Sheridan prepares for vote about town’s future
SHERIDAN, Ind. (WISH) — Voters living in the town of Sheridan and in Adams Township will have to decide in November’s election on whether they want to reorganize into a single local government. The question will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.
In a press release announcing the proposal last year, Town Council President Silas DeVaney III said annexing into a larger community is a “major first step in the process of planning for growth along the U.S. 31 corridor.”
Currently, Sheridan is within the township’s boundaries but it has a separate government. In Adams Township, which includes Boxley and Bakers Corner, the sheriff’s office is in charge of law enforcement and Hamilton County is in charge of government services. If Sheridan annexes the township, it would also have a much larger area to govern.
If reorganized, Sheridan’s borders would extend to cover the entirety of the township. The population would go from about 3,100 to roughly 5,200 and the five-member Sheridan Town Council would expand to seven members.
On June 18, the Sheridan Town Council and the Adams Township Advisory Board approved the merger.
Hamilton County officials talked to residents about the merger at a meeting Thursday. County Commissioner Steve Dillinger warned that a lot of things the county pays for in Adams Township would become Sheridan’s responsibility.
“If that’s what (residents) want, I support them 100%. I just want to make sure they have all the knowledge on what the costs will be,” Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Dillinger said.
Dillinger said if Sheridan annexes Adams Township, it would lose out on for federal money and grants designated for roads that the county is set to distribute. Instead of using the federal money, Sheridan would have to pay for road projects itself.
“The $30 million dollars for the road work, and the grants…we have plans to redo different roads over there, that we won’t be doing,” said Dillinger.
Sheridan would also be on its own for snow removal, Dillinger added.
Hamilton County Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush says Sheridan’s annexation plan doesn’t provide enough funding for his deputies to patrol the community.
If the ballot initiative passes, the city’s police department would be responsible for patrolling an even larger swath of land, with the same amount of officers it has now.
“Just this past year our officers (deputies) have done a lot of assisting the Sheridan Police Department because they’ve been so short,” the sheriff said.
A few residents at the meeting were skeptical and told the county commissioners they did not think they were being provided accurate numbers from the county on how much revenue Sheridan would need to run a reorganized government.
“You’re not thinking that we’re not all farmers that don’t have an education, and these farmers are probably more educated than half this panel,” one resident told the commissioners.
Others were afraid if Sheridan doesn’t grow, it will be annexed by Westfield. Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said his city is not considering annexation any part of Sheridan.
If the ballot measure passes, the reorganization would take effect on January 1.