Hancock County officials and community stakeholders kicked off 2026 by looking back at the previous year’s successes and challenges, and by looking forward to what this year has in store, during a luncheon Tuesday.

Hancock County Chamber of Commerce organized the annual State of the Community gathering at the Thrive Center, featuring leaders from government, economic development and industry. They weighed in on the continued growth of the county, upgrades in infrastructure, and potential new economic development, as well as the impact of the widespread property tax reform initiated by last year’s Senate Enrolled Act 1.

Growth for chamber

Andy Isch of Bradford Builders, also board president of the county chamber of commerce, spoke the state of Hancock County Chamber of Commerce itself. In the middle of 2024, Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Hancock Area Chamber of Commerce formed one unified chamber that covers most of Hancock County.

Isch said the chamber has 372 members, with 61 new members in 2025. Overall, the members represent 9,800 employees in the county. There were 22 ribbon cutting ceremonies in 2025 as well, including NineStar’s new flagship location at McCord Square in McCordsville.

He touted various events from last year, such as a legislative breakfast with local state legislators, and an event hosting Gov. Mike Braun.

“This is a venue that’s more than numbers or reports. It is about people, partnership and progress. It’s about taking a moment to reflect on where we are, celebrate what we’ve accomplished, and look ahead to what’s next for Hancock County,” he said.

Improving county infrastructure

Hancock County Commissioner Jeannine Gray said during last year, critical infrastructure, safety and community investments were delivered across the county. This included new roundabouts at Fortville Pike and County Road 300 North and county roads 600 North and 600 West, and continuing renovation work at the former county jail and 50 miles of chip sealing.

“I want you to know that 70% of that road work has been paid for by grants,” she said. “So that’s a savings to all of us as taxpayers.”

County infrastructure will continue to be an important theme in 2026, with a $3 million wide-ranging road safety project on Stinemeyer Road, focused on reducing injuries, fatalities and property damage.

Gray noted with the rapid growth the county is going through, the county is “running out of space” with its buildings, and it is becoming expensive to maintain the older buildings. Last year, the county had to spend a million dollars on tuckpointing at the courthouse and will most likely spend another million this year to purchase new windows for county buildings.

Because of this, county officials are considering building a new justice center next to the sheriff’s office, and Gray said they are still in the discovery period of the plans.

“Our courthouse is getting old, and it’s very small for everything that we need to do out of there,” she said.

Like other panelists, she is anticipating the opening of the Amplify Hancock Innovation Center, which will house the Hancock County Career Center. The 106,000-square-foot workforce development center is in the last phases of construction and will be complete and open in time for the 2026-27 school year.

“The student population has really, really, really taken a hold (of the career center), and there’s a lot of interest in that,” Gray said.

‘A positive challenge’

Greenfield Mayor Guy Titus focused his remarks on projects set to make substantial progress in Greenfield during this year, such as construction of The Yard at Depot Park complex in downtown and continued conversations with Healthstar Partners — an alliance of Hancock Health, NineStar Connect and Pride Investment Partners — for future uses of the former Elanco campus.

Titus spent time discussing the impact of the property tax reform initiated by SEA 1, saying the city will be hampered with many financial constraints. He noted that the city is behind on its infrastructure, and if not amended this year, SEA 1 could significantly impact growth in the city.

“There’s a lot of things that we need to do to keep up with the growth that is coming our way so we can be prepared for that,” he said.

However, Titus is still optimistic about various opportunities for the city, which he called “a positive challenge before us that we can use to make this community great.” He cited projects such as the opening of a second Leo’s location in the city, the continuing progress with Healthstar Partners and a potential pharmaceutical manufacturing firm that could occupy the former BWI building on Opportunity Parkway.

He said the city needs to grow and convince younger residents to move to the city, but also said the city needs to be intentional with its growth.

“My hope is that these people are going to come and rent an apartment for a year or two, marry and hopefully buy a home here in our community and stay and continue for this community to thrive in positive ways,” Titus said. “We don’t want to just let any development come to town that wants to come to town. We have the possibilities of being picky, and we need to. We want quality development out here.”

Continued investment in Hancock County

2026 proves to be another action-packed year for Hancock Health, with the independent health network continuing to be ranked among the best in the state and nation for quality and safety.

Steve Long, president and CEO of Hancock Health, added that Hancock Health’s investment portfolio is growing, with new projects set to begin or complete construction in 2026.

This includes a new rental neighborhood, two Hilton-branded hotels, and a women’s health office at Hancock Gateway Park off of Interstate 70, a new apartment complex in New Palestine and expanding the McCordsville wellness center.

“We are investing in Hancock County. It’s part of our investment portfolio. There is no better investment you can make than ground and buildings in Hancock County,” he said.

When Amplify opens later this year, the hospital’s radiation technology program will move to the workforce development building.

“That’s where we train radiation techs and our medical assistant programs out there, and we will start on the day that it opens. It’s going to be wonderful,” Long said.

‘The sweet spot of the state’

In his remarks Randy Sorrell, executive director of Hancock Economic Development Council, gave the “state of play” regarding the economy and the growth in Hancock County. He said mid-census estimates put Hancock County at 91,000 residents, and that Hancock County might break 100,000 residents by the time the 2030 census rolls around. He added that people moving to Hancock County are coming from nearby counties, such as Marion, Hendricks, Madison and Henry counties.

Sorrell added that the state overall exceeded expectations of gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2025, with Indiana having the highest GDP growth in the Midwest at 2.6%, outpacing the national average at 2.1%.

He acknowledged that SEA 1 upended the tax system in the state by focusing more on income tax rather than property tax, and he said county and municipal officials should focus on bringing more people to the county.

“So, one of the ways to self-help is to increase our reliance on income tax. You get income tax by people working. And you get people working by having an attractive place to live,” he said.

Sorrell said the county has a higher share of educational attainment level compared to the state average, as well has a higher median income amount and lower levels of poverty compared to the state medians. He said even though the economy might slow in 2026, the county is still better positioned than most in the state.

“We are the sweet spot of the Midwest, and Hancock County is the sweet spot of the state. I love that,” he said.
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