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.
November was filled with meetings and events. Being invited to so many county, holiday, and fundraising events is both humbling and a bit daunting. Trying to honor as many requests as possible is tough. Balancing personal and business commitments during the holiday season with council commitments makes me feel like the guy in the circus juggling chainsaws. That said, nearing the end of my first year of serving on the council, the work has settled into a normalized flow.
This month, our in-person personnel committee meeting was canceled. Without a meeting, personnel requests are voted on as they occur, at the next regular council meeting. The highway committee meeting was light with only a few requests, all of which were addressed at the full council meeting. Many of our highway projects require council members’ 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, November’s work included attending Board of Commissioners public meetings, meeting with the Human Resources and Communication department heads, a joint executive Council and Commissioners meeting, a joint public meeting, Council Caucus meetings, a Council work session, two Noblesville City Council meetings, Cicero Town council and Cicero Utilities planning meetings.
The month included two constituents service meetings. Usually, requests require research with a county department, securing the correct answer and then following up with the taxpayer. November’s taxpayer questions were both Public Safety related. One regarding the outfitting of first responder vehicles with radios and one regarding Hamilton County’s move to the latest Motorola radios. Again, this month, the review of several candidates for council board appointments continued. I also received a briefing from our Human Resources leadership regarding the Workday software package implementation and how county retirees received the news of their updated benefits and lower costs.
As a council, in addition to the normal county operations financial oversight, we are investing time and continue to work on the expansion of the judicial center, attainable housing initiatives, the creation of a community development corporation, ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) spend management, a domestic violence center, a new 911 Communications center, county participation in CIRDA (Central Indiana Regional Development Authority), a pedestrian bridge to connect a Fishers and Carmel park, highway projects, board appointments, utility services to the North and planning for the services that will be needed to accommodate our growing county population.
Of note this month was working to assist Cicero with funding for local utility projects. I had the honor, along with Kathy Williams, to represent the County speaking about servant leadership with several dozen high school freshmen as part of the Purdue Extension ACTS Program. It was an honor to represent you at the Central Indiana Police Foundation Breakfast, at the Noblesville Youth Assistance Haybale Ball, at the Indianapolis Executive Airport runway expansion grand opening, at Carmel’s Christkindlmarkt opening day, at the Good Samaritan Network’s Festival of Trees, and speaking at the Sheridan Kiwanis meeting.
This is my timesheet. This is where my time went during month 11. 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.