Hamilton County Councilman Mark Hall’s March Timesheet

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, consider volunteering, and by asking questions. Council meetings are at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center in downtown Noblesville. Meetings are also available to watch online for those unable to attend in person.

Here is where my time this past month has been spent.

In addition to the County Council public meetings, March work included: a joint County Council Commissioner meeting, two Board of Commissioners public meetings, a Sheridan Town Council meeting, meeting with the Hamilton East Public Library Director Melissa Loiselle, a Cicero officials quarterly meeting with County department leaders, and watching a Noblesville Town Council meeting.

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The Personnel Committee met in person, and we also had a poll later in the month. We addressed two position reclassifications and approvals to double slot two positions in preparation for two key retirements. All the requests were approved and moved on to the full council for final approval.

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The Finance Committee met, and we discussed debt financing options. Additionally, we were briefed on the potential revenue impact of the property tax reform bills being considered by our state legislature. While we are anxiously waiting to understand upcoming changes to our county budget income, we must start the 2026 budget analysis. Planning in this environment is challenging. The Insurance Committee did not meet during March.

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This month I received 19 constituent service requests and communications. One request was regarding highway and bridge projects in Jackson and White River townships. This constituent owns property near a bridge being moved and previously used a timber bridge that has been under repair for a long time. I have yet to satisfy the constituent’s request and continue to work on it. Research has included several communications with the County Highway leadership, engineers, and the project manager for these two projects. An abundance of information has been communicated back to the property owner, and we have agreed to an in-person meeting once we have final plan approvals from all the required agencies.

The second request was regarding the Nickel Plate Railroad. The constituent wrote to express their concerns about the organization’s executive leadership. I communicated with several local elected officials, corporate sponsors and customers of the Nickel Plate Railroad, a former employee and a not-for-profit that partners with them. My research indicated no cause for concerns with many of the conversations expressing strong support for railroad leadership.

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The balance of emails and conversations were regarding the expansion of the HCRUD (Hamilton County Regional Utility District). Of those expressing an opinion to me, two thirds were in support of bringing water and sewer services to Jackson Township. Property owners in favor cited improved fire safety, lower insurance rates, mitigating potential water contamination and higher property values. Of the one-third opposed, expense of an inspection to be exempt from connecting, expense of connecting to the sewer, government overreach, and the challenges associated with growth (roads, schools, density, etc.) were all cited as reasons for their opposition. Personally, I am supportive of the Utility District but would like to see a way to help homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, manage the cost of inspections.

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Noteworthy items from March included orienting the new Director of Council Operations, Kelly Morehouse, as she began her work with the council. Also, meetings with two Sheridan Town Councilors to listen to their plans for future development and to get their thoughts on county projects.

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The most noteworthy topic from March continues to be Property Tax reform. To be clear we need property tax reform. Potential changes in revenue require purposeful planning. For now, until we understand the final impact on Hamilton County, my position remains to pull back on long-term spending commitments that have not already been funded.

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It was an honor to represent you this month at the Invest Hamilton County: State of the Workforce luncheon at the Noblesville Schools Education Foundation 2025 Miller Palooza fundraiser, at the Lt. Governor’s Indiana elected officials Town Hall, and at Prevails Community Partner Awards breakfast.

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This is my timesheet. This is where my time went during March 2025. While my job is primarily the financial oversight of the county budget, it is important that I 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.