In a recent column, I explained why some Hendricks County students appear to live in one town but attend school in another. If you missed it, the upshot was that town boundaries have nothing to do with those for schools. The school boundaries follow township lines, as state law directs. As with pretty much anything … Read more
Few things get many taxpayers more worked up than the concept called economic development. Bringing new employers to a community and encouraging existing businesses to expand boosts the local economy, which is why it’s a priority for many communities. Unfortunately, misunderstandings about the tools local government uses often lead those taxpayers to believe residents are … Read more
Every time there’s a school shooting somewhere in America, social media chatter sites light up with parents and community members demanding their children’s schools add even more protection. One of the most common calls is for schools to install metal detectors at every door. Parents and community members are rarely aware of all the security … Read more
Hendricks County’s population growth has consistently been among the top three in Indiana, and by some measures, among the nation’s fifty fastest-growing counties. Every time a developer plans to address that growing population with a new subdivision or multi-family community, panic fills the chatter pages and races up and down the sidelines at youth sports … Read more
We expect a lot from the many kinds of government employees who affect our lives. We want them to be proficient, efficient, patient, selfless, graceful, and unfailingly polite. We say they should be held to a higher standard. We also expect them to treat us with the respect we believe we deserve. Oh, and we … Read more
About this time every year, familiar rants start to pop up on social media. Most are some version of: “It’s crazy that school starts so early now! When I was a kid, we didn’t go back until after Labor Day and we still got out in June!” It’s absolutely true that school starts earlier than … Read more
You can’t really understand where we’re at today — Hendricks County, Indiana, or the United States — unless you take some time to understand how we got to this place in time. Not the Cliff (or Spark) Notes version we learn in school, but a deeper dive to discover what’s usually a fascinating story. For … Read more
… but they have a big say in how a large chunk of your tax dollars are spent right here in the county. Specifically, the federal tax dollars that allow our communities to make much-needed transportation improvements they couldn’t fund on their own. Federal law requires every “urbanized area” with a population of more than … Read more
Two major developments within the Town of Plainfield are springing up near the place where Township Line Road becomes Perry Road. Hobbs Station is a major mix of commercial and housing space, while across Smith Road (900 East), Bo-Mar Towns & Flats will provide a variety of housing types. They triggered the usual panicked responses … Read more
Every year, my sister asked me the same question, and after I’d answer, she swore at me. She’s not given to profanity, but property taxes do tend to bring out our sour sides. She lives in one of Chicago’s close-in suburbs, and her annual property tax bill was usually quadruple what I paid on a … Read more