“To avoid placing an undue burden on Hoosiers, we must ensure that our state and local taxes are being administered in reasonable, accountable ways,” Hershman said. “That’s vital to maintaining our secure financial position for years to come.”
- Local government subdivisions’ budget and property tax systems
- Township assistance and its prospective administrative costs
- Public libraries’ property tax, budget and district boundary requirements
- Ways to improve the formula for assessing farmland values
- The feasibility of providing state tax credits to taxpayers who hire ex-felons
- State and local government accounting procedures and transparency
- Financial assistance for Indiana’s motorsports industry
- Indiana’s current land bank statute and the potential effects of municipal land banks
In addition, Hershman was appointed to serve on the Central Indiana Transit Study Committee. This committee is tasked with identifying potential funding sources for bus transit and light rail in Central Indiana and the feasibility of expanding these services.
“As Central Indiana continues to grow, many people believe it’s necessary to expand the region’s mass transit system,” Hershman said. “However, there are still unanswered questions about the practicality of developing that system. The committee will address these concerns throughout the summer and draft a final recommendation for the legislature to consider in the 2014 session.”
Each summer and fall — when Indiana’s part-time legislature is not in session — lawmakers are assigned to interim study committees that meet to review the state’s top issues, as identified by the General Assembly during the prior legislative session.
Study committee topics are assigned by the Legislative Council, comprised of 16 voting members — eight from the House of Representatives and eight from the Senate.
