More information about VOTE NO!

Please help defeat the MCS Referendum in November!

Signs are now available for those in the Muncie Community Schools district that want to see this abomination stopped!

Most importantly, be sure to VOTE! (A list of the Voting Centers is attached)

By now, most should be aware that both the Muncie Community School Administration and now apparently the League of Women Voters are promoting the Muncie Community School Referendum to raise the MCS Bus Fund levy by 267% with fallacious fear mongering.

The voters need to be informed with the facts.

MCS currently has a current Bus levy that produces 33% more revenue as what they currently pay for their bus transportation. MCS receives $3.7 million per year in local property taxes for the transportation fund and pays about $2.5 million per year for bus transportation. A $1.2 million surplus. They now want to raise that tax revenue to over $9.5 million per year under the threat of the safety and welfare of your children......that is simply despicable.

The "minimal tax amounts" to the taxpayers that the Muncie Community Schools are exhalting in support of their efforts to add this additional tax will ONLY apply to RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY OWNERS and utilizing all available deductions which, in actuality represents only a very small number of the Muncie Community School households.

Both the MCS Administration and the League of Women Voters are trying to augment their postures and arguments in support of the tax increase on the basis that we have an extremely high poverty rate in the MCS district and that nearly 75% of the children attending MCS are on free or reduced lunches. It's EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to recognize that the majority of those poverty-stricken and low-income families DO NOT OWN the homes that they reside in and will, in fact, be most negatively impacted by the tax increase! The taxes on the homes that they occupy and pay rent on will increase between $200 and $400 annually ($1,400.00 to $2,800.00 over the course of the tax period) and most assuredly that additional cost will be passed on to them by way of increased rents. So, if you're a residential homeowner protected by those precious cost-saving deductions and are inclined to vote in favor of the Referendum because the cost to you is minimal, then just be reminded that you do so at the expense of the most vulnerable in our community!

What Muncie Community Schools is really doing with this additional tax referendum is making one last-ditch effort to pick the pockets of the local taxpayers in lieu of making the tougher decisions regarding consolidations and cost cutting that they should have done years ago. They are blaming the property tax caps for their problems, yet the tax caps have been implements for over 4 years! If the Muncie Community Schools can't come to terms with their bloated budget after 4 years of tax caps, then they certainly shouldn't be rewarded with additional tax revenues. There's good reason why the Muncie Community Schools don't want to make any tough decisions regarding school closings and consolidations BEFORE the election. They want YOU to bail them out!

Over the course of the years, and directly in the face of over 12,000 good paying jobs leaving our community and the declining enrollment of their school corporation to the extent that it is only about 1/3 of what it was at its peak, MCS has continued to pour nearly $100 million in total costs associated with sustaining the status quo. Now the chickens have come home to roost and it's not the taxpayers fault, nor the taxpayer’s responsibility to bail them out.

Voters beware and don't let anybody fool you, if this Referendum fails as it rightfully should, and the Muncie Community Schools moves forward with suspending bus transportation for our children, it's not because the money isn't there. It's because they feel that there are more important things like Administrator's pay and benefits as well as keeping half-filled schools open rather than bus your children to and from their school. That decision, if it occurs, would be reprehensible.

Tax Sale

I was able to go to the training seminar that was done at the City Hall Building. We were told it was being filmed and is now showing on channel 60. If you have any interest in buying a tax sale property now or in the future, here is a chance to learn at the time and before the sale. I will be at the sale also. Go with me.

In today's paper there was an article from Larry Riley on his view of the tax sale and the seminar.

Larry Riley: Navigating tax sales takes time, expertise

 A of couple times over the last few weeks a special 10-page supplement has been included in The Star Press, most recently last Wednesday: the 2013 Delaware County tax sale notice, featuring 1,930 properties.

Owners of these properties are behind in their property taxes by at least three payments (taxes are due twice a year, May and November) and at that point are subject to getting auctioned off in the tax sale.
Owners can pay up and remove the property from the sale anytime up to, I think, the day before the Oct. 1 sale, and people pour into the county Treasurer’s office doing so continually.

Owners can pay up and remove the property from the sale anytime up to, I think, the day before the Oct. 1 sale, and people pour into the county Treasurer’s office doing so continually.

By late last week, the number of properties still scheduled for the block were down to 1,689.
(Owners have to pay both back taxes and a late penalty of 10 percent, though some people who scam the system know they need only pay the oldest of the three payments in arrears. They still owe a bundle, but their property gets pulled from sale.)
I’m sure state law specifies the format of the legal publication — the aforementioned 10-page insert — but the notice is almost worthless to anyone interested in what’s for sale.
Each property starts with its obscure parcel identification, a series of 9 digits followed by another series of 18 digits, then the amount of arrearage, owners’ names, and then property address.
A reader would have to know how the parcel ID system arranges addresses in the county, find that general area in the 10 pages, and then plod through listing after listing if they wanted to see whether a particular property was in the sale.
Regardless, I’m happy the county shells out some of the fewer and fewer dollars it has to pay for the insert.
Yet you do have to research much more if you’re interested in actually bidding on properties, and a lot of businesses, both locally and nationwide, do so. Buying tax sale properties has become a cottage industry, and more, these days.
In part, this is because a buyer is not really purchasing the property, but buys a certificate giving them the right to take title after a one-year period of time in which the original owner can redeem the property by paying the original taxes and penalties.
 Along with the redemption, however, comes an additional 10 percent interest fee for the first few months that lapse followed by a 15 percent fee for remaining months, on the amount the successful buyer bid.
For example, one of the best properties still scheduled in the Oct. 1 sale from the standpoint of value minus tax owed is the Temple Baptist Church, on South Madison at 29th Street.
The church owes $2,276, an amount that rises to $2,888 on auction day, and this will be the minimum bid to buy the property. The land and 14,000-square-foot building are assessed at $466,000.
One has to believe the congregation will quickly redeem the property were it sold at auction, and thus if the winning bid were, say, $50,000, whoever bought the property would be owed $5,000 immediately. Nice ROI.
This is also an example of a property highly likely to be removed from the sale in the next few weeks. If you’re wondering why a religious property would be owing taxes, the answer is that stormwater fees, which everybody pays, are collected on tax bills and make properties subject to sale if unpaid.
The Tyler administration is trying to expand the fraternity of local people who bid in the tax sale to include prospective homeowners: people willing to invest, take the property, fix the place up and move in.
Scores of distressed properties are included in every tax sale, perhaps even the majority of one-family houses for sale.
If one knows what they’re doing, though, you can get a good deal and wind up owning valuable property for much less than what you’d pay going through the normal process of home buying.
Last week, Muncie’s Community Development office offered a 90-minute workshop attended by about 50 people on the rudiments of bidding on property and taking certificates to deed.
One piece of misinformation got passed on by the SRI Inc. representative who made the presentation (SRI is a private business that handles the county’s tax sales), namely that purchasers of tax sale property have no right to trespass on the property during the one-year redemption period.
 State law changed in 2011. While no one can enter a building, law now does allow a non-owner of a property that’s vacant or abandoned to “secure” the property, mow the grounds, remove trash and debris, and remove graffiti, and they’re immune from prosecution or civil lawsuit.
Perhaps this can be clarified before the auction.
The process remains daunting. Of the 1,689 parcels still scheduled for sale late last week, 235 are under water vis-à-vis taxes. That is, those properties owe more taxes than the property is assessed.
In some cases, as the back taxes mounted up, the house on the property became so dilapidated the city tore the place down.
For example, the Indianapolis owner of 306 E. Gilbert St., a neighborhood near downtown, owes $39,000 on a lot worth $5,400.
In other cases, modest-sized houses have accrued arrearages beyond their worth: a four-bedroom house at 2400 S. Walnut St., assessed at $17,300 owes $20,000 in taxes.
Bargains can await, but caveat emptor.
Larry Riley teaches English at Ball State University. Email him at at lriley@bsu.edu.

National Tenant Network

Here is more information I received today from NTN's Newletter. Don't forget that John will be at our meeting on the 19th of this month. He will be explaining the program and answering any and all of your questions. Plan on being there and bring a friend that is also a landlord.

FAIR HOUSING LAWS Fair housing laws are in place to prevent discrimination in housing transactions, including sale, rental or financing of property. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. Should you violate these laws as a landlord, whether intentionally or accidently, you may be sued in Federal Court and ordered to pay actual and punitive damages, as well as attorney's fees and costs. NTN solves this problem for our subscribers with NTN DecisionPoint. For consistent, documented tenant selection, this is the report that will simplify your leasing process.

READ MORE ABOUT NTN DECISIONPOINT  NTN DecisionPoint reviews an applicant's background and produces an overall score, much like a credit score, along with a corresponding rental recommendation - both of which are based on a thorough and objective analysis of both the applicant's credit record and his or her history of eviction(s) and/or lease violation(s). NTN DecisionPoint also takes into account longevity of employment and longevity of residence, thereby ensuring a higher probability of overall resident retention. In addition, the NTN DecisionPoint report is accompanied by a comprehensive NTN tenant-performance profile, a detailed eviction and lease violation history, screening history, landlord identification and terrorist search. To see a sample NTN DecisionPoint report, CLICK HERE.

STRONG RENTAL MARKET CONTINUES     There are enough impediments to homeownership, experts argue, to keep the rental market strong for the immediate future, including a still-recovering jobs market, increasingly stringent mortgage requirements, and a sizable swath of the home-buyer base that is still reeling from the effects of the housing market downturn, with underwater or delinquent mortgages. Plus, the nation's two largest generational groups-the baby boomers, who are at or near retirement age, and the Millennials, most of whom are in the very early stages of their career, are ripe for long-term rentals.

Something Fun for Fall

Wow this could work!

With Halloween coming up, save this to your computer so you can remember to do this!

After you scoop out and carve your pumpkin, dip it in a large container of bleach and water (use a 1 tsp:1 gal mix). The bleach will kill bacteria and help your pumpkin stay fresh longer. Once completely dry, (drain upside down), add 2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a quart of water. Brush this solution onto your pumpkin to keep it looking fresh for weeks.”

University Parking

MUNCIE — Looking for a place to park in a neighborhood near the Ball State University campus? Then you might want to read the signs and keep in mind whether you’re in the red or yellow zone, because Mike Maddy will be doing that as well.
Maddy, the city code enforcement officer whose regular patrols include near-campus areas, is tasked with enforcing the zoned parking implemented by the city in 2005 for designated campus-area neighborhoods.
The plan, still in effect, restricts two-hour on-street parking on most residential streets in specified areas to just one side of the street, and provides each house with just one on-street parking sticker color coded for that zone. The sticker allows that car to park on either side of the street — including the two-hour parking side — in that zone; otherwise residents are expected to use off-street parking.
Maddy cuts students some slack during move-in each year and the first few weeks of classes, figuring they’re still learning. By now, however, he’s stepping up enforcement, leaving yellow tickets on the windshields of vehicles parked on the wrong side of the street or in a yard or without a parking sticker in evidence.
Having worked in code enforcement for 36 years, Maddy’s seen many neighborhoods around Ball State shift from single-family homes to student rentals. Therein used to lie the root of the problem of bumper-to-bumper on-street parking, he noted; “If you’re going to rent a house to five or six kids, don’t tell them to park on the street.”
Under the current system, each address is provided with an on-street parking sticker for one car, and the expectation is that property owners will provide off-street parking for the others.
Father-son landlords Eldon Buck and Steve Buck, each of whom owns homes-turned-student-rentals in the campus area, are all for the parking limitations; in fact, they and other members of the University Area Landlord Association encouraged and worked with city officials to get parking restrictions in the area, they said. “This eliminates a lot of the students (who are living in dorms) coming out there (to the neighborhood streets) and leaving their cars there for days,” said Eldon Buck, owner of Buck Rentals.
The alleys in the neighborhoods are conducive to adding off-street parking, which in turn makes the neighborhoods nicer, “not stuffed with cars on both sides of the road,” said Steve Buck of Campus Enterprises.
The street department has given out 150 of the red, green, yellow or blue zone parking stickers so far this year, according to Becky Clark in the department’s office. (Rental property owners and maintenance workers get purple tags that allow them to park along the streets.)

'Your time's up'

Driving around campus-area neighborhoods in his code enforcement SUV (complete with right-side steering wheel and a cup-holder full of pens for writing tickets) on a recent weekday, Maddy was quick to point out the problematic parking jobs along sometimes narrow residential streets: one vehicle parked facing east on the westbound side of the street, another without a sticker parked right next to the sign warning “Yellow permit parking only” and one getting double the tickets, one each for both of those offenses.
For the first few weeks of school, Maddy hadn’t been going after violators staying too long in the two-hour spots, but he said last week that grace period was about to end, as well. (Two-hour parking limits are effective 6 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays.)
Reactions to traffic tickets vary, from people who don’t take a parking ticket seriously enough to pay it until a notice is sent to the car’s owner — often Mom and Dad for college students — to people who swear at or threaten him or try to ditch the ticket and run when they notice him writing them up. Maddy, who served as a reserve office for the city police years ago, said he’s heard more excuses and taken more abuse over $15 or $20 parking tickets than he used to over speeding tickets.
Muncie and Ball State police are good about responding to back up code enforcement when things get heated, he added. Some parents call the street department to complain after finding out about their children’s parking tickets, but Maddy’s response is, “It’s not my job to babysit these people and make sure their kids know what the rules are.”Signs designating two-hour or color coded zoned parking are liberally placed around their relevant neighborhoods, but Maddy said people will argue they didn’t think the signs six feet away apply to where they parked.
A standard excuse is that “I’ve done it before and I never got caught,” Maddy said, to which his response is, “Well, your time’s up ... This is your day; you won the lottery.”
When the color-coded zoned parking first went into effect, properties were provided with hang-tags for cars, but those tended to be passed around, so the street department now provides landlords with stickers instead. People sometimes will try to get around use of the stickers for just one car as well, taping them to an inside window or other temporary placement, but Maddy said having the sticker anywhere but on the left rear bumper, where it can be easily seen as he patrols the streets, is just courting a ticket under your windshield wiper.
The area around Ball State certainly isn’t the only part of the city with parking issues, nor are parking limitation issues exclusive to Muncie, Maddy said. “All cities got parking problems,” he said.

Plans for Neely

Eventually, the area covered by the zoned/two-hour parking restrictions will actually lose some of its on-street parking, thanks to plans to improve Neely Avenue between the edge of campus and Wheeling Avenue.
That stretch of Neely — which now has two-hour parking on both sides rather than a side dedicated to zoned parking — is slated to get new sidewalks, a bike lane and a center median, which will result in the loss of on-street parking along both sides.
Though the project is being done by the city, it is designed to match the kind of streetscaping that has been done on the campus in recent years, including the stretch of Neely just to the west, between New York and McKinley avenues, according to Muncie Street Department Superintendent Duke Campbell. “We want it to look just like Neely going into Ball State,” he said. The loss of parking was a consideration when looking at the design, but the availability of off-street parking for residents and other options for other drivers answered that concern, Campbell said.Ball State officials are supportive of the plans for Neely, looking upon the similar design as a way to provide “a corridor of connectivity” between the campus and Minnetrista, downtown Muncie and bike trails, said James Lowe, BSU associate vice president of facilities planning.
The Bucks, both of whom own rentals along Neely, are also all for it, despite the loss of the on-street parking. “It will improve the whole neighborhood,” Eldon Buck said. Since landlords have to provide off-street parking for tenants there anyway, the loss of those parking spots will be more than offset by having a nicer entrance to the campus, he added.
Steve Buck said he’d like the city to consider similar improvements for other residential streets in the area as well.
The $1.4 million Neely project includes a 20-percent local match, Campbell said; improvements to stormwater drainage will add another $300,000, but Campbell hopes to work with the Muncie Sanitary District to cut that cost by hopefully tying the Neely work in with the current sewer-separation project along Wheeling.
Campbell expects to be ready to take bids for the work on Neely in July 2014, with construction extending into 2015.