originally proposed by Thomas Jefferson in 1784, townships are embedded in Indiana’s early history being formed here prior to our becoming a state in 1816. We are one of twenty states that currently have some form of township government.
Even though most people know little about how township government works, here in the 21st District and across Indiana, the townships represent an essential key to democracy: a locally controlled government which is close to the people. The more localized a government and the more access the people have to that government, the better it is. This is what Jefferson intended in his original proposal--a government that stems directly from the people or, in other words, self-government.
Repeatedly over the past six years, the question of eliminating townships has been raised in Indiana. Indianapolis law makers are diligently seeking to do away with this locally controlled form of government. The first battle came in 2004 with House Bill 1155 which proposed total elimination. Since that time, each session of the General Assembly has heard bills to either reform or to completely eradicate township government.
The tragedy of such bills is that they end local control over fire protection, poor relief and the tax rates that pay for these services. Small rural communities would no longer have the votes.
Here in St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties, if the southern townships lose self-government, the major urban centers of South Bend, Mishawaka and Elkhart (where there are far more votes) will control rural taxes and the rural fire service. This is not a representation of the people; it obstructs the essential principle of self-government.
Timothy Wesco believes we should strive to encourage townships to work together and to be more efficient, but he is committed to opposing any measure that would eradicate township government. Township government is a vital part of our state government and embodies the very principle of government of, and by, the people.
