In less than a year, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, who was first elected in 1996, will be leaving office and a new era will begin in Carmel. A new mayor will take his place and it’s my hope that we continue to follow much of the playbook that Brainard set out for Carmel’s success.
In later columns, I’ll examine how Carmel came to be as great as it is today, but first, let’s take a moment to reflect upon some facts that showcase our city’s success.
Low taxes
With a diverse tax base that includes over 125 corporate headquarters and in-demand residential properties, Carmel boasts strong revenues and some of the lowest property taxes in the state. We have the 15th-lowest city property taxes in Indiana for 2023, out of 117 cities. When you count the district rate (which includes the library and township taxes), we are ninth lowest. We have the lowest tax rate in all of Indiana for a city with a population over 100,000 people.
Great schools
Carmel High School has a 97.5 percent graduation rate with 95 percent going on to college. In 2020, there were 51 National Merit Semifinalists. You also might have seen a recent viral video that showcases just how impressive the CHS campus is.
Safe community
World-class, accredited police and fire departments help keep Carmel safe. The city is consistently ranked as the safest place to live in all of Indiana. In addition, smart road design, including medians, crosswalks, roundabouts and smooth, well-paved roads lead to some of the lowest rates of injury automobile accidents per capita in the entire state.
World-class amenities
Carmel boasts nearly 200 miles of multi-use paths/trail, more than a dozen parks with more than 1,000 acres of park land, a nationally recognized performing arts center and more than 200 free public events every year.
Nationally recognized
In 2022, Carmel was ranked by Niche as the Best Place to Live in Indiana, by Money Magazine as the Best Place to Retire in the U.S., and by Safewise as the 3rd Safest City in U.S. to Raise a Child. In 2021, Money Magazine named Carmel as the 2nd Best Place to Live in the U.S. Carmel took the top spot in Money’s rankings in 2012 and 2018.
Adam Aasen is a City Councilor representing Carmel’s Southeast District.