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Issue No. 5
Thursday, Febuary 4, 2016
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CUBS’ CARS COMPETE IN PINEWOOD DERBY
MASON J. UHLMANSIEK PHOTOS
Winners in Cub Scout Pack 650's Pinewood Derby Tuesday, Jan. 26, are, from left: Ryan Wallace, Wolf Scout, first place; Carsten Gronberg, Wolf Scout, second place; Samuel Smeeks, Bear Scout, third place; and Casey Fletcher, Bear Scout, fourth place.
Samuel Smeeks and Duncan Uhlmansiek make sure their Pinewood Derby cars are perfectly lined up during Rising Sun Cub Scout Pack 650’s annual Pinewood Derby at the Rising Sun Historical Building. Watching are leaders Angie Wilson, Shawna Uhlmansiek and Teresa Valentine.
Leader Shawna Uhlmansiek holds up too-short Cub Scout Ryan Wallace to put his car on the track straight as, from left, Cub Scout Carsten Gronberg and leader Angie Wilson watch.
Cub Scout Bradley Lewis, front center, checks in his Pinewood Derby Car Tuesday, Jan. 26, with leader Sue Bovard, left. Looking on are Cub Scouts Michael Achkman and Ryan Wallace and leader Angie Wilson. Cars had to weigh under 5 oz.
Assessor: county, city tax bills up BY CHANDRA L. MATTINGLY Staff Reporter Rising Sun and Ohio County taxpayers will see higher property tax bills this spring, said Ohio County Assessor Ed Hautman. In the county, taxes for 2016 are up about 11 percent, and in the city, taxes are going up about 31.7 percent, he said. That's despite the county cutting its budget “quite a bit” this year. “The biggest half is for the schools,” said Hautman,
who spoke to Ohio County Council and Ohio County Commissioners about taxes at their joint Monday, Jan. 25, meeting. Voters passed a referendum providing a levy of 25 cents per $100 property valuation for Rising Sun Ohio County Community School Corporation at the May primary. But while those voters passed the referendum 1,013 to 392, Hautman stressed 78 percent of the people in Ohio County did not even vote. Meanwhile, a settlement with Rising Star Casino set its current assessed valua-
tion at $17.1 million, with a refund due the casino owners for over-assessment, said Hautman. The assessment had been as high as $57 million in 2008, when the casino began appealing its property tax assessment, he said. “It did help that the county paid that (refund) instead of putting that on taxpayers,” he said. Under the agreement, HGMI was to receive a total tax refund of $613,125.86 and Full House $1,352,936.72, said Hautman previously. Had the refund been added to the tax levy, it probably
would have increased property taxes by another 20 cents over the next seven years, he said. Still, the difference in the casino's assessed valuation added to the tax hike. “It cost us probably about 40 percent of this hike,” said Hautman, who noted he has tried to warn officials and residents the settlement and an increase were looming. But Ohio County still is nowhere near its property tax cap, and property taxes remain low when compared to other Indiana counties, he said.
Bond: casino vistors Thies reappointed up, revenue down 4% county historian
BY CHANDRA L. MATTINGLY Staff Reporte Lobbyist Jon Bond had good news and bad regarding Rising Star Casino when he updated Ohio County Council and Ohio County Commissioners on legislative activity. Bond, of Lewis & Kappes Governmental Relations Group, said no bills threatening local riverboat revenue have been advanced so far this session. Changes to Indiana’s gaming tax structure are a likely topic, however, for a study committee this summer and a legislative issue in 2017 when Indiana begins work on a new state budget. But while casino admissions and revenues are still in decline statewide, Rising Star's revenue decline is not as sharp as it has been in previous years, said Bond. “The casino showed a four percent decline in 2015 over 2014 but this is a big improvement over the 26 percent decline seen from 2013 to 2014,” he said. And in 2015, the casino did see an increase in the number of visitors over the previous year. Providing an update Tuesday, Feb. 2, Bond noted the Indiana General Assembly Session is now in its fifth week. Many bills have died, as they weren't passed by assigned
committees before the committee hearing deadlines, and more bills likely will die this week, he said. “We can expect the number of bills to shrink considerably before next week, when House bills move to the Senate and Senate bills move to the House,” he said. The most widely debated issue this session has been the debate over infrastructure funding, said Bond. This has been one of the biggest issues of the session due to several highly publicized road closures around the state. From five competing plans to invest in Indiana highways, the session now is down to two plans, he said. •HB 1001 is the House Republican infrastructure funding plan. It would add nearly a half billion dollars per year to state and local highway funding, said Bond. The money would be raised through an additional $1 per pack tax on cigarettes and indexing the gas tax rate (so that it can adjust for inflation
See BOND, Page 6
TODAY AM Clouds/PM Sun HIGH .....38 LOW.....25 Friday Mostly Sunny HIGH .....46 LOW....28
BY CHANDRA L. MATTINGLY Staff Reporter
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Cliff Thies has been reappointed Ohio County Historian.
WEATHER Saturday AM Clouds/PM Sun HIGH .....49 LOW....30 Sunday Partly Cloudy HIGH .....51 LOW....33
INSIDE today COMMUNITY/NEWS LEGALS/OBITS OPINION SPORTS
whereas it used to be every 10 years, he said. The state now wants assessments to reflect market value. With the current trend, the county's assessed valuation is not likely to improve. “Right now the trend is not in our favor,” said Hautman, noting the lowered riverboat gambling sharing revenue city and county entities are receiving from the casino. The options? “Either we spend less money or we raise taxes,” he said. “... It would appear we need to start spending a little less.”
Police chase ends in arrest
Staff Report Just in time for Indiana's Bicentennial year, the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Historical Bureau have announced Clifford Thies has been reappointed as the official Ohio County historian. Thies is one of 92 men and women lending their talents to the County Historian Program, which was established in 1981 in an effort to improve the historical communication network across the state. As county historian, he serves as a resource for the county's historical and genealogical organizations, acts as a liaison between statewide agencies and local organizations, and answers questions from the public about Ohio Coun-
See THIES, Page 2
“In the grand scheme of things, we're not paying an exorbitant amount. … We've been spoiled for a long, long time,” he said. Tax bills, due in May, will show last year's amount as well as this year's, so property owners will be able to make comparisons. They also have the option of appearing before the county's Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals should they want to appeal their assessment, said Hautman. Few do so. Properties now are reassessed every four years,
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Bond has been set at $30,000 surety and $7,500 cash for Charles Main in Dearborn Superior Court related to charges filed after a police chase Tuesday, Jan. 26, said a Dearborn County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson. Main is charged with Resisting Law Enforcement (Vehicle,) a Level 6 Felony; Failure to Stop After Accident, a Class B Misdemeanor; and Operating While Suspended (Prior,) a Class A Misdemeanor (with less than 10 years after he was suspended Sept. 9, 2014.) A pretrial is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15. Main, 34, Bascom Corner Road, Rising Sun, was driving a blue 1994 Ford Escort east on Aurora's George Street when he was spotted by Ohio County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Turner at about 5 p.m., according to the probable cause affidavit filed by Aurora Police Officer T. J. Pendergast. Turner, who knew Main's drivers license was susCopyright Register Publications, 2016
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pended, was not able to turn around and pursue him, so he called Pendergast who then saw Main going east on U.S. 50 and began following him, said the PCA. After Main made a couple of lane changes, Pendergast turned on his lights and, when Main sped up, also turned on his sirens. In the pursuit that followed, Main made rapid turns onto side streets adjacent to U.S. 50 in Lawrenceburg, then did a u-turn on the highway in front of Dunkin Donuts when he saw additional police vehicles staged down the road, wrote Pendergast. Pendergast saw Main switch lanes near Main and Park streets, his Escort colliding with the front bumper of a tractor trail, said the PCA. Main turned into adjacent streets several more times, then continued west on U.S. 50 back to Aurora. An Indiana State Police trooper used tire deflation devices near the Dairy Queen, which deflated both driver's side tires on the Escort, said Pendergast. Main continued west, then drove
See CHASE, Page 2