When he’s not at the Indiana Statehouse, Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott likes to go to return to his roots by visiting rural communities much like the one he grew up in and where he lives today.

On Thursday afternoon, Elliott visited Seymour to speak with local leaders and individuals in the community while also enjoying a Bison Burger at Larrison’s Diner.

“Once the session is over, I like to come down and just travel around to talk to local leaders,” he said. “I find out what some of the needs are and what my office can do for the community.”

The office of the state treasurer is one of five constitutional offices, and that person has various responsibilities in the realm of investment and finance.

As a chief investment officer, their key role is to invest the dollars of the state while they are not being used.

“The better we do on those investments, the less that we have to tax,” he said.

Elliott oversees the management of more than $13 billion on a daily basis.

Elliott also serves as chairman of the Indiana Bond Bank and is a member of 17 other boards.

The bond bank is a quasi-governmental agency established by the Indiana General Assembly in 1984 for the purpose of providing financial solutions to local governing bodies.

The Indiana Bank serves Indiana cities, towns, townships, public school corporations, counties, public libraries, county hospitals, public universities and any other municipality in the state of Indiana. It finances local governments through a variety of services and programs.

“It’s a tool that local communities use to create bonds for their communities whether it’s for a sewer treatment plant, waterlines, roads, bridges or courthouse renovations,” Elliott said.

Elliott also plays a part in public safety as the chair of the statewide 9-1-1 Board. The board is responsible for collecting surcharges from all communication service providers and distributing the funding to local units of government.

Growing up in the town of Nebraska in rural eastern Jennings County, Elliott now lives on a small farm in Morgan County with his family.

Elliott said he has a passion for growing rural communities.

“Getting out helps me see what the concerns are, what we are doing good and what we can do better,” he said.

In a discussion with a local farmer a few minutes prior to an interview with The Tribune, Elliott said he heard concerns about the farmer’s own investments and how corporate America often misunderstands the needs of farmers.

“They are often made out to be the bad guys,” he said. “Next week, I am heading to New York to talk with these investment firms to share his message and that these farmers aren’t trying to poison the land.”

Elliott said oftentimes getting to the heart of the issue is where the problem can be solved.

“There are important conversations to be had and the investments we are looking into we have to consider the impact on local and rural communities,” he said. “You don’t know what the problem is sitting in the office in Indianapolis.”

One change that offered a greater impact on local communities was the bond bank allowed local governments to increase the amount of time they were able to bond.

Elliott said when he first became treasurer, the Indiana Bond Bank only allowed local governments to bond up to 10 years, which now is considered a small amount.

One of the first actions Elliott took when he went to the General Assembly was proposing the bond bank increase the bond timeframe up to 20 to 25 years.

“This was more realistic, and it would have a greater impact,” he said. “It passed immediately.”

When Elliott is not travelling the state or cleaning out his barn he tends to be in the Indiana Statehouse for legislative session.

He said the next session they will focus on 9-1-1. With a recent study, they found that in rural communities emergency responders may not always have the information to share quickly on which unit is closest to families who live near county-lines.

“Someone could live in Jennings County, but the closest unit of police, fire or ambulance is in Jackson County,” he said. “Emergency responders don’t always have this information to share right away to know who is the closest.”

He said in the next session they will begin the work on tools to help those share data and improve communication efforts with local emergency responders.