Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Three Republicans vie for North District County Commissioner

Back To Front Page

 

By JEFF SCHULTZ

In Porter County’s only contested race for a Commissioner seat this primary election, Jim Biggs, John Cannon and Jeff Trout are running to be the Republican choice for North District Commissioner.

Jim Biggs

Biggs previously held the seat for two terms, from 1992 to 1999. He also ran in 2012 unsuccessfully against the incumbent John Evans. Evans chose not to seek another term this year.

Currently in his second term on the County Council, Biggs said the Commissioners play a definite role in their constituents’ quality of life and asserts that the job should be handled with compassion and professional standards.

Biggs said his biggest concern is finding a balance in declining property tax revenue versus the increasing demand of services. He advocates the County have a spending plan that goes beyond one year. When it comes to storm water, Biggs believes the current board of commissioners have a plan underway to address issues with the new stormwater fee and he supports exempting conservation organizations that retain water on-site.

When it comes to the topic of how best to use the roughly $148 million in sale proceeds from the County-owned Porter Memorial Hospital, Biggs said County government officials should protect it from being spent down. The revenues made on investment should not be disbursed until the County has a solution in place to fund its E-911 center and the Sheriff’s Department pension plan.

Biggs, who has spoken out against Pavilion Partner’s plan to build a conference/banquet center at Indiana Dunes State Park, said that innkeepers tax dollars should be closely monitored.

Biggs said he thinks there are other possibilities for economic development the County can reach towards other than the use of tax increment financial districts.

John Cannon

Cannon has been a member of the Portage City Council since 2011 and has subsequently served on the City’s Redevelopment Commission for three years.

Cannon said he is running for office because he feels there needs to be a change in Porter County Government. He said he can work with both political parties to get things accomplished.

The issues in the race for Cannon include strengthening the prevention of drugs, using hospital funds and rebuilding infrastructure like drainage, roads and buildings. Cannon said he would like to see the hospital proceeds be put toward infrastructure issues and a study to assess the costs in the first year and a plan developed for upkeep in the next ten years. Then a study should tell how much money will be generated in interest each year. If costs and revenues don’t balance, other action needs to be researched, he said.

For the County’s new stormwater fee, Cannon said fee credits should be considered.

He is in support of the proposed banquet center at Dunes State Park, saying tourism is important way of promoting greatness in Porter County. He believes the Innkeepers Tax the Tourism Board receives should be shared equally with the municipalities for promoting tourism.

Cannon said TIF districts can help the County economically just as it has helped cities. He would be in favor of a five-year TIF to spur economic growth and the diversion of funds could be supplemented back to government units in the TIF area.

Jeff Trout

Trout is a business owner in Chesterton and has served on various boards for the past 15 years, including the Chesterton Redevelopment Commission, Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals and seven years as a Town Council member.

His experience on the Town Council gave him the experience of prioritizing needs and looking after the day-to-day operations similar to what the Commissioners do, Trout said.

Trout’s said his main goals if elected would be to look after infrastructure, keep property taxes low through the investment of hospital funds, support law and judicial systems to address substance abuse and continue economic development around Porter Regional Hospital and the Porter County Regional Airport.

As a commissioner, Trout said he looks forward to serving on the recently formed Stormwater Management Board and solving infrastructure problems while exercising fiscal responsibility. He does support exempting or reducing the stormwater user fee for property owners who can demonstrate proper storage of runoff and said appeals should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

In investing the hospital sale proceeds, Trout believes in shoring up budget shortfalls the first few years that an investment return is garnered. Based on that track record, the County should formulate a capital expenditure plan, he said.

Trout said he supports the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission and the results of bringing tourism dollars to the county that support jobs, which is why he cautions against change to the way innkeepers tax is allocated.

TIF districts can be a useful tool for redevelopment, Trout said, but be used just for infrastructure improvements and not diverted from units such as schools. Tax abatements should be used as a last resort and only be considered for attracting businesses who can produce many jobs with livable wages.

 

Posted 5/2/2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

Search This Site:

Custom Search