It appears that Fishers did not get the legislative language local officials were seeking in what the mayor has called “abnormalities” in the distribution of County Option Income Tax (COIT) distributions in Hamilton County.  Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told the City Council Finance Committee April 15th that Carmel receives $21 million more in COIT distributions compared to Fishers annually, despite the two cities being similar in population.

State Representative Todd Huston tells LarryInFishers that a bill in the General Assembly aimed at equalizing that disparity over several years did not survive the 2019 legislative House-Senate conference committee, due to the impact the measure would have on other parts of Indiana.

“I am extremely disappointed we couldn’t come to consensus on legislation to fix the tremendous discrepancy of the County Option Income Tax distribution in Hamilton County during this session of the General Assembly,” said Huston in a statement to LarrInFishers.  “I will continue to work diligently to fix this inequity when we meet again next year.”

Huston backed a bill that passed the House aimed at dealing with the widening gap between Fishers and Carmel in distributing COIT funds, but the Senate came up with much different language.  Fadness described the Senate bill as “not an ideal scenario for us (the City of Fishers).”

Fadness has said that if state lawmakers do not change this distribution formula, the disparity will widen over time.  The current $21 million difference would fund the entire Fishers Fire Department and a good part of the police force, according to Fadness.

“We’re extremely disappointed that the legislature did not move toward a more equitable and fair distribution for local income tax this legislative session,” Mayor Fadness said in an e-mailed statement. “We are committed to ensuring Fishers receives its appropriate distribution of income tax, and we will advocate for it again next year.”