KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — A state-wide public question will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot regarding an amendment to the state’s constitution for a balanced budget. However, some are referring to this as a referendum. There is a difference.

“The balanced budget amendment has nothing to do with the information on the Department of Local Government Finance website for referendums. Those are two separate issues that constituents may be asked to vote on depending on where they live,” according to a statement from State Sen. Ryan Mishler’s office.

A referendum, while it is a public question, is placed on a ballot by a local unit. Past referenda have included construction projects for various taxing units, including schools and operating needs for schools. The question on the ballot does not relate to either of these criteria.

Since the amendment was proposed and voted on by the state Legislature and not by a local unit, it is not one of the referendums that will be on the ballot. The referendums will only appear on the ballot for residents of Marion, Lake, and Wabash counties.

The public question on the ballot is a state-wide public question referred to Sen. Brandt Hersman’s balanced budget amendment. The question reads: “Shall Article 10, Section 5 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended to require the General Assembly to adopt balanced budgets for state government that do not exceed estimated revenues unless a super majority of two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the members of the Senate vote to suspend the requirement?”

Voting “yes” will represent support of the proposed amendment and voting “no” will represent opposition to the proposed amendment.

Information provided by Mishler’s office stated “this would assure that the total amount of appropriations enacted in the budget may not exceed the estimated revenue of the state during that period. It would also provide that if expenses exceed actual revenue when reconciled at the close of a budget prior, the subsequent budget must subtract any shortfall from the projected revenue available for the following budget. This can be waived by two-thirds in the house and senate in the case of an emergency.”

Supporters of the proposed amendment include Sen. Brandt Hershman, who helped to write the amendment, as well as Sens. Luke Kenley, Travis Holdman, James Buck, Jeff Raatz, and Dennis Kruse; Reps. Timothy Brown and Todd Houston; and former Sen. Patricia Miller.

“A balanced budget is vital to the long-term success of Indiana’s economy. Enshrining this amendment into the Indiana Constitution is the right step for Hoosiers and critical to maintaining our state’s financial strength,” said Hershman.

Even though the amendment has much support, there is some opposition. “We’re pretending to solve a problem that doesn’t exist in order to write an ad. This does not improve our constitution, does not improve, does not improve our behavior, and is a waste of legislative time,” said Rep. Ed Delaney.

This question could not be placed on the ballot until it was approved in two successive session of the Indiana General Assembly. The amendment was approved in 2015 and again in 2017. Legislators could not vote on the amendment in 2016, as the state Constitution requires a general election take place between the sessions in which an amendment is approved.