Mark Hall Explains His New Column

Welcome to the Timesheet. This column is a report of work done on behalf of the people of Hamilton County. It’s to be informative too, a place to learn about projects and how county government works.

As a body, the Hamilton County Council deals with large volumes of information. We are responsible for approving budgets, financial plans and personnel financial decisions among several other areas. The Information we review is often confidential. Protecting the confidential information is part of the job and a responsibility that I take seriously. This column will not share confidential or sensitive information.

As your employee it’s important that you know what is being worked on and it’s just as important to be transparent in government. You hired me as your Hamilton County Councilman, and my hope is that you’ll choose to be informed by regularly reading this column, getting involved and by asking questions. Council meetings are at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the judicial center in downtown Noblesville. They are also available to watch online for those unable to attend in person.

Here is where my time has been spent.

This first month has flown by so quickly. Personally, it’s been an enjoyable several weeks. Many hours of research, reading and questions preceded the first council meeting. The meeting consisted primarily of officer elections, committee assignments, board appointments, paying the bills and reviewing personnel changes. My direct committee assignments are Personnel, Highway, Strategic Planning, as well as serving on the Insurance board.

Serving took a couple of interesting turns this month. Representing the council at the Sheriff’s annual awards dinner and the Bicentennial kickoff celebration were special honors. Meeting with our Coroner, learning about the challenges unique to Hamilton County was followed by a somber tour of the morgue. It brought back personal memories and yet it was uplifting to see how veterans are honored, covered by an American flag. The first Personnel committee meeting of the year was an investment of several hours of discussion regarding employment categories, compensation, benefits, parity, recruitment and a comprehensive review and comparison of the benefits packages offered to anyone employed by the county.

Several of you reached out with constituent questions including; Does the county sell my personal data (no, by the way)? How can I get a red tagged well and septic system approved for use? How can I apply for funding from the county for my not-for-profit? Does the county give away ground? And why didn’t the engineer consider school bus sizes in the design of the road improvement in my neighborhood?

One more special treat worth mentioning was a ride-a-long with a sheriff’s deputy. Spending half a day learning firsthand how those sworn to protect and serve us was a mixture of exhilaration, inspiration and information. From traffic stops to burglary prevention the hours passed quickly. Public safety is the first job of government in my view. Investing time learning what works and what doesn’t work makes for a better-informed council and better public safety.

Over the coming months the council will be working with the Commissioners on State Road 37, 191st street, the Bakers Corner Wastewater treatment plant, the 4H fairgrounds, a new 911 Communications Center, a domestic violence shelter and several facility renovation and improvement projects.

This is my time sheet. This is where my time went during the first month. There are several projects in the queue for 2023 and while my job is primarily the financial oversight of the county budget it is important to understand the Board of Commissioners priorities and balance them with the stewardship of taxpayer dollars. That is the job, and I am excited to do the peoples’ business.

As a taxpayer myself, and listening to so many of you, our employers, it’s important for the taxpayers to have access to all the information you want. I work for you and although you may not choose to do a deep dive into what your County Council does, it’s important that you always can do so. Feel free to contact me at (317) 832-1104 or mark.hall@hamiltoncounty.in.gov with questions, feedback or if you would like to talk about county business.

Mark Hall is a successful businessman, husband, father and grandfather. He is serving his first term on the Hamilton County Council.