(La Porte, IN) - A final vote could be taken tonight on the proposed local income tax hike for public safety in La Porte County.
The La Porte County Council meets this evening after giving preliminary approval to the proposed income tax increase during a special meeting two weeks ago.
Councilman Mike Mollenhauer said the tax would provide the money needed to increase wages to keep public safety workers here instead of leaving elsewhere for higher-paying positions. According to Mollenhauer, other public safety needs in areas like police and fire equipment could also be fulfilled with the revenue generated by an increase in the tax.
The council meets at 6 p.m. at the La Porte County Complex in downtown La Porte. About 100 people, including many emergency responders, attended the previous meeting, where the council strongly voted to support the measure.
An estimated $13 million would be generated by increasing the local income tax from .095-percent to 1.45-percent. La Porte County government would receive about half of the dollars, while Michigan City and La Porte would be given a vast majority of the remaining money.
