One election issue has emerged among all others in a Bartholomew County Council race to represent residents in the city of Columbus: Raising taxes.
David Jones, 43, is challenging incumbent District 3 council member Mark Gorbett, 60, in the May 8 Republican primary. The winner advances to the November general election, which could include a Democrat or Libertarian if those parties nominate a candidate by late June.
The Bartholomew County Council voted 4-3 on Oct. 10 of last year to raise the county’s local income tax rate from 1.25 percent of a worker’s gross pay to 1.75 percent. Council members voting in favor of the 40 percent increase were Gorbett, Laura DeDomenic, Jorge Morales and Chris Ogle. Council members opposed were Bill Lentz, Evelyn Pence and Matt Miller.
A key element in Jones’ campaign is Gorbett’s support of the 40 percent hike in the county’s local income tax.
Jones, who works for Cummins, Inc., claims the tax hike was approved “with no plan or prospects to effectively and properly use it.”
Since the county’s 2015 fiscal crisis, the council and other elected officials have been engaged in establishing long-term priorities, said Gorbett, a former county sheriff prohibited by state law from seeking a third term.
However, it would have pointless to create definitive financial plans until the council learned from the state in February how much new revenue to expect, Gorbett said.
“We can’t suddenly create a five-year plan if we don’t have money to pay for things,” Gorbett said.
But families often have to make long-term financial plans for such things as a house, car or college based on their future income, and the county should be no different, Jones said.
Gorbett was viewed as a fiscal conservative after never requesting a line-item budget increase during his two four-year terms as sheriff. Although he considers himself frugal in spending public funds, Gorbett said he didn’t ask for an increase in the sheriff’s budget because he knew he would never get it.
“There were numerous things I wanted to do as sheriff, but I couldn’t,” Gorbett said. “For eight years, I saw funds depleting by a series of unfunded mandates and unexpected costs – and all I heard (from the county council) was excuses.”
In 2015, former county financial advisor Dan Eggermann told the council that cost-cutting would not be enough to produce a balanced budget. Instead, more revenue had to be generated, Eggermann said.
Subsequently, Gorbett became the first member of the current council to voice support for enacting a local option income tax that was often referred to as a public safety tax. Eventually, all Indiana counties were mandated by the state to only have one type of income tax.
Eventually, research and efficiency evaluations, especially concerning the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, began supporting Eggermann’s conclusions. Three other council members eventually voted with Gorbett on raising the county’s local income tax last fall.
However, Jones maintains most tax discussions were not held in public. He said there should have been a public referendum placed on the ballot regarding the tax hike prior to the council’s vote.
Jones also criticized Gorbett for what he called a “history of requesting and approving increases to the county tax rate.”
“Lots of people say Mark Gorbett is a champion of the tax increase,” Gorbett said. “But it’s not what I wanted to do. It’s what we needed for the sake of our own community. I stand by my decision.”
In addition to strengthening law enforcement and addressing jail overcrowding, Bartholomew County government’s other needs include repairing or replacing deteriorating buildings, better staffing for overworked court systems, and creating resources to aaddress the opioid crisis, Gorbett said.
Most of those problems are the result of poor planning and a lack of administration, Jones said.
For example, Jones accused Gorbett of reappropriating more than $5 million of unexpected or rollover funds from 2017, which exceeded the $1.7 million shortfall needed to make ends meet from 2016.
Jones said he was referring to transfers into three different county highway funds approved March 20 by the council
Since highway accounts don’t receive revenue from the county general fund, the council has no control over those monies, Bartholomew County Auditor Barb Hackman said.
“When money comes in from other sources, it’s just a (state-mandated) process that it must be presented to the council,” Hackman said.
Asked how existing problems can be addressed without additional revenue, Jones said he does not have answers at this time. However, the county does need to better manage its money, he said.
Once jail overcrowding is adequately addressed, Gorbett said he would support any evidence-based treatment for addicted inmates, but only after all other funding sources are explored.
In contrast, Jones said the sheriff’s department is ill-equipped at all levels to be an addiction treatment facility in any form.
“If we wouldn’t expect nurses and doctors to police the streets, why then would we expect law enforcement to treat incarcerated inmate addictions?” Jones asked.
District 3 includes most of the city of Columbus, including the Tipton Lakes area. Four members of the County Council represent geographical parts of Bartholomew County, while three serve as at-large members.
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Responsibilities: The Bartholomew County Council has the ultimate decision-making power regarding fiscal affairs. The seven-member council has the authority to view or review fiscal matters, determine proper policy, and set priorities for the allocation and expenditure of county funds. Their duties 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.
Salary: Annual salary of $8,361. Council members are also eligible for the same benefits as full-time county employees, including health and life insurance, as well as enrollment in the Public Employees Retirement Fund.
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See bios and question-and-answer responses inside on Page A3.
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