The Indiana Association of County Commissioners recognizes one Commissioner from throughout the state for their outstanding efforts and achievements as a County Commissioner. The 2019 award for Outstanding County Commissioner was presented to Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Dillinger on Tuesday at the association’s annual event.
Dillinger is the longest standing County Commissioner currently serving in Indiana. He was first elected in 1980 when the population of Hamilton County was 82,000; it is now over 300,000, a near 400 percent increase.
Some of his many accomplishments include:
- A new Government & Judicial Center
- Saving and restoring the Hamilton County Courthouse and old jail (as a museum)
- A new Highway Department Garage and Administrative Offices
- A new 4-H Fairgrounds Facility
- A new Humane Society facility for animal care that also included a spay neuter clinic
- Planned and constructed a Public Safety Campus that included a new jail, two new juvenile centers, Community Corrections Facility, combined 911 Communications Center to serve the entire county, equipped the center with new state of the art technology
- Major additions to the county-owned Riverview Health Hospital including the new Riverview Health Hospital in Westfield
- New Health Department and coroner’s offices
- Increased park land from 174 acres to over 1,500 acres
- Converted all gravel roads in the county to hard surface
- Resurfaced over 800 miles of county roads
- Formed a Solid Waste Board and constructed a recycle center
- Instrumental in bringing the Ivy Tech Campus to the county, located in Noblesville
- Created zoning for unincorporated areas of the county
- Helped put together and fund the State Road 37 thoroughfare plan
- Part of the team to construct Lowe’s Way Fly Ramp connection
Dillinger has also served on the County Drainage Board, County Board of Finance and County Solid Waste Board, and the County Plan Commission. Dillinger currently holds the position of Vice President of the Indianapolis Airport Authority Board, on which he has served since 2000.
The Association of Indiana Counties has honored Dillinger on five different occasions with its Outstanding County Achievement Award and three times with the association’s Government Cooperation Achievement Award.
On a personal side, he is a member of the Green Valley Church of Christ, Local Chamber of Commerce, coached Noblesville’s elementary football travel team, Noblesville Grinders, for 25 years, and was elected as an inaugural Inductee into the Elementary Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Additionally, he has served as a past board member for three different banks and currently serves as the Advisory Board of Directors for Old National Bank.
“It takes a special individual to dedicate the time, develop a vision, build consensus, promote teamwork, and enjoy victory for eight consecutive terms,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt. “This distinguished County Commissioner has focused his heart and soul on making his county a great place to live and raise a family.”