Eliminating any tax always seems like a good idea.  With April 15th not too far away, I daydream about getting rid of the federal income tax.  But as with any tax, we have to ask ourselves:  what does the money go for, are those functions something to support, and finally is there a better way to raise such revenues? More

Position on Township Assessors

In 2008, the question of township assessing was put to Indiana voters.  While most township assessors were eliminated, five in Lake County were retained by the voters.  I am not going to re-think that proposal, nor the vote. More

Technology and GIS

The most recent reassessment in Lake County was conducted in part using aerial maps that were 7-8 years old, showing buildings that were long since demolished and vacant land where new structures now stand.  The county desperately needs to update this GIS information on a regular basis, every 2-3 years at most.  More