(La Porte County, IN) - Questions are being raised about a property tax debt from a La Porte man running for public office in the May primary.

 

Jody Slabaugh is seeking the Republican Party nomination for La Porte County Commissioner.  La Porte resident Rick Kentaft on Wednesday presented the county commissioners with documents showing Slabaugh’s property tax debt was over $4,000 in 2015.  The documents also showed the debt stood at more than $8,000 due to penalties and interest until the debt was recalled several weeks after Slabaugh filed to run for commissioner in January.

 

He said the documents also do not reflect if any payments were made. “I’m curious as to why that took place,” he said.

 

Slabaugh is running against La Porte Commissioner Connie Gramarossa for the republican nomination for that seat in the May primary.

When contacted today, Slabaugh said he paid that debt about a decade ago. Slabaugh also said he doesn’t know why the debt showed up on the documents unless there was an oversight in the record keeping that wasn't caught until recently and corrected.

 

“What I know is there is no outstanding tax liability owed by me or any of the businesses that I have,” he said.

 

La Porte County Treasurer Dan Barenie said he would have to check to see why there was a recall on the debt.  In general, he said recalls are from either a tax debt being paid or forgiven for going uncollected for a certain number of years.