The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1176874
The Press-Dispatch East Gibson News Wednesday, October 16, 2019 C- 11 Council plans special meeting to gather tax feedback By Janice Barniak Gibson County Council set a special meeting for 6 p.m. Oct. 22 to hear public com- ment on a new jail-support- ing income tax that would generate $1.5 million a year to fix issues at the Gibson County Jail that are current- ly the subject of a lawsuit. If the county council pass- es the income tax, the tax- payers would see the new rates in 2020, but not all council members were com- pletely on board in the coun- cil meeting Tuesday morn- ing. "I'm not ready to move for- ward with a tax this year," said Councilman Bill Mc- Connell, who said he was concerned with bringing in more people to live in the county to fill jobs locally. "We've got a real problem. We haven't had any growth... To pass another payroll tax is not going to be helpful fill- ing those houses out there. We need to welcome more people. We cannot welcome them with another tax in- crease." A committee that has been discussing issues at the jail plans to give a report in No- vember, but if the council waits until November to pass the tax, it wouldn't go into af- fect until 2021. The .2 percent local in- come tax would put Gibson at .9 overall, making the coun- ty the 85th lowest county for taxes out of 92, as opposed to its current standing as 87th lowest. The tax would last 22 years, which doesn't have to be immediately spent, and could be banked to help build a new jail or renovate the cur- rent one, (though the feasi- bility of that is under discus- sion). "If we were to do this and other funding comes along, I have no issue with getting rid of it," said Councilman Jay Riley. "It (the jail) is the on- ly thing the tax can be used for, and we can end it." County Commissioners' attorney Jim McDonald said up to 20 percent of the tax could be used to offset oper- ational expenses. "It gives you some flexi- bility," he said. If the council banks the tax before a pro- ject is approved, he said the amount saved could shorten the interest on bond. McDonald told the coun- ty council the commission- ers had been in federal court, where the county has been responding to lawsuits al- leging dangerous conditions with inmates housed three to a cell, when cells were de- signed for two, with one in- mate on the floor between the other inmates and their path to the toilet, among oth- er allegations. McDonald suggested a closed executive session to discuss the federal lawsuit. He did say commissioners have been trying to show pro- gress over the course of the proceedings. Passing a jail tax could be seen as a pos- itive move to improve those conditions, he said. Councilman Jeremy Over- ton suggested that the coun- cil could alternately look at passing a County Option In- come Tax at .3 percent; CO- IT, while split amongst dif- ferent taxing entities, would benefit the county at roughly the same amount they could put towards the jail, but as it is not a jail tax per say, it could offer more flexibility if the county chose to focus more on operations. The council, which meets monthly at 9 a.m. on the sec- ond Tuesday of the month, chose to have a special ses- sion to hear from the public at a time when more people are out of work, deciding on 6 p.m. Oct. 22. If the council wants to pass a tax by the Oct. 31 deadline to begin collecting in 2020, they will likely vote at that meeting. County Council approves TMMI tax abatement By Janice Barniak Gibson County Council approved a six-year personal property tax abatement for Toyota Motor Manufactur- ing of Indiana Tuesday. The company wants to invest $1.3 billion in new equip- ment for the Indiana plant, which will allow them to hire 550 new people to work in jobs that don't currently ex- ist in the plant. TMMI vice-president of Administration Tim Hol- lander discussed in meet- ings how he'd been planning to move his life and family to follow an out-of-state job offer when the opportunity at Toyota had allowed him to stay locally and raise his children near their relatives. "We're making an unprec- edented investment in our Princeton plant," he said. The equipment abatement would create jobs that will have the potential to grow up to $29 per hour; the ad- ditional production should also have Toyota paying an additional $21 million in tax- es over the next 10 years due to the growth. The council asked North Gibson Supt. Brian Harmon whether he saw any down- sides in school revenue. "I saw no negative impact whatsoever," he said after having school accountants review how it could affect in- come. Assessor Kim Minkler said the move would be a net positive, tax-wise to the county. Gibson County Commis- sioner Steve Bottoms said the commissioners support the abatement, calling it a "win-win." Gibson County Economic Development Director Paul Waters said he's in full sup- port of the move. "They want to turn this into a global plant with this equipment, and we want that. We want that right now," he said. Regional Economic Devel- opment Director Greg Wa- than also called the move in the interests of the com- munity. Gibson County Council- man Jeremy Overton said that the important aspect for the council was that the abatement ends when the Tax Infrastructure Financ- ing goes away, which is why the council changed the re- quested 10 -year abatement to a six-year, with the final year abatement at only 20 percent. Mackey church celebrates 100 years By Janice Barniak Mackey Church of the Nazarene was established 100 years ago, after a two-week tent revival set Mackey res- idents on the path to start a church even before they had a building. It's that same plucky faith that con- tinues to guide the Mackey churchgo- ers today, said the Rev. Jared K. Hen- ry, current pastor of the church, Sun- day before a service with record at- tendance, and several past pastors returning to see the congregation. Rev. Jack Suits, who led the church from 1970 to 1975, was one of those who came back. "I enjoyed it here...this was my sec- ond assignment, and probably one of the highlights of my ministry," he said, adding it was the people who made the job special to him. A fter Mackey, he pastored as far away as Missouri, before settling in Seymour. Rev. Bill and Shirley Reed shook hands and gave hugs to past parish- ioners; they spent 29 years serving Mackey in the church, beginning in July of 1981. "It was a long time, very pleasant, very fruitful. We made a lot of new friends, and saw the church grow, and built these facilities with the help of God," said Bill Reed. "We started out in pastoral ministry in June 1967 and passed through three other church- es before coming here. We saw God answer many prayers in this church." Bill Reed added he considered it a privilege to come back to what he still thinks of as home. "Mackey is a small rural commu- nity, but many great children were raised in this church and have gone out to other places to work or serve God or serve our country," he said. Rev. Chip Bullock, who moved to Mackey in March of 2010, and left in February of 2016, was one of those who raised children and took the ex- periences gained to serve elsewhere with his family. The daughter who was only four months old when the family moved, met her Mackey family as a toddler in red-ringlets in her father's arms as he discussed the place Mackey held for him. "I was 31 years old, and it was a won- derful, healthy church environment that really helped me grow as a pas- tor. I had a lot of development happen for me spiritually, but also profession- ally, leading this church," he said. "It's just like coming back home to family. You don't see someone for four years, but you just pick right up where you left off." Henry, who came to the church in July of last year, said that while the church can look back on 100 years with a record attendance, the day is al- so a mile-marker because the church has kept momentum, opening a Mack- ey Church of the Nazarene in Owens- ville and Evansville. "There's a historical component to what God has done in our past, but al- so anticipation for what God will do in the future. We've been growing, this is another step in the future," he said. "Our history is a trajectory for us." Mary Sprinkle shows Braden Brown and Madyson Brown, her grandchildren, pictures of their mom as a girl at Mackey Church of the Nazarene. Above and below: Mack- ey Church of the Nazarene showed historic photos at their 100-year cel- ebration Sunday. Ryder Hamer, Owen Nossett, Aubrey Robinson and Nora Criss all working on a group project in class. Student Isaac Robinson plays on the jungle gym at recess. Anna Pond enjoying the slides on the playground at re- cess. A church gathering included, sitting, Daisy Haley and Charter Member Lucy Kohlmeier, and standing, from left, George Doerner, Jon Farnsley, Lita Heldt, Denzel Brown, Darrell Lloyd, Bonnie Lloyd, Clara Moore, Ed Miller, Herme- na Miller, Marie Beadles, Joyce Farnsley, Rev. Floyd Farnsley, Lloyd Strickland, Bob Fulling and Willis "JR" Heldt. The front entrance to the Mackey Nazarene Church as it was built in 1925. The wedding is Thomas Ahle- mann and Lorene Schmidt on Sept. 6, 1942. It was the first formal wedding hosted at the church. Rev. Chip Bullock poses with his family at the 100-year celebration Sunday. Right: Rev. and Mrs. Thom- as Smiley, with their daugh- ters, Evelyn and Joyce, were the pastoral family between 1939-1941 Rev. Bill and Shirley Reed, with children, Rick, Rajeanda and John, during the 1980s. The Reeds pastored the Mack- ey church for 29 years. Rev. and Mrs. Jack Suits, with their family, were the pas- toral family from 1970-1975. Rev. Robert E. Davisson and wife, with daughters, Rebecca and Judith. They were the pas- toral family from 1951-1955. Oakland City Elementary