Porter County first responders are pushing candidates in November’s race for county government on their stance on the adoption of a public safety tax.
Whether Candidates’ Night on Thursday in Portage will push the issue, which has languished for decades, to the fore remains to be seen, but most of those invited plan to attend and make their position known.
The Porter County Public Safety Council (PCPSC) was formed in July by members of volunteer and paid public safety agencies in the county.
Jon Parkhouse, a career firefighter in Porter County and a district vice president of the Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana, is serving as spokesperson for the group.
“I pay taxes and I also expect to live off of taxes, so if anyone gets it I think it’s the public safety families,” Parkhouse said of the balance he knows public officials have to strike between adequate funding for services and keeping taxes as low as public appetite allows.
In all, 16 of the state’s 92 counties don’t have a public safety tax derived from local income taxes, or LIT, and Porter County is one of those counties. The income tax here is also the lowest in the state at .5% while the state average is 1.8%.
The Indiana Department of Labor, Government, and Finance collects LIT and distributes it back to the county through the auditor’s office every month. If adopted, a public safety tax can be used to fund the jail, the sheriff’s department, 911 and ambulance service. Cities and towns can use it for police and fire service.
Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, said it’s a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison to compare Porter County’s lower LIT to others in the state because Porter County has the unique situation of being able to spend $5 to 6 million per year from the foundation set up with funds from the sale of the county hospital. She said that money pays a good portion of the 911 budget and part of the ambulance contract.
The state allows the county to use 5% of the principal annually from that sale, but the foundation board that oversees the fund, made up of the council and commission members, has opted for a spending policy of 3.25%, putting the remaining 1.75% back into the principal to keep up with inflation.
Blaney said besides the foundation money, other counties may have a higher LIT because they have to spread the tax burden amongst a smaller population.
She said she’ll be attending Thursday, but won’t be speaking as she is not seeking reelection to the commission, but is running for county treasurer. “I don’t know exactly what their needs are,” she said of the PCPSC. “I know we need an ambulance contract. I know the fire departments are struggling. Public safety’s important, but we need to know the needs and we need to know the options.”
While Council President Mike Brickner, R-At-Large, is one of the candidates invited to speak as he seeks reelection, he said a looming election should not stop officials from moving forward before Jan. 1. He said conversations on the possibility of a public safety tax are already being had between himself, Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, and County Attorney Scott McClure. He said they are looking to meet with the foundation board on the topic.
That said, he agrees with Blaney that research must be done and options weighed.
“Right now it’s tough. The price of groceries, gas. Nobody is going to raise their hands and say, ‘I’d like to raise taxes.’
“This is not something that we rush through,” he added, saying public forums would need to be held to make sure every citizen understands what a public safety tax is and how it would affect them. “It needs to be done methodically and with transparency.”
Biggs, who is also one of those invited to speak as he’s seeking reelection, said it would be interesting to see what town, city, and township officials attend Thursday. He said while the Board of Commissioners doesn’t get a vote on whether or not to adopt a public safety tax – that is left to the Council – commissioners need to have an opinion.
“There’s a lot of people who are going to look to people like myself and I have to have an answer. I can’t say, ‘Well, I don’t vote on it,’” he said.
Parkhouse said his group sent a questionnaire and an invitation to speak to all Porter County Council at-large and Porter County Board of Commissioners candidates. As of Monday eight of 10 had confirmed they would be in attendance, while incumbent Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-At-Large, said she might attend and incumbent Councilman Andy Bozak, R-At-Large had said he would not be in attendance.
Emails were also sent out to 67 elected officials such as mayors, township officials, and those in county government not up for reelection, inviting them to attend.
“I guess the thought process is to show them, ‘It’s OK if you do this,’” Parkhouse said of the encouragement his group wants to give public officials to consider a public safety tax.
If you go: Candidates’ Night is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, at Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Road in Portage. Doors open at 6 p.m. The event will feature a brief introduction and then 10 to 15 minutes for each candidate to answer provided questions.
Shelley Jones is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
