Marshall County asked about taxes, and the Town of Culver has provided an answer.
Tuesday night’s Culver Town Council meeting was used to consider a resolution that will play a part in the future of local taxes. For several weeks, Marshall County has been developing plans that would implement a long-term funding solution for road repairs and maintenance.
A Local Option Highway User Tax, or LOHUT, was among the options being considered. In addition, a County Economic Development Income Tax, or CEDIT is also being considered. Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe says there are differences.
“So if Culver received, say, $50-thousand, a minimum of 70-percent has to be used on roads,” says Munroe. “The other 30-percent isn’t as flexible as CEDIT. CEDIT is much more flexible. So if Culver got $50-thousand from CEDIT, we could use it for economic development, or just about anything from what I’ve read.”
Culver was asked to consider some choices with respect to the available options.
State action has provided a significant sum to work with, but Marshall County is looking to combat problems related to the scale of road funding and increased expenses for materials.
By adopting a resolution in favor of one or both options, the Town of Culver is not committing to raising taxes, but advising the county of any future decisions. Marshall County Commissioner Kevin Overmyer was present at the meeting to answer any questions. He says recent analysis has lead them to believe the County Highway Department will experience a $500-thousand deficit in 2017.
“Revenues are basically about what we’ve already been getting,” says Overmyer. “They haven’t risen, there haven’t been issues and I think you folks down here have seen the same thing, but the costs keep going up.”
The Town recommended utilizing both taxing options to help fund road improvements, and other projects within the county moving forward. Council member Joel Samuelson abstained from the vote.
The state of Indiana is anticipated to consider long-term road funding solutions during next year’s session of the General Assembly.
