It has taken me a few days to think about how I want to write about this issue.  I have rarely, in more than 12 years writing this blog, taken a clear stand on an issue.  One reason I have written this blog as a volunteer is because I believe an informed public is an involved public.

House Enrolled Act 1338 will greatly weaken the office of Indiana’s Public Access Counselor.  That means less transparency in local government.  It means the Counselor will no longer have a 4-year term but can be fired at any time for any reason.  It means the ability of that office to provide interpretations of Indiana’s Open Meetings law and other issues of government transparency will be severely limited.

I want to thank the many people that contacted Governor Eric Holcomb’s office urging him to veto this measure.  In the end, the governor decided to sign the measure into law.

This will lower Indiana’s ranking in comparison to other states in providing transparent government.  Indiana is already at or near the bottom of the 50 states in election turnout.  This development will not help that ranking.

In 2018, U.S. News & World Report listed Indiana as 33rd among the 50 states in quality of life.  That is not a good place to be.  This law will not improve that ranking.

In 2022, the nonpartisan group, Coalition For Integrity, lists Indiana dead last in government transparency.  And that was before Governor Holcomb signed this new bill into law.  You see where I am going with this.

Why does Indiana have such a lackluster ranking for voter participation?  I would argue government transparency is a major factor.

I have lived in Indiana my entire life and appreciate the values instilled in me by living here with very good people.  Our governmental policies and laws do not always reflect those values.

I would hope that future legislators and governors would put government transparency as a high priority.  Today, in Indiana, it is not.  I find that sad.

The 2024 Fishers Nonprofit Grant application is officially open, providing local organizations with an opportunity to secure funding to enhance the quality of life for Fishers residents. The application window extends through April 24, 2024, closing at 4:30 p.m. local time.

Established by the Fishers City Council, the Nonprofit Committee oversees the grant disbursement process, ensuring that final awards align with the city’s goals and priorities. All final grants are subject to Council approval.

Cecilia Coble, president of the Fishers City Council and chair of the Nonprofit Committee, emphasized the significant impact of these grants on the community. “Every year, we witness the incredible impact these grants have on our community, empowering local nonprofits to further their missions and enhance the quality of life for residents,” she said.

The Fishers Nonprofit Grant Program, with a budget of $250,000 allocated by the City Council for 2024, aims to support organizations that contribute to creating a sense of place, fostering public interaction, or providing additional educational opportunities for Fishers residents.

Eligibility criteria for the grant include:

• Being a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit or having a fiscal sponsor.
• Being located in Fishers or serving Fishers residents.
• Demonstrating a significant impact on Fishers residents, with priority given to organizations that fulfill this criterion.

Grant applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Proven Success: Organizations must measure and track outcomes, demonstrating a record of achieving goals.
2. Organizational Strength: Fiscal responsibility and proper staff and board oversight are crucial.
3. Cooperation & Collaboration: Innovative approaches to addressing pressing issues in Fishers while collaborating with partners to leverage efforts and reduce duplication of services are encouraged.
4. Reliability: Organizations should have the resources and plans necessary to sustain their work beyond the grant period.

The Fishers Nonprofit Grant Program will not support capital requests, grants to individuals, discriminatory projects, political campaigns or lobbying efforts, post-event or debt retirement expenses, or projects promoting a particular religion.

To apply for the grant and obtain further information, interested organizations can visit FishersIN.gov/NonprofitGrant.

I heard Fishers officials complain for some time about an imbalance in the distribution formula for local income taxes, with Fishers officials claiming Carmel was getting an unfair share of the local income tax money.

In the 2020 session of the Indiana General Assembly, House Speaker Todd Huston was instrumental in passing legislation providing more money for Fishers in passing out local income tax funds.

However, a Marion County judge just issued a ruling that this measure passed by state lawmakers is not consistent with Indiana’s constitution and struck down the law.  The story posted yesterday by Ann Marie Shambaugh of Current Publishing had plenty of quotes from a clearly pleased Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam.

So, what is the reaction to this ruling from Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness?  How will this ruling impact planning for the 2025 city budget and beyond?   Does the city have any plans to appeal?

I have covered Scott Fadness for more than 12 years and he is always careful when commenting on matters such as this.  His spokesperson, Ashley Elrod, says the city “is not providing comment at this time.”

The city will need to respond to this judge’s ruling, but we may need to wait a bit before we have that reaction in this instance.

For many years, Fishers has contended that Carmel unfairly received Local Option Income Tax distributions.  Carmel took Fishers to court, saying a state law limiting the amount of local income tax money flowing to Carmel violated the Indiana Constitution.  A Marion County Judge ruled in favor of Carmel, saying the limit is unconstitutional.

Current Publishing reporter Ann Marie Shambaugh posted a story Tuesday about the judge ruling.  You can read the story at this link.

State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn is serving her first term in the Indiana General Assembly, and the OneZone Business Action Committee (BAC) is endorsing her as Representative Wilburn seeks another term in the Indiana House.

“In Representative Garcia Wilburn, we have found a staunch advocate for our mission to
cultivate prosperous businesses and communities,” said Séamus Boyce, Chair of the ZoneBAC in a news release. “Her visionary approach and unwavering dedication make her an excellent candidate for the statehouse.”

The ZoneBAC is made up of OneZone Chamber members. All candidates who had filed for office were invited to participate in a questionnaire. From those that responded the committee conducted interviews as part of the endorsement process. ZoneBAC endorsement decisions are made by the ZoneBAC committee. The committee members review candidate information, conduct interviews, and decide which candidates to support based on nonpartisan criteria.

OneZone is the Chamber of Commerce for the business community in Fishers and Carmel.  House District 32 takes-in parts of Carmel and Fishers, along with a small part of northern Marion County.

The Fishers City Council wasted no time in enacting a new ordinance imposing a $250 fine for those ticketed for loitering.  It normally takes more than one reading to pass such a measure, but the Council can suspend the rules and pass such an ordinance the same night with a unanimous vote.  That is what happened at the Monday night Council session.

The vote was 9-0 to suspend the rules and 9-0 in favor of the ordinance.  Mayor Scott Fadness described this ordinance as a “measured approach” to the problem of car meet-ups in Fishers that fill city parking lots and parking garages.

Police Chief Ed Gebhart said a recent meetup Sunday, March 3rd, brought an estimated 300 cars to the city, but additional information puts that number closer to 500 cars.  Major Ryan Jones, head of FPD’s patrol Division, describes this as a “growing problem” in Fishers.

Gebhart told Council members his department will keep a close eye on the situation and if more action is needed on city ordinances, he will come back to the Council

You can read the ordinance passed Monday night at this link.

In other news from Monday night’s Council session:

–Many may recall an announcement in August of 2018 that the Gray Eagle golf course in Fishers would close.  Residents in the neighborhood fought to keep the golf course open.  In August of 2020, there was an announcement that a development planned for that area would keep the golf course open after all.  The pandemic and other market conditions have delayed the project, but the City Council enacted a project agreement Monday night authorizing the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF), with the bonds backed by the developer, JC Hart.  Changes in this arrangement will not impact the city.  A Hart representative told the Council there is an October 2025 deadline to close the deal and an October 2027 deadline to complete the project, but Hart says it expects the work will be completed well ahead of those legal deadlines.

–The Council was nearly 20 minutes late in beginning the public Council session.  Before that, Councilors were in an executive session.  The agenda said the private meeting was “To conduct interviews and negotiations with industrial or commercial prospect or agents of industrial or commercial prospects in accordance with” the Indiana code.  Is there yet another economic development deal in the works for Fishers?  Time will tell.

Fishers Junior High School will be off soon the the national We The People competition.  The Indiana state champions were honored Monday night by the Fishers City Council.  Two members of the group explained how We The People works, as a competition based on civic knowledge.

“No question to me that if you guys were doing a mock Congressional hearing, you are exemplifying the type of maturity and composure that does not exist in Congress today,” said Mayor Scott Fadness.

The mayor handed out certificates from the city to all the FJHS We The People team members at the council session.

Being in the “path of totality” for a solar eclipse is a rare thing.  Fishers will experience such an event April 8.  I had the opportunity to talk about that with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, Police Chief Ed Gebhart and Fire Chief Steve Orusa several days ago (listen at this link).

Monday afternoon, the City of Fishers issued a detailed news release on what to expect April 8.

Here is part of the news release:

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Hamilton County announced Monday morning that bids are being accepted to participate in a Public-Private Partnership, with the aim of constructing a new public safety training facility.  Proposals will be accepted through 10am, April 3.

Qualifications to potential bidders are available at this link.

A new public safety training facility has been considered for some time, but the county is moving forward on this project, which is good news for public safety operations throughout Hamilton County.