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Fort Wayne City Council votes down Property Tax proposal

(Saige Driver/1190 WOWO 107.5 FM)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Five members of the Fort Wayne City Council voted against a proposal to eliminate the property tax businesses pay on new equipment Tuesday night.

It was proposed by Republican Jason Arp, who said the move would have encouraged businesses to invest more thanks to a reduction in the cost to do business. The Council ultimately voted it down 5-3, motivated in part by concerns expressed both by Mayor Tom Henry and local education officials worried about the impact the cut would have.

Henry argued Fort Wayne stood to lose more than $15 million in future revenues, while Fort Wayne Community Schools said they’d lose around $8 million.

Mayor Henry issued the following statement:

“Now more than ever, it’s important for all of us to work together to continue to make Fort Wayne a great place to live, work, and play.We must remain committed to ensuring essential services continue to be provided to residents and children and protect homeowners from having to pay higher property taxes.”

“Now is not the time to change course and put our future at risk. That’s why I’m encouraged by City Council’s action tonight to defeat the proposal that would have eliminated the business personal property tax on new business equipment. I applaud Councilmen Barranda, Crawford, Didier, Hines and Paddock for voting against the proposal.”

“If implemented, the plan would have severely reduced revenues for local governments, the library, and school systems. Public safety, neighborhood infrastructure improvements, enhancements to parks, library services, and school transportation all would have been negatively impacted.”

“Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana are experiencing positive momentum, excitement, and investments like never before. It’s taken leadership and a commitment to being fiscally responsible to collectively get us to this point. So, let’s keep moving in the right direction.”

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