By KEN ALEXANDER
Council Minutes
Spring in Indiana is always an interesting time. The weather fluctuates like a yo-yo, people are finalizing plans for Spring Break and basketball takes control of the office water cooler talk as the inevitable “bracket-busting” begins this year on St. Patrick’s Day.
On Feb. 21, our oldest son followed his dream of serving his country. I have and will always be a strong supporter of our military, but nothing prepares you for the moment your child leaves for boot camp. It is not like college and there will be no “parents” weekend. Our child will graduate in June, barring injury, and take the next step to fulfilling his promise to “… support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” Hopefully basketball can take my mind off things because with everything happening in the Ukraine, having a young man in boot camp can be stressful.
At the March meeting of the Hamilton County Council, we had a light agenda, but it was dominated by two lengthy presentations at the beginning. These presentations were for the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and an update on the Efficiency Study by KPMG. We moved that these items be referred to a future executive session for further review. As those evolve over the course of the year, I will share updates and pertinent information.
One item that came up during the President’s comments was that one of our long-serving board appointees resigned due to personal reasons. His appointment was due to expire in August, but it highlighted an item that I was already working with staff to change. We have many committees and boards that we appoint members from our community to serve. Very few people express interest in serving and many more do not know that the opportunities even exist. I am looking to build another link on the County Council website that allows for people to explore the opportunities, connect with persons already serving and apply if they so wish.
The standard fare of committee reports, grant appropriations and vendor claims were addressed early in the agenda. Several items are still rolling in that were impacted by the change in county’s labor and trades (LTC) pay scale. This will affect wage rates but also the benefits for individuals that fall within the general labor and trades categories. This change in the LTC scale was to help fill roles and compete against the private sector.
One additional appropriation that was large needs special notice. Hamilton County’s Visitor and Convention Board (HVCB) had a bond that had roughly $1 million left. This bond is paid by revenues generated through tourism. While they could continue to follow that payment structure, our HCVCB leadership showcased their fiscal discipline through the pandemic and beat their revenue projections last year. These additional proceeds from 2021 combined with revenue from the first quarter of this year allowed us the opportunity to appropriate these dollars specifically to pay off the 2011 HCVCB bond. Kudos to the HCVCB leadership and board who willed this to happen. It is unthinkable that they could achieve this following a pandemic that crushed the hospitality industry, but such was the impact of Grand Park in Hamilton County. It is just another example of how Hamilton County can invest and maintain its AAA bond rating.
On the local political front, the business of campaigning is heating up with activities smashed together in the run-up to the primaries in May. The county continues to review several projects and analyze their funding needs. ARPA is still an active program as is the ERAP for rental assistance. It is anticipated that the federal government will send the county another ARPA grant with far fewer strings attached. Unlike many of our “blue” counties, we have been running a tight ship with our county’s finances and we do not have the needs like others.
It is also worth noting that the county’s efforts are not alone. Our citizens and local businesses appear to be returning to a normal not seen since 2019. Hard work is contagious and “a rising tide lifts all boats” so I am still positive about our economic future. While most of us are not fond of the federal government’s gross incompetence as it relates to fiscal stewardship, it would be a disservice to our community to not look at opportunities to invest this money to the benefit of the county.
In case you didn’t know, the county has its own YouTube channel where you can watch live and recorded county meetings, including our County Council. If items mentioned above are of interest, I’d suggest watching and reaching out as you feel is appropriate.
As always, I am thankful that the Hamilton County Reporter for publishing my Council updates and a special thanks to you, the readers, and residents of Hamilton County, for reading it and being engaged in the discussion. Our county is better because of you all. I welcome your questions at ken.alexander@hamiltoncounty.in.gov.
Ken Alexander is serving in his first term on the Hamilton County Council, representing District 4, which includes Adams and Washington townships, and part of Clay Township. He currently serves as the Vice President of the County Council.