Goodnight: Invest in ‘Infrastructure of People’

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The mayor of Kokomo is pushing plans to attract more people to the Howard County city. During his annual State of the City address Monday, Greg Goodnight also continued to state his disagreement with proposals that would shift the state's business personal property tax burden to local governments. February 25, 2014

News Release

KOKOMO, Ind. – Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight called for investing in “the infrastructure of people” while warning of the consequences to homeowners if the Indiana General Assembly shifts the business personal property tax to them.

In his seventh State of the City address, Mayor Goodnight identified his administration's objective to attract new residents, “And so, with every decision we make, we must ask ourselves, is this good for the people of our community? Will it make us a place where people want to live, not just a place where people happen to live?”

“Kokomo has incredible, affordable housing stock. But to attract young workers, as well as retiring baby-boomers, we need a variety of housing options,” continued Mayor Goodnight. “We have quiet suburban neighborhoods. But we also need mixed-use neighborhoods. We need apartments, condos and townhouses. We need urban living, accessible to residents at all income levels.”

Mayor Goodnight also discussed the local consequences of legislation pending in the Statehouse.

“The Indiana General Assembly is considering proposals to shift or eliminate taxes on business personal property,” said Mayor Goodnight. “By shifting this tax away from multi-national corporations and on to homeowners, farmers and small business owners, it creates a system based more and more on local income taxes, impact fees and user fees.”

Mayor Goodnight spoke before a full Council Chambers that included the Kokomo Common Council, residents and representatives from the City's Boards and Commissions.

Source: The City of Kokomo