League of Women Voters of Appleton – Fox Cities
Information for Online Voter Guide – Spring Election – 2024
Information Provided by Jeff Ings – Incumbent Candidate for the Position of Grand Chute Supervisor #2
1) Why are you running for Grand Chute Town Board? What relevant skills and experience can you offer?
I would like to continue the progress this Board has made in returning a voice to our Grand Chute residents. Our government exists entirely to serve our people. Our residents wanted financially harmful special assessments stopped. This important goal was accomplished (in an inflationary environment), and it was done without raising taxes, without adding to our Town debt and without sacrificing the quality of our roads. We have simply done a better job of using taxpayer monies.
Looking forward, I will continue to use my skills and experience to focus on issues of importance to our residents. Those issues are:
- Strong, cost-effective public safety (police and fire) programs
- Good stewardship of tax dollars
- Good road and facilities maintenance programs
- The elimination of drainage and flooding problems related to new development
- Thoughtful ordinances that are fair, consistent and respect property owner rights
- Help with questions and issues residents encounter.
2) What do you believe are the three major issues Grand Chute will face in the next decade?
Three major issues Grand Chute will face in the next decade are:
1) A need for continued strong public safety (police and fire) programs.
An aging population requires good emergency medical service and paramedic professionals. The ever-increasing presence of harmful drugs and an increasing number of serious crimes such as human trafficking, will require a law enforcement team that is trained and capable.
2) A need for increased housing options that are affordable to individuals and families.
A growing population combined with our existing inflationary environment is causing the cost of housing to be unaffordably high for a growing number of people. This situation exists even though employee compensation rates have risen dramatically over the past four years.
3) Maintaining a vibrant business community.
Grand Chute is blessed to have a strong business community that includes a solid mix of retail, industrial and other commercial businesses. These businesses not only provide individuals, families and other business consumers with needed goods and services, they also provide needed employment to our residents. As a community, we in Grand Chute need to provide businesses with reasons to locate and operate here. Many factors contribute to creating and maintaining a market that is attractive to businesses. These include a welcoming environment, a talented workforce, and a strong economy.
3) Do you believe Grand Chute should continue to use special assessments, and if so, in what circumstances?
We, as a Grand Chute Town Board, stopped using special assessments to fund roads in 2021. We have now maintained our roads for three years without the use of special assessments, and without sacrificing the quality of our roads. Using special assessments to fund public road improvement projects is not only not necessary, but it represents poor public policy.
While special assessments can be used to fund other public infrastructure projects (i.e. water and sanitary sewer), there is also a better way to fund those projects. Foremost, property owners should not be required to connect to municipal services if they do not care to do so. That is a matter of property owner rights and respect.
However, we will also show more respect for property owners who do elect to connect to municipal services when we make use of a standard, bilateral agreement form, rather than a unilateral special assessment. Even though a bilateral agreement may be standard, it offers property owners flexibility to have some input into certain aspects of the agreement. In comparison, a special assessment is not an agreement. Rather, it is a unilateral action of the Town that allows a property owner little or no opportunity for input. Therefore, a bilateral agreement is much more respectful of property owner rights than is a special assessment.
4) Do you support or oppose the privatization of services currently provided by Grand Chute municipal employees? Why or why not?
Privatization or “outsourcing” of services is a good tool for our Town to use based on our needs and circumstances. For example, it would be extremely labor-intensive and costly for our Town to perform many of our own road improvement projects, so we outsource the work to contractors.
There are many functions that we need to perform in order to serve the needs of our residents. Some of those functions are best handled internally. Others should be outsourced, based on our comparative internal strengths and the costs involved. No organization can do everything well. We need to select the best option for our Town in each individual instance
5) What creative and innovative ideas do you have for residents to “Experience Better” in Grand Chute?
“Experiencing Better” always begins with listening better. Listening is our most important job as a Town Board.
When focusing on creative ideas for our Town, it is important to promote the work being done to help us build a greater sense of community identity and pride with our “Town Center ” building project. We appreciate the public input that has been received for this project.
In addition, it would be wonderful to have a “Historical Center” in our Town to recognize our rich history, the heritage of our founding families, individuals and organizations of special historical significance, and our numerous Century Farms.
By the way, this year, we in Grand Chute will be celebrating our 175th anniversary as a town. We were founded in 1849. Watch for information about the celebration being planned for our community.
Paid for by Ings For Good Government