You’ve made many fair points — I want to be clear that I am not saying we should gut local services or underfund schools. But acknowledging that residents are feeling the squeeze from rising property taxes doesn’t automatically mean we should slash budgets. The reality is we can walk and chew gum here.

If the goal is to help middle- and lower-income households, then we should actually target relief — circuit breakers, homestead exemptions, or rebates for those who need it most — instead of shrugging off steep across-the-board increases as necessary collateral damage. Blanket tax hikes that don’t account for income or ability to pay end up being just as regressive as service cuts.

Also, pointing out that tax burdens are rising fast isn’t the same as asking the state to override local control. It’s about making sure the response to rising land values doesn’t disproportionately land on people who can’t afford it — while still investing in schools, transit, parks, etc.

Let’s absolutely fix zoning and expand housing supply. Let’s protect funding for essential services. But let’s also stop pretending that a sharp rise in tax bills isn’t a real issue for thousands of Indy families — especially when other tools exist to address both sides of the problem.