Local Business, Community and Hospitality Support

Information on this page is provided to give applicants a general idea of roles and responsibilities. Actual by-laws and other pertinent information will be shared by the board during onboarding.

Submit your application by November 15th to be considered for appointments in the upcoming year.

Economic Development Boards 

(pursuant to IC 36-7-12)

Term Length: 1 Year
Per Indiana Code, the fiscal body of any governmental unit may establish a department of economic development. In Hamilton County, there are several economic development commissions and per Indiana Code, the county fiscal body provides a nomination to each. These commissions have many powers that are listed in Indiana Code (36-7-12-18) but they also have the ability to finance economic development or pollution control facilities for developers and users through the issuance of taxable or tax-exempt bonds.

Each municipality has unique by-laws and position descriptions.  Because of that, it is recommended that interested persons reach out to their municipal or county economic development director to understand their specific expectations. 

Economic Development Boards - Related Documents:

Refer to the following documents for additional information.

Not currently available. 

Submit Your Application

Hamilton County Plan Commission 

(pursuant to IC 36-7-4)

Term Length: 4 Years
The Hamilton County Plan Commission is the body that supports the review and adoption of the comprehensive plan, zoning ordinances and amendments to these planning documents.  In addition to this effort with staff, this body also reviews and renders decisions concerning plating of subdivisions and approval of planned developments for residential, commercial, and manufacturing uses within the jurisdictional boundaries of the county.

Hamilton County Plan Commission - Related Documents:

Refer to the following documents for additional information.

Plan Commission Description (PDF)

Submit Your Application

Hamilton County Visitor and Convention Commission 

(pursuant to IC 6-9-18)

Term Length: 2 Years
The Hamilton County Visitor and Convention Commission, also known as the Hamilton County Tourism Commission, is the quasi-governmental oversight agency for Hamilton County, Indiana, which serves as the contracting agent for the community’s tourism economic development initiatives. The Visitor and Convention Commission provides annual oversight as to the contract with the county’s tourism agency, Hamilton County Tourism Inc., and meets quarterly to review documentation and progress, provide input on issues that impact the community, provide legal support as needed and to ensure equal representation and thoughtful use of the tax dollars are being considered. Two of the five Commission appointments must be connected to the hospitality industry.

This includes but is not limited to:

  • Reviewing the annual tax appropriations request to the county
  • Reviewing the HCT budget and annual plan of work
  • Reviewing grants distributed by the HCT staff for input
  • Reviewing dashboard metrics such as occupancy rates to ensure return on investment
  • Reviewing any market research data provided by HCT
  • Reviewing an annual report of activities by HCT and its president
  • Reviewing the annual audit, with two commissioners serving as members of the Audit Committee
  • Serving as advocates in the community for Hamilton County’s tourism industry 

Hamilton County Visitor and Convention Commission - Related Documents:

Refer to the following documents for additional information.

Hamilton County Visitor and Convention Commission Position Description (PDF)
Hamilton County Lodging Tax Fact Sheet (PDF)

Submit Your Application

Library Boards 

(pursuant to IC 36-12-2)

Term Length: 4 Years
Nearly all of the 236 public libraries in Indiana are governed by a seven-member board of trustees. These trustees gather monthly, in person or electronically, to meet with the library’s director and assist them in leading the library, to propose and evaluate library policies, to monitor the library’s progress on its strategic plan and to approve expenditures in accordance with the library budget.

Public library trustees are community members of the library they serve and are required to have resided in the service area of the library they will serve for at least two years immediately before becoming a trustee. Ideally, public library trustees should be library users themselves. They should be advocates for the library in the community. They should be lifelong learners and willing to seek professional development opportunities to hone their skills as a trustee. Most importantly, they should always make decisions with the community’s needs in mind. All public library trustees are required to take an oath of office before serving.

The various library boards have unique board packets for their members. Information can be found below but we would also recommend reaching out to your library Executive Director for more information.

Library Boards - Related Documents:

Refer to the following documents for additional information.

Library Boards Information and Code References (PDF)
Library Boards Explanation of Role (PDF)
Carmel Clay Public Library Board By-Laws (PDF)
Hamilton East Public Library Board By-Laws (PDF) (Fishers/Noblesville)
Hamilton North Public Library Board By-Laws (PDF) (Atlanta/Cicero)
Sheridan Public Library Board By-Laws (PDF)
Westfield Washington Public Library Board By-Laws (PDF)

Submit Your Application