Letter: Freedom Makers to host local political candidates
The Freedom Makers of Dubois County would like the invite everyone to our October 13th meeting, at the Shoney’s in Jasper from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., as we are hosting a town hall for local candidates who are running for elected positions.
This will allow you to interact with those running for office directly via questions while listening to what they have to say in a managed yet informal environment. We are hosting this because certain candidates asked us if they could address our group, and we feel it is important for the community to be involved.
The following is a current list of candidates who will address the group on Tuesday:
- Wayne Schuetter, running for mayor of Jasper
- Joshua Budd, running for mayor of Jasper
- Adam Auffart, running for Jasper city council in Bainbridge 3.
- Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner, running for re-election. (he cannot make it but has asked for a letter to be read)
This night is for the people of the county, not just Jasper, Huntingburg, and others.
Why the whole county? TIF and tax abatements are why.
Both economic development strategies deny tax revenue, from new assessed value, to schools, the county government, the county airport, and other various county government entities that are funded by property taxes.
Schools are the hardest hit because from the local tax level they received 100% of their tax revenue by property taxes.
When comparing TIF to abatements, TIF causes the most havoc to funding because it is always at 100% and lasts much longer than any abatement. Even Huntingburg has some very old TIFs with the base assessed value at what it was when it was initially approved.
That is why it is very important all residents of Dubois County have a voice in asking questions. The more these economic tools are used, the higher the chance your taxes will have to be raised or the schools/county government entities or they will have to cut spending.
Sure, the new income tax that is generated helps out, but I haven’t seen a study showing the income taxes more than offset the loss of property taxes while a particular economic development tool is active.
We are one of the few counties within Indiana who are growing, and are a magnet for people to move to if they want to work. This local election is about continuing that progress while holding onto fiscal conservative principles. This means you need to know each person’s stance and vote for the person and not party affiliation. Our group exists to help educate you on topics like this, and this is why we have the meeting open to the public. You deserve the chance to question those running for office. I hope to see you next week on Tuesday, October 13th.
Adrian Engelberth
President, Freedom Makers of Dubois County
Assume all candidates were contacted or invited? Other than ye old schedule conflict (legitimate in some cases), too bad a few chose not to participate. You can’t win by not being heard – hopefully there will be another event or two.
I doubt every candidate was invited. Freedom Makers clearly has a bias, and should be taken as seriously as game show hosts.
I am a candidate for Jasper Common Council, District 3. I read about the open invitation on facebook awhile ago and inquired about attending and was welcomed. It is my understanding that any other candidate who wishes to attend and speak would be welcomed as well.