Furniture firm gets tax break

Berne City Council approved a tax abatement for Smiths Brothers in Berne. The company purchased a leather cutter at the end of 2012. The abatement will save the company approximately $3,400 to $3,800 on its taxes this year.
A company official told the council the company will spend about $1.7 million on new equipment.
The abatement is for 10 years.

Muncie Symphony receives grant
The Muncie Symphony Orchestra received a grant from Target Corporation last week for its Music on the Move program.

Ivy Tech chooses director of grants
INDIANAPOLIS — Ivy Tech Community College announced Wednesday it chose Brian M. Thomas to serve as executive director of the grants office. He began his new role August 28.
Thomas has more than 15 years experience in private industry and the Department of Defense.

Lifestream names directors
YORKTOWN — LifeStream Services announced Thursday it selected Anton Miller as vice president of finance, Scott Dieg as director of strategic initiatives and Donna Penticuff, director of development.

Public notice
site improved
The Hoosier State Press Association launched an improved online clearinghouse of Indiana public notice advertisements.
Both The Commercial Review and the Dunkirk News and Sun are HSPA member newspapers.
The association revamped its website for public notices – www.indianapublicnotices.com – with easy-to-navigate features and a large collection of listings from across the state updated daily.
All of the notices on the website also were printed in newspapers, the most trusted source for community information. Users can search for public notices by keyword, date, newspaper or location for free.
“This serves as a valuable government-transparency tool,” said Steve Key, HSPA executive director and general counsel.
Public notices contain a wealth of information about issues facing a community: building projects, foreclosures, zoning, liquor licenses and much more.
HSPA is committed to making public notices easily accessible, said Robyn McCloskey, president of the HSPA board of directors and publisher of the Kokomo Tribune and the Pharos-Tribune (Logansport).
“Public notices remain one of the three pillars of government transparency,” McCloskey said. “Indiana’s Public Notice Advertising Law joins the Access to Public Records Act and Open Door Law in supporting the public's right to know how public servants conduct business.”
The publication of notices in newspapers and on their websites puts information about local, county and state government in places where people are likely to find it, Key said.
“This results in maximum government transparency,” Key said. “Indianapublicnotices.com offers another tool to track how elected leaders make decisions and spend tax dollars.” According to Key, effective public notices are archivable, easily accessible, verifiable – and disseminated by an independent third party.
“Newspapers deliver on all four elements,” Key said.
Indianapublicnotices.com also includes a link to HSPA’s online Indiana newspaper directory. The searchable index contains information on circulation sizes, leadership, publication schedule and more. The redesigned website features a clean look for maximum user-friendliness, McCloskey said.[[In-content Ad]]