Redistribution of wealth, local style

Saw this article in a local paper, and I am wondering if any other areas of the nation are seeing this.

The city of Griffith, IN is trying to create its own township, to get away from the taxes forced on them to support the welfare of the neighbor city of Gary, which is now in Calumet Township with them.




From the article:

...Gary residents stand to lose the nearly $3 million in taxes Griffith property owners now hand over annually to Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin's budget.

Her township service provides food and housing assistance to indigent township residents, primarily in Gary, as well as ambulance service to the 7,000 residents in the five square miles of unincorporated Calumet Township south of Gary and east of Griffith. Jerome said that money represents nearly 15 percent of the property tax bill in Griffith.

Ryfa said the town of Griffith gets little benefit from the money sent to Calumet Township since Griffith already provides its own fire and ambulance service, and almost all poor relief goes Gary residents, with Griffith's poor receiving $30,000 annually or less....

[link to www.nwitimes.com]




The city of Gary is getting nearly 100 times more of the tax money collected in Griffith that is allotted for social services than its own citizens are receiving.

The comments show how the locals feel about it.

Please share, if you have seen this in your area.

Thanks.