Sixty Indianapolis-area business and civic leaders visited Denver Oct. 19-21 as
part of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce 2008 Leadership Exchange and paid close attention to public transportation, especially commuter trains.
We have a long-standing policy of not endorsing political candidates, but there’s no such policy where ballot initiatives
are concerned. So we urge our readers to vote "yes" on assessor consolidation.
In this election, citizens must decide whether the assessing duties of the elected township assessor in the township should
be transferred to the county assessor.
HAMILTON COUNTY Carmel adopts budget of $89 million for services The city of Carmel has passed an $89 million budget for 2009. At its Oct. 6 meeting, the Carmel Common Council adopted the budget, which is based on a property tax rate that’s lower than the rate Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, a Republican, inherited when […]
As we approach the final stretch in this year’s election season, it’s easy to get desensitized to the political rhetoric. Sometimes, though, there’s an issue that transcends the partisan divide and deserves to cut through the clutter: Local government reform is such an issue. Indiana’s Constitution created a multilayered system of county, township and municipal government in 1851. This might have been appropriate when most travel was by horseback, but today it’s left Hoosiers to support more than 3,000 units…
Goodbye elevated guideway. Goodbye buses zooming down paved-over rail beds. For that matter, forget about commuter trains running down the median of Binford Boulevard and I-69. Or along Allisonville Road or Keystone Avenue. These northeast corridor rapid-transit options, cheered and jeered by residents in the debate over rapid transit, officially get thrown from the train on Sept. 26. That’s if a regional government group votes to accept the recommendation of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization for running diesel light rail…
Congestion getting to the Indianapolis Colts games is as much a problem as congestion once fans are in the new Lucas Oil Stadium. It appears that traffic flow and parking are real issues…
Charter Homes owner Jerry Jaquess fancies himself a white knight for King Park, a neighborhood once known mainly for its
rampant crime, boarded-up homes and vacant lots. But as he’s constructed a slew of homes and carriage houses there, the local
builder has stirred up several lawsuits, dozens of liens and persistent questions about whether his business is legit.
Worsening gas prices and congestion have some commuters demanding faster progress on launching a rapid transit line. They can quibble about slowness in getting it done, but lack of study hasn’t been an issue. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Organization spent $4 million since 2002 on a rapid transit study that concluded earlier this year, according to records provided by the agency. Most, or 80 percent, of the funds paid to eight consulting firms came from federal transportation funds, with 20…
When it came to timing its initial public offering, ExactTarget Inc. didn’t exactly hit a bull’s-eye. The Indianapolis-based maker of e-mail marketing software filed to go public in mid-December, well into the market swoon that began before Halloween. Since then, the market’s only gotten spookier. The S&P 500 has shed another 13 percent, leaving the bellwether index 18 percent off its October high. Not surprisingly, ExactTarget is stuck at the starting gate. It hasn’t moved forward with launching its $86…
Marion County economic development officials are proud of their latest headquarters attraction. Bowen Engineering Corp.
will inject 103 high-paying jobs into the Indianapolis economy immediately. And over time, the company expects
to add another 138. Their average salaries will top $70,000. The deal didn’t require Mayor Greg Ballard
to travel to Japan, or even to another state. Bowen Engineering is moving all of 8.4 miles, from its former
home in Fishers to the 8800 block of North Meridian Street.
HAMILTON COUNTY Hamilton County tops magazine rankings Hamilton County residents already know all about their affordable property taxes, low crime and strong schools. But they got outside confirmation from two national magazines during the last month. In a June 30 story titled, “America’s Best Places to Raise a Family,” Forbes ranked Hamilton County first in […]
Carmel’s play for the arts Some fear it will come at Indianapolis’ expense The $80 million-plus Carmel Performing Arts Center, a neo-classical-styled concert hall designed to be an acoustical masterpiece, is still two years from opening. But it’s already the source of some dissonance in the Indianapolis arts community to the tune of Mozart’s String […]
The $80 million-plus Carmel Performing Arts Center, a neo-classical-styled concert hall designed to be an acoustical masterpiece, is still two years from opening. But it’s already the source of some dissonance in the Indianapolis arts community to the tune of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19, in C major. On one hand, Indianapolis-area performing arts groups would sacrifice to theater god Dionysus for a chance to perform at the 1,600-seat music hall or at its adjacent 500-seat theater. But others fret…
Former car dealer and congressional candidate Eric Dickerson has filed for personal bankruptcy after three failed businesses
left him saddled with more than $1 million in debt. Dickerson says he is virtually broke save for a $101,000 inheritance he
is set to receive from the estate of his late mother.
The Malibus and Impalas disappeared from Payton Wells Chevrolet more than 18 months ago, but the controversy over the defunct
dealership at 1510 N. Meridian St. is far from being in the rearview mirror for some of the city’s top businesspeople and
developers. A court battle over the dealership’s properties could determine when and how the roughly six acres of prime land
are redeveloped.
Planners and politicians spent the better part of a decade and untold millions of dollars studying a mass transit system between
downtown and the suburbs. They have little to show for it except mounds of reports and an estimate of $690 million, but the
boys in bib overalls at the Indiana Transportation Museum think they can get it done for much less.
Cynthia Cyphon called me for “insights” on the latest county statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. “So what’s doing with these numbers?” she asked. “I see Hamilton County, the state’s wealthiest county, is not anymore.” I went out on the deck with my lapdog and my laptop. This was going to be a long phone conversation. “Cynthia, get your head around this,” I said. “Per-capita personal income is used widely as an indicator of economic wellbeing. That’s why…
Sales of specialty license plates benefiting colleges, not-for-profits and other Indiana organizations fell by nearly a third
last year after the state unveiled “In God We Trust” tags as a free alternative to the lime-green pastoral fields plates reviled
by many motorists.
Many Indiana school districts say they have no choice but to brace for cutbacks in areas like school repairs, computers and
transportation thanks to the property tax reform measure approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov.Mitch Daniels.
