The Marshall County government is following-up on a few items that were discussed in past meetings and with favorable results.
The Board of County Commissioners asked local governments their preference for utilizing local taxing options to better fund road improvements. The state of Indiana approved millions in local road funding during this year’s short session of the General Assembly, but fell short of a long-term solution.
In response, Marshall County asked the local towns to provide their input in the form of a “Checkbox Resolution” which allowed them to indicate whether they would prefer a Local Option Highway User Tax, or a County Economic Development Income Tax, or both.
The LOHUT would be exclusively used for roads while the CEDIT is able to be used for broader purposes.
Bremen, Bourbon, Culver, and Plymouth all indicated using both. LaPaz had not responded as of Monday, but indicated similar approval was likely. Marshall County Attorney Jim Clevenger says the Culver Town Council recognized the position Indiana has put its local governments in when it comes to road funding.
Now the Marshall County Commissioners will make a recommendation for tax rates at a future meeting. The idea was to gather information while discussions were ongoing at the state level to be able to act.
Marshall County is also in the process of implementing a multi-year road improvement plan that will cost significant sums to both chip and seal and repave certain roadways.
