Jim Love (Taxpayer Uncertain)

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Address:  
Phone: 317-694-2749
E-mail: JLove@Beckshybrids.com 
Website:

Candidate Love had no cash on hand on January 1. His only contribution was $376.29 from himself. There were $356.29 in itemized expenditures. The April 8 cash on hand was $20.

1. What will be your public service priorities if you are elected to the Boone County Council? ANSWER: My priorities are infrastructure improvement both short term and long term planning in an effort to have growth that is proactive not reactive. Attract and retain businesses that both improve services for Local citizens as well as help sell our community. Position our community as a community that can provide a high quality of life. Services if properly place could also serve as a source of revenue serving travelers along the I-65 corridor.

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: It is my belief that government is a non for profit organization. The only purpose is to manage the funds that they have been given to improve the lives of the county’s inhabitants. It has been my experience in others nonprofits that I have been involved with that it is very easy to sit on balances that exceed your rainy day needs. Often this behavior is hard on the moral of those paying in because they do not see improvements that correspond to the cost they are incurring. If our balance is greater than 2X the 10 yr. average of our unforeseen repair expenditures or is not being saved for a specific planned and scheduled project then it should be used. That being said there should be a forward looking improvement plan to use those dollars and not have them squandered on the first or squeakiest wheel that comes along after the decision is made to use the funds.

3. Do you support a new county-wide Wheel Tax? BACKGROUND: Indiana Senate Bill 67 passed by the Indiana General Assembly this year will increase funding for 2016 to the Boone County government units by a total of $13,044,770. A one-time additional distribution from the state’s county option income tax (COIT) trust account will provide $4,106,918 in additional county government revenue this year, at least 75% of which must be used exclusively by the Boone County Highway Department for local road construction, maintenance, and repair. In addition, Indiana House Bill 1001 passed by the Indiana General Assembly this year created a state Local Road and Bridge Matching Grant Fund, which will provide matching dollar-for-dollar grants to a county or municipality that allocates certain revenues for the purpose of increasing the capacity of local roads and bridges. ANSWER: I would support eh wheel tax under the following conditions. Improvement are being made and we have a transparent schedule of capital projects. Current funds have been used and improvements have been initiated. I find that when people feel like there taxes or donations in the case of the 4-H program are being used wisely, and they can see growth they are much more likely to contribute without begrudging the cost. In the case of Boone County 4-H we have defiantly seen a rise in contributions since we started our aggressive revitalization process. Although taxes are not voluntary I think from my perspective if they are balanced with action they are easier to justify.

4. 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: Unless I was show data that demonstrates some kind of annual unforeseen disaster that would exceed that percentage I would find 15% to seem reasonable.

5. Do you support a new county-wide Public Safety Local Option Income Tax? BACKGROUND: See page 77 of the Fiscal Year 2015 Indiana Handbook of Taxes, Revenues, and Appropriations at https://iga.in.gov/static-documents/f/9/4/0/f9407ace/2015%20Tax%20Handbook%20WEBPAGE.pdf. ANSWER: I was unable to review the link however I will answer based on the impressions I am getting from the meetings I have attended. The funding and staffing in the local sheriff’s office is an ongoing topic of discussion. If we are understaffed currently as I hear on a regular basis then one can only assume it will get worse as we see population growth at the southern end of the county. Since the department is a service organization with no billable customers it would only stand to reason that we will have to figure out some mechanism to fund the increasing demand on their services. In a perfect world we would bill those individuals who monopolize the largest portion of their time. It is much more likely that we will have to create a tax to continue the level of service we have grown accustom to.

6. 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: My preference would be toward use taxes vs. property tax increase. It seems property tax is a success penalty tax.

7. Should better use be made of the request for proposals (RFP) process to select county government service providers? ANSWER: As someone who has been on both sides of bidding when it comes to supplying services I find it troubling that price becomes the primary decision making tool. Rules that create this scenario often times work against the people they are trying to protect forcing municipalities to use less qualified contractors or force well qualified contractors to cut corners to meet the bids of those who either would not perform correctly on the bid or have no intention of getting the bid in the first place.

8. 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: I would like to see a plan that has specific projects and action items. With timelines and dates.

9. How can the actions and decisions of the Boone County Council be more open and transparent to the public? BACKGROUND: Good examples of how to provide open and transparent local government can be found on the Town of Whitestown web site at http://www.whitestown.in.gov/. ANSWER: Since the meetings are open to the public those with a keen interest should attend.

10. Should the individual votes of Boone County Council members be recorded in meeting minutes so the members can be held accountable for their public policy decisions? ANSWER: Yes.

11. Should upcoming Boone County Council board appointments be announced ahead of time so interested citizens can apply? ANSWER: Yes.

12. Who is your current employer, and would service on the Boone County Council possibly create significant conflicts related to your employment? ANSWER: I work for Becks Hybrids in Atlanta IN. I have worked for Beck’s for 27 years and currently work from my home. A council appointment will in no way compromise the relationship with my employer. Based on Beck’s level of generosity It may be of Benefit to Boone County.

13. What is your campaign phone number, E-mail address, and website (or other online presence)? ANSWER: 317-694-2749 jlove@beckshybrids.com

14. Do you wish to make some additional comments about your candidacy? ANSWER: I am a lifetime member of Boone County. By July my wife and I will have 5 generations of family currently living in Boone County. Our Families has a long tradition of residence in the county. I was not prompted to run for this office it was a decision I had thought about for several years and with my Children raised and I decided I would like to use my experience to help guide the future of our county.

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This page was last updated on 04/20/16.