Indiana cities are paying people to move there

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So there are dozens of small and mid sized cities
across the US they're offering cash or housing perks or
extras to attract people to live there.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
To move there. Why would they do this. I would
want fewer people living in my city, not more.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
This is part of a platform called Make My Move.
Oh geez, and the goal is to boost local economies
and fill population gaps and less expensive areas population gaps.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
What does that even mean?

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Why are they doing this? Well, let's see, each worker
brings eighty thousand dollars to the local economy.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Here's the thing, the worker.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Anytime there's some economic development project, they always talk about
the jobs, the job to the community unless the person
is going to live there. As you said, is completely
irrelevant because the income tax is paid where the person lives,
not where they work. So when you look on your

(01:01):
page check you live in Marion County, I live in
Hendricks County. You're gonna see a different county and a
different tax rate for where we live. And even though
we both work in Indianapolis, my money goes to Hendricks County,
yours goes to Marion County. Now, there's been a big
fight for years to flip that, which it probably makes

(01:22):
some level of sense. Now, the donut counties have fought
this because so many people come to Indianapolis to work.
But you actually think about it, where do I use
the roads the most?

Speaker 3 (01:33):
Where you live?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
The city of Indiana No, the city of Indianapolis. I
drive you everywhere, like I mean everything, I tried.

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
That's saying like I mean I'm saying in terms of working,
I'm making income. That's a perhaps, which is why as
part of the road funding bill this year, the city
was given an opportunity with they'll match I think fifty
millions the number.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
With the crossroads that the state would match the number.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
But the reality of it is the majority of road
travel I do for sixty five seventy No, it's an interstate,
of course. But then the downtown area, as glorious as
these roads are, is the city of Indianapolis. Hendricks County
gets money off of me, and I use very little
Hendricks County roads other than to get and they're all

(02:19):
town roads that I use anyway to get from my
house to the interstate.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
And so that's been a battle for quite a while.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
But yes, driving in downtown is still hell on Earth
and avoided at all costs.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Well, let's see if any of these perks will entice
you to move Noblesville. Yes, offering fifteen thousand in perks,
including five thousand in cash. They also have a wellness stipend,
a co working space, and theme park passes.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
So wait, wait, wait, wait, wait wait.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
If you've been if let's say you're like me, you've
lived in the same place for forty years, and you've
been an upstanding citizen, and you've paid your taxes, and
you you've volunteered for stuff, and you've helped the community,
you get nothing. They're not giving you anything right for
being the person who made the place people want to live.

(03:10):
You get nothing. But if you're a foreigner, both foreigner
the sense of out of state or in many cases
you're in on an H one B visa, you're a
foreigner to the country.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
They'll pay you to come.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
They'll pay you to move there. Noblesville population of seventy
five thousand people. Now, there are a couple of stipulations here. Yes,
you have to be eighteen or older, and you have
to have a job, household job making at least eighty
thousand dollars annually.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
But if I'm making eighty thousand annually and I've been
there and done the things that made the place a
place people want to be, I get nothing. But if
I'm a foreigner that comes in, you'll give them money.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
You also get an exclusive welcome event to speak directly
to the mayor.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
But if I've been there for forty years, I don't
get anything. Correct what planet? Look these people that want
to be critical of us saying, oh, you guys are
conspiracy theorists. When we talk about being replaced, what other
conclusion could you come to? What other conclusion could you
come to other than we are being replaced? That the

(04:14):
fact that they will pay some foreigner to come in
and move into and move into their city. But if
you've made it a great place, you get nothing. You
don't get the meeting with the mayor, you don't get
the welcome event, you don't get any event. You get
nothing other than a higher, never ending, going up tax bill.

Speaker 3 (04:31):
That's what you get.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
But if you're from outside, well, red carpet baby, well.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
How could you come to any other conclusion than we
are being replaced?

Speaker 1 (04:41):
In Fort Wayne, which is the second most populated city
in the state, more than two hundred and seventy three
thousand people living there. The city is offering a total
of fourteen four hundred and eighty dollars in incentives to
those living outside of Indiana. Got to be eighteen or older. Again,
have to have a job making at least fifty thousand
dollars annually. Some of the incentives include five percent in

(05:03):
down payment assistance and closing.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
Costs on a house. Wait, wait, which city is this?

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Fort Wayne? Fort Wayne discounts and other perks at one
of Fort Wayne's favorite local breweries. Plus you get two
complimentary passes to the Fort Wayne Botanical Conservatory.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
But what is Fort Wayne giving to people who have
lived there their whole lives and been really good citizen?

Speaker 1 (05:25):
You get nothing. Even if you just move across town.
You're one side of Allen County to the other.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
So yeah, all right, a very uplifting story, Casey, thank
you for that. You're welcome.