INFRASTRUCTURE

Goal: Continue to maintain and expand necessary utility services to aid in the attraction of new business and housing development opportunities.

The Importance Of The Infrastructure Pillar

A community’s utility systems, in conjunction with the transportation network, play a central role in supporting and maintaining economic success and quality of life. As the IND15RPC region seeks to attract employment and housing growth, development cannot out-pace the expansion of utility systems. These systems require continual investment to replace aging infrastructure and maintain systems in a state of good function. Maintaining infrastructure and utility services depends upon both ongoing and future revenue streams. Most utilities are funded through monthly usage bills as well as tap and availability fees at the time of construction. Larger improvements may require bonding or general funds from tax revenue. Given current property tax caps within the state of Indiana, it is difficult for IND15RPC counties, cities, and towns to proactively expand utility capacity to desired development areas.

Utility improvements must proceed in conjunction with development. Leapfrog development patterns and reactionary utility extensions can lead to inefficiencies and increased costs in more piping, pumping, and line replacement. By strategically locating infrastructure investments and service extensions, municipalities can direct development to desired locations. Developers will be more likely to pursue opportunities at sites already served by municipal utilities and a robust transportation network, as opposed to paying for extensions to other sites. Proposals or requests to extend municipal utility service to areas outside of current boundaries should:

• Be consistent with service extension plans.

• Not exceed current capacity.

• Meet local design and construction standards.

• Be contingent upon annexation into the respective city or town limits.

• Enhance the contiguous development area of the applicable city or town and not represent potential costly leapfrog development.

Additional rationale for why the infrastructure goal is important for the IND15RPC region are:

• Critical infrastructure such as roadways, water, and sewer is needed to serve new houses and attract businesses.

• Due to the rural nature of the region, several communities do not have adequate budgets to build new, expand, or maintain infrastructure. To attract new business, development, and people, the community needs to invest in infrastructure maintenance, expansion, and increase capacity levels to accommodate future desired growth.

• Access to high-speed internet is now a standard quality of life element for all businesses and households.

• Rural communities are often the last to receive access to quality internet and fiber services. By creating and implementing a regional fiber expansion plan and making access to high-speed internet available to everyone, the region will be able to maintain existing operations and focus on expanding opportunities in e-commerce, work-from-home capabilities, and increase competitiveness with other local and regional businesses.