COUNCILMAN’S CORNER
As you may have read or heard the City Council recently passed the city budget for 2005. The Mayor, with the support of City Council, has been successful in keeping city spending fairly flat by applying good business practices to city management. City employees are working more efficiently to provide services to Fort Wayne’s citizens. Unfortunately, elimination of the business inventory tax in an effort to create new jobs and tax court decisions have shifted some of the tax burden from businesses to residential property owners. A decrease in county income tax revenue for the city from $35 million to $25 million during the last couple of years has also presented a major financial challenge to Fort Wayne. With these thoughts in mind the Mayor and Council did their best to get the most out of each tax dollar for 2005.
There’s been quite a bit of discussion recently about the city truck ordinance which applies to large trucks over 10 tons. The current law has so many loopholes we have no effective control of large trucks driving through neighborhoods and tearing up residential streets. On the other hand, trucking is a major component of commerce and the city’s truck ordinance should interfere as little as possible with business activity. After some recent legislative efforts by Council were vetoed by the Mayor, the entire issue is back on the drawing board. I’ll do my best to assure that a balanced ordinance respecting both truckers and neighborhoods comes out of current discussions.
Several upgrades have been accomplished at Waynedale Park in the last couple of years. A huge new park is also being developed at the old Buckner farm at the intersection of I-69 and Bass Road. The new skate park near Lawton Park is already a great success and the Greenway system now has a director to develop more greenway trails, link all of the city and county trail systems, and to apply for available grants. Fort Wayne is continuing to build on the great park system we inherited as citizens of this community!
Efforts continue to prevent the planned shutdown of the in-patient beds at the Fort Wayne VA Hospital. It makes no sense to force sick veterans to drive to Indy or Ann Arbor, Michigan for hospital care. Any citizens interested in joining the battle to save the local VA Hospital should call or email me and I’ll tell you how you can help out!
Tom Hayhurst
City Councilman
4th District
432-8418
tom.hayhurst@verizon.net
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