For years, the only two government entities eligible to enact a food & beverage tax through state law, without the tax, totaled 2 – Fishers and Anderson.  As of December 1, Anderson will stand alone, as the Fishers City Council voted 8-1 in favor of enacting the levy at Monday night’s council session.

Councilor Jocelyn Vare was the lone “no” vote.  She offered two amendments to the action, to sunset the tax after 40 years once the bonds are paid, and to place in the ordinance a provision requiring the tax proceeds to be used only for an events center planned for an expanded Fishers District, near I-169 between 106th and 116th Streets.

Both amendments failed when no one seconded the motions.

The 1% tax on restaurant meals is projected to generate $3.2 million per year, with the money part of a package to pay-off the bonds for the events center, also described as an arena, that can seat 6,500 to 8,500, depending on the type of event.

City Attorney Chris Greisl, when asked about no language in the ordinance requiring the tax money to be used on the bonds, says the bond documents will contain that language.

Mayor Scott Fadness proposed this tax as part of the financing package used to construct the events center.  Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren told council members that without this tax, there will be no arena without another funding source.

The Fishers Town Council had flirted with the idea of enacting the food and beverage tax in 2013, but the state statute limited the way the tax money could be spent, mostly on economic development projects.  The state gave Fishers a 1-year window in 2013 to pass the tax, but the town council tabled the issue and never brought it back.

The state has provided another window for Fishers to pass the tax starting Jul 1 of this year and with a specific project dedicated to it, Fishers has now passed an ordinance allowing the food & beverage tax.

The deadline for voter registration is Tuesday, October 11, which means the following day, Wednesday, October 12, is the first day for early voting in Hamilton County.

Also, the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is nearing. Those wishing to vote absentee by mail must submit an application by midnight, Thursday, October 27th.  The form can be submitted electronically at www.indianavoters.com. You can also call 317-776-8476 and make a request for an application over the phone.

Once you have voted your absentee ballot, you can return your ballot by mail or return it in person to the Election Office in the Judicial Center at One Hamilton County Square in Noblesville. All absentee ballots must be received by the Election Office on or before 6:00 p.m. on Election Day.

As to Fishers early voting, Holland and Billericay parks will be the locations, starting October 26.  Here is the Fishers schedule, as provided by the Hamilton County Election Office:

Roy G Holland Memorial Park Building, 1 Park Drive, Fishers
Billericay Park Building, 12690 Promise Road, Fishers

• October 26-27 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• October 28-29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• November 2-3 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• November 4-5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Here is the information on the remaining early voting locations in Hamilton County:

• Noblesville    
  Judicial Center, One Hamilton County Square, Noblesville
  • October 12-14 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • October 17-21 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • October 24-28 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • October 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • October 31-November 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • November 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • November 7 from 8:00 a.m. to Noon
• Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant Street, Noblesville

  • October 12-14 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • October 17-21 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • October 24-29 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • October 31-November 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • November 7 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

  Carmel
  Mercy Road Church, 2381 Pointe Pkwy, Carmel
  Jill Perelman Pavilion, 3000 W 116th Street, Carmel

  • October 26-27 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • October 28-29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • November 2-3 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • November 4-5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Westfield        
  Westfield City Hall, 130 Penn Street, Westfield
  Cool Creek Nature Center, 2000-1 E 151st St, Carmel
  • October 26-27 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • October 28-29 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • November 2-3 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • November 4-5 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Election Day may be November 8, but if you wish to cast a ballot in the 2022 general election, you must be registered.

The deadline for registering is Tuesday, October 11.

For more details, check out the voter registration part of the Hamilton County Election Office, available at this link.

When I first learned about the death of country music artist Loretta Lynn at the age of 90, my thoughts immediately went back to a time in my early teens when my Dad talked about meeting Loretta Lynn and her husband.

My father loved country music and may have been frustrated this his oldest son, me, never cared for it.  I lost my Dad 28 years ago and did not realize until he was gone why he loved country music so much.

My father, Bernie Lannan, was raised on a farm south of Loogootee in Martin County, Indiana.  He was one of ten children.  Life was very hard on that farm for himself and all his siblings.

My Dad would briefly talk about how tough life was on that farm, but his brothers, my uncles, were quite vivid in their description of life on the Lannan farm – it was hard, very hard.

The family did have a respite on Saturday nights when everyone gathered around the radio (no TV in those days) and listened to the Grand Old Opry broadcast on Nashville radio station WSM.  He had fond memories of listening to Roy Acuff and Dottie West.

I cannot recall exactly how old I was when Dad showed me an autographed photo from Loretta Lynn, where the singer wrote about all of us in the family by name.  Dad had frequented an establishment in those days that featured country music recording artists and Loretta Lynn was the act for that night.

Dad was with some friends and one in the group had served in the National Guard.  It turns out Ms. Lynn’s husband had also served in the guard, so the husband gravitated to my dad’s table and they all got to know him an his wife Loretta.

Remember, this was very early in Ms. Lynn’s career, long before Coal Miner’s Daughter was a hit song, book and film.  She was on the country charts with her music then, but wasn’t well known outside those circles.

As an aside, I began my radio career in the early 1970s working at small radio stations and we would have people with a record in their hand show up at any time, day or night, pleading with the disc jockey to play the record.  If you saw the movie Coal Miner’s Daughter, that is just what Loretta Lynn and her husband did and it paid off for them.

I do not believe the signed photo of Loretta Lynn survived the many moves of my parents, but I do remember how excited Dad was to have that photo and autograph.  Unfortunately, I had never heard of Loretta Lynn at that time so I likely disappointed my Dad by my lack of any reaction.

But now I understand why my Dad loved country music so much.  It brought back fond memories of his days on the farm.  His chance to see Loretta Lynn sing early in her career was a great memory for my Dad.  It was only recently that I fully understood why.

My series of podcasts with candidates for Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board candidates continues.  HSE High School Student Kate Lantzer joins me in conversation with these two candidates.  Casey Alexander, a student at Fishers High School, could not be with us for this recording session, but he did submit questions for the candidates that Kate asked during the podcast recording.

First, incumbent District 2 board member Janet Pritchett was interviewed and the podcast can be heard at this link.

Second, Dr. Carla Cork, candidate in District 3, spent time with Kate and Larry in recording the podcast available at this link.

All candidates have been invited to participate in this podcast series.

Barefoot in the Park is a Neil Simon play that has been produced on many stages throughout the nation.  A new local group, the Hyperion Players, has produced its version.  Here is my review.

With cooler weather settling-in the road construction  work in and around Fishers is beginning to shorten.  However, there is work you need to know about.

Below is the road construction update from the City of Fishers for the October 10:

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When I read Ann Marie Shambaugh’s story on the Current Publishing Web site about the League of Women Voters (LVW) candidate forum in Carmel, the main story was the fact that no Republicans chose to appear.  So, I wondered, what would happen at the Noblesville LVW forum two days later?

So, I went.  Turns out I was mixed-up on the start time, arrived late and entered in the wrong door.  That was bad enough.

But once again, only Democrats were there as candidates, once again no Republican candidates were there.  Why did the local GOP decide to stay away from these forums?

According to Ms. Shambaugh’s story for Current, this was no scheduling conflict.  Republican County Chair Mario Massillamany says he told the candidates not to attend.  Massillamany is quoted in the story as asserting GOP candidates have been attacked at these events and he does not believe the League is as neutral as it claims.

So, the Thursday night forum in Noblesville had the following in attendance – Jessica Paxson, Hamilton County Prosecutor – Jocelyn Vare, Senate District 31 – Tami Dixon-Tatum, Senate Distric 25 – Donna Griffin, House District 88.

Ms. Paxson says her decision to run for Prosecutor was tied to Greg Garrison winning the GOP primary.  She made clear that she would not be running if incumbent Lee Buckingham had won the May primary.

The hopefuls for seats in the General Assembly handled a number of issues, including abortion, education, the economy and their priorities if elected.

A reminder that the deadline to register to vote is October 11.  You can check on your registration, and get other voting information, at the LWV election Web site vote411.com

The Fishers City Council set aside an entire meeting to conduct a public hearing on a proposed 1% Food and Beverage Tax levied on restaurant meals.  Deputy Mayor Elliott Hultgren reviewed how the tax would work and projected the estimated $3.2 million in annual revenue would be utilized to partially finance a new Events Center as part of the expanded Fishers District development.

Former Town Council member Mike Colby asked about the possibility of inserting a sunset provision in the law, so it would expire after a specific number of years.  He also asked whether the upcoming council vote will be the final vote approving the tax.

Jack Russell of One Zone Chamber of Commerce expressed the Chamber’s support for the tax.

Brenda Myers from Hamilton County Tourism cited data supporting the idea of the Events Center and supports the tax.

Fishers resident Charles Dresser was the final speaker and he clearly opposes the tax.  He listed all the taxes he currently pays to federal, state and county governments.  He told the council he is “taxed enough.”

The City Council will vote on the Food and Beverage Tax at the October 10 meeting, 7pm, at the Launch Fishers Huston Theatre.

Applications for police officer jobs may be on a downward trajectory nation-wide, but Fishers Police Chief Ed Gebhart says his department continues to see a good amount of applicants for uniformed officer positions, compared to neighboring departments.

In a Thursday morning meeting with the Police Merit Commission, Gebhart says the most recent crop of applicants started at 217, with 120 on hand for the written and physical testing.  The Chief says there are now 32 “strong candidates” that will proceed to the background check phase.  Fishers continues to receive a number of lateral applicants from other police departments.

The department is also seeing a trend where officers are retiring after 22-28 years of service and starting new careers, largely because they have remained healthy during their time in uniform.

Chief Gebhart and his Assistant Chiefs, Luke Gannon and Mike Taylor, briefed Commission members on programs aimed at the physical and mental health of officers, changing tactics on setting up perimeters in search of a suspect, using drones and the role of Rapid DNA in investigations.  The Fishers Police Department is the only one in the state currently utilizing Rapid DNA.