Race for Richmond mayor: Candidates on budgets, bike paths and roads

RICHMOND, Ind. — It's nearly time for voters in the city to choose who will lead Richmond through the next four years. Have you decided which candidate is the right one for you?

Democrat incumbent Dave Snow is running for re-election against Republican Richmond Common Council member Jamie Lopeman and independent businessman Thomas Owens.

On Nov. 5, residents will pick one of those three to be the city's next mayor. To help you make that decision, the Pal Item sent to the candidates a questionnaire on a range of issues. Responses to each question were limited to no more than 150 words.

What follows is the second of four articles featuring their answers. Responses only were edited when they exceeded the word limit.

OTHER MAYORAL RACE COVERAGE: 

► Race for Richmond mayor: Candidates' priorities, communication

► Race for Richmond mayor: Candidates on jobs, downtown and parks

► Race for Richmond mayor: Candidates on code enforcement, crime and more

► Mayoral debate: Candidates trade jabs as they lay out their visions for Richmond

► Forum brings out differences between Richmond's mayoral candidates

► Mayoral candidates face questions from Richmond Kiwanis group

THE BUDGET

Question: In the context of the city’s budget, there has been talk about finding the right balance between “wants” and “needs.” What are the “needs” in city government funding and what are the “wants”?

• Lopeman: As in any budget, needs should always take priority over wants. Needs are the day to day requirements to ensure the city is operating effectively. Our wants are additions to what the city already has or is maintaining. We have to be cognizant that as we add more to maintain, other areas will get less. Our tight tax base dictates this. In my field of business, I championed projects that looked for areas of excess spending, identified cost savings and budgeted efficiently. I plan on implementing this type of culture throughout our city government.

• Owens: Simply put, the city needs essential services. Our first responders should always be priority. We can have tires replaced if the roads are bad but we can’t replace people if first responders are not available or properly equipped to save lives. There are many other essential services the city provides such as streets, sanitation, public transportation, and public works. With a limited budget, we must decide what projects and investments are most important to first address based on safety concerns and use. 

Many of our wants are things that people have come to expect the city to provide that may not be an option in the coming years. For many of our wants we will need to shift responsibility, and reach out to non-profit groups for donations and encourage volunteerism.

• Snow: As an experienced budget manager will tell you, budgetary decisions are on a spectrum of priority. The top priority for the City will always be public safety and other essential services. In our general fund, Police and Fire account for approximately 75% of our overall budget and the Sanitation and Street Departments are also top budgetary priorities. After the funding of these essential services, we prioritize funding other internal departments and our departments that enhance quality of life like our Parks Department. We maintain our 19 city parks, and ensure that all play spaces are safe and clean. “Wants” will come in the form of projects that we address as they arise and determine whether or not they can be funded after we have planned for management and growth within our departments.

Q: Funding for local governments has been restricted by the state property tax caps. To combat this, the Indiana General Assembly has passed laws making several local option income taxes available for governments to adopt. One of those is the food and beverage tax. Are you in favor of adopting that tax for the city of Richmond, and if so, how would you like to see that funding used?

• Lopeman: At the time of this submission, I have not seen a plan for a Food and Beverage Tax. Without seeing a plan and the controls in place for the monies, I cannot support it. I have concerns that it may affect a portion of our citizens negatively. I also have concerns that there will be those who may want to utilize the monies for other than as intended. If present to me as Mayor, I would want public input before deciding.

• Owens: I don’t think a food and beverage tax should be decided by elected officials. This should be a ballot question for the people to decide. As a citizen, I would want to see more information about this tax such as the rate and the positive or negative impacts it may have on the community and businesses before I could decide how I would vote on this tax.

If a food and beverage tax was to be put in place I would like to see the funding go to the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to help our current businesses grow and establish new businesses to our area.

• Snow: Property tax caps have a substantial impact on local government. In our 2020 budget, property tax caps affect us by over $3 million. In a city our size, $3 million to our bottom line requires us to prioritize our needs and be more strategic in the use of our limited resources. That’s why it is incredibly important for the City to closely examine all avenues that would allow us to better serve our citizens. That being said, the passing of any tax would ultimately be the decision of City Council, not the mayor. However, I will certainly keep an open mind to projects that could warrant a presentation to City Council. It is important as we consider projects, that we first determine if we can fund them with dollars on hand. If there is an ability to fund projects without additional revenue streams, we have an obligation to start there.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Q: What are your plans for the now-built Phase 1 of the bike path projects known as The Loop? What are your thoughts on the future of the still-to-be-built Phase 2?

• Lopeman: The current Administration has implemented its design for Phase 1 of the Loop. This has has impacted business owners and commuters. We have seen traffic issues. Signs, lights, fire hydrants, plants destroyed because of tight turn radiuses. Some say remove it all. We cannot, because it will negatively impact the businesses previously impacted. Like it or not, Phase 1 is here.

Phase 2 is a chance to ensure the economic viability of our businesses with aesthetically improving downtown and the depot. I don't support the continuance of the program as implemented in Phase 1. I will put Phase 2 on hold and begin discussions with the state to come to a cosmetic compromise (matching Phase 1 without the intrusive construction), I would look to return money back to state and utilize redevelopment funds to match the Phase 1 brick work. I would also look to remove the Phase 1 bumpouts.

• Owens: I would like to see the bike path used and properly maintained. This was a huge investment that could become something great for our community. We need to look at other uses for the bike path other than biking that may interest others. Phase 2 of the bike path needs to be carefully planned and executed to prevent business loss in the depot district.

• Snow: When we talk about the long-term growth of our city, connectivity and attracting young professionals is pivotal for the success of the center of our city. People frequently ask if we have to attract people downtown first so the businesses can survive or do we need businesses first to attract people. The answer isn’t that simple. We need steady, incremental growth in both areas. I am proud of the local business we have Downtown and in the Depot District. They are constantly investing these areas. Now, we need to invest in housing, additional retail, quality of life improvement projects, and connectivity to bring it all together. The Loop is designed to allow easy access to local businesses and amenities and connect them for visitors and citizens. The future of our community includes a vibrant and full city center. Our investments today will help provide ample opportunity to create that future.

Q: Repairing or replacing roads and sidewalks in the city is a never-ending task. How would your administration handle trying to keep up with those needs?

• Lopeman: We will continue to look at Federal and State funding streams to ensure our streets and sidewalks are maintained. Review the master list that exists for repairs and plan repairs. A priority for the Street Department will be addressing potholes. I would also like an internal study performed for areas that struggle with snow removal. While having conversation with citizens and business owners, they have detailed issues in being able to pass side streets. Our workers live and work in these areas and they need to be able to safely get to work and home.

• Owens: With our current financial situation and the fact that it may not improve we have to carefully prioritize what will be done and in what order.

• Snow: When I took office in 2016, our roads and sidewalks were in desperate need of attention. Since 2016, we’ve made great headway in repairs in overlay and more complex milling and resurfacing projects. We’ve invested around $3.4 million in local dollars and captured about $6.5 million from the state. This has resulted in over 30 miles of city streets repaired since 2016. Looking to the future, we know there is still much work to be done. When it comes to sidewalks, we’ve set out to repair all trip hazards over two inches by 2022. As we move through neighborhoods to repair sidewalks we repair curbs. This is an issue that is the result of years of non-repair and it will take years to fix. However, we can say with confidence we’ve been on the right path for some time now and will continue this important work as we move forward.

Q: Money has been set aside in the 2020 budget for a full assessment of city-owned facilities. What is your plan for funding fixes to the problems created by this aging infrastructure?

• Lopeman: The maintenance plan is long overdue. Being open and honest, we will be required to issue a bond for the structures that need replaced or renovated. It’s imperative that we keep our debt down and are reserves up as we apply for a bond. I assure our citizens; we will address what needs addressed and not let wants inflate the bond.

• Owens: Like everything else, with a limited budget we must prioritize what needs done first and what we can afford to do. We have to start being more proactive with preventative maintenance.

• Snow: First and foremost, budgeting for maintenance of the aging infrastructure within our city government is something we do annually. As our buildings age, we must consider their overall lifespan and weigh the cost of maintenance and upgrades against the cost of rebuilding or otherwise making large investments in repair. Recently, we’ve set out to partner with a professional firm to assess our structures and prioritize the needs ahead. We’ve set some monies aside in our 2020 budget and allowed room for appropriation requests as needs arise. As we take a brief assessment of our buildings, we know our Street Department, Firehouse Headquarters, Municipal Building (including our Police Department), and Airport Terminal are likely to rise to the top of the priority list. We’ll use the assessment to make data-driven decisions about how to best invest in our city-owned properties.

Jason Truitt is the team leader and senior reporter at the Palladium-Item. Contact him at 765-973-4459 or jtruitt@pal-item.com.