Both the Sullivan County Commissioners and Sullivan County Council
have continued discussions concerning a potential new jail in their
most recent meetings.
The commissioners released an early list on June 17 of people to serve
on a jail committee, while the council discussed ways to be proactive
in how to fund a new jail on Monday.
Persons listed on the jail committee so far include Bob Davis
(commissioner), Clark Cottom (sheriff), Duane Wampler and Jerry Payne
(council members), Chris Stitzle (Southwest School Corp.
superintendent), Alan Badger (First Financial Bank vice-president),
Rusty Deckard (Sullivan County Farm Bureau president), Blaine Bolyard
(Hoosier Energy) and a clergy member to be named.
Cottom said on Monday he intends for the jail committee to be
“transparent” during this process.
Meanwhile, councilman Nick Cullison had asked their attorney, Josh
Reshey, to run some numbers of local income tax options as a possible
funding mechanism.
First, using 2019 figures at the current economic development LIT
rate of 0.6%, the breakdown by county, city and town entities is:
Sullivan County (57% share, $1,310,457);
Sullivan City (20%, $455,844);
Carlisle (3%, $74,240);
Dugger (4%, 98,700);
Farmersburg (5%, $119,942);
Hymera (4%, $85,933);
Merom (1%, $24,460);
Shelburn (6%, $134,318);
Total (100%, $2,303,894).
“So this is what we have right now,” Reshey said.
Next, he generated numbers by adding a 0.4% public safety LIT to the
0.6% economic development LIT, bringing it to 1% overall.
“So the county can use (public safety) for jails, it can use it for
anything that is public safety,” Reshey said. “The cities and towns
can use it for any public safety purpose the statute allows.”
Again, based on 2019 figures, Reshey said this would bring in
$1,535,929 for the public safety portion.
To wit:
Sullivan County (57% share, $875,479.53 public safety, $1,310,457 ec
dev, $2,185.936.53 total);
Sullivan City (20%, $307,185.80 public safety, $455,844 ec dev,
$763,029.80 total);
Carlisle (3%, $46,077.87 public safety, $74,240 ec dev, $120,317.87 total);
Dugger (4%, $61,437.16 public safety, $98,700 ec dev, $160,137.16 total);
Farmersburg (5%, $76,796.45 public safety, $119,942 ec dev, $196,738.45 total);
Hymera (4%, $61,437.16 public safety, $85,933 ec dev, $147,370.16 total);
Merom (1%, $15,359.29 public safety, $24,460 ec dev, $39,819.29 total);
Shelburn (6%, $92,155.74 public safety, $134,318 ec dev, $226,473.74 total);
Total (100%, $1,535,929 public safety, $2,303,894 ec dev, $3,839,823 total).
Then he gathered figures on a third option, a 1.5% LIT overall — 0.9%
for public safety and 0.6% for economic development.
To wit:
Sullivan County (57% share, $1,969,829.37 public safety, $1,310,457 ec
dev, $3,280,286.37 total);
Sullivan City (20%, $691,168.20 public safety, $455,844 ec dev,
$1,147,012.20 total);
Carlisle (3%, $103,675.23 public safety, $74,240 ec dev, $177,915.23 total);
Dugger (4%, $138,233.64 public safety, $98,700 ec dev, $236,933.64 total);
Farmersburg (5%, $172,792.05 public safety, $119,942 ec dev,
$292,734.05 total);
Hymera (4%, $138,233.64 public safety, $85,933 ec dev, $224,166.64 total);
Merom (1%, $34,558.41 public safety, $24,460 ec dev, $59,018.41 total);
Shelburn (6%, $207,350.46 public safety, $134,318 ec dev, $341,668.46 total);
Total (100%, $3,455,841 public safety, $2,303,894 ec dev, $5,759,735 total).
At this level, nearly $3.5 million in public safety would be
generated, and with ec dev included, about $5.75 million overall,
according to Reshey.
Wampler asked Reshey if a special purpose tax would get more money for a jail.
“When this LIT started a year ago, special purpose meant you had to
have a special purpose that Indianapolis said, ‘hey, you can have a
tax for this purpose.,’” he replied. “It had to be in the Indiana
Code, this county could use this tax.”
Reshey noted since then, besides the public safety, economic
development and special purpose components, a fourth category was
added, which is county jail at 0.2%.
“That is designated county jail,” Reshey said. “There’s no shares, so
for that tax, it doesn’t get swept into the cities and the county, it
goes directly to the jail. And that’s the one where you’re looking at
20-some years when you adopt that ordinance.”
Reshey stated he would look into steps needed to set up a special
purpose tax and also reminded the council, “if you are thinking of tax
rates, you can do one ordinance a year. You can do one change a year.”
“I can look at five or 10 more jails,” council member Tim Abrams
stated. “But the bottom line is, we’ve got to have funding.”
“One way or another, we have to come up with more money,” council
member Logan Pearison agreed. “Either pay to ship inmates to other
jails or build a new jail.”
Wampler stated, “… we have to build a new jail.”
“There is no point in waiting on the commissioners to start getting
this money,” Pearison added.
“If we can figure a value then plan toward that, then we can adjust it
accordingly,” council member Curt Bedwell said.