The vote you cast this election regarding Reorganization will be historic. It is historic in that it is the first time in Indiana that citizens have voted to eliminate some government entities and combine for future efficiencies.

With Reorganization, the position of Township Trustee for both Eagle and Union townships will be abolished as will the three member boards of those townships. This is a good thing and while not a lot it will save the Union Township taxpayers around $11,350 annually.

Another good thing is that reorganization will match local government to our school district, which is the majority of our property tax load. School district expenses are directly effected by growth and it is only logical that community planning be able to make wise decisions regarding both community and school district growth.

The Reorganization Committee spent a lot time and recognized that a “one size fits all” approach would be a non-starter. The good idea that they came up with was a two tier system recognizing that some folks desire to live in the urban atmosphere of the village, while others prefer a rural lifestyle. Additionally reorganization provides that you only pay taxes for the services you receive, and we only pay for Union Township’s debt obligations (new fire/ambulance station) , not Eagle’s or Zionsville’s.

The only bad thing I can forsee is if Reorganization does not pass, in Indiana that leaves Union Township (and the rest of unincorporated Eagle Township) ripe for forced annexation – and the increased tax ramifications that will bring, as well as loss of planning input and probably spiraling school taxes or decrease in the quality of education for our children and grandchildren.

Reorganization is GOOD THING, be sure to vote YES November 4th.

Click here to link to the Reorganization Committee’s website or click here for a FAQ fact sheet.

The Boone County Area Plan Commission and the Boone County Economic Development Corporation are holding the second round of interactive public workshops in planning for county-wide future growth and development. The purpose of the workshops is to develop a common vision of Boone County’s future and start developing the major goals and objectives that will serve as the base for the County’s new comprehensive plan and strategic economic development plan. There will be four separate workshops held throughout the county to make it as convenient as possible for citizens to attend. The workshop dates, times and locations are as follows:

Monday, October 1st, 2007
4H Fairgrounds Annex Building – Lebanon

Thursday, October 4th, 2007
Western Boone High School Library

Wednesday, October 17, 2007
4H Fairgrounds Community Building – Lebanon

Thursday, October 18th, 2007
Zionsville High School Cafeteria

All meetings start at 7 pm

All interested individuals are invited to attend and participate in shaping this county-wide plan.Part of a larger planning process that will provide strategic long-term vision and basic goals, objectives, policies and recommendations to help guide the county’s future growth and development, this workshop is an opportunity for citizens to get involved in the planning process and help shape the plan’s outcome.

The workshops will be facilitated by Shane Burkhardt, AICP, the Planning Director with American Structurepoint, Inc. and K.K. Gerhart-Fritz, AICP, President of The Planning Workshop, the consulting firms the County has retained to conduct the planning process.

Those attending the meeting will review the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the county that participants from the first round of public workshops identified. They will also work in small groups to expand on the results from the first round of public workshops and develop a vision for the County in 20 years. Once a consensus on that vision is achieved, the workshop will focus on those strategies, programs and policies that will be necessary to achieve that vision. The results of these workshops will be directly used by the Boone County Area Plan Commission, the Boone County Economic Development Corporation and Boone County Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee as building blocks for the new plan.

There will be a meeting of the Boone County Area Plan Commission on Wednesday, September 5th, at the 4-H Grounds Community Building, in Lebanon, at 7 PM. The Agenda includes the golf practice center on 421, south of CR 200 South and the proposed development at CR 300 South (146th Street) and 421; formerly Woods Edge Nursery and Greenhouse.

Click here for APC reports and orther information.

Please, PLEASE do attend the Boone County Comprehensive Plan workshop this next Monday evening, August 13th, at 6:30PM at the Zionsville High School. Your ideas and input are so important.

As an elected official, it is so frustrating to only see public participation that seems to be negative or NIMBY when developments or land use changes are proposed and not at the front end of the process. Growth in the township will continue, see the Planning post to this blog on May 21st of this year. It is your responsibility to say what Union Township should look like and what the quality of life should be in next few years and longer.

The last workshop session will be on Wednesday, the 15th, at the 4-H grounds in Lebanon.

Below are the dates and times for Public Input meetings for the update of the Boone County Comprehensive Plan. Your input is crucial to planning what Boone should look like 20 years from now.

Monday, August 6th @ 6:30-9pm Lebanon High School Room B14

Tuesday, August 7th @ 6:30-9pm Western Boone High School cafeteria

Monday, August 13th @ 6:30-9pm Zionsville High School cafeteria

Wednesday, August 15th @ 6:30-9pm 4-H Fairgrounds Lebanon

I can’t stress how important these meetings are. Please try to attend one, your input is very important to the future of the county and Union Township.

1. Never assume that undeveloped land in your neighborhood will always remain so. Unless you own it, count on something else being built there.

2. Water runs downhill. Unless you live at the top you will probably experience stormwater runoff problems.

3. The winter sun rises low in the sky. If you must live on the side of mountain, always choose the south side. (Not applicable in Boone County)

4. Not all land is restrictively zoned. If property near you is not so zoned, then think of the most obnoxious use conceivable and picture it in your community.

5. If you are not native to your county, whatever attracted you there will likely attract others. This phenomenon is known as growth.

6. Land values are driven by supply and demand. Taxes are based on land value. These things change.

7. There are significant differences between public and private roads. If you must live on a private road, be prepared to pay for it.

8. Wells and septic tanks tend to fail. Make no mistake about this.

9. If your land is so located that it is safe from annexation or incorporation, it is probably a prime candidate for a landfill, prison, utility tower, quarry or reservoir.

10. In land use issues, the common good usually prevails. Never assume that you know what the common good is.

Author Unknown

Sorry for the short notice, but there is a meeting at Union Elementary at 6:30 pm on April 24th (tomorrow) on the proposed development at the current Woods Edge. As you may know, both 300 South (east of the intersection) and US 421 are scheduled for widening in the future.

This meeting will be the first look at the proposal, and it will probably be on the county APC agenda for their May 2nd meeting, however there are no staff reports posted on the APC web site at this time.

The preliminary plans call for a pharmacy, two story medical clinic, coffee shop, bank, resturant, five or six retail shops and patio dining, plus what looks like over 500 spaces for parking. Obviously this is quite a change for this corner of our township. I would encourage everyone to attend one or both meetings so you can be factually informed as to changes in land use and character of our township.

The Boone County APC will consider rezoning the property on the east side of US 421 just south of 200 South, from Agriculture to General Business. This request is to accommodate a golf driving range now, and would probably allow anything from a billiard hall to a tavern, which are allowed General Business uses in the county zoning ordinance.

We recently spent a lot of time and discussion on allowing increased density on the Caito property less than 3000 ft to the east. While we understood that this established a precedent that would probably be tested in the future, I didn’t think it would be this quick or this extreme. Ag to R3 to GB is quite a jump. We want to be fair, there is a place for business in Union Township, but this isn’t it.

It would be good for you to attend the Area Plan Commission meeting on Wednesday April 11th at 7 pm and express your opinion. You can be sure the attorney from Bingham Mc Hale in Indianapolis will be there to promote the rights of this small businessman to put his nice golf center with pretty green grass and pretty green signs right in the middle of Union Township. Check out what happened to the nice little golf center with the pretty signs down the road in Eagle Village. We don’t need this type of growth on 200 South!

Let’s not only be fair, we need to be reasonable as well. Hope to see you at the meeting.

May 1st, a Tuesday, will feature a workshop on the Nitty Gritty of Planning. The workshop will be at the Boone County Fairgrounds from 9am to 3pm (registration at 8:30AM). This is a MUST ATTEND workshop for residents who are concerned about local issues and county planning in general.

The workshop will be led by Dr. Kelly, a planner, a lawyer and professor of urban planning at Ball State University. The basic curriculum includes sessions on the basic legal framework of planning, comprehensive planning, zoning, subdivision control, and defensible decision making. Participants also will have extensive opportunities throughout the day to pose real local issues for discussion.

There is a $70 registration fee that includes all materials, morning coffee and lunch. My husband attended this workshop and said it was excellent! Click here to get a registration form. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call 769-5641. Only with a well informed public can a community grow responsibly.

It is OFFICIAL! Commissioners Lewis and Cooper voted for the zoning change and Commissioner Eaton voted against. The major concern was the zoning designation of R3, and the commissioners requested that the minutes show and a letter be written to the APC detailing the exceptional conditions surrounding this change.

The net result is that it looks like we start out the new year with a new park. This was a complex issue with a lot of compromising on all sides, but I most appreciated the open and rational discussion that occurred.