Letter: Resolution fails, Mid-States Corridor fight continues

On Monday, March 16, 2026 the Mid-States Corridor RDA folks, Mr. Bill Kaiser and Mr. Mark Schroeder, once again appeared before the Dubois County Board of Commissioners. They presented a resolution for the Commissioners, to approve, to recommend the continuance of the RDA’s charter. To the credit of the Commissioners, they opted not to make the recommendation to the Dubois County Council. The County Council is to vote on continuing the RDA at their next meeting, March 30, 2026.

Mr. Kaiser and Mr. Schroeder have decided on a new tactic in their quest to force the continuance of the RDA on the citizens of Dubois County. In the past they have told us that there is nothing left for the RDA to do. They have fulfilled their mission by getting the Tier 1 EIS financed and completed. So why is there a need for the RDA to continue?

The why, is the new tactic. The Mid-States Corridor’s future is now in the hands of the State’s Budget Committee. This was the gist of SB 27, which stated that any infrastructure projects with a price tag of over $250 million in any one county must be submitted to the Budget Committee for review. The recent exposure of the Mid-States Corridor to the Legislature and a statewide audience resulted in the Legislature and the people of Indiana rejecting the project by 74%. Don’t forget that 81% of the people of Dubois County are opposed to the project as well.

Editor note: These numbers are based on two polls conducted by Raleigh, N.C.-based Public Policy Polling, funded by donations from residents and members of the Property Rights Alliance and the Coalition Against the Mid-States Corridor. In the first poll, 636 Dubois County voters responded, and in the second statewide poll, 554 voters responded. Both polls have a 4 percent margin of error.

The new tactic as presented by Mr. Kaiser, is that the RDA is now needed to advocate for funding from the private sector, i.e. OFS, Myers Distributing, Jasper Engines and Masterbrands, to name a few. What funding? Well, the local match of 10% of the project cost that INDOT requires, of course. None of the members of the RDA, Spencer County, Dubois County, Jasper or Huntingburg can afford the $100+ million match. The solution? Ask the same folks who anonymously donated to fund the RDA to step up and fund the construction. I ask, is this even legal?

Kyanna Wheeler, INDOT Mid-States Corridor Project Manager, has for several months stated that “arrangements” could be worked out for the local match. She has said a deal could be done by using the future maintenance of US 231, or the use of road equipment in lieu of the cash. Now she and the RDA are saying private donations can be accepted. So what will we get? A privately funded highway that the public has to maintain? This just doesn’t sound right.

What can we as citizens, and taxpayers, of Dubois, Martin and Daviess counties do? Well we can start by attending every Property Rights Alliance (PRA) meeting, attending every County and City Council meeting, every Commissioners meeting and any town halls that are being scheduled. We must continue to remind our elected officials that we are the majority of their constituents and that we oppose the Corridor. We will no longer be bound by party affiliation but will vote only for those candidates who oppose the Corridor. We cannot allow this new tactic to continue.

Later this Spring and Summer, INDOT and the Lochmueller group will start pressuring land owners to sell their land for the Right of Way (ROW) for the Corridor. We must stand tall and firm. Those who want the Corridor want our land. We have seen that they will stoop to suing their neighbors to get what they want. They have already taken 165 Dubois County landowners to court to force them to allow surveyors onto their land. They will try and do the same, again, to force us to sell. We must fight them. We must “see them in court”. We must remind everyone that the $3 billion cost of the project does not include land acquisition costs or legal fees. If they are going to take us to court, again, it’s going to cost them dearly. I’m sure the taxpayers and legislators are not onboard with this.

We must force the Budget Committee in its review of the Mid-States Corridor to recommend the cancellation of it, and for INDOT to get back to work repairing our existing roads.

Jim Arvin
Rutherford Township
Martin County

This is not Mr. Jim Arvin, former CEO of Jasper Desk.