German auto parts maker plans Indiana expansion, 120 hires
ElringKlinger intends to add $20.6 million in manufacturing, logistics and information technology equipment to its Fort Wayne plant.
Local Government
Articles
Council members, ex-clerk file lawsuit against Clay over staff firings
Eight members of the Indianapolis City-County Council and fired council clerk NaTrina DeBow on Thursday sued embattled council President Stephen Clay and asked the court to grant a temporary restraining order.
Fired City-County Council clerk disputes Clay’s allegations
Former Indianapolis City-County Council Clerk NaTrina DeBow defended herself and other council staffers against allegations from President Stephen Clay that employees had acted improperly, causing him to call for an audit of the office.
Clay alleges former council president improperly doled out raises
In the midst of a civil war with fellow Democrats on the City-County Council, Stephen Clay is calling for an operational and fiscal audit “as a result of these findings and other questionable practices.”
Indiana township merger bill fails without legislative vote
The plan would have required consolidation by townships with fewer than 1,200 residents.
Former IMPD chief Riggs gets another new job—this time in Denver
A press release from the city stated that Troy Riggs joined the Denver Department of Public Safety last year as deputy director—a role he must have had for just a quick stint, considering he listed the Sagamore Institute as his job on Linkedin until November.
Push for merging small Indiana townships nears House vote
Hundreds of Indiana’s least-populated townships face forced mergers with their neighbors in what would be the most significant overhaul of the local governments since a gubernatorial commission called for their elimination a decade ago.
Greenwood businesses to get digital boost with state’s online service
INBiz is designed to save companies time and legwork when they have business with the state—and soon services through the city of Greenwood will be available as well.
Turmoil among Indy Dems continues as Clay fires council staff; critics cry ‘retaliation’
Vice President Zach Adamson said he believed the firing of City-County Council lawyer Fred Biesecker by new president Stephen Clay was in retaliation for Biesecker’s procedural moves against him that could put Clay’s new presidency in jeopardy.
Council OKs $55M for initial justice center construction
The unanimous vote also gave approval for the city to spend $4.2 million to acquire 140 acres of land from Citizens Energy Group as the site for the new jail, courthouses and mental health center.
Indy Democrats take first steps to oust Clay as council president
Democrats acted to put the question of Stephen Clay’s removal as president to a vote at the next council meeting, in mid-February.
Cities, states seek alternatives to corrosive salt for melting ice on roads
Experts suggest using beet juice, molasses, and even beer or cheese waste to make slick roads safer, in an effort to stop polluting fresh water sources with salty runoff.
Mayor joins critics of downtown north-split interstate plan, seeks new options
Mayor Joe Hogsett is echoing the chorus of community leaders and downtown residents expressing concern with the state’s $250 million plan to revamp the I-70/I-65 interchange.
Marion County to expand early voting, switch to vote centers in 2019
Marion County Clerk Myla Eldridge called the resolution “one of the most monumental bipartisan agreements achieved in the history of Marion County” and said it will “revolutionize how we vote.”
House panel votes to reverse Indianapolis-area ban on light rail
A proposal to reverse the ban that has precluded Marion County and surrounding suburbs from building or acquiring a light-rail mass-transit project passed an Indiana House committee Wednesday.
Judge blocks big Chatham Arch housing-retail project over zoning issue
A Marion Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a neighborhood resident, who fought the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission’s decision to give the project the green light.
Hogsett says Amazon bid focuses more on quality of life than sites, incentives
The mayor also told IBJ that the city is “prepared to look at anything and everything” that would help it secure Amazon’s planned second U.S. headquarters—as long as any action is fiscally prudent.
Bosma says Legislature might move on Amazon incentives this session
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said lawmakers could move an incentives bill “expeditiously” to attract Amazon’s proposed second headquarters, if necessary, but he wouldn’t be in favor of doing what Wisconsin did to lure Foxconn.
Council panel OKs spending $55M for some justice center construction costs
The same proposal also authorizes the city to spend $4.2 million for the acquisition of 140 acres of land from Citizens Energy Group as the site for the new jail, courthouses and mental health center.
Carmel works to balance short-term rental rights, concerns
The Indianapolis suburb has adopted rules on short-term home rental services like Airbnb as state lawmakers are again considering whether to ban such local regulations.