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Watchdog Lebanon provides information about the revenues, spending, and long-term debt assumption of the local and county governments in Boone County. An online community is established where Boone County Hoosiers work together to help control government growth. This volunteer effort is non-party, non-connected, and non-profit. 

Watchdog Lebanon is an advocate for good government that focuses on the local tax burden of Boone County working families.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, ... who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

Watchdog Lebanon was founded by Aaron Smith on November 14, 2001. Aaron's resides in Lebanon Indiana, and his biographical information can be found online at http://www.finplaneducation.net/aaron.htm. 

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Immediate action needed!
06/17/2019: The City of Lebanon chose to accept the maximum permissible Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) payments allowed by state law from our Lebanon Utilities every year beginning in 2011 when the City’s Resolution No. 2010-07 was adopted on December 13, 2010.

The following spreadsheet details how the maximum permissible 2011-2018 PILOT payments from our Lebanon Utilities to the City’s General Fund have totaled $3,564,988:

The current PILOT payments just add to the City’s General Fund cash balance because the City does not dedicate any of these payments to meet the City’s ongoing needs.

According to the Annual Financial Report data from the Indiana Gateway website, the City’s General Fund cash balance from 12/31/2010 to 12/31/2018 increased $3,960,760 (or 258 percent from $1,537,885 to $5,498,645). It is informative to note that the City’s 2011-2018 General Fund cash balance increased $395,772 WITHOUT the PILOT payments. Also, the 2011-2018 cash balance increases in the City’s other governmental activities funds totaled $10,021,602. It is clear that Lebanon City Council Members, Lebanon Mayors, and the Lebanon Clerk-Treasurer have so successfully managed the City’s finances that supplemental PILOT payments from our Lebanon Utilities are not currently needed.

Resolution 2019-02 was passed unanimously by your Lebanon Utilities Service Board (LUSB) on June 5 and recommends that the City revise its Resolution 2010-07 as follows:
    In accordance with Indiana Code § 8-1. 5-3-8(g), the Common Council of the City of Lebanon ("City") hereby elects to transfer to the City's General Fund, a payment in lieu of taxes from the rates and charges of Lebanon Utilities in an amount up to the taxes that would be due the City on the property owned by Lebanon Utilities as if the property were privately owned. The amount of PILOT collected from the Utility will be reviewed and determined by the City on an annual basis, after presentation from the Utility during the City's budget work sessions which shall include projected capital improvement projects to the Utility infrastructure.

This recommended revision to the City’s Resolution 2010-07 would change the City’s decision-making process regarding Lebanon Utilities PILOT payments as listed next.

1. Our Lebanon City Council, with the approval of our Lebanon Mayor, would have the option to decide each year whether the City needs to have any PILOT payments transferred to the City’s General Fund from our Lebanon Utilities. The City could accept on a yearly basis either (a) the maximum permissible PILOT payments, (b) no PILOT payments whatsoever, or (c) any amount less than the maximum permissible PILOT payments. Currently the City is required to accept the maximum permissible PILOT payments allowed by state law from our Lebanon Utilities every year.

2. Lebanon Utilities would present its planned utility infrastructure capital improvements to our City Council, Mayor, and Clerk-Treasurer during the City’s budget work sessions each year.

3. Our City Council, with the approval of our Mayor, would decide each year whether or not to accept any PILOT payments from out Lebanon Utilities.

4. The PILOT payments not accepted by the City would be deposited in PILOT Reserve Funds established by our Lebanon Utilities.

5. The Lebanon Utilities PILOT Reserve Funds would all be spent on the planned utility infrastructure capital improvements so that the balance in each Reserve Fund would be zero by the end of the year.

If the City were to change its Resolution No. 2010-07 so that the PILOT payments made by our Lebanon Utilities to the City could be reduced or eliminated, then the PILOT amounts retained by our Lebanon Utilities would be spent on the capital project needs of our wastewater, electric, water, and telecommunications departments – while avoiding utility rate increases that would unnecessarily harm too many of our vulnerable neighbors. The current $558,368 in PILOT payments from our Lebanon Utilities are not now needed to subsidize our City government because the able management of our elected officials, together with recent increases in existing taxes and the imposition of new taxes, have provided ample revenues to meet our City’s needs.

Our Mayor Matt Gentry (mayorgentry@lebanon.in.gov, 765-482-1201) has agreed that the City’s Resolution 2010-07 should be changed as recommended! You may want to contact Mayor Gentry and thank him for his ratepayer (and taxpayer) friendly decision – and contact our City Council members to express your opinion about changing the City’s Resolution 2010-07: Keith Campbell (kecampbell@lebanon.in.gov), John Copeland (jcopeland@lebanon.in.gov), Dan Fleming (dfleming@lebanon.in.gov), Morris Jones (mrjones@lebanon.in.gov), Mike Kincaid (mkincaid@lebanon.in.gov ), Dick Robertson (drobertson@lebanon.in.gov), Brent Wheat (btwheat@wildindiana.com).

Did You Know?
06/18/2020: Two deadly force categories of neck restraints are recognized for use by law enforcement agencies: (a) the chokehold that restricts a suspect's ability to breathe by applying pressure to the suspect's windpipe and (b) the vascular neck restraint that temporarily cuts off blood flow to the brain causing a suspect to go unconscious for a short period (when properly applied to a healthy suspect). Relevant information about the use of neck restraints by the Lebanon Police Department can be found online at http://finplaneducation.net/LPD_Neck_Area.htm. Also, relevant information about the use of neck restraints by the Boone County Sheriff's Office can be found online at http://finplaneducation.net/BCSO_Neck_Area.htm.

  Lebanon Sanitary Sewer Backup Prevention

Raw sewage backups in Lebanon homes present serious health hazards from exposure to the pathogens and allergens that fester in sewage waste. The Indiana State Department of Health has identified the following diseases caused by raw sewage and sewage contaminated water: Campylobacteriosis, Cryptosporidiosis, Escherichia coli Diarrhea, Encephalitis, Gastroenteritis, Giardiasis, Hepatitis A, Leptospirosis, Methaemoglobinaemia, Poliomyelitis, Salmonellosis, Shigellosis, Paratyphoid Fever, Typhoid Fever, and Yersiniosis. Details regarding these dangerous diseases can be found online at http://www.in.gov/isdh/22963.htm.

The elimination of improper sump pump and other connections to the sanitary sewer system is an important first step in preventing Lebanon’s sanitary sewer backups. A Special Report has been prepared by Watchdog Lebanon regarding the prevention of sanitary sewer backups in Lebanon homes. The Special Report sections include (1) Introduction, (2) Lebanon Sanitary System Overview, (3) Lebanon Sanitary Sewer Backup Sources, (4) Lebanon Sanitary Sewer Backup Solutions, (5) Proper Storm Water Management For Morningside & Edgewood Homeowners, (6) Voluntary Compliance Is Important, (7) Home Sump Pumps A Likely Problem, (8) Disconnecting Home Sump Pumps Will Prevent Most Sanitary Sewer Backups, (9) Payment Options To Correct Improper Sanitary Sewer Connections. The Special Report can be found online at http://www.finplaneducation.net/sewer_backup_prevention.htm.

You Can Help.
Listed below are several ways you can help control taxes and spending in Boone County.

Bookmark this website so you can easily visit Watchdog Lebanon often to help learn about cash revenues, cash spending, and long-term debt assumption in the various Boone County governmental units.

Suggest projects for Watchdog Lebanon to adopt. Please send an E-mail if you know of something that needs the attention of Watchdog Lebanon.

Register to vote. Send an E-mail to the Boone County Clerk to request information on how and where to register to vote.

Review the Watchdog Lebanon  "Boone County Candidate Information" and "Lebanon Candidate Information" (see the above Boone County Topics Index and Lebanon Topics Index) when deciding how to vote in a local Boone County election.

E-mail to the Editor of your local newspaper a letter or opinion article about local cash revenues, cash spending, and long-term debt assumption. Use Letters To The Editor Via E-mail to find the E-mail address of the Editor of your local newspaper.

Use the Local Government Factfinding List to understand and influence the revenues, spending, and long-term debt assumption decisions of your local government.

Watchdog Lebanon summarizes my use of Boone County, Indiana, as a case study to demonstrate how you can work to help control the revenue and spending growth of your local government. Understanding the Fundamental Watchdog Beliefs will help you understand the approach taken in this website. Please send an E-mail telling what you think about Watchdog Lebanon or anything else that comes to mind. Your comments, suggestions, problems, complaints, praise, and opinions are welcome.

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This page was last updated on 04/13/22.