By KEN ALEXANDER
Council Minutes
Hopefully, everyone is enjoying their summer. The July County Council meeting was lengthy but much of the agenda was devoted to basic appropriations for grants, reduction in funds as we close them out, and changes to personnel that require action by Council. I am not going to discuss those general actions.
I am going to use this time to highlight a few items including mileage reimbursement, two interlocal agreements, the introduction of a county bridge improvement bond program, and lastly a rather lengthy conversation about appropriations of ARPA funds for projects. It is important to remember that these monthly Council meetings are just the public facing part; there are many other meetings, emails and correspondence taking place behind the scenes to move items forward.
If you remember the comments from the June Council meeting, there was a desire to increase the mileage reimbursement rate to combat the impact of inflation on our staff. The Council was interested in helping but noted that there were a number of tax issues with reimbursing greater than the current Federal reimbursement rate ($0.585 per mile). As I stated in June, it was our understanding that the rate was about to be changed, and then later in June the Federal government increased the mileage reimbursement rate. As our ordinance states that we follow the Federal rate for reimbursement, there was no need to adopt a new rate, so we acknowledged the change and moved on with the meeting.
Interlocal agreements are generally agreements between two government bodies regarding responsibilities of each that may include sweat equity or financial arrangements. The two projects we discussed in early July deal with the County’s responsibility to provide and maintain bridges which is statutorily directed.
The interlocal agreement with Noblesville is in regard to the new Pleasant Street project that includes a large bridge over the White River. Noblesville is pushing forward with this project and is bidding this project later this year. The Pleasant Street bridge is a project that has been planned for some time and this interlocal caps the County’s financial obligation on this bridge.
The interlocal with Fishers is due to the Cumberland Road thoroughfare project that they are beginning that includes the improvement of a county bridge. This bridge was a priority project for the County as it had been damaged recently. This is a great project for the County as Fishers was able to get Federal grant money for this project which reduced our cost for the bridge.
One of the two big items on the agenda was the introduction of the County Bridge Improvement Bond program. We already mentioned one of the large projects associated with this, Pleasant Street. Another project identified was an improvement at the intersection of 146th Street and Allisonville Road. There was discussion regarding the project costs and how we were accounting for inflation. In essence, the project budgets built-in project cost escalation. The rate of inflation that we are accounting for is greater than in years past, but it is being accounted. Additionally, we have Federal funds coming in on the Allisonville and 146th Street project, which was not stated in the meeting but was clarified after Council by the highway department. In total, this bond captures important projects for the community, and it utilizes the capacity within our Major Bridge Fund to cover debt service which prevents any increase in your county tax levy.
The last major issue I want to address is the ARPA grant program. When these monies first started coming in from the federal government, the County created a program and a small committee to review the applications and give recommendations to the Council. These ARPA dollars are helping some projects move forward that would not have been able to move without some unique financial gymnastics. In that way, ARPA has been a good thing, but there is always another side. Money often brings out the worst in people, and I’ve seen this grant program turn into a cancer that divides people and creates anger and animosity.
The Baker’s Corner project has had more visibility than any other project I have ever been involved with on Council. It was identified as a transformational project and came with matching funds from the state and others to make this a reality. Scope, timing, budget and the contractor had all been defined. It was time to appropriate the remainder of the ARPA dollars. My motion for the funding was not approved due to concerns about financial controls. The proposal from our developer/contractor partner dictates that the project cannot exceed the defined budget. We already have estimates that have been presented to everyone, but there are lingering concerns. Those concerns are trust.
There is a division between the Commissioners and the Council. Despite our disagreements, we are all trying to work for the benefit of our community. Our representation in these committees is one way that we are working together, but one Councilor went so far as to say that we should eliminate the committees. This would slow down everything which would be contrary to creating government efficiency, one of the missions I am on.
I will continue to fight to improve the workflows. We are making strides forward, but it takes time to make a change and a thick skin to manage it through the political world.
If items mentioned above are of interest, please reach out to me or any member of the County Council. 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.