Q&A for the Dubois County Council District 1 candidates Matt Johnson and Craig Greulich

County Council members perform the duties of the legislative branch of the county government and have the ultimate decision-making power regarding fiscal affairs.

The council has the authority to view or review fiscal matters, determine proper policy, and set priorities for the allocation and expenditure of county funds.

Typically these powers include:

• Approving and fixing annual operating budgets of all county government offices and agencies.
• Establishing salaries, wages, per diems, and other compensation for all county officials and employees.
• Fixing tax rates and establishing levies on all county property for the purpose of raising funds to meet budget requirements in conducting county business as well as authorizing the borrowing of money in the form of bonds and notes.
• Appropriating public funds, i.e., authorizing the expenditure of county money by particular officials or departments for specific purposes.
• Authorizing certain purchases or sales of county-owned land.
• Non-binding review of budgets for certain nonelected boards in the county and other civil units.
• The county council also has the power to adopt certain taxes, such as County Local Income Tax (LIT), and County Innkeeper’s Tax, along with a wheel tax and surtax on cars, motorcycles, trucks and trailers.

Craig Greulich (Rep) is the incumbent candidate. He has served as the district 1 representative for eight years as a member of the Democratic Party. He announced he was switching parties earlier this year and is running as the Republican candidate. Greulich is the owner and operator of CG Promotionals LLC.

Matt Johnson (Dem) is running for the office for the first time this election cycle. He is the owner of Focused Fitness, a personal training facility located on the west side of Jasper.

Dubois County Council District 1 covers Bainbridge 3W, 5N, 6N and 7 as well as Boone, Harbison and Madison townships.

Here are the questions. (All answers are as written by the candidates with light editing for grammar and layout.)

Let’s talk about growth: Dubois County has several programs designed to attract business and people, what do you think the county needs to be paying attention to the most as growth occurs?

Johnson — Locally, we need to focus on affordable housing in the county’s largest towns. There is no way to grow if potential new arrivals cannot find or afford a place to live. As well, the job market needs to be more attractive.  On a larger scale, I would like to see more attention paid to education and the effects state policy is having on local schools and teachers.

Greulich — It is difficult to narrow down one item when the goal is to responsibly grow our county. Many things are important when discussing growth. As a County, we need to give our young leaders a voice in the future. I feel it would be unique if we could gather a group of young community leaders (35 and younger) that would create some new ideas and a fresh vision for Dubois County. These young community leaders could collaborate with the County on these new ideas to determine what is feasible for Dubois County to assist with.

Let’s talk about housing and workforce needs: Dubois County steadily remains a county with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state while having employers in the area constantly battling over candidates. We also have identified a lack of affordable housing as an issue, and though that is being addressed, the amount of affordable housing is still a common complaint. What role does the county play in addressing those challenges?

Greulich — Let me first state that affordable housing is not just a Dubois County issue, this is an issue across this great country. We are fortunate to have a local group called Grow Dubois County that was developed to tackle issues such as affordable housing. Dubois County’s role with Grow Dubois County is to provide funding. Per Grow Dubois County statistics, Dubois County saw residential growth that was very strong. Based on data collected from 2019 thru mid-2021, there were 273 new apartments and 390 Homes constructed for a grand total of 663 new dwellings built in Dubois County. So, the growth is there. However, I recognize that some will say there is not enough affordable housing and they would be correct. The County cannot fix this issue alone. All levels of government need to work hand in hand with the private sector (builders and developers) on this very difficult issue.

Johnson — The county needs to keep a watchful eye on projects that have received tax abatements and tax money and make sure they are meeting their requirements for such a tax gift. Taxpayers pick up the slack left by lost revenue from abatements and TIFs. I think it would be interesting to see the gaps between wage earners and their employer’s chief officers’ benefits. I say benefits so that we are not only comparing wages and earning but the whole package. Especially for those corporations receiving tax favors from the county. Finally, the county should be willing to review a company’s PPP loans as well as how it was used for their employees should any companies that received forgiveness apply for a tax favor.

Affordable housing is still a problem because home and rental prices are rising faster than wages. Especially wages of middle-class professionals and manufacturing workers. Most large local employers are reluctant to offer respective wage increases hoping that inflation is temporary. Meanwhile, their employees are unable to save or maybe dipping into their savings. What’s more, when workers see an increase in wages, it is often followed by an increase in their contribution to insurance or something else, meaning there is nothing extra. 

Finally, the county also needs to stop entertaining projects after they have become money pits. 
Case in point, the Mid-States Corridor. How much have we spent on studies? How much will it cost us later? With the state government having the authority to create Super TIFs, we could see the corridor paid for with a TIF that skims all the increased tax revenue starving the resources that might need that revenue.

So to summarize the county’s role in addressing those challenges? Stop spending tax payers money on projects that are money pits. Stop offering tax favors to companies that have large wage gaps between the lowest and highest incomes. Stop using TIFs that lack focus. 

And on a side note, giving money to companies to “bring jobs” to an area that already has the lowest unemployment rate just smells of a scam. We need to attract people.

Let’s talk about addiction and mental health issues: What concerns do you have about these two issues and how do you see the county assisting in addressing them?

Johnson — Addiction is a health and mental health issue and needs to be treated as such. People will not seek treatment if there is a possibility of jail. And building a new justice center without a strong focus on rehabilitation demonstrates the project may be more about housing inmates than reducing recidivism. Because when there are more beds, there is a push to fill them, then we end up with either a heavy-handed court or housing other counties’ inmates. We should encourage companies (especially those receiving our tax favors) to participate in mental health programs and rehabilitation programs such as the Dove foundation and SoberDuco. Giving people outlets to connect and be human outside of their addiction. I have been helping SoberDuco myself with some coaching, networking and more. I am a small business that is capable of doing this. Why not ask more of our larger corporations that benefit from being surrounded by a healthy community, It is, after all, their employee pool. Ask them to help with some funding for these programs. 

Greulich — Mental Health and Addiction have been a real thing for many years. Only recently have we seen these issues get the attention they need and deserve. Dubois County is making some incremental progress in this area. One example is The Dove House for Women which recently opened. The goal of the Dove House is to help nurture and guide women to help improve their lives. Soon, the Next Step Recovery for men will open with the same goals as The Dove House. I am very involved with Next Step Recovery for men as I currently sit on their board of directors. We are excited about the progress we are making. We have had a few small setbacks that have delayed our opening. However, the Next Step Recovery board of directors, along with assistance from the Dubois County Community Foundation, are eager to open very soon. I see a vision where Dubois County can assist and support these groups in other ways besides our financial means.

Let’s talk about infrastructure and HELP: The county is taking part in the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP) to work with OCRA on projects that address one of four areas: broadband connectivity, community wellness, enhancing the quality of place and strengthening local economies. What of these four pillars do you feel is the most immediate concern for the county and why?

Greulich — Hoosiers Enduring Legacy Program is a fantastic idea that was created to lend a hand to communities that have fallen behind in areas that help a community thrive. Dubois County recognized that we need to do better with broadband, and that project is moving forward at this time. We are excited to share that in less than two years from now, nearly all Dubois County residents will have access to the internet. The area of concern that is most important to me is strengthening our local economies. Having internet to households is a great start to our success, but we need to identify where we fall short in our local economy. Hopefully, during the HELP meetings, we can brainstorm and develop action items to assist in growing our local economy.

Johnson — So many aspects of each of these are so important. However, I think broadband connectivity is one that has the most impact across all the pillars. With better broadband connectivity, we can immediately improve access to the rest of the world, which can improve the quality of place by simply making rural areas more accessible. Better broadband can strengthen local economies by making rural areas more attractive to new businesses as well as enabling residents and entrepreneurs to use new technology that relies on broadband. It could increase the local economy by making work-from-home possible, thus attracting new residents. Broadband connectivity can enhance education and offer alternatives to in-person education for adults as well as children.

I think if the last two years demonstrated anything, it is how separated rural communities can become from the rest of the world when parts of it get shut down.

Take my business, for instance. It relies heavily on one-on-one interaction. However, that doesn’t necessarily need to be in person. Should the need arise, I can find a way to adapt to online sessions. Right now, I am researching a training app for my clients to offer training programs and videos outside our normal interactions. If I did not have good broadband, that would not be an easy option for me to implement, let alone research. If my clients do not have broadband or even good cellular access, then this would not be an option for them to utilize. And I guess that sort of demonstrates one minor way community wellness can be improved with broadband.

We can’t avoid talking about the Mid-States Corridor: While the Tier One study is still being completed, the second tier will be moving forward in the near future. What are your thoughts or concerns as the county will likely be called upon to help fund the next phase of the study and even the construction of the corridor if it moves forward? Do you support funding the next tier of the study or its construction through local tax increases or with local tax dollars? Why do your support or not support the corridor?

Johnson — Simple, stop funding. It is a waste of our funds. I honestly don’t see how we can discuss a new terrain road given how poorly our existing roads are maintained now. We need to spend the money on updating and maintaining the current infrastructure, including internet access and childcare. When looking at the data from the company doing the studies, they themselves show that there is only a few minutes saved from I-69 to I-64 by adding the corridor. Literally minutes. Those few minutes are not going to bring that many more jobs at the risk of tearing out what remains of farmland and our rural communities. Those few minutes put our kids crossing 4 lanes of traffic in buses numerous times a day. Per the information packet the people doing the study passed out at the town hall meeting at VU in April, their own estimate it would save between 2-5 minutes from Crane to Rockport! Unacceptable risk versus reward. Fix our current roads with that money. Invest in other infrastructure. Circling back to the Super-TIF. It is entirely feasible that the current state government will attempt to sell this road as “not costing taxpayer money” by surrounding the affected communities in a super tif. Then as the increased tax revenue is siphoned off and diverted, the resources that would need that revenue, like schools needing it for new students, will become starved and forced to ask for a referendum to increase their funding. At which point, they will become ridiculed by those that did not realize what happened.

Greulich — The Mid-States Corridor is obviously a hot topic for many Dubois County residents. I have really tried to keep an open mind to both sides when discussing this project. I have had many conversations with citizens in my voting district about the Mid-States Corridor. I do want to be very clear on a few things. First, as a County Councilman, I do NOT have any vote or decision-making authority on whether this project moves forward. Second, even though Dubois County has previously given funds to the initial Tier 1 Study, I do NOT support giving any more Dubois County tax dollars to fund further studies on the Mid-States Corridor. Lastly, I do not support increasing taxes to fund any future studies or projects related to the Mid-States Corridor.

Is there a county-wide issue that you would like to address other than the ones I have asked about?

Greulich did not provide any additional responses.

Johnson — Public transportation. Not simply taxis or buses but alternative rideshare services like like mirco metro. We should investigate what other small towns have done to address public transportation. More things for our adolescents to be able to do, such as a skate park and easier access to the bike parks by fixing sidewalks and putting in bike/walking paths where none exist.