Several law enforcement agencies, including the IRS, are once again warning the public about scammers who are becoming much more sophisticated.

The latest one features a common mailed notice IRS sends to taxpayers if there is a difference in what appears on your tax return and information IRS has received from other parties about your income and other tax situations.  The IRS internally calls these “CP-2000” notices.

A new wave of fake letters are being mailed to people.  The scary part of this is how good the scammers have become at making the mailed paper notice look very close the the real notices sent out by the IRS.

If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from IRS, or received an e-mail or mailed letter from the federal tax agency, call IRS at 800-829-1040.  Congress hasn’t been very generous in staffing IRS the past several years, so you may be waiting on the line for a long time, but it is worth it if you have any reason at all the question a communication from IRS.

The most important item of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board’s first budget briefing for 2017  was the subject that wasn’t discussed.  For the first time in many budget cycles, HSE Schools will not be looking at spending cuts.  That’s because a funding referendum passed overwhelmingly in May of this year.

HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Mike Reuter outlined a proposed 2017 General Fund Budget of roughly $128.7 million.  That does not include the many specialty funds, such as debt service, transportation and capital projects.

Reuter told the board there are two major components to know in fashioning a spending plan – the number of students and the assessed property valuations in the school district.

The number of students in HSE this school year has been reported to the state as 21,137, which is an increase of 307 over the previous school year.  The kindergarten class this year totals 1,470, which is very close to estimates.

Reuter projects the school’s component of the 2017 local property tax rate to rise over last year, at $1.26 per $100 of assessed property valuation, compared to the 2016 projected rate of $1.13.  This rate can be complicated by many factors, including deductions allowed, increases in property valuations and the impact of property tax caps.

Property in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts will still pay school property taxes for amounts approved in recent referendum votes, according to Reuter.

After weeks of discussion and proposals, the Fishers City Council gave the go-ahead to raise council member salaries by $7,000 a year in 2017, increasing their annual pay to $19,000.  The council also approved a wheel tax of $25 per vehicle for residents of Fishers, beginning in 2018.

Council members had been discussing raising their pay, which has not been increased since the early 1990s.  Several numbers were bandied about, but the council settled on the $7,000 increase to take effect next year.

Mayor Scott Fadness proposed the Wheel Tax, which he says is needed to maintain and repair the city’s streets and roads.  The mayor expects the levy to raise about $2.5 million per year.  Residents will pay the tax when going through the registration process at the auto license branch.

The mayor also provided an overview of his 2017 city budget.  During the public hearing, only one person spoke, and he complimented the city.  The final council vote on the 2017 city spending plan is scheduled to take place October 17th.

The Indiana State Chamber of Commerce has named Fishers its 2016 “Community of the Year.”

Below is the news release announcing this honor:

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Fishers is far more than the bedroom community of years ago. The recent vision within the last decade to evolve into a “smart, vibrant and entrepreneurial city” has firmly taken hold, and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce has noticed, naming Fishers its 2016 Community of the Year.

Under the leadership of Mayor Scott Fadness and the city council, Fishers has become a center for innovation and an attractive business destination. 

At the State of the City address in February, the mayor announced 1,000 new jobs were on their way. Today, he says Fishers may see as many as 4,000 new jobs in total for the year.

“One of our goals is increasing the opportunities for people who live in our community to find gainful employment in their own city,” Fadness explains. “One of the best quality of life measurements for me is to eliminate residents’ need to commute a long distance … if you could spend another hour with your family, rather than being in the car, why wouldn’t you?”

With the influx of new jobs and amenities, Fishers now boasts a population of nearly 90,000. All for a locale that only officially transitioned from a town to city status less than two years ago. 

The 2013 opening of Launch Fishers, a collaborative co-working space for entrepreneurs, was key to putting the city on the right path. “That first year, we were hoping for 100 members; we thought that would be tremendous – we had 200. Then we were at 400 and now 630,” Fadness states.

It’s a prime example of Fishers partnering with the private sector and as Fadness puts it, “allowing them to do what they do best. (In this case) foster the environment for them to create whatever they’re going to create.”

Among the most high profile recent announcements are retailers IKEA and Topgolf building stores at 116th Street off of I-69; both are slated to open in fall 2017.

Other accomplishments include:

•  a roadmap for the city called Fishers 2040 Plan: A Framework for Our Future that strives to present a long-term vision;
•  building a downtown essentially from scratch over the course of three years;
•  a school district – Hamilton Southeastern – that has had more four-star schools than any other Indiana district in the last two years; both high schools are ranked     nationally inNewsweek and U.S. News and World Report’s best high school lists;
•  willingness to focus on mental health and come up with actionable items to help its citizens; and
•  in the last five-plus years, received high rankings for its affordability and livability fromMoney magazine, BusinessWeek and Forbes.

“Fishers’ tremendous success is rooted in the desire to be that destination for work, play and life,” observes Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar. “The mayor’s office and city council have really coalesced around the city’s vision and the community itself has embraced the many changes and initiatives that have transformed Fishers in a big way.”

Adds Fadness, “We are thrilled to receive this honor, but I also think we are just getting warmed up. Big ideas will continue along with new opportunities. We are by no means declaring victory yet.”

The Community of the Year award is sponsored by Lifeline Data Centers. 

“We are pleased to be a part of an award that showcases the very best of Indiana. Like our company, Fishers is on the leading edge of innovation and has truly become a very dynamic place,” offers Dana Carroll, co-owner of Lifeline Data Centers. 

Fishers will be honored at the Indiana Chamber’s 27th Annual Awards Dinner on November 15 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. More than 1,500 business, political and community leaders are expected to attend. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and long-time political commentator George F. Will headlines the event. The reception is at 5 p.m. with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tables of 10 and individual tickets are available by calling (800) 824-6885 or at www.indianachamber.com/ad. Sponsorship opportunities also remain; contact Jim Wagner for details.

The celebration of Hoosier success stories will include the presentation of three additional awards: Business Leader, Government Leader and the Indiana Vision 2025 Dynamic Leader of the Year. Indiana Vision 2025 is the Chamber’s long-range economic development plan and the award emphasizes entrepreneurship and others facets of the plan’s Dynamic and Creative Culture driver.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Rebecca Patrick at (317) 264-6897 or rpatrick@indianachamber.com. 

The most recent Community of the Year recipients:

2015: Carmel
2014: Bloomington
2013: Bedford
2012: Indianapolis
2011: Kokomo
2010: Terre Haute
2009: Valparaiso
2008: Noblesville
2007: Anderson
2006: Evansville

The 2016 Emmy Awards were handed out on September 18th…here is my review of the Emmys as a television show

The Fishers Police Department is once again set to hire more officers in this growing city.

Below is a news release from the department with the details if you, or someone you know, would be interested in applying…

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The Fishers Police Department is actively seeking qualified candidates to participate in a competitive hiring process. Applications are being accepted through October 21^th, 2016. Applicants are encouraged to visit our website, www.fishers.in.us/joinfpd for more information and to complete an On-Line Application. Applicants can access the application by clicking on “Jobs” found on the home page and then “Current Job Openings” for Sworn Police Officer.

The Fishers Police Department is Internationally Accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). We offer outstanding career opportunities that include: growth, opportunity, advancement, diversification, benefits, and competitive salaries. Police officers receive the highest levels of training and equipment and are given every opportunity to succeed.

Testing is expected to begin in October. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. If candidates have additional questions they can contact Officer Shawn Wynn at wynns@fishers.in.us or 317-595-3351.

Here is my Indiana Forefront commentary on the retirement of Fishers Police Chief George Kehl.

http://www.indianaforefront.com/fishers-set-to-lose-long-time-police-chief/

I review the Oliver Stone film about Edward Snowden

As the City of Fishers enters the final stages of fashioning the 2017 spending plan, the September 19th session will feature a public hearing, allowing local citizens to comment on the city’s spending priorities.

One issue expected to be front and center is the recommendation from the Council Finance Committee to approve a $7,000 per year pay increase for council members.

Why the large increase from $12,000 to $19,000 in one year?  Many council members argue that the $12,000 per year salary has not been changed since the early 1990s.

There was also a study done comparing council compensation in Fishers with other similar municipalities, and it found Fishers to be at the bottom of the council pay ladder at $12.000 per year.  Some cities even offer council members health and life insurance.  There is no proposal at this time to offer councilors those benefits in Fishers

Even though the council meets only once a month, down from the previous two monthly sessions, those serving on the council say regular council meetings are a small portion of the time they spend on city business.  Pete Peterson claims he kept track of his expenses for a few months and found he spent more money out of his pocket on city business than he was paid in council salary.

I am not advocating for or against the proposed council pay hike, but those are the arguments I hear from elected city councilors to justify the proposed increase in council pay for 2017.

City Clerk Jennifer Kehl was clearly not happy during the Finance Committee meeting held September 14th because her salary was recommended to rise 3% next year, the same as other city employees.  Kehl had asked for a $20,000 a year 2017 wage increase, arguing that would put her in line with what other cities, of Fishers’ size, pay their elected city clerks.

“Why do you feel it’s fair that you guys can get the salary increase comparable to other cities of this size and it’s not fair for me to have the same?,” Kehl asked members of the Finance Committee.

“I don’t think it’s a question of fairness,” replied Finance Committee Chairman Eric Moeller.

“It is when I put my time in and I’m here and I work hard,” said Kehl.

Another major issue before council members Monday night is the mayor’s proposal to levy a wheel tax on vehicles registered to Fishers residents of $25 per year, per vehicle.  The tax would start in 2018.  Mayor Scott Fadness says the city will never be able to keep up with road maintenance without this extra revenue.  He says state lawmakers added this option for local governments to raise their own revenue for maintaining roads.  Fadness told the Finance Committee he fully expects more municipalities to begin approving this tax in order to keep up with maintaining their transportation infrastructure.  If enacted, the tax would be paid when you pay the registration fee to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles each year.

Local citizens will obviously have their own views on these proposals, but I have summarized the arguments being put forth in favor of approving these ideas.

The budget will be presented to the council, and the public hearing will be held, at the September 19th council session.  Final approval of the 2017 city spending plan will be voted on at the regular October council session.

The September 19th Fishers City Council meeting is scheduled to start at 7pm at City Hall.

Another work week starts Monday, September 19th, and that brings another week of road construction in and around Fishers.

Below is the listing from the City of Fishers:

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BRIDGE REPLACEMENT

Continuing this week, the bridge on 106th Street between Allisonville Road and Hague Road will be closed by the Hamilton County Highway Department for replacement. Detour routes are displayed in the area and access to local traffic will be permitted for residents and businesses. Please direct any questions about this project to alison.krupski@hamiltoncounty.in.gov.

BROOKS SCHOOL ROAD

Temporary lane restrictions will be in place on the east side of Brooks School Road north of the roundabout at Fall Creek for tree/brush clearing. Patience is appreciated while traveling in that area.

CYNTHEANNE ROAD

Road work continues on Cyntheanne Road between Southeastern Parkway and 136th Street, during construction periodic lane restrictions and flaggers will remain in place to help direct traffic.

EXIT FIVE PARKWAY

Exit Five Parkway closed on Tuesday, September 6 to reconstruct the road as part of the 116th Street widening project. The road remains closed to all traffic. Trucks needing to deliver to businesses will need to go up to Cumberland Road to Exit Five Parkway and come in from the north. The road will be closed for approximately two months, and a detour map is available online.

I-69 AND CAMPUS PARKWAY

Milestone Contractors has begun mobilizing cranes and other equipment and setting a temporary concrete barrier wall along I-69 at Campus Parkway Exit 210. Work will require alternating lane closures on northbound and southbound I-69 between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Lane closures may recur each night through the end of the week depending on weather and progress. Questions about this project should be directed to INDOT at eastcentralin@indot.in.gov or 1-855-463-6848.

I-69 TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS

INDOT is overseeing an overnight closure on multiple traffic lanes on I-69 overnight this week. Weather permitting, lane closures, traffic changes and rolling slowdowns of traffic will begin after 9 p.m. and are expected to end before 6 a.m. the next day. Construction schedules and traffic restrictions are subject to change, and questions should be directed to INDOT at indot.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone. Please drive with caution as a new traffic pattern is in place.

MAPLE STREET

Maple Street will be close from North Street to Station Street on Tuesday September 6th.^. This closure has been coordinated with Fishers Fire Department should emergency access be needed. The closure is slated to be in place on September 23rd.

STATE ROAD 37

Various general survey work has begun along the State Road 37 corridor. Work will take place starting at the 126th Street intersection. Learn more at www.Fishers.in.us/SR37.

106^th STREET & CUMBERLAND ROAD ROUNDABOUT

Cumberland Road from 106th Street to Mud Creek is closed as Phase 1 of a new roundabout begins. 106th Street will remain open and Cumberland Road north of 106th Street will remain open at this time. The Cumberland Road south of 106th street is closed. Please continue to check the weekly construction update for ongoing progress on this project.

106th STREET INTERCHANGE

INDOT has begun work on the 106th Street interchange. A lane shift is currently in place on I-69 and 106th Street is closed as construction continues. Additional details about this project will be released through INDOT and shared on the weekly construction update. Please be advised the speed limit from 82nd Street to 116th Street has been reduced to 55 mph and there are lane shifts on I-69. Please travel with caution and pay close attention to signage in the area.

116th STREET

There may be short-term lane restrictions on eastbound 116th Street between USA Parkway and Exit Five Parkway while utility work is being completed.