2016 march-april actionlines

MARCH / APRIL 2016

ACTION INDIANAASSOCIATION OF CITIES AND TOWNSMAGAZINELINES

TheQuality of PlaceIssue

Losing your immunity; contracting without proper precautions; dealing with employees; accepting grants, gifts or subsidies without knowing the consequences; or thinking good intentions will outweigh bad results is fraught with risks you have to manage… or trouble will surely come calling.

You don’t have to figure it out alone. Bliss McKnight’s insurance and risk management programs include knowledgeable people to help you avoid “getting into trouble”. IACT endorsed for over 30 years.

Heavy responsibilities. Plenty of pitfalls.

IACT-8x10.5-PRESS.indd 1 1/7/16 9:59 AM

ACTIONLINESMARCH / APRIL 2016 3

IN WRITING

20 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Quality of Place Isn’t an Exclusive Distinction

23 GUEST COLUMN Pavement Management Systems–What, Why and When?

IN PLACE

14 Quality of Place is Common Thread among 3 Hoosier America’s Best Communities Semi-finalists

CONTENTS

Actionlines (ISSN 1092-6259) is published by the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an official opinion on the part of the officers, staff or membership of IACT. Indiana elected municipal officials receive an annual subscription to this publication through payment of their municipality’s membership dues. IACT Associate Members receive an annual subscription to this publication through payment of their annual membership dues. The annual subscription rate is $50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Actionlines, 125 W. Market St., Suite 240, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

ACTIONLINES

IACT OFFICERS

Greg GoodnightPresident

Kokomo Mayor

Lloyd WinneckeFirst Vice President

Evansville Mayor

Brenda YoungSecond Vice President

Clerk-Treasurer, Nashville

Matthew GrellerExecutive Director &

Chief Executive Officer

REGULAR STAFF CONTRIBUTORS

Rhonda CookDeputy Director and

Chief Federal and State Policy Officer

Benjamin EasleyGraphic Design &

Website Coordinator

Brian GouldGovernment Affairs Director

Natalie HurtSpecial Events & Conferences Director

Erin Jamison-KoenigCommunications Coordinator

Jennifer SimmonsDeputy Director & Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Jodie WoodsGeneral Counsel

ADVERTISING

Anne TrobaughCorporate Relations Director

VOLUME 19 / ISSUE 2MARCH / APRIL 2016

IN BRIEF

24 INFOGRAPHICMany Attributes of a Quality Place are Within Your Reach

IN THIS ISSUE:

DEPARTMENTSIN ACTION

4 MUNICIPAL DEADLINES

6 QUESTION OF THE MONTH Where can I find Indiana municipal codes online?

IN MEMBERS

9 MEMBER NEWS

10 CALENDAR & WEBINARS

12 MEMBER Q&A Joe McGuinness, Mayor of Franklin

14

Losing your immunity; contracting without proper precautions; dealing with employees; accepting grants, gifts or subsidies without knowing the consequences; or thinking good intentions will outweigh bad results is fraught with risks you have to manage… or trouble will surely come calling.

You don’t have to figure it out alone. Bliss McKnight’s insurance and risk management programs include knowledgeable people to help you avoid “getting into trouble”. IACT endorsed for over 30 years.

Heavy responsibilities. Plenty of pitfalls.

IACT-8x10.5-PRESS.indd 1 1/7/16 9:59 AM

Indiana Association of Cities and Towns | 125 W. Market St. Suite 240 Indianapolis, IN 46204 | Phone (317) 237-6200 | Fax (317) 237-6206 | www.citiesandtowns.org

Four Indiana communities demonstrate their plans to create a quality Hoosier place.

ACTIONLINES MARCH / APRIL 20164

APRIL

1 Last day to file Water Utility Resource Report with the IURC.

15 Last day for redevelopment commissioners or their designees to file with the unit’s executive, fiscal body, and the Department a report setting out the activities during the preceding calendar year. The report must also include information concerning tax increment finance districts. IC 36-7-14-13

Last day to make report on Form URT and payment of Utility Receipts Tax for city or town for the preceding year, if not made January 31, to the Indiana Department of Revenue, State Office Building.

Deadline for Gateway submission of TIF Management Report. IC 36-7-14-13

19 Last day for county treasurer to mail 2015 pay 2016 property tax bills. IC 6-1.1-22-8.1(c)

20 Last day to report and make payment of state and county income tax withheld during March to Department of State Revenue, Indianapolis.

25 Last day for county auditor to publish first notice of the 2016 tax rates to be collected in the county for each purpose and the total of the rates in each taxing district. IC 6-1.1-22-4

30 Last day to make report and complete payment of federal tax and F.I.C.A. (Social Security Tax) tax withheld during the first quarter of the year to the District Director of Internal Revenue. Make report and file quarterly unemployment compensation report with the Indiana Employment Security Division.

Last day for filing Annual Utility Report with Utility Regulatory Commission, 302 W. Washington Street, Room E-306, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204.

MAY

2 Last day for county auditor to publish second notice of the 2016 tax rates to be collected in the county for each purpose and the total of the rates in each taxing district. IC 6-1.1-22-4

9 Last day for county auditor to publish third notice of the 2016 tax rates to be collected in the county for each purpose and the total of the rates in each taxing district. IC 6-1.1-22-4

10 Due date for first installment of 2015 pay 2016 property tax bills. IC 6-1.1-22-9

16 Last day for library boards to hold a public hearing on a CPF plan, adopt a CPF plan, and submit the plan to the appropriate fiscal body. IC 36-12-12-3

20 Last day to report and make payment of state and county income tax withheld during April to Department of State Revenue, Indianapolis.

31 Last day to certify delinquent Barrett Law assessments to the County Auditor. IC 36-9-37-23

This feature should not be considered a complete list of deadlines. If you know of an important deadline, please submit it to Erin Jamison-Koenig at [email protected].

MUNICIPAL DEADLINES

INACTION

INSIDE• Municipal Deadlines• Question of the Month


IN ACTION

QUESTION OF THE MONTHI’m interested in looking at other Indiana municipal codes. Where can I find them online?

ANSWER: The American Legal Publishing Corporation has a Basic Town Code program endorsed by IACT and publishes municipal codes on the Internet for free at www.amlegal.com. To use, click on Code Library, then select Indiana for codes of more than 70 cities and towns of all sizes. A few of those cities and towns are: Akron, Angola, Aurora, Brownsburg, Carmel, Clarksville, Columbia City, Danville, Elkhart, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Greenfield, Greensburg, Greenwood, Huntingburg, Lawrence, Marion, New Albany, New Carlisle, Noblesville, Rochester, Rushville, Schererville, Seymour, Shelbyville, Vincennes, Whiteland and Winchester.

The Municipal Code Corporation (MCC) is also an excellent resource for sample ordinances organized by state. To use it go to www.municode.com, click on Code Library, and then click on Indiana to obtain codes of many other cities and towns such as: Cloverdale, Indianapolis, Fowler, Franklin, Kendallville, Lafayette, LaPorte, Merrillville, Michigan City, Munster, Portage, Princeton, South Bend, St. John, Syracuse, Versailles, Warsaw, West Lafayette, Westfield and Whiting.

Often time Indiana municipalities put their codes on the municipality website. Save these guidelines and remember to always consult with your city or town attorney before the sample ordinance is used for your municipality.

IN ACTION

?OTM

REGISTER TODAY FOR IACT ROUNDTABLES!

Found the Roundtable that works for you? Visit citiesandtowns.org to register!

2016 Spring IACT Roundtables are coming to your region in April! Whether you attend one of our eight meetings for the networking, technical assistance or camaraderie, you’ll get all three. Your IACT team will be out in force this spring to make sure you get what you need for your community. Come prepared to share your successes, concerns and questions. Return home energized, ready to face your challenges and full of ideas. Join us as we return to some of Indiana’s most famous hometown eateries!

PROGRAM (Based on Local Time)

5:00 p.m. --5:30 p.m.

Registration

5:30 p.m. --6:00 p.m.

Welcome and Introductions

IACT PanelistsIACT representatives will cover the latest legislative happenings and reporting of conflicts and nepotism before entering into municipal contracts. Most importantly, feel free to ask any questions you brought for us!

6:00 p.m. --7:00 p.m.

Food and FactsOnce dinner is served, we’ll begin with some brief presentations from our Roundtable sponsors on:• Transportation Funding• Using USDA Rural Development for Project Funding• Economic Development in Your Region

7:00 p.m. --8:00 p.m.

News from the FrontNominate a person from your community to give a brief report to let everyone know about an exciting project, recent success or challenge you’re facing. We’ll also hear from any special guests representing state and federal government.

Middlebury – Elkhart County (April 11)Das Dutchman Essenhaus240 US 20Middlebury, IN 46540

Leavenworth – Crawford County (April 18)The Overlook Restaurant1153 W State Road 62Leavenworth, IN 47137

Wabash – Wabash County (April 12)Charley Creek Inn111 W Market StreetWabash, IN 46992

Hagerstown – Wayne County (April 19)Willie and Red’s40 E Main StreetHagerstown, IN 47346

Munster – Lake County (April 13)Centennial Park Clubhouse1005 S Centennial DriveMunster, IN 46321

Haubstadt – Gibson County (April 25)Haub House101 E Haub StreetHaubstadt, IN 47639

Covington – Fountain County (April 14)Beef House Restaurant16501 N State Road 63Covington, IN 47932

Spencer – Owen County (April 26) Hilltop Family Style Restaurant2434 US 231 NSpencer, IN 47460

Central Time Eastern Time

IACTROUNDTABLESIndiana Association of Cities and Towns

IACT Roundtable Sponsors

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The City of Kokomo was awarded a $100,000 Waste-water Treatment Plant (WTP) grant from the Indiana Office of Energy. The grants, offered up to the $100,000 level, are for the installation of efficient equipment and processes, anaerobic digesters or waste-heat recovery equipment.

Energy-saving improvements Crown Point is making at the sewage treatment plant have the potential of saving much more than the projected $70,000 a year in electric bills. The Clarion Hotel Conference Center – Louisville North in Clarksville recently completed a $3.2 million renova-tion. The Conference Center claims to be the largest on-site conference center in the state.

Forty-one public housing authorities in Indiana are sharing in roughly $22.5 million in federal funding to make im-

provements to properties. The grants from the U.S. Depart-ment of Housing and Urban Development have been given to Gary, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, East Chi-cago, Evansville, New Albany, Terre Haute and Fremont.

The Port of Indiana at Mount Vernon set a record in 2015 by handling more than 6.6. million tons for the first time in its 40-year history.

DSM Engineering has announced it will expand its Evans-ville operations to create up to 25 jobs by the end of 2016. The company says it will renovate and equip its 175,000 square-foot facility over the next five years.

A study by Applied Economics found that Grand Park Sports Campus, a 360-acre sports park in Westfield, topped 1 million visitors last year and helped more than double visitor spending in the region pushing the economic impact to more than $150 million.

MEMBER NEWS

INMEMBERS

INSIDE• Member News• Calendar & Webinars• Member Q&A

The Port of Indiana at Mount Vernon


IN MEMBERS

CALENDAR & WEBINARSIACT CALENDAR

MARCH

16 Webinar – Open to the Public: Introduction to Public Access and the Open Door Law

23 Webinar – 2016 IACT Legislative Session Recap

APRIL

5 Webinar – Your Cure for the Common Rate Spike: The IACT Medical Trust

6 IACT Medical Trust Regional Meeting, Vincennes

7 IACT Medical Trust Regional Meeting, Scottsburg

11 IACT Roundtable, Middlebury

12 IACT Roundtable, Wabash IACT Medical Trust Regional Meeting, Warsaw

13 IACT Roundtable, Munster IACT Medical Trust Regional Meeting, Valparaiso

Webinar: Simplifying the COIT Adoption Process

14 IACT Roundtable, Covington

18 IACT Roundtable, Leavenworth

19 IACT Roundtable, Hagerstown IACT Medical Trust Regional Meeting, Lawrenceburg

20 IACT Medical Trust Regional Meeting, Greenfield

Webinar: Going Green in the Hoosier State:Best Practices for Becoming an IACT Green Community

21 IACT Medical Trust Annual Members Conference, Indianapolis

25 IACT Roundtable, Haubstadt

26 IACT Roundtable, Spencer

28-29 IACT Mayors Institute, Indianapolis

MAY

10 Annual Clerk-Treasurers School, Indianapolis

11 Annual Budget Workshop, Indianapolis

MARCH

18 Northern Mayors Roundtable, La Porte

APRIL

15-18 International Municipal Lawyers Association Mid-Year Seminar, Washington DC

22 Northern Mayors Roundtable, South Bend

27-29 IMA Annual Conference, Indianapolis

MAY

11-13 IMMA Annual Conference, Nashville

18 Trust Local Golf Outing, Greenwood

18-20 ICOM Annual Meeting & IACT Mayors Institute, Greenwood

21 500 Festival Breakfast at the Brickyard, Speedway

22-25 IIMC 70th Annual Conference, Omaha, NE

AFFILIATE CALENDAR

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IN MEMBERS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

2016 IACT Legislative Session Recap -- Free to IACT Members March 23, 2016 10:00 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m.

When we put a wrap on each legislative session most IACT members already have a good idea of what happened regarding the larger, more publicized bills impacting municipal government. However, there are always many, many bills that don’t make headlines during a normal session. This free webinar will help IACT members better understand what is slated to become law in the weeks and months ahead and how it can impact cities and towns of all sizes.

Your Cure for the Common Rate Spike:The IACT Medical Trust -- Free to IACT Members April 5, 2016 10:00 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m.

Municipalities face stagnant revenues, increasing healthcare costs and an uncertain future. Cities and towns of all sizes need a part-ner focused on their best interest. Thirty three municipalities and approximately three thousand participant employees committed to the IACT Medical Trust because they needed long-term stability in premium costs, dependable health insurance coverage and comprehensive customer support services, including ACA report-ing and compliance. The participant employees have access to high quality health plan designs, disease management programs, care coordination, wellness programs and United Healthcare’s nationwide network of providers and medical facilities.

This free webinar will provide an in-depth overview of the IACT Medical Trust’s structure and services and how your municipality can obtain a proposal today!

Simplifying the COIT Adoption Process April 13, 2016 10:00 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m.

In 2013, the Indiana legislature passed a bill outlining a new option for adopting a wheel tax in counties where the tax is not currently in place. This process, using the COIT Council, can be confusing, especially in CAGIT counties. Attendees of this webinar will learn the nuts and bolts of the COIT Council adoption process. Understanding this process in counties that already have a wheel tax is important, too, as the legislature has subsequently considered other actions eligible for COIT Council consideration. Also on the docket for this webinar is an overview of recently legislative changes that will have an impact on ALL local option income taxes. You won’t want to miss this informative session.

Going Green in the Hoosier State: Best Practices for Becom-ing an IACT Green Community April 20, 2016 10:00 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m.

IACT started the Green Communities Initiative to recognize com-munities for their achievements and to inspire others to grow their “green” efforts. Sustainable development, energy conserva-tion programs and low impact development can all be consid-ered part of a green program for a municipal government. Many green concepts can save a community money, while simultane-ously conserving environmental resources and improving quality of life. Improved quality of life, in turn, can help support eco-nomic development goals. The presentation will describe what it takes to be a green community and previous winners will share projects that helped them achieve the designation.

IACT webinars qualify for one credit through the IACT Municipal Management Institue, sponsored by Wessler Engineering.

DON’T FORGET!


IN MEMBERS

The Franklin motto, “Live, Work and Play for a Lifetime” really embraces the quality of place philosophy. Explain the genesis of the motto.

Affordable living coupled with very diverse employment op-portunities and an expansive park system. The ‘Lifetime’ component addresses the ability to enjoy all of these amenities throughout life. Franklin is home to the Franklin United Meth-odist Community and the Indiana Masonic Home which are two of the largest religious or fraternal senior living communi-ties in Indiana. We should probably add ‘Learn’ to this motto as well because we have a tremendous school corporation and are home to Franklin College and an Ivy Tech campus.

What are some examples of recent or ongoing projects in Franklin that embody “Live, Work and Play for a Lifetime”?

A 145 executive-level housing development recently began construction on one of our golf courses. Over the past 18 months we have welcomed two Japanese manufacturing headquarters (Mitsubishi Engines and KYB). B2S Labs, a biotherapeutic enablement company and medical industry incubator, will open in Franklin in April 2016. We will begin our $22 million gateway project this spring which includes a significant economic development component at our I-65 interchange. In addition, we are currently designing over 5 miles of trails to add to our current system.

Franklin truly has a global economy with seven Japanese manufacturing firms located in the city. What do these em-ployers tell you about the importance quality of life plays in their ability to attract a talented workforce?

Talent attraction and retention is the #1 focus of all of our manufacturers right now. We have been meeting with them regularly to identify areas where the City can be of assis-tance. Quality of place for prospective and current employ-ees has been a recurring theme. More than half of today’s college graduates are looking for a place to live before they look for employment. We must be willing to adapt to this by offering amenities they are seeking in a community. We often hear a vibrant downtown with shopping and restaurants, at-tractive parks and adequate trails, quality schools, and close proximity to larger cities such as Indianapolis are important in attracting and retaining a talented workforce.

Do you embrace the Regional Cities concept and how do you believe Regional Cities can benefit communities who don’t have a large manufacturing base or communities who are more rural in nature?

Absolutely. The days of only competing with your neighbor-ing cities and towns for economic development projects and

jobs are gone. Rarely do we see a project that we are not competing with other large metro areas across the country or other countries. We must continue the movement towards competing as a region as opposed to one city versus anoth-er. For example, a business bringing a couple hundred jobs to our neighbor, Greenwood, will likely mean some Franklin residents will be hired so we all win. Many of our rural neigh-bors have residents who prefer to live in a less dense area but depend on the urban or suburban areas for their jobs.

You have been an active voice in the State House in the movement for more longtime road funding. Why is getting involved important for Franklin and how would you recom-mend your colleagues get engaged?

It is not only important for Franklin but for all cities and towns. Much of what we depend on as elected officials is deter-mined at the Statehouse. This legislative session has been critical for road funding which affects every city and town in Indiana. I doubt any of us receive enough MVH or LRS fund-ing from the State to maintain our roads. Therefore, when the legislators set out to address road funding, we must be active in communicating with them what is going on in each individual community.

What is the most fun or quirky thing happening in Franklin that exposes the city’s personality?

We embrace our namesake, Benjamin Franklin, as if he founded Franklin. I’m pretty certain Benjamin Franklin never even visited Franklin, IN. However, we have adopted him as our own. We have statues of him on the Franklin College campus, a downtown shop is named ‘Benjamin’s Coffee House’, and we have been incorporating kites and keys into all of our designs for the gateway project. We will even have a 36 foot wide decorative wall inscribed with a Benjamin Franklin quote as you exit I-65 into Franklin.

JOE MCGUINNESS MAYOR OF FRANKLINMEMBER Q&A

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IN PLACE

Quality of Placeis Common

Thread among 3 Hoosier

America’s Best CommunitiesSemi-Finalists

Looking at the four Indiana communities who, through a competitive process, have landed in the America’s Best Communities semi-finals, it’s easy to see how they’ve come so far. Arts, technology, partnerships, connectivity, maximization of assets, and so much more, are included in the plans for moving the semi-finalists forward. These commu-nities are already creating quality places and they have created detailed implementation plans to take them to the next level.

Reaching the semi-finals when the field was nar-rowed from 50 communities nationwide to 15, are Angola/Fremont, who have partnered on their entry, Madison, and Valparaiso. Next up, each of the 15 semi-finalists will make their case at the America’s Best Communities Summit in April, vying for one of eight finalist positions. Being named a finalist comes with a $100,000 prize and a chance at being named a first, second or third place finisher. These distinctions will be confirmed with $3 mil-lion, $2 million and $1 million awards, to be used towards the implementation of their submissions.

“Being named a semi-finalist was a huge victory for Angola and Fremont. This placement gave us

the funds, along with an investment of our own, to focus on our plans for the region and put

some real meat on the bones,” said Angola Mayor Richard Hickman.

Hickman continued, “The plans are extraordinary and are a result of great

cooperation and community input. One of the best things to come from this pro-

cess thus far has been two communities, Fremont and Angola, coming together to

grow the quality of life in our region.”


IN PLACE

“The Enterprise Center is the cornerstone of our Revitaliza-tion Plan. With a goal of at-tracting more talented millen-nials to Lakes Country, having a dedicated place for them to foster their creativity and take risks is a must.”

Vivian Likes, Angola Director of

Economic Development and Planning

Angola–Fremont Revitalization PlanGoals:

1. Angola-Fremont will become the premier Midwest location for materials and electronics research and product commercialization.

2. Angola-Fremont will become home to the highest skilled professional and technical workforce in the Midwest.

3. Angola-Fremont will retain and attract highly skilled millennial entrepreneurs, artists and other creative types to the community.

Proposed Projects:

1. Fremont Logistics Park2. Angola Technology Park3. The Enterprise Center

Learn more:

www.abcangolafremont.org

Featured Project: Northern Indiana Lakes Country Enterprise Center Known for more than 100 lakes, Steuben County wants to honor their natural assets through the name of their innovative Northern Indiana Lakes Country Enterprise Center. The Enterprise Center will be made up of five buildings. When completed, the buildings will host the Steuben County Economic Develop-ment Corporation, the Angola Area Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Indiana Works, Steuben County Visitors Center and Tourism Bureau, in-novative co-working space and multiple busi-ness incubator spaces.

Proposed Enterprise Center, Invest Steuben & Design Collaborative

Angola and Fremont Team up to Push Plans for Attracting Entrepreneurs, Start-ups


IN PLACE

Connectivity between Riverfront and Business, Residential District a Top Priority for Madison

“Experts say a quality place has to have both natural beauty and man-made assets. In Madison, we are blessed with both in spades. The concept of One Madison! has been in the making for decades. I am thrilled with the com-munity support we have and feel very optimistic that years of hard work, commit-ment and love for our city are paying off.”

Damon Welch, Mayor of Madison

One Madison!Community Revitalization PlanGoal:

Provide connectivity between Madison’s downtown historic district and riverfront and the hilltop residential, commercial and industrial district.

Learn more:

AmericasBestCommunities.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/One-madison-Submittal_FINAL_FINAL1.pdf

Featured Project: Madison Connector The latest Madison submission, which earned them a spot in the semi-finals, focused solely on one project, the Madison Connec-tor. The project is designed to connect the community physically, social and economically. In addition to creating or enhancing trails to connect the city’s two primary regions, sidewalk improvements and other amenities will be added to create a first-class walkable, bicycle-friendly city.

Two trailheads proposed as a part of the Madison Connector project.


IN PLACE

Hub for Creativity and Cultural Headlines Valparaiso’s America’s Best Communities Bid

“Today, if you want talented individu-als to be drawn to your city or stay put in your city you have to demonstrate it’s a quality place to live, raise families and retire. Our proposal is focused 100% on the quality of place we want Valparaiso to be for the people who live here and those we want to at-tract. I’m so proud of the tremendous, hard work our proj-ect committee has poured into our ABC submission. The love and hope we all have for Valparaiso is evi-dent when you read our Plan.”

Jon Costas,Mayor of Valparaiso

Valparaiso Creative District PlanGoal:

Develop a place where the community comes together to create, explore and celebrate arts, culture and innovation.

Learn more:

AmericasBestCommunities.com/meet-the-communities/5605/

Featured Project: The Valparaiso Creative District will be designed as a hub for arts and culture that is appealing to all ages. The District will have complete streets, with a pedestrian and bike-friendly design. Wi-fi, street furni-ture, public art and great lighting will create an inviting atmosphere where people feel safe and connected. The District Plan contemplates not only the infrastructure changes necessary to make this happen, but the financing, governance, promotion and potential District hosted events and festivals. There will even be an app for promoting all of the District and City’s arts and cultural events.

Proposed upgrades to Indiana Av-enue, Valparaiso include infrastruc-ture upgrades and expanded arts programming.

The Indiana Association of Regional Councils is a 501 (c)(3) statewide association of regional planning organizations that promotes regional strategies and solutions to address local issues.

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INWRITING

COLUMNS• From the Executive Director• Guest Column

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO MATTHEW C. GRELLER

Quality of Place Isn’t An Exclusive DistinctionRichard Florida is a best-selling author, professor and all-around

specialist on what it means to create quality communities. It was Florida who first coined the term quality of place, based upon years of research he conducted in a quest to find out the determining factors for how and why a person chooses where they want to live. Through his research Florida determined there are three key com-ponents of quality of place. In short, those three things include: what’s there, who’s there and what’s going on there.

What I love about many of Richard Florida’s philosophies is how broad they are and how they can be applied to communities of all size. It takes some creativity and optimism to see that, but it’s worth the exercise.

Take the note about maximizing a community’s natural assets. In Indiana, we’ve been conditioned to believe we are a flat, corn-filled, ocean-less, mountain-less, pass-through. It’s harsh to write, but we’ve all heard these things. Me, I find the notions appalling. There isn’t a community in Indiana where five people can’t sit around a table and name at least one unique asset their commu-nity possesses. The greatest tenderloin, a quilt maker or artisan, a beautiful piece of the Hoosier National Forest, somber and thought provoking memorials or a festival where tens of thousands come out to honor the pierogi!

Creating quality places isn’t exclusively about being a hub for job growth. It’s about positioning yourself as a place people want to live. Research is clear. Become a place where people want to live and the jobs will follow.

One of Florida’s other components of a quality place is just as applicable to communities of all size. Keep your residents busy! Activity sends a message that yours is a place people like to be and a place where people are prideful. Recreation, events, beautifica-tion, signage, there is some serious low-hanging fruit on this front. This is also an area that’s ripe for partnerships with local service oriented clubs.

Often at IACT we present projects and ideas of all size that have brought success to a particular city or town. At times, we’ll catch a little grief because not everyone has a university, wealthy benefactor, super-major employer, etc., and some of the projects aren’t easy to duplicate. I can see where this might be frustrating. However, I encourage you to look beyond the exact “how” a com-munity managed to pull off a large project and look more at all of the many components that went into making the project happen. Listen intently to how a community decided what quality of place projects to pursue. Focus on the nuggets of their story that could be applicable to your situation. Don’t look at these best practices or examples as items each community should duplicate. Look at the details and see how their process or lessons learned can be used for your community’s advantage. Creating a quality place isn’t a process of duplication, it’s very personal and every community in Indiana has the ability to create one.

With so many newly elected local officials in Indiana, it’s a great time to rewind the clock just a little and go back to the basics of what makes a quality place. Let’s take a look at it from a fresh lens and see just how far we can go using the many assets already at our disposal!

What’s there? Maximizing a community’s natural assets and building others to create a stimulating environment where people want to be.

Who’s there? Is your community welcoming and sending a clear message that it’s a place anyone can fit in and build a life?

What’s going on? Florida puts a premium on creating an active, busy community where people are visibly engaging in what the community has to offer.

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We have all taken a rough ride down streets littered with potholes. As municipal officials, we know that pavements de-teriorate with time and use, and we are well aware of the costs to unhappy motorists who have had the pleasure of hitting a pothole head on. However, many of us may not be aware that good roads can cost less – a lot less – if they are maintained at a reasonable level. Studies confirm that preventative main-tenance, when applied properly and at the appropriate time, helps reduce the need for road rehabilitation and ultimately costs communities less. But how do you prioritize your roadways? How do you justify fixing one road and allowing another to deteriorate? How do we maintain the roads we have with the money we have? How much money would we need to invest in our roadway network to give us a reasonable level of service?

We can answer all of those questions through the use of a Pavement Management System. Pavement management is nothing new, and your city or town probably already applies the concept – sort of. But you might not be applying it in a manner that maximizes your budget or is recognized by INDOT.

The most common approach to fixing roads is to treat the worst roads first. However, studies have shown that by applying proper pavement preservation techniques earlier in the deterioration process greatly increases the life the pave-ment. Increasing the life of the pavement by as little as one year has shown a 14-20% reduction in the annual cost of that pavement1. That’s huge! Arizona, for example, has shown a benefit to cost ratio of over 50 to 1 through implementation of a pavement management system2. With results like that, a pavement management system is worthy of consideration.

With a Pavement Management System you can show that if you had appropriate funding, you would be able to bring your roads into a better condition. You can also show what hap-pens with less funding or what happens if you don’t maintain your roads. The System gives you a way to be accountable and transparent to your constituents.

The graph below shows how roads deteriorate over time. Traditionally, roads are fixed on a worst case strategy. But, if we were to apply preventative techniques, such as crack seal-ing or overlays, earlier in the deterioration process, it costs a lot less to keep that road in a good condition than it does to fix a road that’s in bad condition. A Pavement Management System provides you with data to help determine when the right time is to apply that treatment. The system helps you make smart decisions that ultimately save money which in turn, provides you with more funding to fix those really bad roads properly.

A Pavement Management System is not just an inventory of your roadways. It’s a tool that allows you to align investments and priorities, preserve your asset value, reduce annualized costs, and provide better roadways ultimately improving the overall quality of life of your community. A Pavement Manage-ment System provides you with a rational and objective method to optimize available funding.

For more information about pavement management systems, contact Jodi at DLZ ([email protected]) or your preferred consulting engineer.

IN WRITING

Pavement Management Systems –What, Why, and When?

GUEST COLUMNSUBMITTED BY JODI COBLENTZ, PE AND JOSH GOODE, DLZ INDIANA, LLC

Potholes and crumbling roads… challenges to every Indiana community, a common complaint from our citizens, and costly to maintain and repair. There are tools that we can utilize to be more cost effective with road maintenance, and there may be new funding options if we are appropriately prepared to pursue them.

1 David R. Luhr and Timothy C. Rydholm, Economic Evaluation of Pavement Management Decisions (Washington State Department of Transportation, 2015), 2 2 Dr. Ronald Hudson, Are Pavement Management Systems Really Cost-Effective? (Agile Assets Blog, June 30, 2014) https://www.agileassets.com/2014/06/30/are-pavement-management-systems-really-cost-effective/, (February 12, 2016).


IN BRIEF

Many attributes of a quality place are within your reach!

INFOGRAPHIC: QUALITY OF PLACE

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CHRISTOPHER B.

BURKE ENGINEERING, LLC

CBBEL-IN.COM

FOUNDEDIN WATERRESOURCESCOMMITTED TO FULLY SERVE INDIANA COMMUNITIES

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Ice Miller has been working with Municipalities throughout Indiana for over 100 years to “Build Community.”

Buddy DownsPatricia Zelmer

Lisa Lee Karen Arland

Heather James

icemiller.com

community

Special Counsel to the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns and co-author of the Indiana Elected Municipal Officials Handbook since 1999.

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