By DAVID GIFFEL
Guest Columnist
Carmel has some of the lowest property taxes of any incorporated area in Hamilton County. When I compare Fishers to Carmel, one answer is the difference in school property taxes. Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ property tax rate is significantly higher than Carmel Clay Schools. Think about it: If a Carmel homeowner earns the same wages as someone in Fishers, the Carmel homeowner can afford a house that costs about $5,000 more with the difference in the taxes paid. In 10 years, that difference is thousands of dollars to a Fishers homeowner.
The Reason
The reason Carmel’s school tax rate is lower is because of less school debt and fewer buildings. Carmel Schools has fewer debt obligations! Carmel had time to grow into its shoes. Fishers will never be able to achieve the same lower tax rate unless we demand change.
The Future Problem
The problem is the City of Noblesville’s growth into Wayne Township. Wayne Township is in HSE’s district and projects high growth into the future. Fishers’ property owners will continue to carry a high debt burden with the need for new schools as the population grows east of Noblesville into HSE’s district. Wayne Township and Noblesville residents should be responsible, not Fishers.
We can see the historical Fishers homeowner growth from 2000 to 2020. In this time period, HSE’s enrollment grew from 8,779 to 22,184 students. HSE Schools will likely have huge enrollment increases sooner than we think. Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen says, “… made it clear his city plans to expand eastward into Wayne Township with both residential and commercial development…” Then let Noblesville pay for it. (Lannan, Larry. “The future of HSE Schools, Noblesville and Wayne Township” Hamilton County Reporter, March 24, 2021.)
Planning Ahead
Today, the only HSE school in Wayne Township is Durbin Elementary. Noblesville Schools would be better suited to meet the City of Noblesville’s goals. It’s time for HSE to grow into its shoes like Carmel. HSE needs to redraw boundaries and develop an exit plan for Noblesville Schools to now take responsibility. Fishers’ property taxpayers should not pay for Noblesville housing developments.
Related Article
Lannan, Larry. “Student Population at HSE Schools and the Future of Durbin Elementary” Hamilton County Reporter, Aug. 14, 2019.
David Giffel is a founding board member of the Fiscal Conservatives of Hamilton County, a Fishers homeowner, a Republican member of the Delaware Township Board, Delaware 19 Republican Precinct Committeeman, Chairman of the Central Indiana IoPP Chapter, and entrepreneur, and he has over 30 years of business experience in manufacturing polymer resins, compounds, and plastic films.
Charts provided by David Giffel / DLGF