Chief George Kehl (Left) and Mayor Scott Fadness at City Hall news briefing
Here’s the first question I asked Fishers Police Chief George Kehl at the August 12th news briefing – when did he know it was time to retire? Before the chief could get his answer out, Mayor Scott Fadness chimed in – “Whenever I made him mad.” The room erupted in laughter.
On August 11th, it was announced that long-time Fishers Police Chief George Kehl would be retiring in September of 2016.
With a number of news outlets asking to interview Chief Kehl, Current in Fishers Editor James Feichtner and myself had the first chance to speak with him. Below are the questions and issues discussed by Chief Kehl and Mayor Fadness.
The Fishers City Council Finance Committee received more details on the proposed special census in the city, which appears headed for full council consideration. City Controller Oscar Gutierrez told committee members the cost of a special census in selected parts of Fishers will cost $373,298.69 paid to the Census Bureau. The city will encounter some additional expenses that will raise the cost figure to roughly $450,000. This will still net the city nearly $1.4 million over a 4-5 year period. This will allow the city to grab a bigger share of state funding, the largest pot of money coming from the state distribution of Motor Vehicle Highway Funds. Two other areas of state funding to the city that would see big increases from the special census would be from wagering, going into the city’s general fund, and capital improvements.
The City of Fishers is talking to library officials about extending the lease now in place for the basement area now housing Launch Fishers. Launch is headed to a new office building. The Census Bureau projects a need for this space through February.
Mayor Scott Fadness updated the committee on the progress of the 2016 city budget. The mayor has instructed city departments not to plan on hiring any new employees next year as part of the spending plan being formulated. Fadness expects to have more details on the budget at the next meeting. The city must approve the 2016 budget in October.
The Fishers Plan Commission recommended to the city council approval of a proposed new ordinance governing micro cell towers. The council is expected to take up the matter at its August 17th meeting. No one chose to speak at the public hearing.
The new ordinance is in line with a new state law allowing municipalities to set standards for these facilities. These towers will be affixed to existing utility poles, will not be allowed in residential subdivisions and must meet aesthetic standards. These micro cell towers will likely not replace the cell phone towers we see today, but may reduce the need for more in the future. This new technology can also enhance cell phone coverage within the city.
In another action, the Plan Commission approved, at its August 11th session, the Whelchel Springs Primary Plat. During the public hearing, neighbors of the proposed subdivision along Florida Road complained that the developer has failed to keep promises made to them about rights of way. Doug Allman cast the lone no vote on the issue. The Whelchel Plat also now goes to the city council.
For the first time in a very, very long time, there will be a new top police official in Fishers. Long-time Chief George Kehl has announced his retirement from the force beginning September of next year. Mayor Scott Fadness was quick to name the second in command, Assistant Chief Mitch Thompson, as the new chief. Below is the news release from the City of Fishers”
After nearly 40 years with the Fishers Police Department, long-time chief, George Kehl, has announced that he will retire from the force in September 2016. Mayor Scott Fadness has named Assistant Chief Mitch Thompson as his successor.
“I am so grateful for Chief Kehl’s leadership and his tireless service to our community,” said Mayor Fadness. “Under his command, the police department has grown into a dynamic, nationally accredited agency that takes a proactive approach to policing.”
Chief Kehl joined the Fishers Police Department in 1975 as a part-time Deputy Marshal and became police chief in 1978. During his tenure, the police department has grown from one sworn officer to a department of 103. Chief Kehl has led the department during explosive population growth, and instituted policies that ensured Fishers remained one of the safest cities in the United States. A few of his career accolades include:
· Attended and graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy – 1991
· Participated in the LEEDS Academy elite school for law enforcement – 2001
· Served as President of Indiana Chiefs of Police – 2006
· Received the Sagamore of the Wabash award from Governor Mitch Daniels – 2007
· Implemented a successful criminal intelligence unit – 2012
“Serving my community has been the greatest honor of my life,” said Chief Kehl. “Our police department is one of the finest in the country, and I have enjoyed every minute of making Fishers a safer place to live, work and play.”
“Not only has Chief Kehl protected Fishers for the last 40 years, but he has built a team that will keep us safe for decades to come,” said Mayor Fadness. “He’s announced his retirement now to ensure a seamless transition for the new department leader.”
Assistant Chief Mitch Thompson will replace Chief Kehl as police chief in September 2016. Assistant Chief Thompson joined the force in 1991 and has been assistant chief since 2003. He is 24-year resident of Fishers.
It was early in the morning, August 10th, and Fishers High School gymnasium was packed with employees of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Corporation. School will start in two days and Superintendent Allen Bourff looked out at the crowd knowing he has his work cut out for him
The HSE School Board had been primed and ready to begin a campaign for a funding referendum in the upcoming November election, asking local taxpayers to increase property tax rates to better fund local schools. Dr. Bourff, at the last minute, recommended that the board postpone any referendum until May of 2016 at the earliest.
The reason for the recommendation? Bourff said he wanted to begin an effort to bring the community along. The President of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association, Janet Chandler, had informed the superintendent that 40% of the group’s membership, responding to a survey last year, said they would not support a new referendum because the last one in 2009 did not deliver what was promised. In other words, a significant segment of HSE’s teaching staff would not support another referendum.
In his August 10th speech to the staff, Dr. Bourff provided some history and context to explain why the 2009 referendum did not deliver its promises. In that plebiscite, voters approved a 10 cent additional property tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation. That provided HSE Schools about $5 million in revenue at the time and generates roughly $7 million annually now.
The 2009 referendum had promised lower class sizes, better pay for teachers and other staff, as well as other improvements. None of that happened when Governor Mitch Daniels, in response to a dramatic drop in state revenue, also dramatically lowered state funding to local schools early in 2010.
Dr. Bourrf was the Superintendent at Richmond, Indiana’s local school system in 2010. He recounted painful staff layoffs and building closures resulting from the governor’s school funding action in early 2010. HSE Schools did not layoff any staff or close any buildings as a result of the 2009/2010 funding shock because the referendum that had just passed kept local funding level. However, the promises of the 2009 referendum of lower class sizes, staff pay increases and other enhancements were never realized due to the severe drop in state income during the aftermath of the financial crisis.
“For those of you who are concerned that Dr. (Brian) Smith (HSE’s school superintendent at the time) and company, who promoted that referendum, didn’t live up to their commitments, I’m telling you, it was outside of their control,” Bourrf told the HSE staff. “For that reason, you saw nothing come from that referendum.”
Bourff and other HSE Schools top officials plan to go on a “listening tour” to gather staff reactions to what he is saying. “I may not have seen some of the needs that you see every day,” according to the superintendent. “That’s why we’re going on the listening tour.”
Dr. Allen Bourff did his best to put all the funding issues into context for his staff. Now he is prepared to listen to what staff members have to say. Let’s see where that leads the HSE School Corporation.
Top Ten summer readers with School Supt. Allen Bourff & School Board President John DeLucia
During my elementary school years, I signed up for the summer reading program at the local library and enjoyed the books I read. The Hamilton East Public Library in Fishers sponsored a summer reading program this year and these young people put me to shame. How about these facts: over 7,500 readers devouring more than 8.5 million pages of books. That is an accomplishment.
The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board honored the top ten readers for the summer of 2015 in its Snapshots of Success series at the August 10th session.
Here a list of the winners names, along with the astonishing number of book pages logged by each one:
Ellie Booster, New Britton Elementary: 51,859
Madison Murphy, Fishers High School: 40,050
Emily Boezeman, Hoosier Road Elementary: 21, 080
Logan Lara, Hamilton Southeastern Jr High: 20, 461
Firefighters in Brixx Pizza while sprinkler system pours water
Brixx Pizza in downtown Fishers was the scene of a flash fire in the kitchen area Tuesday morning that left two people injured, one treated at the scene, the other transported to Eskanazi Hospital. Fishers Fire officials say neither worker sustained life threatening injuries.
Early damage estimates are at $200,000. Brixx is closed until further notice.
According to the Fishers Fire Department, this was not a sustained fire but was described as a flash fire, based on initial reports.
Brixx was the first commercial tenant to open at The Depot mixed use development at the 116th Street entrance to City Hall. The restaurant opened earlier this year.
The Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety approved spending $52,000 on computer software to track the city’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts and deals. Mayor Scott Fadness said this will allow better reporting to state government on TIF activity in Fishers.
City Controller Oscar Gutierrez told the board this software will allow the city to track TIF parcels, districts, valuations and appeals. Gutierrez added that the new software will bring much of this work in-house with city staff and not require the expense of utilizing outside accounting firms to track and file state reports on the city’s TIFs. The new software will take this information away from spreadsheets and modernize the tracking system.
Mayor Fadness says this software will allow a centralized location to track this information on a single platform, something that has not existed in the past.
With the spotlight on Carmel and its intention to pass a gay rights ordinance August 17th, I asked Mayor Scott Fadness if Fishers is looking at the same proposal. The answer is yes, but Fadness wants any ordinance to have an effective enforcement mechanism.
The City of Fishers already has language in its laws and procedures to bar discrimination against LGBT people in areas such as procurement and employment. The mayor’s concern is how the city would go about enforcing an expanded general anti-discrimination ordinance.
If an ordinance were to be enacted and there is no clear path to investigating any complaints, the ordinance would have no real impact, according to the mayor.
Fadness told LarryInFishers he and City Attorney Chris Greisl have been investigating how to put together an effective human rights ordinance for the city. He plans to take a close look at the precise language of the proposed Carmel ordinance as Fishers looks at fashioning its own law.
John Wechsler (Left) and Mayor Fadness announce the donation of computer equipment
Launch Fishers is donating 100 computers with accompanying flat screen monitors, plus 50 additional flat screen monitors, to the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation. Launch founder John Wechsler announced the gift at the start-of- school meeting held at Fishers High School Monday morning (8.10).
Launch Fishers is preparing to move from its 16,000 square foot facility in the basement of the local library to a new office building with 52,000 square feet of space. The building was previously occupied by DECA, a collection firm, which went out of business and left nearly all its information technology equipment behind. When the City of Fishers purchased the office building allowing for the Launch Fishers expansion, Launch inherited that equipment. It is from that stash of computers that Launch made the donation to the school system.
Mayor Fadness, speaking at the same meeting of school staff, praised the school system’s excellent reputation as an engine for the city’s growth. “I can’t tell you how many people we recruit to the City of Fishers, not because of the work that I do, and not because of what’s happening in our city, but rather, what’s happening in our school system,” Fadness said.
Teachers and other staff members are preparing for the start of school, Students report Wednesday, August 12th.
