New House Bill Could Affect Your Utility Plans

House Bill 1527 is currently in the hands of the Indiana Senate after being passed by the House on Tuesday, February 22. The bill focuses on Eminent Domain, which could affect utility projects after December 31, 2021. If a municipality is exercising eminent domain authority outside of its corporate boundaries (e.g., for a water or sewer project), HB 1527 would require the municipality obtain  approval from the corresponding County Commissioners in order to proceed. It would also add a new compensable category for business losses for these takings at the property owner’s request and add other procedural hurdles that make these proceedings more costly and time-intensive for municipalities.

For more information, you can find the summary here and the latest version of the bill here.

If you would like to discuss how we can help with your utility plans, please contact Theresa Criss-Hartwig at 317-888-1177 or tcriss-hartwig@contactcei.com.