Hardin County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Hardin County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Opioid funding for Drug Court and Sheriff's Office
The county officially joined the latest round of the national opioid settlement, which means additional settlement dollars coming to Hardin County to help with opioid-related costs and services.
Drought Conditions and Potential No-Burn Order
Hardin County is close to enacting a full no-burn ordinance because of drought — neighboring counties already have. Until then, the state burn law applies: no burning before 6 p.m., and stay 150 feet from wood lines.
RAVE Alert Mass Notification System
Magistrate Yates flagged that wrong information went out on county email and Facebook twice in a month — including during a Radcliff incident — and wants it fixed before a real emergency makes it dangerous.
$848,000 purchase of EMS cardiac monitors
The court is adding about $1.2 million to the budget, with roughly $900,000 replacing EMS cardiac monitors that reach end of life this year. That's frontline equipment paramedics use on every serious call.
Interstate Emergency Responder Safety
A Upton fire truck was hit on I-65 with no injuries, and Emergency Management is pleading with drivers to move over and slow down near emergency scenes — and to sign up for RAVE weather alerts.
Flood damage and reactive road maintenance
Repeated storms and flooding — including a late-June flood on Miller Road — have consumed about a week of the road department's planned maintenance, leaving crews mostly reacting to damage instead of doing routine work.
Sheriff's Special Response Team and Battle Drive Incident Response
The Sheriff's Office formed a ten-member Special Response Team, trained at a premier Indiana tactical facility, and deployed it the very next night in a domestic shooting that ended with the suspect found deceased. No deputies or civilians were hurt.
EMS State Inspection Results
A 2024 independent evaluation found aging apparatus, declining volunteerism, and unsustainable funding — some trucks are 25-40 years old. A citizen urged the court to restore the cut deputy director position and find long-term funding; the state's $6.5 million Glendale offer is far short of total build and staffing costs.
Rise in suicides reported by Coroner
The coroner's office handled 1,193 cases in 2025, with overdoses still the top accidental cause of death and suicides rising. Coroner Elmore warned about a new synthetic opioid derivative, chlorphine, whose effects and Narcan response are still unknown.
Volunteer fire department staffing strain
Half of March's 238 fire calls required mutual or automatic aid as daytime volunteer availability has collapsed. Chiefs are asking residents to consider volunteering.
E-911 Personnel Termination Revisited
Resolution 2026-030 on E-911 staffing was quietly removed from the agenda after a closed session about a personnel matter. Residents relying on 911 service will have to wait for answers on what staffing changes the county is considering.
Death of Sgt. Benjamin Pennington
Hardin County lost one of its own — Sgt. Benjamin Pennington of the Glendale area — killed in the Middle East on March 8, the seventh death from that conflict. The court honored him with flags at half-staff and a moment of silence, and plans to present the memorial flag to his family. Multiple magistrates, several of them veterans, shared deeply personal condolences.