# Resident presses commissioners: will my property taxes go up?

## What happened
Terre Haute resident Joe Wilson asked commissioners directly: "Can you guarantee my property taxes won't go up if we do this?" An official told him flatly, "I can't... make that guarantee." Other officials then said the funding plan itself does not require a new tax because it uses revenue the county already collects, and that property taxes would only be guaranteed to rise if the county instead pursued a public referendum. Wilson also said no one has addressed problems in his own neighborhood — he said he has no fire hydrants and inconsistent law enforcement coverage — while the county considers a large new spending commitment.


## The outcome
No blanket guarantee was given. Officials said this plan does not raise property taxes on its own, though other factors — like rising home appraisals — are separately pushing some tax bills up.

## Sources
- ["Can you guarantee my property taxes won't go up?", 50:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3009)
- ["I can't...make that guarantee", 51:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3109)
- [Plan uses existing revenue, no new tax, 52:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3160)
- [Taxes "will go up" only under a referendum, 50:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3033)
- [No fire hydrants, inconsistent patrols in his area, 50:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3023)
- [On a fixed income, 51:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3095)
- [Appraisals separately raising tax bills, 50:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUwnuxZDmk&t=3015)

*Also known as: will my property taxes go up · school funding plan tax guarantee · Joe Wilson property tax question · fixed income property tax concerns · property tax increase school plan*