Advice that should be ignored

Just because you’ve paid for advice doesn’t mean you should take it.
That’s the case for county government, which has been dealing with financial consultant Greg Guerrettaz as it tries to get its fiscal house in order.
Guerrettaz popped up on local radar several years ago when Mayor Bruce Hosier was setting up Portland’s Tax Increment Financing district, and he seemed to handle his duties on that project well enough.
But he seriously stubbed his toe when giving fiscal advice on Portland Municipal Airport. He crunched the numbers, but he failed to understand the dynamics involved in running an airport. Public policy isn’t just a math problem; it’s more complex than that.
And, like all consultants and hired guns, Guerrettaz has had the luxury of not being accountable for any decisions that are made based upon his advice.
Now, he’s dishing out advice to the county.
While the specifics haven’t surfaced, there are serious indications that the hired gun has set his sights on the county’s Economic Development Income Tax revenue as easy pickings.
Jay County’s history with EDIT — a one-quarter of a percent income tax — has been remarkably solid. While there have been a few miscues, the focus has always been on using that tax revenue to develop new opportunities for growth and more jobs locally.
That’s what the tax was intended for when it was established by the Indiana General Assembly as an option for counties.
But a few years ago, the state legislature changed the rules, allowing local governments to tap EDIT revenues for virtually anything.
That hasn’t happened locally, but Guerrettaz is reportedly urging county leaders to do exactly that, shifting tax revenues that were collected for a specific purpose — economic development — into the general fund.
Should that happen, of course, those dollars would be lost forever. County government would become dependent upon them, and economic development efforts would be permanently shortchanged.
The math problem might be solved, at least temporarily, but there would be serious damage to public policy and the county’s long-term prospects for economic growth.
There would also be a breach of the public trust.
When EDIT was implemented, taxpayers were assured the money collected would go for one purpose. To divert those funds now would be to break that promise.
Does that matter to a hired gun consultant? Probably not.
But it should matter to local elected public officials who will be held responsible for their decisions. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]