Whiteland redevelopment commission unveils 2026 spending-plan draft, discusses BOT option, sewer work and public-safety needs

The Whiteland Town Redevelopment Commission on Oct. 9 introduced a draft spending plan for 2026 and discussed next steps on several capital projects, a proposed build-operate-transfer approach for a new or expanded town facility, and ongoing sewer and water system work. Commissioners accepted two routine items by roll call vote earlier in the meeting.

The draft spending plan presented to the commission is an introductory document intended to list potential projects and show possible uses of bonding capacity rather than to authorize specific contracts or expenditures. Carmen (last name not specified), a redevelopment staff member who presented the plan, said the list includes debt payments, capital projects such as transportation enhancements, utility infrastructure, park and recreation improvements, and potential town-hall work including a generator and a possible expansion. She said the plan will be presented for adoption at the commission’s November meeting.

Why it matters: the draft lays out how the town might use redevelopment and TIF (tax-increment financing) resources and signals priorities for public-safety spending, utility repairs and road projects. The document also identifies projects that could be funded with lease financing or bonds and frames a timetable for more formal decisions in November.

Key items in the draft

- Bonding and large projects: The presentation lists a notional set of capital projects that together imply significant bonding capacity; Carmen said the commission does not have that full cash on hand but is showing potential projects in light of bonding capacity. She said she spoke with Adam Stone (role not specified) about computing the commission’s bonding capacity.

- Roundabout and redevelopment bond: The commission’s project list includes a roundabout at Whiteland Road and Bob Glennon (as stated in the meeting), and the presentation lists a redevelopment authority bond principal of $2,450,000 tied to that roundabout. Carmen said the closing on that financing is expected around the end of the month.

- Sewer plant and collection-system work: The draft lists a sewer-plant improvement item described in the presentation as about $13,000,000. Staff reported that camera and smoke testing of the collection system has identified roughly 22 locations where smoke enters where it should not, meaning collection-system repairs or replacements will need to be triaged before a final project is scoped.

- Public-safety spending and vehicles: The draft flags potential public-safety expenses including additional cameras and vehicle replacement. Commissioners discussed moving toward a vehicle-replacement cycle (for example, replacing two to three vehicles per year rather than replacing a large group at once) to avoid large lump-sum purchases. The commission’s presenter said she will coordinate with the fire chief and the town marshal on any further requests.

- Flock cameras and subscriptions: The draft includes an item for additional “flock” (entry-point) cameras. The presenter estimated a two-camera subscription-and-hardware cost in the neighborhood of $12,000 based on earlier estimates and said the commission could consider funding cameras at town entry points in coordination with neighboring communities where appropriate.

- Economic-development partner payment (Aspire): The draft records past annual payments to Aspire, the local economic-development organization. The presenter said Whiteland had previously paid $10,000 annually, proposed reducing the town’s base contribution to $5,000 and asked the commission to consider an additional $1,000 (for a total of $6,000) to maintain current benefits. No formal commission vote on the Aspire amount was requested at the Oct. 9 introduction.

Build-operate-transfer update

The commission also heard an update on pursuing a build-operate-transfer (BOT) procurement for a municipal facility (town hall, police station or a combined facility). The presenter said the town has previously adopted a resolution allowing the use of a BOT approach. She described a recent meeting with a private firm identified as 523 Development and said the next step would be issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) to solicit interested, experienced partners; she anticipated publishing that RFQ in November. The RFQ would be a scoping step only and would not commit the town to specific dollars or a partner.

Meeting attendees discussed trade-offs of the BOT model: the presenter told commissioners the BOT approach can let a town avoid lowest-bidder procurement rules that apply under public-works law and can lock in a negotiated price, but commissioners expressed caution that fixed-price arrangements can be higher up front and that change orders still sometimes occur. The presenter said the model has been used by other Indiana municipalities and school districts.

Sewer, water and maintenance notes

Staff reported preventive-maintenance budgeting of about $100,000 for the coming year, noted ongoing hydrant replacement needs (about 20 hydrants were identified as needing replacement), and said the town’s public-works crew is small (eight employees covering water, sewer, storm and streets), which has constrained maintenance work and driven consideration of contracting out some tasks.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes for 09/11/2025: motion to accept minutes with an added notation that the public hearing was closed; passed by roll call, 5–0 (Commissioner John Venter — yes; Commissioner Bridal Webb — yes; Commissioner Amanda Trimble — yes; Commissioner Tom Carroll — yes; Commissioner David Hawkins — yes).

- Acceptance of voucher packet: motion to accept the voucher packet totaling $25,895; passed by roll call, 5–0 (John Bender — yes; Bridal Webb — yes; Amanda Trimble — yes; Tom Carroll — yes; David Hawkins — yes). The presenter reported the current fund balance at $1,748,825.29 and that the redevelopment account earned $4,717.90 in interest for the period shown.

What was not decided

The commission’s review of the spending plan was an introduction; no adoption votes on the spending plan or any of the listed capital projects occurred at the Oct. 9 meeting. The presenter said formal adoption of the spending plan and an additional-appropriation resolution that controls year-ahead spending are intended for the November meeting, which will include a required annual TIF presentation for tax units.

Next steps

Staff will work with the fire chief and town marshal to refine any public-safety requests, have Adam Stone finalize bonding-capacity figures, and prepare the RFQ for a BOT procurement option. The draft spending plan will be revised based on those inputs and presented for formal action at the Nov. meeting.

Ending: The meeting closed after adjournment of regular business and routine votes; staff and commissioners indicated a fuller set of project details and cost estimates will be presented at the November meeting for formal consideration.