Annexation and Redevelopment Commissions Again Under Fire
Crawfordsville Senator Phil Boots filed an aggressive anti-annexation bill that has several damaging provisions aimed at curbing what little annexation authority remains, including voiding annexation waivers, and eliminating future annexation settlement agreements. The bill, SB 94, has not been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Local Government Committee, where Kokomo’s Jim Buck remains as Chairman.Â
A separate bill from previous sessions regarding redevelopment commissions emerged once again. In HB 1166, Rep. Tony Cook of Cicero seeks to force local redevelopment commissions to convert their current school board member from a non-voting to a voting member. The bill has been assigned to the House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee where it hasn’t yet been scheduled for a hearing.
An Early Look at Federal Labor and Employment Law Developments in 2019
Since we just turned the page on 2018, Jackson Kelly labor and employment attorney Mark Dellinger focuses on what labor and employment law developments may be in store for employers in 2019.  Click here for highlights of several labor and employment regulatory and case law developments that may come to fruition this year.
Aim’s Government Efficiency Bill Moves Forward
Aim’s government efficiency bill, authored by Rep. Mike Karickhoff of Kokomo, contains six different measures that will make operating city and town government easier and more efficient for municipal officials and taxpayers. HB 1116 allows executive sessions for selling property, removes partisan affiliation requirements on local boards and commissions, eliminates residency requirements for city attorneys, allows locals to use electronic bidding processes, allows more flexibility in determining note repayment dates, and allows fiscal officers to appropriate funds received for damaged property. A summary of each provision can be found here.Â
Local Public Question
Sen. Blake Doriot of Syracuse introduced SB 246 that would require local public questions to appear on the ballot only in general elections or during municipal general elections where the impact of the question is entirely within the municipality. The bill has received its first reading in the Committee on Elections.
