September 20, 2016
COMMUNITY
Current in Fishers
www.currentinfishers.com
Dispatches
Contact the Editor
Have a news tip? Want to submit a calendar event? Have a photograph to share? Contact editor Anna Skinner at anna@youarecurrent.com. You may also submit information on our website, currentinfishers.com. Remember our news deadline is typically eight days prior to publication. To contact Editorial Director Sophie Pappas, call 489.4444 ext. 7.
Students benefit from school supply drive – David Weekley Homes hosted its second annual company-wide Back to School Supply Drive in 22 cities across the country. In Indianapolis, school supplies were collected for Teachers' Treasures, an organization that obtains and distributes school supplies to teachers of students in need. Team members spent more than 50 hours sorting the supplies and delivering them in time for the start of school. Teachers' Treasures collected about $25,000 in donations from several companies, which will help to serve more than 60,000 children in Marion County.
Want to advertise?
Current in Fishers reaches 100 percent of the households in 46037 and 46038 by U.S. Postal Service every Tuesday. For more information about how to reach that audience, call Kara Swinford at 442.1102 or e-mail her at kara@youarecurrent.com.
Join our community
www.facebook.com/currentinfishers www.twitter.com/CI_Fishers
On the cover
Nichole Mathews pauses by a map of Europe showing where Quakers administered relief after World War I and World War II. (Photo by Amy Pauszek) Founded Jan. 25, 2011, at Fishers, IN Vol. VI, No. 36 Copyright 2013. Current Publishing, LLC All Rights Reserved. 30 South Range Line Road Carmel, IN 46032 317.489.4444 info@youarecurrent.com The views of the columnists in Current in Fishers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of this newspaper.
3
The current police headquarters will become a building for staff at city hall, and a new police headquarters will be built in 2017 budget between $12 million and $14 million. (Submitted photo)
Fadness talks Fishers budget, considers $25 wheel tax By Anna Skinner • anna@youarecurrent.com Last week, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness introduced the proposed 2017 city budget to members of the media, with focus on public safety and infrastructure. city He wants to add four firefighters, four police officers and two public works employees to the city’s staff. “Police is about call volume and the ability to keep up with that,” Fadness said of the staffing increase. “Fire is about the staffing on the trucks that are Fadness in a more urban area. Right now we run three (firefighters) to a truck, and we want to supplement ladder trucks in the downtown area with one more person. Public works laborers are mainly on the streets division.” In addition to the 10 added personnel, Fadness is proposing a 3 percent increase in salaries across the board for all city employees. The percentage in the budget does not increase the mayor’s or any other elected officials’ salaries. The budget allows for 13 police car replacements and a $97,000 live training facility for Fishers firefighters. There will be a new paramedic vehicle and an approximate $500,000 renovation to the public works building. A new three-story police headquarters also is planned, budgeted to cost between $12 and $14 million. The station also will include a threestory parking garage with 175 to 225 spaces. The first level of the parking garage will be for law enforcement vehicles only. City staff will move to
the old police headquarters at 4 Municipal Dr. to add more flexibility to city hall spacing. “(By moving city hall staff) into the old police station, it alleviates pressure on this building (city hall),” Fadness said. “By doing that move, this building will be adequate for years to come. We think this is a pretty cost-effective way to solve the police department issue and solve a growing need here at city hall. My hope, timelinewise, is I would like to be (breaking ground) by the first of the year.” Another focus in the proposed budget is road maintenance. Fadness proposed a $25 wheel tax for Fishers residents when they register their vehicles. If passed, the tax will raise $2.5 million a year to be used for road maintenance. The city would collect the payments every month. The tax would not go into effect until 2018. “We certainly didn’t come to this decision lightly, but this has been an ongoing concern,” Fadness said of road maintenance and the wheel tax. “We want to get to a point where we can come into a subdivision and (repave) curb to curb. Nobody wants to raise fees or taxes, but we also have to remain vigilant and keep up with infrastructure for the long term.” Other roadwork budgeted for 2017 includes construction on 113th Street, resurfacing part of 116th Street and a roundabout at 96th Street and Lantern Road. Overall, the budget is planned to be $85.372 million, with the general fund at $51.843 million. Budget proposals were scheduled to go before the city council at a meeting Sept. 19. Visit currentinfishers.com for an update.
Early voting times – The Hamilton County Election Board will hold early voting at several satellite locations this year for the first time in anticipation of heavy voter turnout. Fishers will host an early voting site at city hall. Dates and times of early voting: Oct. 19, noon to 5 p.m.; Oct. 20, 2 to 7 p.m.; Oct. 21 and 22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Oct. 26, noon to 4 p.m.; Oct. 27, noon to 5 p.m.; Oct. 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Nov. 2 and 3, 2 to 7 p.m.; Nov. 4 and 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free Conner Prairie day – Conner Prairie will host Smithsonian Magazine’s annual free Museum Day Live from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24. Last year, more than 2,400 visited the museum and enjoyed its eight indoor and outdoor destinations. Although admission is free, a ticket is required. Tickets can be downloaded at ConnorPrairie.org. Each ticket grants free admission to the ticket holder plus one guest. IndyIoT meeting – Indy Internet of Things (IndyIoT) will meet from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 28 at Launch Fishers, 12175 Visionary Way. Internet of Things will address the impact of technology across multiple industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, automotive and more. Speakers will include local business leaders. The event is free but seating is limited. Register at IndyIoT.com and use the registration code IndyInnovation. Powerlifting finalist – Fishers resident Christopher Morton recently placed third in his division at nationals for powerlifting, earning a trip to the October world championships in Oregon. His success is inspiring because a year ago he had surgery to repair a torn bicep tendon.
Morton
Fire academy – The Fishers Fire Department is accepting applications for its Citizens Fire Academy. The class will meet at 6:30 p.m. each Monday for eight weeks beginning Oct. 10. Participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at what the fire department does. Class is limited to 20 participants. For more, call 317-595-3208.