Boone County clash may spawn Indiana’s newest town

The unincorporated Boone County town of Fayette received unanimous approval from county commissioners Monday night to officially become a town.

Because Fayette is within two miles of Marion County, final approval of the incorporation awaits a vote by the Marion County’s City-County Council. City-County Council members were not immediately available to discuss a timetable for a vote or the likely results. However, a  Lebanon Reporter story said opposition isn’t anticipated.

The new town which also is near Hendricks County, would have about 676 people and 4,000 acres. Its borders are: Hendricks County on the south; the Perry Township and Eagle Township line on the east; Interstate 65 and County Road 550 South on the north; and approximately County Road 250 East on the west.

Residents wanted their own town because they feared an aggressive annexation thrust by nearby Whitestown, Perry Township Trustee Jack Belcher, who spearheaded the incorporation movement, said in an interview with IBJ.

Taxes would have increased to 53 cents per $100 of assessed valuation from the current 4 cents, Belcher said. Under incorporation, taxes will be 20 cents per $100, he said.

Supporters of incorporation also fretted that quality of Whitestown public services would be inferior, Belcher said.

Whitestown, located along Interstate 65, is expanding its borders in anticipation of development. It has annexed part of Duke Realty Corp.’s 1,700-acre Anson development and plans to swallow the rest. Anson is expected to have residential, civic and commercial elements.

Fayette could grow quickly. It is in the path of an expanded Ronald Reagan Parkway, which now runs north and south along Hendricks County’s eastern border. Planners envision connecting it to an east-west road through Boone and Hamilton counties.