Every time I record one of my LarryInFishers Podcast interviews, I learn something new. That was especially true when I talked to Trisha Straus of the Fishers Youth Assistance Program September 15th.

When families struggle in Fishers and most of Hamilton County, they face hurdles not found if living elsewhere, such as Marion County.  There are no local homeless shelters, there are no domestic violence shelters.  The lack of public transportation can make it difficult for families in need.

Ms. Straus says her program does hook families up with services available, and there are many such programs.  However, being a generally affluent community means some services are not there.

When a family needs immediate shelter, emergency housing can be found, with the help of the township trustee.  But that is just to handle emergencies, and a long-term solution must be found to house this family.

Trisha Straus uses a housing program run by ASPIRE locally, but that waiting period can require 6 to 9 months on the list before housing is available.  If a family has lost a job and suffered just one eviction, it is unlikely that family will be able to find rental housing in the Fishers area for at least 3 years.

I continue to run across people in Fishers who do not believe we have a homeless problem or a domestic violence issue here.  I have talked with people in government and in the local schools and they can fill your ears with stories about struggling families around Fishers.

Why do I bring this up?  Because there are many people and organizations in and around Fishers trying to make a difference.  The Youth Assistance Program is one.  The Youth Mentoring Initiative is another.  The recent Pasta Bowl provides food for local food pantries and contributes food to area agencies helping the needy.

There are many more.  If you have the opportunity to help an organization trying to support struggling families in Fishers, do something.  Don’t just assume there are no problems here.  We in Fishers do not see the same level of homelessness and poverty found in places like Marion County, but it does happen here.  Anyone can lose a job, not find another position or be faced with taking employment paying much less..  These people need help.  I urge you to help when you can.

You can hear the entire interview with Trisha Straus of the Fishers Youth Assistance Program at this link.

A man serving as Housing & Urban Development Secretary is told by the president’s Chief of Staff he will be fired the next day….and that night tragic circumstances thrust that man into the Oval Office…here’s my review is Kiefer Sutherland’s new TV series, Designated Survivor

Mayor Scott Fadness is set to hold another of his periodic Mayor’s Night Out events.  This one will take place at the Fall Creek Junior High School on Olio Road, Tuesday, October 11th, at 6:30pm.

The mayor will be on hand to answer questions, and his staff tells us he plans on making a presentation on the following issues:

• The proposed 2017 budget,

• The proposed Wheel Tax,

• Current road improvement projects, and

• He will introduce Fishers’ newest Police Chief, Mitch Thompson.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will begin to change the travel lanes on I-69 just north of Fishers.

See the details below in the news release from INDOT…and watch out for construction workers when traveling in the area….

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Starting tonight, Milestone Contractors plans to shift Interstate 69 traffic lanes between Campus Parkway (Exit 210) and State Road 38 (Exit 219).  Two lanes in both directions will be shifted toward the right shoulder to accommodate construction of a third lane in the median.

Signs direct large trucks to use the left lane while traffic is shifted toward the right shoulder through the work zone.  I-69 lanes between Exit 205 and Exit 210 are currently in this configuration.

Modifying lane markings for the traffic shift will require various alternating lane closures between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.  The following schedule is subject to change:

Tuesday, Sept. 20 – northbound I-69 lane closures between Exit 210 and State Road 13 (Exit 214)
Wednesday, Sept. 21 – southbound I-69 lane closures between Exit 214 and Exit 210
Thursday, Sept. 22 – northbound I-69 lane closures between Exit 214 and State Road 38 (Exit 219)
Friday, Sept. 23 – southbound I-69 lane closures between Exit 219 and Exit 214

After lanes are shifted, subsequent overnight lane closures will be needed to place temporary concrete barrier and install entrance and exit routes for construction trucks.

Motorists should watch for construction trucks entering and exiting the roadway, keep a safe following distance, and be alert for slowing traffic ahead.

The speed limit is reduced to 60 mph and further reduced to 50 mph when workers are present.  Speed detection and LED display signs are installed in the work zone to alert motorists driving at unsafe speeds.  Indiana State Police are patrolling the work zone to promote public safety and compliance with traffic laws.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the IRS, are once again warning the public about scammers who are becoming much more sophisticated.

The latest one features a common mailed notice IRS sends to taxpayers if there is a difference in what appears on your tax return and information IRS has received from other parties about your income and other tax situations.  The IRS internally calls these “CP-2000” notices.

A new wave of fake letters are being mailed to people.  The scary part of this is how good the scammers have become at making the mailed paper notice look very close the the real notices sent out by the IRS.

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from IRS, or received an e-mail or mailed letter from the federal tax agency, call IRS at 800-829-1040.  Congress hasn’t been very generous in staffing IRS the past several years, so you may be waiting on the line for a long time, but it is worth it if you have any reason at all the question a communication from IRS.

The most important item of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board’s first budget briefing for 2017  was the subject that wasn’t discussed.  For the first time in many budget cycles, HSE Schools will not be looking at spending cuts.  That’s because a funding referendum passed overwhelmingly in May of this year.

HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter outlined a proposed 2017 General Fund Budget of roughly $128.7 million.  That does not include the many specialty funds, such as debt service, transportation and capital projects.

Reuter told the board there are two major components to know in fashioning a spending plan – the number of students and the assessed property valuations in the school district.

The number of students in HSE this school year has been reported to the state as 21,137, which is an increase of 307 over the previous school year.  The kindergarten class this year totals 1,470, which is very close to estimates.

Reuter projects the school’s component of the 2017 local property tax rate to rise over last year, at $1.26 per $100 of assessed property valuation, compared to the 2016 projected rate of $1.13.  This rate can be complicated by many factors, including deductions allowed, increases in property valuations and the impact of property tax caps.

Property in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts will still pay school property taxes for amounts approved in recent referendum votes, according to Reuter.

After weeks of discussion and proposals, the Fishers City Council gave the go-ahead to raise council member salaries by $7,000 a year in 2017, increasing their annual pay to $19,000.  The council also approved a wheel tax of $25 per vehicle for residents of Fishers, beginning in 2018.

Council members had been discussing raising their pay, which has not been increased since the early 1990s.  Several numbers were bandied about, but the council settled on the $7,000 increase to take effect next year.

Mayor Scott Fadness proposed the Wheel Tax, which he says is needed to maintain and repair the city’s streets and roads.  The mayor expects the levy to raise about $2.5 million per year.  Residents will pay the tax when going through the registration process at the auto license branch.

The mayor also provided an overview of his 2017 city budget.  During the public hearing, only one person spoke, and he complimented the city.  The final council vote on the 2017 city spending plan is scheduled to take place October 17th.

The Indiana State Chamber of Commerce has named Fishers its 2016 “Community of the Year.”

Below is the news release announcing this honor:

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Fishers is far more than the bedroom community of years ago. The recent vision within the last decade to evolve into a “smart, vibrant and entrepreneurial city” has firmly taken hold, and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce has noticed, naming Fishers its 2016 Community of the Year.

Under the leadership of Mayor Scott Fadness and the city council, Fishers has become a center for innovation and an attractive business destination. 

At the State of the City address in February, the mayor announced 1,000 new jobs were on their way. Today, he says Fishers may see as many as 4,000 new jobs in total for the year.

“One of our goals is increasing the opportunities for people who live in our community to find gainful employment in their own city,” Fadness explains. “One of the best quality of life measurements for me is to eliminate residents’ need to commute a long distance … if you could spend another hour with your family, rather than being in the car, why wouldn’t you?”

With the influx of new jobs and amenities, Fishers now boasts a population of nearly 90,000. All for a locale that only officially transitioned from a town to city status less than two years ago. 

The 2013 opening of Launch Fishers, a collaborative co-working space for entrepreneurs, was key to putting the city on the right path. “That first year, we were hoping for 100 members; we thought that would be tremendous – we had 200. Then we were at 400 and now 630,” Fadness states.

It’s a prime example of Fishers partnering with the private sector and as Fadness puts it, “allowing them to do what they do best. (In this case) foster the environment for them to create whatever they’re going to create.”

Among the most high profile recent announcements are retailers IKEA and Topgolf building stores at 116th Street off of I-69; both are slated to open in fall 2017.

Other accomplishments include:

•  a roadmap for the city called Fishers 2040 Plan: A Framework for Our Future that strives to present a long-term vision;
•  building a downtown essentially from scratch over the course of three years;
•  a school district – Hamilton Southeastern – that has had more four-star schools than any other Indiana district in the last two years; both high schools are ranked     nationally inNewsweek and U.S. News and World Report’s best high school lists;
•  willingness to focus on mental health and come up with actionable items to help its citizens; and
•  in the last five-plus years, received high rankings for its affordability and livability fromMoney magazine, BusinessWeek and Forbes.

“Fishers’ tremendous success is rooted in the desire to be that destination for work, play and life,” observes Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar. “The mayor’s office and city council have really coalesced around the city’s vision and the community itself has embraced the many changes and initiatives that have transformed Fishers in a big way.”

Adds Fadness, “We are thrilled to receive this honor, but I also think we are just getting warmed up. Big ideas will continue along with new opportunities. We are by no means declaring victory yet.”

The Community of the Year award is sponsored by Lifeline Data Centers. 

“We are pleased to be a part of an award that showcases the very best of Indiana. Like our company, Fishers is on the leading edge of innovation and has truly become a very dynamic place,” offers Dana Carroll, co-owner of Lifeline Data Centers. 

Fishers will be honored at the Indiana Chamber’s 27th Annual Awards Dinner on November 15 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. More than 1,500 business, political and community leaders are expected to attend. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and long-time political commentator George F. Will headlines the event. The reception is at 5 p.m. with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tables of 10 and individual tickets are available by calling (800) 824-6885 or at www.indianachamber.com/ad. Sponsorship opportunities also remain; contact Jim Wagner for details.

The celebration of Hoosier success stories will include the presentation of three additional awards: Business Leader, Government Leader and the Indiana Vision 2025 Dynamic Leader of the Year. Indiana Vision 2025 is the Chamber’s long-range economic development plan and the award emphasizes entrepreneurship and others facets of the plan’s Dynamic and Creative Culture driver.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Rebecca Patrick at (317) 264-6897 or rpatrick@indianachamber.com. 

The most recent Community of the Year recipients:

2015: Carmel
2014: Bloomington
2013: Bedford
2012: Indianapolis
2011: Kokomo
2010: Terre Haute
2009: Valparaiso
2008: Noblesville
2007: Anderson
2006: Evansville

The 2016 Emmy Awards were handed out on September 18th…here is my review of the Emmys as a television show

The Fishers Police Department is once again set to hire more officers in this growing city.

Below is a news release from the department with the details if you, or someone you know, would be interested in applying…

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The Fishers Police Department is actively seeking qualified candidates to participate in a competitive hiring process. Applications are being accepted through October 21^th, 2016. Applicants are encouraged to visit our website, www.fishers.in.us/joinfpd for more information and to complete an On-Line Application. Applicants can access the application by clicking on “Jobs” found on the home page and then “Current Job Openings” for Sworn Police Officer.

The Fishers Police Department is Internationally Accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). We offer outstanding career opportunities that include: growth, opportunity, advancement, diversification, benefits, and competitive salaries. Police officers receive the highest levels of training and equipment and are given every opportunity to succeed.

Testing is expected to begin in October. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. If candidates have additional questions they can contact Officer Shawn Wynn at wynns@fishers.in.us or 317-595-3351.