Welcome to the Timesheet. This column is a report of work done on behalf of the people of Hamilton County. It’s to be informative, too – a place to learn about projects and how our county government works.
As your employee, it’s important to me that you know what is being worked on as transparently as possible in government. You hired me as your County Councilman, and my hope is that you’ll choose to be informed by regularly reading this column, getting involved, and by asking questions. Council meetings are at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the Judicial Center in downtown Noblesville. They are also available to watch online for those unable to attend in person.
Here is where my time this past month has been spent.
October quickly turned into a memory, and while it’s rare for anything to move fast in government, the speed of my first year of service feels like sitting in the back seat of a two-seater Indy car roaring at 180 MPH around a certain famed neighboring oval track.
The 2024 budget public hearing was completed in October. While there is time available during council meetings for the public to comment, this public hearing is the opportunity for any taxpayer to address concerns they might have with planned 2024 budget decisions. All council meetings are advertised, and you can sign up for alerts on the Hamilton County website to receive email notifications of public meetings. The public hearing was mostly administrative and although we approve the budget, the Department of Local Government and Finance (DLGF) must bless the final product.
I am proud of the work we did. It is challenging to balance needs versus wants in dozens of departments. The final product keeps our county tax rate the same, allows for appropriate department growth, provides for better retiree benefits at a lower cost to taxpayers, increases county employee’s compensation fairly, puts savings in our rainy-day fund (something that has been missing the last few years) and reflects a reduction of over $9 million versus the requested budget amount. Hamilton County has the second-largest county budget in the State of Indiana with 2024’s budget exceeding 260 million taxpayer dollars.
Your County Council consists of seven elected officials. Four of us were elected from districts around the county and three others were elected countywide, as At-Large members. The County Council is responsible for the financial oversight of Hamilton County government. We serve alongside three Commissioners, who are responsible for the administrative and executive oversight of Hamilton County. In the 2024 election cycle, two Board of Commissioners positions and all three of the At-Large Council positions will be up for election. The new four-year term will begin in January of 2025.
This month, our in-person personnel committee meeting was canceled, replaced by a poll of the members for requests. Personnel requests are then voted on at the next regular council meeting. Many of our highway projects require council sponsorship. Project details are reviewed in advance, sponsored, and then moved to votes at a subsequent full council meeting. This process, along with statutory regulations that govern procurement, are in place to ensure value and multiple checks and balances on behalf of the taxpayers.
In addition to the County Council public meetings, October’s work included attending a Board of Commissioners public meeting as well as several meetings to investigate the county’s participation in the Central Regional Development Authority (CIRDA). Being a member of CIRDA could allow Hamilton County to join with other central Indiana local governments in application for federal and state grant dollars on a larger scale. The month included four constituents service meetings. Usually, requests require research with a county department, securing the correct answer and then following up with the taxpayer. October’s taxpayer questions, and the research required to get answers was more involved. Topics included the new County Utility District, U.S. 31 corridor growth, and TIF districts in Northern Hamilton County. I also had the pleasure of speaking with several candidates for council board appointments and meeting with our Coroner regarding his department’s equipment update needs.
Of note this month was the continued review of grant opportunities for both the Hamilton County Senior Center and Prevail and working to assist Cicero with funding for local utility projects. I had the honor to represent the County at the U.S. 31 Infrastructure Project Groundbreaking Ceremony and the IFI Fall Dinner.
This is my timesheet. This is where my time went during month 10. There are quite a few projects in the queue for 2024 and while my job is primarily the financial oversight of the county budget it is important to understand the Board of Commissioners priorities and balance them with the stewardship of taxpayer dollars. That is the job, and I am excited to do the people’s business.
As a taxpayer myself, and listening to so many of you, our employers, it’s important for the taxpayers to have access to all the information you want. I work for you and although you may not choose to do a deep dive into what your County Council does, it’s important that you can always do so.
Feel free to contact me at (317) 832-1104 or mark.hall@hamiltoncounty.in.gov with questions, feedback or if you would like to talk about county business.