Enough is Enough - Thoughts on Kokomo's new Trash Tax

  By Steve Daily-

I attended Monday night’s Kokomo City Council meeting where the so-called “trash fee” was given its final vote. What I saw was disappointing on a number of levels, and it should concern every resident of this city.

First, the public was given virtually no chance to participate. Council President Ray Collins allowed just six seconds for the official “public hearing” on the city budget before slamming the gavel and moving on. That isn’t leadership — that’s silencing the very people the Council is supposed to represent.

Then, without meaningful debate, the Council pushed through a 7–1 vote to impose this new trash tax. The only Councilor who stood with residents was Bob Stephenson. Councilor Tom Miklik even said he wasn’t at all sorry about adding another tax on property owners.

Meanwhile, our state legislators — Rep. Mike Karickhoff and Rep. Heath VanNatter — didn’t bother to show up. Yet they’re the ones who supported Senate Bill 1 (SB1), the legislation that shifted the tax burden from corporations onto local taxpayers. Both city and county leaders are now blaming SB1 for higher taxes and cuts in services, not just this year but in the years ahead. We deserve answers, but instead we got silence.

To make matters worse, when I raised a simple procedural concern after the meeting, Collins asked Kokomo Police to escort me out of City Hall. This is a grave warning sign. It’s a signal to every resident that dissent will not be tolerated.

Let’s be clear: this trash fee is not a “fee” at all. A fee is voluntary and tied to a service. This charge is mandatory for all residents. That makes it a tax. And it’s a tax that was rushed through with little transparency, no serious public input, and no real consideration of alternatives.

City leaders tried to justify it by linking it to AFSCME workers’ wages. Let me say plainly: those workers deserve fair pay. But tying their raises to a new tax is disingenuous. Once this revenue is in the budget, it won’t just fund raises — it will be spent however the city chooses.

Kokomo deserves better. At minimum, the Council should have formed a bipartisan committee, led by the Finance Committee, to openly explore the problem and potential solutions. Residents deserved the chance to hear options, weigh trade-offs, and be part of the decision.

Instead, our voices were shut out.

So I’m asking you to demand accountability. Demand that our legislators — Karickhoff, VanNatter, and Buck — explain exactly what SB1 means for Kokomo taxpayers. Demand that our City Council stop treating public input like an inconvenience. And demand honesty about what’s being done to our community in the name of “fees.”

This isn’t just about trash pickup. It’s about whether our local government works for us, or whether it works around us.

Enough is enough, Kokomo.

— Steve Daily