In the last few years, lobbyists have helped local governments influence the Indiana General Assembly on issues ranging from road funding to liquor licenses.
In Boone County, Zionsville, Whitestown and the Boone County Commissioners have all hired lobbyists to promote their interests at the Statehouse and keep them informed of the legislature’s doings.
Officials from both Zionsville and Whitestown say that the lobbyists have helped funnel money and resources toward the two towns that they might otherwise not have seen.
Whitestown has hired the firm Bose Public Affairs Group on and off since 2008, and has consistently contracted with the lobbying company since 2014, said town manager Dax Norton. The town will pay Bose a flat fee of $39,000 this year, or $3,000 per month, for lobbying services.
The company was particularly useful last year, when Whitestown was looking to obtain more liquor licenses and to adjust its tax levy based on the population growth, Norton said. While town officials can and do meet with legislators to discuss important issues, the lobbyists have connections and expertise that a town manager or mayor does not have time to foster, he said.
“It gets us a much closer relationship with the Statehouse as they make decisions that could very negatively or positively affect the town,” Norton said. “It’s about getting in front of legislators.”
According to information from the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission website, 40 cities and 12 towns have hired lobbyists at one time or another. City councils, county governments and school boards — including Zionsville Community Schools — have also hired them.
The Town of Zionsville paid Barnes and Thornburg, an Indianapolis law firm, $36,360 for services in 2016, according to the Zionsville Department of Finance and Records. That was money well spent, according to town officials.
The lobbyists provide the town with consistent updates on bills that are likely to have an impact on the town, said Mayor Tim Haak.
“They keep us abreast of what’s coming through the pipeline on a larger scale. Sometimes we get daily summaries of what’s happening. For us, it would be hard to identify what is important. They allow us to do our normal jobs.”
When big issues come before the legislature — like a $1 million matching grant for road improvements that came up last year — the lobbyists can encourage Haak and other town officials to visit the Statehouse, and guide them toward the right people, Haak said.
In 2016 the lobbying firm helped Zionsville not only with the road grant, but with liquor licenses and some health and safety issues related to fire codes, said Deputy Mayor Ed Mitro.
“It’s important to be able to make sure that the bills coming out are not harmful to your particular municipality or create an additional cost or strain that you weren’t anticipating,” he said. “If you know what’s going on you can anticipate it. The lobbyists have their fingers on the pulse.”
Indiana law requires that all people who lobby the Indiana General Assembly register with the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission. There are 1,600 lobbyists working at the Statehouse, a figure that has remained pretty much the same for the last few years, said Charles Harris, executive director of the ILRC.
According to data from the ILRC website, six towns and 15 cities have hired lobbyists in 2017.
Though each of these municipalities is represented by a state senator and state representative, often a lobbyist has the resources to focus on an issue in ways those part-time legislators cannot, Harris said.
“How many thousands of people are represented by each representative?” he said. “How many hours do they have in each day? We’re really in a situation where, to expect them to be able to deal with every single issue in the district they represent is not very realistic.”
Norton echoed those sentiments. While Whitestown has a good relationship with its General Assembly members, they cannot always provide the expertise and reach that Whitestown needs to make its voice heard.
“It’s a big General Assembly,” Norton said. “Senator (Phil) Boots (R-Crawfordsville) is generally helpful, but we can’t expect him to go on our behalf when he represents many different towns … We can’t expect when (Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton) is in a House of 100 representatives, to be our own personal advocate for the issues.”
There is also a balancing act of power that exists between municipal governments and the state, Norton said. Ultimately, the state decides whether certain powers will rest with the Statehouse or with home governments. Hiring a lobbyist is another tool in the toolbox to maintain that balance.
For example, this year Whitestown hopes to lobby the state legislature to pass a statewide act that would allow Whitestown to look into and possibly enact a food and beverage tax. Their lobbyists will be helping with that effort, Norton said.
In the past, towns have relied on Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns) to support their interests at the Statehouse. But the organization looks at hundreds of bills and might not always spot issues specific to Whitestown or Zionsville, Mitro said.
It’s easier and more efficient for a town government to work with a lobbyist who knows the town’s interests and concerns and can help get in on the ground floor with certain legislation, he said.
Both Whitestown and Zionsville have certain issues that their lobbyists will be looking at in the coming years. For Zionsville, it’s funding for roads and schools and any legislation on the opioid epidemic. For Whitestown it's liquor licenses, the food and beverage tax and more funding for infrastructure.
Their lobbyists will make sure that no bills related to those issues slip between the cracks.