Lieutenant Governor Candidates Debate Water Policy, Property Taxes

Three nominees for Indiana lieutenant governor pledged to serve farmers and rural residents, albeit in different ways, during a debate Tuesday focused on agriculture.

Republican Reverend Micah Beckwith, Democrat and former rural development official Terry Goodin and Libertarian real estate agent Tonya Hudson discussed water policy, property tax relief and more before a packed room of Indiana residents.

Danville-based agricultural advocacy group Agriinstitute organized the debate, which took place at the Indiana State Fair. Inside Indiana Business host Gerry Dick moderated.

Water policy was central.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s (IEDC) plan to pump 100 million gallons of water a day from Tippecanoe County to a large planned industrial park in Boone County has drawn persistent opposition.

When asked how they would balance agricultural water needs with economic development, candidates took different approaches.

Beckwith called the unrest a “transparency problem” stemming from the IEDC, which he called a “shadow government.”

He said the Republican Party would engage local residents in the water debate, but indicated he has interest in the project.

“But I think we have the resources,” Beckwith said. “It’s just, how do we get those resources to where they need to be?”

Goodin said oil has led to many wars in the past, but he is convinced the next wars will be over water.

He called for the development of a detailed water policy.

“Indiana needs to come together. We need to create a policy for all of those people who are impacted by water use, and make sure we have the right process in place to move forward,” Goodin said.

Indiana has few restrictions on large water withdrawals. Several water policy proposals motivated by the IEDC plan died in the most recent legislative session, even those with GOP authors.

Hudson, meanwhile, stressed the importance of “balance,” but said she would “work with” lawmakers on clean water and clean air.

“Water should not be a commodity because it is something we all need in our lives,” she said.

Real estate tax relief

Candidates also answered questions about property taxes. A journalist on the panel asked questions, noting that farming simply requires more land than other occupations.

Indiana uses recent sales to assess most types of real estate, but farmland is different.

The Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) instead determines a “base rate”, a rolling average of six years of capitalised net cash rent and net operating income. DLGF drops the highest of the six and averages the remaining five years.

“Farmers have seen an increase from last year to this year: (a) 26.2 percent increase in property taxes. That’s insane,” Beckwith said. “That’s absolutely outrageous. And farmers need the relief.”

He and his running mate Mike Braun would make it happen, he said.

The duo introduced a proposal last month to increase the state’s homeowners deduction and cap property tax increases at just 3%.

“Ultimately, though, it’s up to the Legislature to fix it,” Beckwith added. “What Mike Braun has done in laying out the vision — he’s finally given the Legislature the cover to fix this problem.”

Hudson went even further.

Her plan is to abolish property taxes altogether.

“You shouldn’t have to pay property taxes on a home you already own,” Hudson said.

“We have this mafia-style tactic where you get evicted through a sheriff’s sale or something like that if you can’t pay your property taxes. We shouldn’t be doing that.”

Running mate Donald Rainwater’s plan would replace the property tax with a 7% sales tax on home purchases. Hoosiers could pay it up front or over seven years.

Goodin, however, accused his opponents of cutting funding for police and other emergency services.

“It’s very simple. If you want good quality services, you have to pay for them,” he said.

He and running mate Jennifer McCormick have not yet released a property tax plan. But he argued that his party’s approach would push the state to “grow” rather than “cut” to get out of its “property tax crisis.” And he said the state government should replace lost property tax revenue as needed.

“We’ve got to fix the property tax system,” Goodin said. “We’ve got to … add all of those taxes together, we’re going to figure it out (and) we’re going to figure out what the top priorities are that we have in the state of Indiana.”

The role sought

Indiana’s lieutenant governor is the primary candidate to lead the state when a sitting governor is unable to perform the duties of the top position. The lieutenant governor also presides over the Senate and casts tie-breaking votes.

Indiana code also gives the officeholder 26 additional roles, according to the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association. That includes oversight of the state Department of Agriculture, the Office of Community & Rural Affairs and more.

The lieutenant governor individually chairs the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable, the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Task Force, and the Civics Education Commission.

This article was written by Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter.

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