Porter County Council candidates discuss possible tax increase, foundation money at candidate forum (2024)

Candidates for Porter County's three at-large council seats met Monday evening at a forum organized by Lakeshore Public Media and the League of Women Voters of Porter County.

The Council serves as Porter County's fiscal leadership, approving budgets and managing spending. It also makes appointments to some county boards.

Democratic incumbent Sylvia Graham and her Republican colleagues Andy Bozak and Mike Brickner are defending their seats in next month's general election. They face challenges from Democrats Bob DeRuntz and Erik Wagner as well as Republican Michelle Harris. The three candidates with the highest vote tallies will represent the whole of Porter County on the Council starting in January.

Wagner, a former member of the County Council and Porter Town Council, was the only candidate not to attend Monday's forum.

Tom Maloney, Lakeshore Public Media's vice president of radio operations, moderated the event and read questions submitted by members of the public.

Many of the questions concerned the candidates' positions on whether to increase Porter County's local income tax (LIT), which at just 0.5 percent is currently the lowest of any Indiana County. The Porter County Public Safety Council, an advocacy group comprising fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services and dispatch personnel, has asked the county council to approve a 0.5 percent increase and set aside the additional revenue for their departments.

On Monday, the candidates largely echoed positions they articulated during a forum held by the Public Safety Council in August. No candidate fully embraced the idea of a tax increase, though they all agreed that it might eventually prove necessary in the face of mounting costs.

"I want to do everything we can to keep taxes low," Graham told attendees.

Bozak said that a LIT increase is "the kind of conversation we have to consider having," but that he wants the council to exhaust other options before resorting to it. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary spending, he said, might help forestall the need to increase the burden on taxpayers.

For years, Porter County has supplemented its general fund with the part of the interest from $147 million from the 2007 sale of the county hospital that was invested in a foundation. The balance now sits at just under $197 million dollars.

Last month, the foundation's board, comprising Porter County's Council members and commissioners, voted unanimously toincrease the interest it draws from 3.25 percent to 5 percent for one year. The move will provide roughly $3 million more in spendable funds.

Asked whether the county should consider dipping into the principle balance to meet its present financial needs, the candidates were divided.

DeRuntz and Harris both said they are open to spending the principle under certain circumstances.

Deruntz,a history teacher and president of the Duneland Teachers Association, said that the foundation board acted "wisely" in leaving the money in the foundation, but that the body "without question could consider" spending the some of the funds, particularly on public safety.

Harris, a Valparaiso teacher, echoed the sentiment, telling attendees that she would consider spending the principle on "something large" and only after careful consideration.

"I would have no issue or taking exception to using the principal of the hospital money so long as we have a really good plan for that," she said. "I would like to see one year strategic plan, a five-year strategic plan, before we start dipping into our precious money. I don't think that we should be relying on that on a regular basis."

All three incumbents defended the County's decision to leave the funds in the foundation and voiced opposition to spending the principle.

A smaller foundation balance would mean a smaller pool of interest in future years, Bozak said, leaving the county worse off in the long run. Had Porter County not been able to rely on the foundation interest in recent years, "we probably would have had to raise taxes a long time ago."

"I want that hospital moneythere forour kids," Bozak told attendees.