Visible progress in the city hides other troubles
Indianapolis still looks like a city with momentum, despite the dismal economy. But appearances can be deceiving.
Local Government
Articles
Here is a sustainable plan for the CIB
A vibrant Indianapolis powers a dynamic Indiana and the governor, the mayor and the members of the General Assembly should all recognize that.
Franklin ban snuffs out smoking
Tavern owners in Franklin will mothball their ashtrays next month following the passage of a smoking ban May 4. City councilors
voted 6-1 to make the ban one of the most restrictive in the state.
Westfield mayor hopes $60M stadium project will transform city
Westfield Mayor Andy Cook is proposing a $60 million youth sports complex with a 4,000-seat multipurpose outdoor
stadium, indoor sports facilities and sports fields with the goal of establishing the Hamilton County community as the "Family Sports Capital
of America."
Westfield plans $60M youth-sports complex
The mayor of Westfield announced plans this morning to build a $60 million youth sports complex with a 4,000-seat multipurpose outdoor stadium, indoor sports facilities, and fields for baseball, soccer, softball and lacrosse. The sports facilities would anchor a 1,500-acre development by locally based Estridge Co. along Towne Road between 146th and 161st streets.
Casino-tax controversy lit fire under residents of Fairland, a long-forgotten town
With a town government behind them, Fairland-area residents hope any future growth will be to their benefit.
Simon family’s interests helped city thrive, but taxpayers paid the price
The Simon family’s role in building the city has come at a steep price for taxpayers. Simon and
its business interests in the last 20 years have collected local government incentives
worth more than $400 million, an IBJ tally of those deals shows.
CIB’s deficit is a state problem, not a local one
Casting the CIB’s deficit as an Indianapolis problem is simplistic and inaccurate because it overlooks the millions of dollars in state tax revenue generated by those venues and an endless list of vendors that do business with them.
Central Canal needs green space
The Indiana War Memorials Commission’s proposal to build a USS Indianapolis submarine memorial on the east bank of the Canal just north of the existing
USS Indianapolis (cruiser) National Memorial would unwisely occupy nearly the last piece of green space on the Canal.
Township offices have to go
Leaders on both sides of the aisle have called for streamlining township government, and it’s time to demand that our legislators
make those changes.
Raising already-lofty lodging levy could cause convention planners to bypass Indianapolis
Raising Indianapolis’ tax on hotel rooms — already one of the highest rates in the nation — could be the tipping
point that causes conventioneers to bypass Indianapolis, some industry experts say.
Indianapolis’ sewer project will be the city’s biggest public works undertaking since the interstate highway system
City engineers and consultants are fine-tuning plans to build a colossal tunnel to temporarily store water and raw sewage that now shoots into local waterways during rain storms.
Local contractors looking to sewer project to fill gap left by stadium, terminal
Local contractors will be ready to pounce when bidding on the first parts of the combined overflow project begins in 2011.
Credit crunch creates bond crisis for CIB
The Capital Improvement Board’s $43 million in debts must be settled soon, or the entity may not be able to survive.
CIB’s influence has grown with city’s sports scene
State lawmakers formed the Capital Improvement Board in 1965 to oversee construction of the city’s convention center.
CIB failure isn’t an option
Creativity and transparency are required to fix the Capital Improvement Board’s financial woes.
Redevelopment plans threaten Gasoline Alley
Business owners along the fabled Gasoline Alley north of Rockville Road think a proposal to close a north-south road linking
them to the front door of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have devastating effects.
Unigov 2.0 isn’t just about savings
Saving money may be the bottom-line reason for reforming local government, but that’s only one of the benefits.
Center Township’s Drummer stepping down
Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer intends to resign from his post to take a lobbying job with Ice Miller LLP, according to a WISH-TV Channel 8 report.
Town of Fishers considers new form of government
Sitting in gridlocked traffic along Interstate 69, Fishers residents might already think of their town as
a city. This sprawling suburb of 65,000 people certainly looks nothing like the burg of less than 1,000 it was three decades ago.
But down at the municipal government complex, Fishers is still a town, just as it was incorporated in 1891.