Restoring Downtown to it's Glory Days

Owensboro and Daviess county officials are ready to prove why raising the insurance tax 4% is a good idea. Tuesday night, they approved an ordinance raising insurance premium taxes two percent starting this July, and another two percent next July. But that wasnt without protest. More than fifty people showed up at the commission meeting to voice their opinion. Now, local officials and business owners are explaining why itll all be worth it. Theyre hearkening back to the glory days of Owensboro when downtown was the place to be. Now downtown is full of vacant buildings and deserted sidewalks. That is until the money from the tax increase makes downtown look like like an urban destination again. Government officials say members of the private sector are waiting for the city and county to committ before they invest. Now, they may be ready. Officials also say raising the tax was a democratic process. Everyone pays local taxes on their insurance premiums -- car, life, and casualty among others. They say an insurance tax is more fair than an occupational tax because everyone will have to pay a little -- and the wealthier will pay more than the lower-income. With money from the tax increase, officials hope to bring the glory days of downtown Owensboro back, only updated for the 21st century. Another large part of the downtown initiative is creating jobs. Officials have promised to secure work for local contractors and unions.