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Ask The Mayor: Terre Haute’s Duke Bennett

By Casey Kuhn

Posted May 13, 2015

In this week's installment of Ask the Mayor, WFIU's Casey Kuhn visits with Terre Haute's Duke Bennett. We talk about the city's tax advancements and how Indiana State University working with drones could bode well for the future of Terre Haute.

But first, we ask whether the city will meet Thursday's deadline to make a deal with Powerdyne-the company that has promised to change wastewater into energy.

Listen to their full conversation above. Here are some highlights:

Kuhn: When do you expect Powerdyne to start their business in Terre Haute?

Bennett: Well, the original plan was for them to be here at the beginning of the year. Things got moved back because of the contract negotiations. The most recent thing they've told us is this Fall, that it depends on when the contracts are completed.

Kuhn: Indiana State University is receiving some designation to help with its unmanned aerial systems programming. I was wondering if you thought this would help the city's economy?

Bennett: It has a lot of potential. ISU's been a big player in that for several years now. So, things are coming together and it bodes well for Terre Haute, the airbase we have out here and the private side of the airport, where we have private business that are looking at ways to get involved in that market. So I think it has some long-term potential for us from an economic development perspective.

Kuhn: Are you looking at any ways to reduce city spending?

Bennett: We do a lot of little things. 81 percent of the general fund is salary and benefits. There isn't much room left to play. We spend money on the 911 contract, we spend money on the trash contract, we pay utilities, insurance. That makes up 19 percent of the general fund expenditure; all the rest is salary and benefits. So, we've cut and cut and cut or shifted some costs to other places out of that portion that's not salary and benefits. Then we've held the line. We have about 50 less employees than we did a few short years ago. We don't fill positions if we don't have to. We're doing everything we can to hold the line on our expenses.

Kuhn: What do you think of Terre Haute's low voting turnout?

Bennett: It's pretty low. (Laughs) I mean, it really is sad. And it wasn't just Terre Haute but kind of across the board. And it's just unfortunate. I think the importance of elections are, I mean, critical to how you move a community, a state, a nation forward. And people should be involved in that process. It should be 80 percent turnout, not 8 percent or 9 percent. I'm not sure what's gonna change it, though. I mean, it's been trending downward, and it's just . . . I don't know. Something's going to have to give.

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