Don Lawson (Taxpayer UNfriendly)

Watchdog Lebanon Home Page

Address: 4919 Serum Plant Road, Thorntown, IN 46071 
Phone: (765) 436-7405
E-mail: dlawson@frontiernet.net  
Website:

1. What will be your public service priorities if you are elected to be a Boone County Commissioner? ANSWER: Has not responded.

2. Is the county spending enough of its available resources to maintain and improve the county roads in the unincorporated areas of the county? BACKGROUND: The 2013-15 State Budget made better use of the existing state Gasoline Tax and state Sales Tax revenues from gasoline purchases to significantly increase Boone County transportation funding. State revenues deposited into the Boone County Motor Vehicle Highway and Local Road & Street funds increased 38 percent from $2,900,956 in 2013 to $4,016,363 in 2015. However, only $2,888,947 was spent from the 2015 Boone County Motor Vehicle Highway and Local Road & Street funds – $1,127,416 was unspent and added to the cash reserves (the December 31, 2015, cash balances in the Boone County Motor Vehicle Highway and Local Road & Street funds totaled $2,933,169). ANSWER: Has not responded.

3. What is an appropriate level of county cash reserves compared to the county’s annual operating budget? BACKGROUND: The August 11, 2010, Boone County Comprehensive Financial Plan prepared by H. J. Umbaugh & Associates (a PDF version can be E-mailed on request) targets 15% as a prudent level of end-of-the-year Boone County government cash balances compared to annual operating funds disbursements. ANSWER: Has not responded.

4. Should property tax rate increases be avoided to (a) protect lower income Boone County residents with homes assessed below the 1% property tax cap from tax increases and (2) lessen Boone County units of government budget losses to property tax caps? ANSWER: Has not responded.

5. Should better use be made of the request for proposals (RFP) process to select county government service providers? ANSWER: Has not responded.

6. Is the Boone County Area Comprehensive Plan a good road map for future growth that also preserves agriculture as an economic development industry? BACKGROUND: See http://www.boonecounty.in.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=65. ANSWER: Has not responded.

7. Should upcoming board appointments by the Boone County Commissioners be announced ahead of time so interested citizens can apply? ANSWER: Has not responded.

8. Who is your current employer, and would service as a Boone County Commissioner possibly create significant conflicts related to your employment? ANSWER: Has not responded.

9. What is your campaign phone number, E-mail address, and website (or other online presence)? ANSWER: Has not responded.

10. Do you wish to make some additional comments about your candidacy? ANSWER: Has not responded.

County Commissioner Don Lawson cast a Taxpayer UNfriendly YES vote on June 24, 2014, for Ordinance No. 2014-03. Ordinance No. 2014-03 allowed our County Council to impose an unneeded 166% increase in the county’s Cumulative Capital Development (CCD) property tax rate from $0.0125 to $0.0333. If the county’s other property tax rate components remained the same, raising the CCD property tax rate by $0.0208 would have resulted in a 9.5% increase in the Pay 2015 total county property tax rate from $0.2179 to $0.2387. The county had ample cash reserves to meet its spending needs without a CCD property tax rate increase.

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This page was last updated on 04/01/16.