FHS Band Boosters are not waiting until December to host a fund-raising event with a Christmas theme.  The place is Fishers High School and the date is October 7, 9:00am-2:00pm.  See the flyer below.

Writing a local news blog for about 12 years brings on a number of other opportunities.  One of those happened to me Friday.  It was an e-learning day for students but teachers reported to work as usual.

The Fishers High School PTO sponsored a contest among the many departments at the school all about cooking the best chili.  I was honored to be on a judging panel that included Master Chef Kelsey Murphy and WTHR Meteorologist Angela Buchman.  To say I felt a bit inadequate sitting next to these wonderful ladies is an understatement, but they are both very nice people.

Judging was not easy because there was so much very good chili.  I had to leave before the winner was announced, but FHS Principal Jason Urban proclaimed the winner of the chili cookoff – the Exceptional Learners department.

It was so special to see a local PTO once again reminding our teachers how much the local community appreciates the work they do, day in and day out.

Another busy week is upcoming for local road crews.  Below is the listing of road construction in and around Fishers for the work week starting Monday, October 2:

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Continue reading Road construction update for the work week starting Monday, October 2 →

Samantha Chapman will admit she is new at running for office as a candidate, but she talks about her campaign for the Northeast District Fishers City Council seat in this podcast.  Mike Fassold Joins Larry Lannan, talking with the candidate.

The City of Fishers has several appointments made to various boards and commissions made by the mayor and city council.  Hamilton County has a number of appointments made to boards and commissions as well.

Hamilton County now has an online portal allowing county residents to apply for appointments.

“We have seats on several boards expiring in the coming months,” says Ken Alexander, President of the County Council. “The deadline to apply for next year is November 15. The council will meet to discuss the applications and vote on a slate of appointees at our December meeting.”

Applications can be submitted at this link.

The county is accepting applications for appointments to the following boards & commissions:

• Alcoholic Beverage Board
• Board of Zoning Appeals
• Economic Development Boards
• Hamilton County Parks Board
• Hamilton County Plan Commission
• Hamilton County Redevelopment Commission
• Hamilton County Visitor and Convention Commission
• Hoosier Heritage Port Authority
• Library Boards
• Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals
• TriCo Regional Sewer Utility Board of Trustees

To provide an idea of the Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) Schools budget, let’s compare the city’s proposed 2024 spending plan with that of the local school corporation.

The City of Fishers, the 5th largest in the state by population, is proposing a total budget of roughly $164 million in 2024.  The HSE Schools are looking at a 2024 spending plan totaling $296 million.

The HSE School Board did a deep dive Tuesday night into the various components that make-up the revenue and spending for the 4th-largest school district in the state.

One issue that was first raised at the recent Budget & Finance Committee meeting is the reduction in the student count.  The state requires school districts to report the first student count of the school year on October 2nd.  HSE Schools are projecting a student count of 20,931 students, down 221 from the count one year ago.

The state funds school districts on a per-student basis, but HSE Schools Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling tells LarryInFishers there should be no reason to cut the budget, at least during this school year.  She added that assumes the referendum on the November 7 ballot passes.

The enrollment numbers also reveal fewer students in the lower grades and more students in higher grades.  Dowling says this is consistent with the enrollment projections provided by demographer Dr. Jerry McKibben in his most recent report.

For many years, Fishers residents have complained about the private roads in disrepair throughout the city.  The Board of Works and Public Safety took an important step in moving forward on two projects under a provision called The Barrett Law, a process that begin in March of this year.

Property owners in the commercial area of these roads would share in the cost of repair and reconstruction, and can pay over time if they so choose. Once that is complete and the work is done, those roads would be included in the city’s inventory of streets and roads for any further work.

Two areas of roads, east and west of State Road 37, on the northern end of the city, are the first sections of private roads targeted to be fixed under the Barrett Law.  One section is  Trade Center Drive, Britton Park Rd (between 135th St and 141st St.), and Park East Court.  The other is Parkside Drive, Publishers Drive, and Enterprise Drive.  The cost of the projects are $1.9 million and $571,000.

Since some property owners reside out of state, the city has extended the period of time to file objections, with the deadline now set at October 9.

In one other item of note on the board agenda, Fishers Fleet Management Director Tabatha Miller asked the board for up to 49 replacement police vehicles at a cost not to exceed $2.5 million.  Miller told the board the high number is attributed to budget years 2022. 2023 and 2024.  Some vehicles are already ordered, this board action is requested just in case those orders are cancelled and must be ordered again.  Six vehicles ordered in 2022 are just now being assembled by the manufacturer, Miller said.   The Fishers Police Department has 171 police cars total.

The fleet request before the board only covers the cost of the vehicle, not the the equipment needed to use in law enforcement.

“These are unusual times we find ourselves with our fleet,” Mayor Scott Fadness said.  Fire, police departments and ambulances are facing challenges, but Fishers is not alone in dealing with this issue.  Miller says Fishers is doing “fairly well” compared to other municipalities facing this fleet challenge.

The board approved the request from fleet management.

Here is the video version of my podcast with author Sonali Dev.

The Hamilton East Library is holding a special event Saturday, September 30, 2:30-4:30pm, at the Forum Events Center.  Three authors will be on hand to talk about their books and sign books as well.

One of those authors is Sonali Dev, a prolific writer.  She will be discussing her book “Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors.”  The library arranged for me to record a podcast with Sonali Dev.  Listen at the link below, I think you will enjoy the conversation.

The Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) School Board is once again featured on the front page of the Indianapolis Star, this time in the Monday morning edition.  The story is all about a proposed contract with Bondry Consulting and the board’s interactions with Chief Financial Officer Katy Dowling.

I have reported previously on all this, but reporter Rachell Fradette does a deeper dive into the story.  It all revolves around HSE School Board Member Ben Orr’s desire to have outside financial advice and Dowling questions why he needs that since that is her job as CFO.

Orr endorsed the work Dowling is doing for the school district, but reporter Fradette reminds her readers that Dowling’s contract did not receive the 2-year renewal that had been traditional previously.

There is a lot more to read in the IndyStar story, which you can access at this link.   (NOTE:  Access to this story may be limited if you are not an IndyStar subscriber.  Online subscriptions are relatively inexpensive.  Once again, please, subscribe to your local media!)