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Boone County council approves notice to taxpayers for 0.01% PSLIT increase to support three volunteer fire organizations
Summary
The council voted to issue statutorily required notice advertising a proposed 0.01% public-safety local income tax increase (PSLIT) that would generate about $500,000 to be split among Advance, Jamestown and Thorntown volunteer fire organizations; a public hearing is scheduled for July 28.
Boone County's council voted July 14 to issue a statutory notice to taxpayers and taxing units advertising a proposed 0.01-percentage-point increase in the public-safety local income tax (PSLIT) to support three volunteer fire organizations.
Staff explained that the notice is the first procedural step; the Local Income Tax Council (LITC) ultimately votes on any adoption and each member's voting power is allocated by population. Boone County's share of the LITC vote is roughly 14.66% based on 2020 census numbers, staff said.
Council discussion considered two choices: reallocate existing PSLIT dollars or seek a small increase. Several volunteer fire organizations (Advance, Jamestown and Thorntown) requested roughly $500,000 total to cover staffing and equipment needs; candidates included a reallocation or an advertised increase of 0.01%, which Baker Tilly estimated would yield about $535,000. Councilors discussed optics, fairness among jurisdictions and the procedural limits on what can be advertised (the county cannot adopt a larger increase than what it advertises at the hearing).
The council approved a motion to issue the notice (advertised increase: 0.01%) and scheduled a special meeting to hold the required public hearing on July 28 at 8:30 a.m. The action authorizes the county auditor to publish the notice and begin the public-notice process; any final change requires additional votes through the Local Income Tax Council and by the appropriate adopting bodies.
