February 16, 2024

The Big Issues

PROPERTY TAXES

  • The introduced version of HB 1120 includes several provisions, including two that directly impact cities and towns. One provision would raise the threshold for qualification for an excess levy appeal based on the growth of a community. Current law allows communities with assessed value growth 2% greater than the statewide average over the past 3 years to appeal for a one-time levy adjustment to meet the needs of their community. HB 1120 would raise that 2% requirement to 4%. Aim opposes this provision because it limits the single most important tool that fast-growing communities use to ensure revenues keep up with rising costs of services.
  • HB 1120 also makes changes to how redevelopment commissions can add and remove property from economic improvement areas used for tax increment financing. This provision could disrupt common economic development practices and make financing new economic development projects much more difficult.
  • HB 1120, authored by Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton) and sponsored by Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle), was heard in the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy committee on Tuesday, February 13 and was held for amendment and vote at a future meeting. You can view the committee hearing from Tuesday here.

MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTH

  • SB 10 would create the framework for a statewide grant program for the purpose of assisting in the cost of starting or expanding mobile integrated health care programs and mobile crisis teams in Indiana. The grant program is an important step toward making these programs more financially sustainable.
  • Aim supports efforts by cities and towns to promote the ongoing health and wellbeing of their citizens through mobile integrated health programs. These programs help reduce hospital readmittance, work to keep seniors in their homes longer, and provide positive connections between them and their communities.
  • SB 10, authored by Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville), was heard in the House Public Health committee on Tuesday, February 13 and passed out with a vote of 10-0.

ANNEXATION

  • SB 159 would repeal the law that allows municipalities to initiate annexations. Only voluntary and super voluntary annexations would be allowed starting after March 1, 2024.
  • Aim opposes this bill because it would limit municipalities’ ability to grow and develop through their own planning process and could impact economic development, housing, and utility projects. Cities and towns need more flexibility to plan for growth and this would further limit that.
  • SB 159, authored by Sen. Jim Buck (R-Kokomo) and sponsored by Rep. Chris May (R-Bedford), will be heard Tuesday, February 20 in the House Local Government Committee for a hearing only without a vote on the bill.

PET STORES

  • HB 1412 creates new standards of care for dog breeders selling dogs to pet stores but also includes language that preempts local ordinances that ban the sale of live dogs at pet stores.
  • Aim opposes the portion of this bill that preempts these local ordinances because there is not a guarantee that the new standards of care will be adequately enforced using state resources. Local resources may still be necessary to enforce the requirements and many communities have already made the decision that it is more cost effective and appropriate to enact the ordinances they have in place.
  • HB 1412, authored by Rep. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) and sponsored by Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Goshen), will be on third reading in the Senate next week for a final vote.

CYBERSECURITY

  • SB 150 creates new statewide planning and training resources for local governments regarding cybersecurity best practices to augment the free services provided by the Indiana Office of Technology. It also requires communities that are using state databases like ISACS to adhere to additional cybersecurity requirements, including getting a cybersecurity assessment once every three years, having two-factor authentication, and having a “.gov” domain name.
  • Aim supports providing more cybersecurity resources to local governments while ensuring that state mandates are not too onerous for communities with limited resources or technical expertise.
  • SB 150, authored by Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) and sponsored by Rep. Matt Lehman (R-Berne), was heard in the House Government and Regulatory Reform committee on Tuesday, February 13 but was held for amendment and vote at a future meeting.

MARKET STREET TO MAIN STREET LEGISLATIVE PODCAST

Listen to more about this week on the sixth episode of the Market Street to Main Street Podcast Series, Aim’s legislative episodes of the Hometown Innovations Podcast and a supplement to this e-newsletter. In this episode, Jennifer and Jenna chat about what happened during the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee meeting, annexation, and the importance of engaging with Aim during the legislative session.

To listen to Market Street to Main Street, please visit The Terminal post and click the “play button” on the audio player. Or you can subscribe to Aim Hometown Innovations Podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

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