by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE: This is a commentary written by Fred Swift of the Hamilton County Reporter. The views expressed are those of Fred Swift and do not necessarily reflect the views of LarryInFishers.com.  This opinion piece is posted here as part of a partnership between the Reporter and LarryInFishers.com) 

Hamilton County residents are likely to be hearing more about “commuter taxes” in the coming months. And, this comes from a “regional” concept that many Indianapolis officials and some state legislators like to talk about. The regional approach in government means Indianapolis and its surrounding counties are all part of a metropolitan area that share certain economic and social advantages and obligations.

In the short term, we will hear that a tax for commuters from this county and the others around Indy is fair and necessary to repair the crumbling streets and highways in the capital city. There is without doubt a good argument that motorists who use a road with regularity should contribute to its maintenance.

But, if some type of tax is levied on Hamilton County commuters for roads or public transportation or anything else, it should be a two-way street. We are told that 40,000 of our county residents drive into Marion County every business day. Not so widely publicized is the fact that 15,000 Marion County residents commute to jobs in Hamilton County and the number is growing.

Our mayors, county officials and state legislators should insist that any discussions on a commuter tax include provisions for Marion County to pay for its workers who come to our county each day. We deserve a fair share of such a tax, but probably won’t hear much about this suggestion from the Indianapolis city administration or city news media.

But, our roads need to be maintained too, and more employment is being created in this county all the time with a lot of employees likely to come from out of the county. So, it would be helpful if our officials make sure they speak up for us.