County council candidates sound off

Apr. 19—GREENSBURG — Six candidates running for three Decatur County Council at-large seats attended a recent question and answer forum hosted by WTRE in partnership with the Daily News. All Republicans, they included Andrew Brunni, Janet Chadwell, Rob Duckworth, Ernie Gauck, Bill Metz and Rick Nobbe.

Melanie Hoffman is the only Democrat seeking an at-large seat on the Decatur County Council and she did not participate in the recent candidates' forum.

During opening comments, Brunni said he's running for a seat on the county council "because ... we have a problem with taxes in Decatur County" and that he thinks "we can do better to serve the taxpayers."

Chadwell, the current Decatur County Auditor, cited her experience in county government as her primary asset regarding the seat she is seeking.

Duckworth cited a variety of experiences that he said lend themselves to serving on the council and pledged to work together with other elected representatives to make things better for everyone.

Gauck noted he has served on the county council for several years and that he has always welcomed input from other Decatur County residents regarding how to be efficient with taxpayer dollars and get things done.

Metz, also an incumbent on the council, pointed out he is a lifelong Decatur County resident and has been involved in the community in a number of ways.

Nobbe, a former three-term Decatur County Commissioner, said he wants to continue to be involved in the community and that Decatur County is one of his passions. He added that he wants to help grow Decatur County.

The first question the candidates fielded was regarding the need for a new community pool and how to finance it.

Chadwell said she favors having funding for construction of a pool in place before moving forward with such an effort and that she does not support a new tax (a Food & Beverage Tax has been widely discussed) to pay for it.

Duckworth noted "round up" programs offered by some private industries have been successful in raising needed funds for various projects. He also noted that it has been estimated that around 50% of a Food & Beverage Tax would be paid for people who do not reside in Decatur County, and suggested amenities like a community pool help attract new residents to the community, which in turn helps grow the tax base.

Gauck favored replacing the now closed Allen Memorial Pool, but said we don't need to spend $6 million (a figure that has been discussed) doing so. "We need to figure out how we're going to pay for this before we commit ourselves to a project like this," he said. Gauck suggested one way to finance a new pool might be to borrow the funds and look into using EDIT (Economic Development Income Tax) funds to pay off such a loan. "I don't think we need a resort park pool," he said.

Metz said he is "all for" building a new pool, but that he is opposed to creating another tax to pay for it.

Nobbe agreed the community needs a new pool, but said he favors building something more modest than what has been proposed and discussed. He said "we need to look under every rock" when it comes to how such a facility would be paid for, and build something that's functional but that "we can be proud of."

Brunni made it clear he is not in favor of implementing a new tax regardless of what it might fund. "I actually think that we are way over-taxed in this county as a whole," he said, adding that he is not opposed to building a new pool as long as such a facility is "within our means."

The next question the candidates were asked to answer was regarding what they consider funding priorities.

Duckworth said better communication would facilitate creating a funding priorities list. His personal list of priorities included public safety, growing the tax base to provide additional funding for all needs, and looking at current needs as well as anticipating future needs.

Gauck said funding for infrastructure is at the top of his list, adding that Decatur County isn't going to grow if we don't have good roads, bridges, streets, police departments and schools. He also mentioned making access to the internet throughout the county is important. "We have to put a value on what's important to everybody," he said. A community pool, the fairgrounds and mental health services were also on his list.

Metz said mental health and housing are both spending priorities in addition to the items Gauck mentioned.

Nobbe said planning to be better prepared for current and upcoming needs is important, and suggested trying to accrue funds that could then be used for planned expenditures. Broadband, housing, and making the community a place where our kids want to live and where we can all feel safe and secure are among the items on his list of priorities.

Brunni cited law enforcement needs, roads and bridges, and improving broadband access as priorities. He also suggested an effort to get local industry and co-ops involved as partners to help provide needs and improvements.

Chadwell suggested better planning to identify spending needs, with more input from the public. She also said better planning would allow the county to be more proactive in addressing various issues and concerns that come up.

The Daily News will provide additional coverage from the recent candidates' forum in an upcoming story.

Kevin Green: kevin.green@greensburgdailynews.com or 812-651-0885.