Latest news with #NikiKelly
Indianapolis Star
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana tolls on I-65? I don't like it, but our crumbling roads need the cash.
When I head to Chicago or Nashville, I know I'll be receiving a tolling invoice in the mail soon after. It's a minor inconvenience because I don't use those routes very often. But the prospect of Indiana tolling interstates within state lines is an entirely different discussion. I take Interstate 65 to and from work almost every day and I would no doubt rack up a ridiculous bill — at the same time that I'm paying high gas taxes every time I fill up. My immediate reaction is: no way. But I'm trying to see all sides of the debate. The fact is Hoosiers love to complain about our roads, but no one wants to pay to improve them. And our roads aren't that bad depending on who you ask. The Indiana Department of Transportation compared Indiana to neighboring states on 12 criteria, including road and bridge conditions, fatality rates, travel reliability and more: 'INDOT ranked in the top 3rd in 5 areas and in the middle 3rd in the others,' the 2024 report said. The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics also rates 97% of Indiana's roads as 'good' or 'fair.' But a Reason Foundation analysis found Indiana ranked 32nd in highway performance nationally. And the money raised from Indiana's fuel-related taxes simply isn't keeping up with demand. That's partially because people are purchasing less gasoline. Newer cars are more efficient, and some cars don't need it at all. Inflation has also spiked the cost of repairing or replacing roads and bridges. So, Indiana — and every other state — has a diminishing revenue stream but more roads than ever to maintain. And when I say Indiana, I don't just mean state-owned roads. Most of the roads in the state are cared for by counties, cities and towns — about 89%. Their needs are immense. One analysis said local governments would require an additional $2.4 billion annually to eliminate poorly rated local roads and bridges across the state over the next 10 years. The annual price tag for simply maintaining roads at the current condition is $1 billion. So, would any of the additional revenue raised from tolls go to local infrastructure? More from Niki Kelly: Indiana's crackdown on small college programs will drive students away Lawmakers recently tried to think outside the box and offer other options. One was a surcharge on deliveries, such as Amazon and DoorDash. That language was removed pretty quickly. The state is also trying to force local units into implementing wheel taxes to take some ownership of the problem and raise fees and taxes at the local level. But those are honestly just nibbling around the edges of the problem. Tolling is where the money is at. And it's a lot of money. One 2017 feasibility study produced for INDOT estimated that a statewide interstate highway tolling program would have an 85% chance of generating upwards of $39 billion between 2021 and 2050. It further reported a 50% chance that revenue could exceed $53 billion over that timeframe. The estimates didn't include the costs to install and maintain tolling gantries, process payments, provide customer service, enforce collections and more. Former Gov. Eric Holcomb chose not to go down that route, but Gov. Mike Braun appears to be more interested. And lawmakers recently removed some final impediments to imposing tolling on state highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because, otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said earlier this year. Tolling interstates isn't as clear-cut as it seems. It's generally against federal law to collect tolls on existing federal highways. But Congress has allowed several exceptions. For instance, a state can toll an existing bridge after it is reconstructed and toll new lanes added to an interstate. Briggs: Mike Braun grandstands on Indianapolis crime while murders drop 24% The option that is most expansive is the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program, which allows tolling on existing interstate facilities to fund needed reconstruction or rehabilitation on corridors that could not otherwise be adequately maintained or functionally improved. It has only three slots — awarded to Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia years ago. But those states never implemented the program, which has essentially been inactive. INDOT said it has not filed a waiver request on tolling — yet. I honestly don't see how tolling in some way can be avoided. Leaders want to capture the trucks and travelers passing through Indiana without stopping for gas. But it'll be tough to avoid hurting Hoosiers already paying their fair share.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Indiana contractor hacked, sends scam toll messages from state accounts
Scam messages purportedly sent by state accounts flooded Hoosier inboxes Tuesday. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Fraudulent messages purportedly sent by state agencies about collecting tolls are 'scams,' the Indiana Office of Technology confirmed Tuesday. The office cautioned Hoosiers to 'not click on any of the links,' noting that Indiana 'does not send unpaid toll notifications via text or email messages.' 'A (former) contractor's account was hacked and used to send those messages,' the office added. Each scam message says it was sent 'using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of' numerous state agencies. Some of the messages came purportedly from former Gov. Eric Holcomb. Indiana previously used the platform, offered by Colorado-based Granicus, to manage digital communications with constituents. The contract for those services ended December 31 — but Indiana's account wasn't removed, according to IOT. The office said it's 'working with' the company 'to stop any further communications.' Agencies like the Department of Revenue and Alcohol & Tobacco Commission also warned subscribers on Tuesday to 'ignore and delete' the spam messages, and apologized for the inconvenience. Indiana has since switched over to products from California-based Salesforce.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana Historical Society to keep its building, land following agreement with governor's office
A lease agreement between the state and the Indiana Historical Society could be in jeopardy under the latest state budget draft. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) will keep its building — and take ownership of the land it sits on — after a compromise with the governor's office. The agreement follows earlier consternation over the historical society's Indianapolis headquarters during the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Mike Braun's original budget proposal for the upcoming biennium included provisions that would have terminated a longstanding lease agreement, under which IHS paid $1 annually to lease the state-owned land that houses the nonprofit's 165,000-square-foot building. The lease also obligated the state to cover approximately $1 million per year in maintenance and operational costs. House and Senate Republicans included similar, jeopardizing language in their budget drafts. Braun's office later clarified that the state did not intend to force the institution to give up its building. The final version of the budget retained provisions in current law that permit IHS-state leases and only struck the maintenance requirements. 'We are very pleased to have a final agreement with the state to set in motion a process to transfer to us the land we operate on currently. They have been terrific partners throughout,' said Jody Blankenship, president and CEO of IHS. 'This agreement will put us on a path to carry out our mission for decades to come.' State's proposed budget could cost Indiana Historical Society its building Braun signed the next two-year state spending plan this week. It takes effect July 1, at the start of the next fiscal year. 'We are pleased that the state and the Indiana Historical Society finalized an agreement that begins the process to transfer land from the state to the Society. We appreciate the partnership of the Indiana Historical Society Board and its leadership,' said Griffin Reid, a spokesperson for the governor's office, in a written statement to the Capital Chronicle. 'The necessary legislative changes, as reflected in the budget bill, allow the Indiana Historical Society to continue its mission to preserve and promote Indiana's rich history.' The historical society owns the downtown Indianapolis building where its headquarters, museum and archives are housed. It does not, however, own the land on which the building sits. Language in the earlier budget drafts would have cancelled the existing lease agreement between the state and IHS. According to contracts reviewed by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, any expiration or termination of the lease would have required IHS to 'surrender to (the state)' the land in question. Separately, a provision in state law required the historical society to 'convey' its building title to the state after the structure was constructed. That law dated back to 1992, and the IHS building opened to the public in 1999. The title was never transferred, however. Braun's budget deleted that conveyance language from Indiana Code. Braun's office maintained that the state simply wanted to reduce or eliminate costs of contractual maintenance for the IHS building, and that the governor did not intend to assume the IHS building or the state land on which it sits. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Session process shuts out Hoosiers
The Indiana Statehouse - adorned with scaffolding for a roofing project - on March 28, 2025. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Editor of the Indiana Capital Chronicle Niki Kelly recently shared why the end of the legislative session is her least favorite season. Kelly wonders why the democratic processes that are embraced throughout most of the session are thrown out at the end, particularly through amendments with new or unpopular bill language. However, we argue that this is not just an end of session issue or a shortcoming of the current crop of state legislators, it is by design. This institutional arrangement largely shuts out the very people it claims to represent – the people. We have a deeper understanding of this concept after we were fortunate enough to team-teach a course, Applied Political Philosophy, at the University of Indianapolis. By training, one of us is a political scientist (Shufeldt) and the other a philosopher (Davidson). Lawmakers and their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad end of session Our students started by reading political philosophy, including works from Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Isaiah Berlin, and John Rawls. We encouraged them to think about what gives the government its legitimacy, the appropriate uses of power, and what constitutes a compelling government interest. In a democracy, many of these ideas revolve around the idea of the 'consent of the governed.' To apply these ideas, students tracked and analyzed bills throughout the legislative session. They were free to pick any legislation they wanted and were encouraged to identify bills they supported or opposed. We did not impose any restrictions or parameters – their selected bills ranged from relatively obscure (but important) to more controversial, contentious pieces of legislation (like House Bill 1393 or Senate Bill 10). Like our students, any Hoosier can track legislation to better understand the legislative process. The IGA website has vastly improved over the years allowing citizens to watch committee hearings or discussion in the House or Senate. Our students were able to report on the progress of their bills from the comfort of their dorm rooms. The website is relatively up-to-date, giving everyday citizens the ability to see vote outcomes, a schedule for each day, and current bill language and amendments. Moreover, the media landscape in Indianapolis – in no small part thanks to nonprofit newsrooms like the Indiana Capital Chronicle – allows citizens to stay informed about what is happening at the statehouse. However, being informed and being able to participate in democracy are not the same. Indiana has what political scientists call a 'citizen' or part-time legislature. Session began in January and recently concluded. This part-time calendar has a host of consequences – it affects who is able to serve (especially young people), it artificially speeds up aspects of the legislative process, and leads to large, omnibus pieces of legislation covering far too many topics alongside the inclusion of unpopular ideas without being vetted by committees, but perhaps most problematically – it makes it more difficult for everyday citizens to play a role in the legislative process. We equipped our students with the knowledge they need to engage in citizen lobbying. We led them through the process of scheduling a meeting: sending an introductory email, making daily follow-up phone calls, and looking out for legislators once we arrived at the statehouse. Of our seventeen students, fourteen were able to have at least one meeting with an elected official (or their legislative assistant) on their own or to join a classmate in their meeting, and we are eternally grateful to the elected officials who took time to speak with our students. CONTACT US However, the casual relationship with time at the state capitol shuts out everyday voters. Many students lamented the near radio silence in response to their repeated emails and phone calls, the frequent last-minute cancellations or hours-long delays, and double-booked appointments. The typical voter cannot be at the capitol all day, every day, just to have a five minute meeting with an elected official meant to represent their concerns. Without paid lobbyists, citizens are less able to catch last minute amendments or previously thought-to-be dead bill language that gets revived, nor can they afford to wait a few more hours until the legislator is 'free' to meet. While our students at UIndy benefit from being a ten-minute drive to the state capitol, Hoosiers traveling from each of the four corners of the state may miss their opportunity for their voices to be heard. Making space to hear everyday people is not the sole responsibility of individual elected officials. The limited availability of legislators is an institutional failure–one that arises from the design of the assembly and calendar rather than only the individual choices of legislators. Whether students agreed with their legislator or supported the outcome of a bill, a healthy democracy requires citizen involvement, and the institutions must be designed in ways that support this engagement. Getting shut out of the process and seeing the IGA in action has led some of our students to grow more pessimistic – threatening to lower Indiana's already abysmal rates of voter participation. For some students, gaining the 'tools necessary to feel empowered to change government' (according to their reflections) only made them more committed to the process . Regardless of any individual student's reaction, the Indiana General Assembly must address the institutional barriers that shut out everyday citizens – they work for us, afterall. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana lawmakers approve reduced court eliminations
The Indiana House voted on dozens of bills on the last day of the legislative session, April 24, 2025. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Legislators authorized a few court closures Thursday while approving the biennial court officers bill. It's the first time lawmakers are eliminating judges that are underutilized. 'Statewide, we have the right number of judicial officers,' said Fishers Republican Rep. Chris Jeter. 'The question is, are they in the right places?' Two weeks ago, the Senate added language taking away judges in 11 mostly rural counties. But the conference committee report — approved 83-5 in the House and 45-4 in the Senate — eliminates only one court in Blackford County, one court in Monroe County and one magistrate in Jennings County. It also removes several unfilled magistrate positions in Marion County. House Bill 1144 — which adds judges and magistrates in Elkhart, Hamilton, Lawrence and Vigo counties — had moved through the entire session without language abolishing courts. Then, on April 10, hours before a committee deadline, an amendment was added in the Senate Appropriations Committee eliminating one court each in Blackford, Carroll, Gibson, Greene, Jennings, Monroe, Newton, Owen, Pulaski, Rush and Scott counties, along with six juvenile magistrate positions in Marion County. State panel recommends judicial reallocation from low- to high-need counties This provision was estimated to save the state approximately $748,885 in Fiscal Year 2027 and up to $2.75 M in Fiscal Year 2032, according to a fiscal analysis. Lawmakers from those areas were deluged with concern from constituents. The general idea of reallocation was discussed in a study committee in October 2024. Essentially, Indiana uses a weighted caseload study that assesses how much judicial time is needed for different types of cases. Then it looks at how many cases are filed to determine how many judges and magistrates are needed for the caseload. For years, lawmakers have added state-funded court officers when the statistics have shown more judges are needed to handle additional cases. But as population has shifted away from some rural counties, they have never taken a judge away — even if the weighted caseload shows they have too many court officers. The weighted caseload study shows, for instance, that Monroe County has 10 judges but only needs 7.87. Blackford County has two judges, but the study shows it needs less than one. Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, said 'these are never easy decisions' but that population shifts mean some counties aren't seeing as much crime or as many lawsuits. Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said he doesn't disagree with the premise but said the process should have been set out well in advance. He noted the House never heard testimony on eliminating judges. He said Monroe County is losing a court because one of the judges announced she is retiring. Sen. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette, thanked his colleagues for giving the Carroll County courts a reprieve. He said the Delphi double-murder case 'really upset' the court system there. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
