Group questioned leadership

Thirty years ago this week, residents were airing some complaints.

The Sept. 7, 1993, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about a group of Jay County residents protesting outside Jay County Courthouse and later attended the commissioners meeting to push for better rural roads and oppose the adoption of a wheel tax. They also said they were prepared to lobby the Indiana General Assembly for additional funding.

Vicky Lochtefeld and Ernie Theurer were leading the group that also questioned commissioners regarding the operation of the county highway department, clashed with commissioner Ed Nixon over comments he made at previous meetings and pushed for improvements on county roads.

“We’re not here to attack anyone,” said Lochtefeld during the occasionally combative meeting. “We’re here to help you. We’re trying to get more money for the county. We also have a right to question are we spending the money properly.”

It was the fourth meeting many in the group had attended.

Carrying signs that said, “No wheel tax,” the group demonstrated outside the courthouse prior to the meeting. Protestors said their complaints were not about one county road, but about all of them.

“Ohio doesn’t pay a wheel tax or an excise tax and their roads are beautiful,” said Lochtefeld.

Commissioners had previously explained that road work was funded via the gasoline tax revenue collected by the state and that property tax dollars are not involved. They told the group that short of a change in philosophy by the state legislature, the only way to generate additional dollars for roads and streets was through a county wheel tax.

“You’re not going to change it here,” said commissioner Ernie Muhlenkamp. “You’ll have to change it in Indianapolis.”

The group of concerned residents also questioned county highway department equipment purchases over the previous few years, a potential fine to the county highway department for dumping agricultural chemicals, the use of traffic counters and a timeline for promised ditch and berm work.