ndiana’s lieutenant governor posted this inaccurate map on social media Wednesday. It places Terre Haute in western Illinois. Micah Beckwith Facebook post
Indiana’s lieutenant governor on social media Wednesday decided to use Terre Haute as an example in the Gov. Mike Braun administration’s efforts to cut state property taxes and, apparently, downplay cries from local government units that argue cuts will hurt cities. “City spending is out of control, requiring higher state taxes,” reads a headline on a graphic in Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s post on social media.
Indianapolis was the first city the Republican lieutenant governor cited as an example; Terre Haute was the second. Both are led by Democratic mayors and city councils.
Wrote Beckwith, “Terra Haute’s city budget rose from $74 million in 2020, to $140 million in 2024.”
The lieutenant governor made a few mistakes, though:
• The “Terre” in Terre Haute is spelled with an E on the end, not an A.
• The locator map with the lieutenant governor’s post (sourced from “Cities budgets”) put Terre Haute on the far eastern, lower part of Illinois — not far from East St. Louis. Terre Haute is on the west central Indiana border with Illinois, about 75 miles west of Indianapolis on Interstate 70.
And as Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun pointed out in a brief, polite clap-back on one of his own social media accounts, “I’d be happy to walk you through this data.
The 2020 numbers do not include our sanitary district budget ($34M) or our ARPA budgets.
“Neither of those include property taxes. We are receiving less property tax $ in 2025 due to the circuit breaker,” the mayor posted.
Sanitary (sewage) costs are a major concern for Terre Haute, although the cost is borne not by property taxes but by billing of residents/ customers.
The city is under a federal mandate to modernize and improve its system and has implemented several rate increases since 2009, when it was approved for a five-phase combined sewer overflow project slated to cost $110 million over 20 years. However, project costs are now much higher. A newer plan projects costs at about $290 million, but with those costs spread out over 30 years.
Beckwith’s post appears to be part of the Braun administration’s push for the governor’s property tax-cut proposals.
The Indiana Senate has passed a property tax relief bill, but it — as it currently stands — falls short of Braun’s goals.
Senate Bill 1 passed 37-10. Among other measures, it would limit how much units of local government can increase annual property tax levies. The bill by Senate Republicans would provide an estimated $1.4 billion in tax relief over three years.
Braun wants more. And if he doesn’t get that in the second half of the legislative session, he said Tuesday he’s not afraid to use any of the tools afforded an Indiana governor, including a veto or a special session.
Terre Haute’s Sakbun has been one of the mayors trooping to Indianapolis to urge lawmakers to be cautious with cuts.
“I stand before you all today humbly asking that this group consider some replacement revenue streams to fully support our local law enforcement and to fully support some of the basic needs of our community,” he told a Senate committee in early February.
He said Terre Haute has already made cost-cutting city maintenance improvements, and employs a dual-purpose firefighter and EMS service. The city has also made it a priority to repay its debts — and has done so using casino revenue.
And while Beckwith and others in the Braun administration might lean into Democratic cities, a struggle over how much the state will cut property taxes — and over how much tax revenue cities can receive and/or generate — is to be one wrestled largely among Republicans. The GOP has 40 of the 50 seats in the state Senate and 70 of 100 seats in the House, per Ballotpedia.
Indiana Capital Chronicle on Wednesday reported a nonprofit group advocating for Braun’s legislative agenda is taking lawmakers to task — and praising some, too — with a six-figure social media campaign. (See story on Page A3) The Tribune-Star reached out to both Sakbun and to Lt. Gov. Beckwith’s staff.
In an email, the Terre Haute mayor said — among other things — that he didn’t want to make too much out of the entire affair and said Gov. Braun has done a great job of communicating with him, and the two have met to discuss tax relief. Sakbun said he, too, would like to reduce taxes.
“On the other hand,” he wrote, “I am not sure why the Lieutenant Governor chose to share incorrect data about our city. It is counterproductive.”
The mayor concluded, “I hate to bring partisan politics into this. I am a blue dog style democrat who has strong bipartisan support because of my proven track record of working with both political parties to get stuff done.
“I am all about Team Terre Haute and growing our city through education, housing, streets, transit, and strong public safety,” Sakbun wrote. “Politicians should spend less time online and more time working together to provide tax relief and necessary services to Hoosiers.”
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