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Increasing demand for land surveyors sparks changes: Despite some criticism, Purdue University moves program into different department to attract more students

Purdue University is mapping out a controversial strategy to produce more land surveyors amid growing demand for graduates entering the profession. The number of Purdue students interested in pursuing a surveying career has dwindled to just a dozen out of roughly 500 enrolled in the university’s School of Civil Engineering. M. Katherine Banks, head of the school, attributes the dearth to a lack of visibility the surveying program endures tucked within the larger department. “We need a fresh start,” she…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Should we consolidate libraries?

At last, we have a commission working to see if we can improve government in Indiana through reorganization. Former Gov. Joe Kernan and Supreme Court Justice Randy Shepard are leading the effort. Some of us are concerned that the commission has been established to find ways not to improve government services, but to cut local property taxes. The two goals might not work in the same direction. Public libraries are often cited as ripe for consolidation. There are 238 of…

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Commentary: Is this any way to run a government?

As someone who writes and pontificates about the events of the day, summer is usually my slow season. I have to work hard to find things to write and talk about for public consumption. However, this summer has been a whole different matter. We have all been taken aback by the tax protests and subsequent government actions to mitigate the damage. But that wasn’t the big story that caught my attention. The story that stuck in my craw was the…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Indiana needs to develop more technology workers

Far from its older perception of a backoffice function, information technology today is cutting edge and business savvy, driving innovation in virtually every industrial sector. As an industry, IT in Indiana has seen significant growth in the past few years. In fact, the state’s tech nology sector has grown so quickly that the industry faces a new challenge-employers are experiencing explosive growth and cannot find enough qualified individuals to fill these new positions. As documented by the Indiana Department of…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Should fees replace property taxes?

So you want to be a boxer in Indiana? There’s a $10 fee to be paid every other year for the privilege. That’s a lot lower than the twoyear fee of $100 paid by architects. A driver’s license is good for five years and costs just $19.50. Whereas your aircraft bears a $10 annual registration fee, your passenger car has a $20.75 annual state fee. If you want to support a special cause, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles charges a…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: How Indiana’s industrial economy looks to a newcomer

This week marks the start of my tenure as director of Ball State University’s Bureau of Business Research. I take over from Pat Barkey, whose thoughts on the state’s economy have long graced this column. His will be hard shoes to fill. I have read over many of Pat’s old columns, and the one thing that stands out is how much we agree on the issues facing the state-and their solutions. Contrary to the old stereotypes, hard-headed economists usually come…

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Small biz tax bills rising, too: Extra expense narrows margins

Area homeowners weren’t the only ones to get a shock when they opened their 2007 tax bills. Some small-business owners also saw their bills skyrocket-putting a strain on entrepreneurs who often operate on razor-thin margins. “It’s catastrophic for some businesses,” said Kevin Hughes, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business’s Indiana chapter. Mike Hutson, owner of Westfield Lighting Co., certainly feels the pain. The bill on his commercial property-several acres and a 22,500-square-foot building-increased from $42,000 in 2006…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Parting thoughts on Indiana’s strengths, weaknesses

The nice thing about economics is that we never really figure anything out. That hasn’t stopped folks like me from writing about economics and papers like this one from printing what we have to say. As I often have said to those who have remarked on these writings, nature abhors a vacuum. Someone else will be filling that vacuum next week, because this is my last column-for Indiana readers, at least. I am happy to leave you in the capable…

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VIEWPOINT: Helping ex-offenders helps all of us

In the June 4 IBJ, Mickey Maurer wrote an insightful commentary on some of the difficulties faced by ex-offenders returning to their communities. An editorial in the July 9 issue called for ex-offender re-entry into the work force as an important next step for the city of Indianapolis. IBJ has focused on a critical issue, and has correctly identified several obstacles faced by returning offenders seeking to reintegrate into society-from housing to willing employers to the need for mentors. But…

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OneAmerica methodical in approach to new deals: Flush with capital, local insurer on the lookout for acquisitions

Don’t expect OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc.’s purchase of a $700 million annuity portfolio last month to be its last big-ticket buy. The Indianapolis-based insurance holding company says its executives and heads of its various product lines are constantly on the prowl for acquisitions. But don’t hold your breath for the company’s next deal. Its purchase of annuities from Iowa-based Transamerica Life Insurance Co., announced July 24, took two years to come together. So did its previous acquisition, the 2005 purchase…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: State economy began year with an impressive spurt

The economy constantly is serving up complex puzzles for us to solve. Have energy prices peaked? How much longer will mortgage markets continue to bleed? How will the dollar’s decline affect the low prices for imported goods? These are complex issues, and some of us actually earn a living trying to sort them all out. But sometimes we need to step away and address the simpler questions-such as: How does the economy grow? Of course, some might say “not at…

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NOTIONS: Health: another troubled bridge over U.S. waters

On a bookshelf in my office, I display a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, three packs of Benson & Hedges cigarettes and the program from my late wife’s memorial service. I display the pasta because, until the company was spun off earlier this year, Kraft Foods was part of Altria Group. I display the Benson & Hedges because that brand is part of Phillip Morris USA, which is also part of Altria Group. I display the memorial-service program because…

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Commentary: It’s way past time to complete Unigov

The property-tax disaster in Marion County and around Indiana is composed of two dependent parts: the manner in which property is assessed and the government infrastructure that establishes tax rates or levies and whose operations are funded in large measure by property-tax assessments. The state has improved the manner in which property is assessed. Unfortunately, the state has not done an adequate job of training assessors in all 92 counties. In Indianapolis, the challenge of accurately assessing property is compounded…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: So, you really want to be a real estate developer …

Real estate developers have a secret: We’re not evil. OK … we’re not all evil This runs contrary to the perception that some people seem determined to promote. They opine that “good development” is an oxymoron. Development is a humbling business. It turns out that a lot of people know a lot more about the right way to do development than we do, and they’re not shy about letting us and everyone else know this, in public meetings, private conversations,…

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MICKEY MAURER Commentary: The right men for a tough job

In response to the sticker shock experienced by many Hoosiers upon opening the envelope from the property-tax assessor, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced a number of major moves. He ordered new assessments in Marion County and other counties throughout the state; a tax bill freeze in these counties to the 2006 levy; and the creation of a commission on local government reform, co-chaired by Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard and former Gov. Joe Kernan. The mission of the commission…

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Office market vacancy rates showing positive signs: Government leasing boosts downtown performance; suburbs see fast absorption despite flurry of construction

Downtown and suburban vacancy rates are declining slightly or at least holding steady-a positive sign for an Indianapolis office market absorbing a plethora of new space on the city’s north side. The second-quarter vacancy rate for the central business district dropped to 15.9 percent, from 16.7 percent the previous quarter, according to data from the local office of St. Louis-based commercial real estate firm Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. A similar report from the local office of Los Angeles-based CB Richard…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Are big counties getting all the goodies?

Are the most-populated counties of the northeast and southwest corners of Indiana improving their economies faster than their regional neighbors? Indiana is very sensitive to this issue. Throughout the state, people resent the presumed primacy of Indianapolis, which serves as the center of Hoosier government and business. Those outside Marion County claim that all the goodies go to Indianapolis and the rest of the state gets only the leftovers. Are the carpers right, or are they deluded by a residual…

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Inventory tax repeal still being hailed as good decision: Amid rising property taxes, economic development officials and brokers say taxing inventory was bad policy

With the state in an uproar over soaring property taxes, some have wondered whether phasing out Indiana’s business inventory tax was a good idea. The phase-out process began in 2002 before completely eliminating the inventory tax this year, taking with it roughly $380 million in tax revenue shared annually by local governments. Supporters of the move insist lawmakers made the right decision. And they say Indiana has become more attractive to business as a result. Marion County property-tax bills were…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Property tax isn’t evil, it’s abused

There are two books I want to call to your attention. They are both written by Hoosiers and are both vitally important to Indiana at this time. But this column, again, must be about property taxes because that is the compelling issue of the day. One book is “I Never Worked a Day in My Life,” by Bill Haeberle, the retired IU business professor who has started and aided hundreds of businesses. The other is “Performance is the Best Politics,”…

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Commentary: Mo’ money causes mo’ problems

Many of you who read this column know I do a number of things to make a living. I host the morning radio show at WXNT-AM 1430, practice law, write this column, teach at the University of Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College, act, perform stand- and most recently started doing commentary at WRTV Channel 6. I make a pretty good living and, with the exception of my son, who inherited his adopted father’s bad spending habits, I don’t do…

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