SETTLEMENT APPROVAL

• SB 270 is a bill creating an additional layer of government oversight that is unnecessary and cumbersome. Under the bill, municipalities would not be able to enter into settlement agreements without the Indiana Attorney General first having the opportunity to intervene if the agreement involves an injunction, restraining order or consent decree.
• Further, a municipality cannot adopt, or refuse to adopt or implement, an ordinance or policy as a result of a legal settlement without first seeking the approval of the Attorney General.
• Many Aim members have reached out to lawmakers offering serious concerns about the time, redundancy and bureaucracy this will add to resolving legal matters, and the concern that a significant piece of local decision making is being unnecessarily moved to Indianapolis. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where it awaits a hearing date.

PUBLIC SAFETY ANSWERING POINTS

• A bill is moving whereby counties in which multiple PSAPs exist will require a distribution to the municipal PSAP based on call volume, unless the local units are currently operating under an interlocal agreement.
• Movement on any bill acknowledging the unfairness of the current situation is welcome news. However, the bill has yet to be scheduled in its assigned committee – House Ways and Means.
• Rep. Doug Miller is taking the lead on SB 67 in the House. The original Senate author is Sen. Jean Leising. We continue to thank them for their efforts, and we are talking with House leadership in an effort to advance the legislation.

AIM OPERATIONAL INITIATIVES

• The Senate Public Policy Committee passed HB 1004 earlier this week. HB 1004 contains multiple Aim efficiency initiatives and has the support of House leadership.
• HB 1004 contains our language regarding non-partisan parks boards in Class 3 cities, reducing bureaucracy regarding police pension board elections, and a study committee regarding the ability to use electronic publishing.
• SB 296, the Aim order to repair bill, was assigned to the House Judiciary committee where we are working to schedule the bill for a hearing.

STORMWATER REGULATION

• HB 1096 applies to MS4 communities and restricts the ability of locals to regulate construction site stormwater runoff beyond what is currently required at the state level.
• The bill is authored by Rep. Wes Culver and the Senate sponsor is Sen. Blake Doriot.
• The Senate Environmental Committee will hear HB 1096 this coming week. Aim is working with lawmakers to help them understand that each community is unique and flexibility is required to adequately address runoff issues that address specific local concerns.

“We’re at the halfway point of the General Assembly. Our list is down to 70 or so bills so that’s a good thing. It makes the process a bit more manageable. As we’ve talked to you about in previous segments, the first half of the session was definitely dominated by annexation. We were able to defeat or work to defeat one very bad annexation bill giving county commissioners veto authority over city or town initiated annexations so that was a positive. But we still have three bills moving that impact annexation waivers in a negative way.”

– Matt Greller, CEO of Aim