Ball State graduates can create more jobs for Muncie by staying in the area, said several of the 12 candidates for Muncie City Council Thursday night during a forum at Wilson Middle School.
The candidates discussed ways to keep those graduates in town while taking questions from the audience.
"We need to work with Ball State kids to show them what a great community this is and get them to stay," Democrat Alison Quirk said.
But getting Ball State graduates to stay can be tricky, Republican Tom Rector said.
"The challenge is to keep those students here," Rector said. "They need to know what we (Muncie) have to offer."
Democrat Mary Jo Barton said the work force is suffering because high property taxes are driving residents out of town.
"Property taxes have gone up so much this year, it's unreal," Barton said. "How are people going to stay in Muncie? It's a mess. If we don't do anything about this, people will continue to leave Muncie."
Barton, who cited eight years of experience working on Muncie's budget, said the budget must be cut to lower taxes.
"We must know the revenue coming in and the expenditures coming out," she said.
Democrat Bruce Weimer said the council needs to "cut the fat" off the budget by reducing extra spending.
"We got to learn to spell and pronounce the word 'no,'" Weimer said.
Several candidates, however, said lowering the budget is much more complicated.
"It's easy to say 'cut the fat,'" Republican Jerry Fowler said, adding that some services, such as police and firefighting jobs, are needed and cannot be cut,
"I will not put the citizens of Muncie in jeopardy," Fowler said.
Democrat Chuck Leonard said it would be unwise to lay off people when Muncie is already shorthanded.
Quirk contended that watching money closely is a necessity.
"You have to make sure you're spending money wisely," Quirk said. "It's the money of the people of Muncie you're working with."
Part of wise spending includes knowing what the money is being used for, Rector said.
"We need to figure out where money is going," Rector said. "Once we have a detailed idea of where the money is going, then we can figure out how to use it."
The candidates also agreed that getting new businesses into Muncie will help revitalize the economy.
Residential- and business-tax abatements will draw new businesses in, Leonard said.
Once they are here, businesses will want to stay, Fowler added.
"It's hard to beat this town," Fowler said. "We're a friendly town, and I think businesses will want this."002T[+â-ân--a
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