TH Committee meets over city loan

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Terre Haute City Council members said they have questions when it comes to the city's financial standing.

Monday, the city council hosted a special finance committee meeting to discuss some of those concerns.

It all stems from a $5 million loan that the city took out this year. The city has 18 months to pay it off.

However, some council members question what the loan means for Terre Haute. Councilman Neil Garrison said he feels unclear on where the city stands financially. He said that's because he and the council haven't gotten enough information from the current administration.

He also wonders whether the information they have is factual. Monday, he suggested reaching out to an outside financial analyst to go over money matters.

"I'm hoping that if we had a separate financial analyst, would better guide us into the questions we really need to ask, as opposed to just continuously waiting," Garrison said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Duke Bennett disagreed with Garrison's assertion.

He said his administration works with the state and has always fallen in line with their strict regulations. He added the $5 million loan is nothing new.

"They say it's not political, but obviously, there's a political component to this because, there was a lot of things that happened prior to me getting here that was never questioned. We followed the state board of account's rules, so everything's done by the book and they review it," Mayor Bennett told News 10.