Candidates for the three Porter County Council at-large seats didn’t rule out a tax increase during a candidate forum at Woodland Park in Portage on Monday.
The League of Women Voters and Lakeshore Public Media sponsored the forum. Democratic candidate Erik Wagner didn’t attend because of a scheduling issue.
Porter County’s income tax rate is the lowest in the state, several of the candidates pointed out.
Republican Michelle Harris noted big projects are coming up. The Willowcreek Road extension, for example, was postponed to 2029 recently, but it’s still on the books. “How are we going to make this happen? How are we going to fund this,” she said.
“We’ve got a lot of investments we need to make in our communities,” Republican incumbent Andy Bozak said. “Is it time for a new tax? That’s what people are discussing right now.”
Municipalities are pushing for a public safety tax to generate money for them and the county. “What decisions are we making as a council to push that as far down the road as we can,” Bozak asked.
Democrat Bob DeRuntz said the council’s challenge is how to balance a low tax burden vs. providing essential services. Public safety and EMS are the most basic needs, he said, and “our public safety around the county is struggling to maintain competitive salaries.”
“I’m known as a pretty conservative Democrat,” 16-year Democratic incumbent Sylvia Graham said. “I am on a fixed income, and I am very concerned about people on a fixed income,” she said. The council might have to raise taxes in the future but she’s trying to keep it as low as possible. “I take that very seriously,” she said.
Council President Mike Brickner, a Republican, noted the county’s population is growing and county government must keep up with demand. “If taxes were to increase, one thing I would guarantee to the taxpayer is they would know how their money is being spent and what it’s being spent on,” he said.
“Every challenge is an opportunity. I’m a problem-solver,” Brickner said. “Identifying the problem isn’t hard to do,” he said. Voters need to elect the right people to address the county’s challenges. “We’re going to have some opportunities to excel,” he said.
“Right now we’re in a transition time fiscally of looking at the departments and seeing what money’s going where,” Harris said. This year, the county auditor met with department heads individually to look at budgets carefully before the council began looking at the budget.
“I know how impactful even a small increase in taxes can be for people,” Bozak said. “It’s important that we keep it low.”
“Right now we’re in a transition time fiscally of looking at the departments and seeing what money’s going where,” Harris said. This year, the county auditor met with department heads individually to look at budgets carefully before the council began looking at the budget.
“I know how impactful even a small increase in taxes can be for people,” Bozak said. “It’s important that we keep it low.”
Money from the sale of Porter Hospital gave the county an enormous nest egg, now at $190 million. This year, the council decided to take 5% of the interest money from that investment to help fund county operations. Previously, the county took 3.5%.
“We have this hospital money that’s been sitting there, and that’s why we’ve been able to keep our tax rates so low,” Bozak said. Without that money, the council would have had to increase taxes already, he added.
“When you consider the origin of that money, there are many needs when it comes to public health and safety in the county,” DeRuntz said. He urged using a portion of the principal to address “critical public health needs in Porter County and do it wisely.”
“Taxes for most people are going through the roof,” he said. “There’s only so long we can maintain that” and municipalities haven’t seen that trickle down. “They’re starving to maintain their public safety.”
“When you consider the origin of that money, there are many needs when it comes to public health and safety in the county,” DeRuntz said. He urged using a portion of the principal to address “critical public health needs in Porter County and do it wisely.”
“Taxes for most people are going through the roof,” he said. “There’s only so long we can maintain that” and municipalities haven’t seen that trickle down. “They’re starving to maintain their public safety.”
Graham said legislators and the architect of the plan to create a foundation making it difficult to tap the principal were wise. “The higher that we can keep our principal, the better our bond ratings will go,” she said. “We’re up to AA ratings on our bonds. That costs the taxpayers less money on the borrowing on our bonds.”
“For years the hospital money has been supplementing the general fund,” Brickner said. “I don’t believe we’re using that foundation money the way it was intended.”
Harris said she would agree with tapping the principal “so long as we have a really good plan for that.” She repeatedly urged creating a strong multi-year fiscal plan. “I don’t think we should be relying on that (hospital money) on a regular basis.”
“I don’t want to spend that principal,” Bozak said. “My son needs to be operating off that money when he’s older.”
Brickner noted Porter County has one of the highest property tax rates in the state. “We need to spend our taxpayer money smarter,” he said. “We have to reinvest in the quality of life in Porter County.”
“If we have had all these solutions all these years to fix these budgeting issues, why haven’t they been done,” Harris asked. “It’s great if we can tout having the lowest LIT (local income tax) rate as long as we can create the best quality of life for our residents.”
Zeroing in on the Willowcreek Road project, Graham said the county needs that north-south traffic artery, something lacking on the county’s west side. “The county is growing. We have to look to the future,” she said.
Even with the county paying just 20% of the project’s cost, it was a lot of money, “We had an election, things changed, and it was not a priority,” she said.
“We’re going to have to figure out how to pay for it,” Brickner acknowledged. “It is not up to the council to decide when they’re going to break ground on that project. It will be up to the council to decide how to fund it.”
“The funding is not there for it, so it’s probably beneficial that it’s been kicked five years down the road,” Harris said. But it still needs to be dealt with. “There’s already money been invested in the project,” she said, so the county would lose money by not completing it.
Bozak recalled that coming up at a recent meeting. “We can’t take care of our roads and we have to update our roads, and in that same meeting we’re talking about the Willowcreek Road extension,” he said. “I don’t see how we fund it.”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad project. I know it pisses off some farmers down there,” Bozak said.
The council needs to prepare long-term strategic plans for the future. “Our obligation as elected officials is to plan for that,” he said, rather than waiting another five years to figure it out.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
