Fishers passes ordinances, remonstrance to begin
Filed Under: Business, Local News
The Fishers Town Council passed the three forced annexation ordinances tonight, beginning the long awaited petition drive by the 2,200 land owners around Geist Reservoir.
For the first 80 minutes, Fishers Town attorney Doug Church emceed a chart-based rebuttal making a case for annexation over incorporation. An expert from Wabash Scientific spoke at length about how everyone in Hamilton County will become independently wealthy overnight if this annexation goes through (paraphrasing of course). The “angry elf” from the extended Fishers legal team had to rehash his slide show outlining how the Towns of Geist were a farce. Someone forgot to tell him that the incorporation is on hold thanks to Judge Nation.
Sitting through the first 80 minutes was similar to a kid getting caught drinking beer for the first time and having to sit down for two hours, not talk, and hear their parents lecture them about everything they have done wrong in their lives. Tooth extraction without novacain is probably less painful.
After the warm-up act, each town council member had to give us their reasons for voting “yes” on annexation. With television cameras rolling, and an hour and a half of tape in the can, they finally took their unanimous vote to pass all three ordinances and put the ball back in the Geist residents’ hands to remonstrate or become the new residents of Fishers.
A few mental notes from the meeting: Residents held up signs saying “No Forced Annexation” throughout the proceedings. Rambo and the angry elf looked mad the entire time. Two of the slides had typos on them. Fishers printed out a lot of charts, reminiscent of Ross Perot with his first laser printer. Stu isn’t getting the “word of the day” from dictionary.com anymore (no “magnanimous” words tonight).
As soon as the Town of Fishers publishes their ordinances in the newspaper (I’ll give them a deal on a full page ad in the “atGeist Community Newsletter”), the 90-day clock starts to sign petitions by the residents. Geist United Opposition members have already drafted, printed, and alphabetized the petitions which will be mailed out as soon as the public notice is published.
Get ready for a long fight; the silver bullet just might be Senate Bill 114 which could kill this annexation in it’s tracks.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Rachel | Jan 22, 2008 | Reply
I’m glad I couldn’t make it tonight. I did catch some of it on the local cable channel. The man from Wabash Scientific is a complete liar. I heard him last week tell Senator Connie Lawson that the vast majority of Geist residents were for annexation, and that the opposition was just a few residents carrying on making a lot of noise. Needless to say, I corrected the lair. The lies did not stop with that paid jerk. They also were spewn by Councilman, Stuart Easley, when he testified before the Senate committee. He said that the majority of police calls in the Geist area were responded to by Fishers PD. A blatant lie. The actual numbers according to the Indy Star Police Reports show that 90+% of calls in the Geist area are responded to by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Dept. Easley also said that the Geist community is given a break on the price we pay for fire protection (of course Fishers sets the price, so why they would be so irresponsible as to give us this break was never challenged). The fact is that Geist residents pay a ridiculous amount for fire protection compared to what Fishers residents pay. When we shopped around for fire protection when we were looking into incorporation, every single fire chief questioned us as to why we were paying so much for fire protection. I guess that would be best answered by our Fall Creek Twp Trustee, Terry Michael, who has never tried to get a lower price for this protection and is a clear proponent of Fishers’ annexation of Geist. It’s very difficult to stay “civil” when there are so many lies from public officials.
At this meeting tonight, Fishers once again touted their awards. If Fishers has a good product to sell, they should have been able to sell Geist residents on involuntary annexation. They couldn’t, so they were reduced to forced annexation. Geist residents are not cheap or unfair- but unfortunately for the Fishers Town Council, they do have a brain. I guess we’ll all end up making the lawyers richer on this one.
Bob | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
If websites tell anything about a company then Wabash Scientific’s wensite tells alot about the company. (http://www.wabashscientific.com/)
My 6 year old can do a better website that this company. I would be ashamed to even have this out there Mr Shaver.
Wabash Scientific, inc.
3799 Steeplechase Drive
Carmel, IN 46032
(Voice) 317-872-9529
(FAX) 317-872-9885,
Send emails to MikeShaver@WabashScientific.com
Just an Observation | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
I couldn’t help but notice the empty seat at the Town Council table behind Charlie White’s name plate. ??????
Bob | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
Mr White must have been sick about what was going down.
John | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
This will probably get deleted so read fast. Mr Tom Britt if you remember your fight last year to end hunting on geist. Well if this passes you will get your wish. This will make all of the huntable waters at geist “in town” there fore eliminating hunting all together. Now if you would have been civil and listened to us waterfowlers, things might be different now. You would have every hunting organization knocking on your door offering assistance. Most of these organizations have alot of money and alot of contacts and would really help your cause. But its to late now you missed out on what could have been a good thing in your favor. Guess we will find somewhere else to hunt. Enjoy city life.
John | Jan 23, 2008 | Reply
oops just found out im wrong does not include the waters Hunt On.
DNA | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
Geist needs to work with others in the area that are not annexed but are under Fishers illegal takeover of the area planning. Political pressure needs to be put on other elected officials that people in the area can vote for. This would include the township boards, assessors, trustees, school boards along with county officials like the surveyor and commissioners. There needs to be some collateral damages to these people who will claim they are not responsible for what the Fisher’s TC does. Believe me they could have influence as there is only one party in this county and they all eat at the same trough. That’s why Charlie was not there. But if Charlie was against the annexation, Art would have voted against it and Charlie would have been there. You got to somehow make Hamilton county politicians pay the price.
People in unincorporated areas that have been abuse by the TC are plenty mad.
Another point, remonstrators need to talk to the news reporters before the public meetings. Otherwise you will have Doug Church or some other Fishers minion ramble on and bore the tears out of everyone till the media leaves to meet its 10 pm or 11pm deadline. Don’t let Fishers control the message
By the way someone has filed to run against Sen. Gard and she should be supported by you all. You need to find a house D to carry the annexation bill in the statehouse and prevent the Fishers TC from getting to some house R to kill the bill.
I'll be watching | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
If Fishers finds some Republican stooge to try to kill that bill, start looking at that person very carefully. Fishers could only get help if they a) have something on that person, or b) have promised that person something. Keep an eye on this Republican if it comes to that!!!
Stan | Jan 28, 2008 | Reply
Fishers has been caught in so many shameful lies that it
borders on complete insanity.
We often hear about so many lies being associated with
politics, it really pains me, that children are caught within
ear shot of these debates!
In response to the hunters blasting away on the water,
obviously, they have no experience with the expense of
our large window glass…………………or worse.