Municipal
By: Christopher W. Bloomer
on January 26, 2022
The Indiana General Assembly gave Indiana’s cities, towns, and other municipal organizations a powerful tool in the fight against blight by enacting the Unsafe Building Law, or “UBL,” codified by Indiana Code § 36-7-9-1 et seq. Generally, any municipality or county that adopts an ordinance under…
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By: Christopher W. Bloomer and Robert S. Schein
on September 8, 2021
A few months ago, we analyzed House Enrolled Act 1437 (“HEA 1437”), which modified Indiana’s Open Door Law and authorized (after certain requirements were met) virtual attendance and voting by members of a governing body.1 Our earlier analysis covered the meeting requirements during a declared…
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By: Christopher W. Bloomer and Robert S. Schein
on May 19, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic upended the norm for public meetings, and what was once unthinkable – members of a governing body meeting and voting virtually – became a welcome and many times necessary option almost overnight.
We analyzed the early exceptions to public meetings starting in March, 2020.1…
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By: Kendall A. Schnurpel and David E. Corbitt
on May 3, 2021
On April 15 and 16, 2021, two complimentary bills were introduced in Congress to address the country’s shortage of affordable housing and expand bond financing opportunities for local governments and nonprofits. The bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2021 (AHCIA) was introduced…
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By: David E. Corbitt and Kendall A. Schnurpel
on March 31, 2021
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, the first major legislative achievement for the President, passed along party lines. In addition to provisions aimed at funding a national vaccination program, COVID-19 testing,…
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By: Christopher W. Bloomer and Robert S. Schein
on February 26, 2021
While Amazon’s “HQ2” RFP was national in scope, highly competitive, and well-publicized, an unintended consequence of that process is now apparent – can third-parties obtain records depicting incentives offered to Amazon? The Indiana Court of Appeals recently said no, finding that Indiana’s HQ2…
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By: Christopher W. Bloomer and Robert S. Schein
on February 1, 2021
Political subdivisions and their agencies occasionally find themselves faced with an emergency public works project. Because time is of the essence during an emergency, it may be difficult, if not impossible, for the political subdivision or agency to comply with the typical bidding processes…
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By: Scott C. Frissell and Kendall A. Schnurpel
on January 20, 2021
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS recently released Notice 2021-12, extending temporary relief from certain requirements for qualified low-income housing projects and qualified residential rental projects that was previously provided under Notice 2020-53, as reported in our …
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By: Scott C. Frissell and Kendall A. Schnurpel
on December 29, 2020
On Sunday, December 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“Act”). The 5,593-page Act provides $900 billion in coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic relief and $1.4 trillion in government funding for the rest of fiscal year 2021.…
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By: Christopher W. Bloomer and Robert S. Schein
on July 19, 2020
Typically, claims against governmental entities that sound in tort, such as negligence, are subject to the Indiana Tort Claims Act (“ITCA”).1 Besides limiting recovery to $700,000.00 individually and $5,000,000.00 in the aggregate,2 a party suing a governmental entity must comply with the ITCA’s…
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