Two new commissions are planned to power economic development in Bargersville
Ordinances to establish a community development corporation and a municipal arts and culture commission were both introduced to the town council on Tuesday. The ordinances will be considered for a second reading at the April 29 meeting.
A community development corporation, CDC, would be a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization incorporated to promote community development. The corporation’s purpose is to support, promote, and spearhead development along Bargersville’s State Road 135 and Interstate 69 corridors, which connect the town to Indianapolis, Indiana University Bloomington and Naval Support Activity Crane in southern Indiana.
Town officials already have a person in mind who is interested in directing the organization, said Dax Norton, town manager. Time is of the essence to get the CDC up and running, he said.
President Donald Trump recently proposed and then put on pause widespread tariffs on most countries of the world. If Trump ultimately goes through with the tariffs, it could result in rapid development of industrial sites, and American companies may start to onshore production, Norton said.
“We really need to do this with some haste, with what’s happening in Washington … if it actually comes, we need to be ready,” Norton said.
The CDC will have a particular emphasis on innovation, technology, and research and development, according to a draft ordinance. The corporation would be funded through the Bargersville Redevelopment Commission, or RDC, which gets its money from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts in the town. Eventually, town officials would like to see the corporation grow with sponsorships and other outside funding sources.
Norton’s vision is for the Bargersville CDC to be a cross between Fort Wayne’s Development Corporation, Speedway’s Development Corporation and 16 Tech.
“They’ve been successful in different things that they’ve done and then kind of taking on our own obviously autonomous drive at that point,” Norton said.
The business and affairs of the corporation will be managed by a five-member board of directors; two members appointed by the Town Council, one appointed by the Planning Commission and two appointed by the RDC. An amendment to add a county commissioner was added at Tuesday’s meeting.
The board will hold regular meetings at least quarterly, with special meetings as the chair or majority of the board calls for. The board will have the power to make decisions related to the operation, management and strategic development, including setting policy, approving budgets and establishing programs and initiatives. Each member will serve a three-year term and may be removed, with or without cause, by the board that appointed them, according to the draft ordinance.
In addition to the CDC, the council is considering the establishment of a municipal arts and culture commission. The commission will be an advisory body with no fewer than seven and no more than nine members on the board. The town council will appoint the board and members should be familiar with the arts and/or have experience with community issues, according to the draft ordinance.
The goal of the commission will be to promote and foster a thriving and inclusive arts culture, enhance the community’s access to arts and culture and support local artists by integrating the arts into the town’s public spaces and everyday life. The commission will make monthly reports to the council. The commission will be funded through donations and grants from state and federal agencies, the draft says.
The terms of the first commission members would expire Jan. 1, 2026. After that, appointees will serve two or three-year terms. Members will serve without salary or compensation, the draft says.
The town council may also consider appointing members to these boards during the April 29 meeting.
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