Hancock Commissioners issue proclamation acknowledging Quality of Place Plan

The Hancock County Board of Commissioners expressed their support for the county’s recently completed Quality of Place Plan by way of a proclamation this month.

The nearly 100-page Quality of Place Plan for Hancock County, completed earlier this year, is part of the Economic Development Strategy within the Future Hancock Comprehensive Plan adopted in 2023.

Quality of place is made up of the elements making a community a distinct and vibrant place to live, work, and play. It’s an initiative the Community Foundation of Hancock County has been highly engaged in through its grant-making and programming. Community Foundation President and CEO Mary Gibble and Hancock Economic Development Council Executive Director Randy Sorrell gave a presentation on the Quality of Place Plan to the Commissioners earlier this month.

Historically, Sorrell noted, economic development has been largely driven by bringing capital investment and jobs to a community. But becoming more of a driver in recent years, he continued, is the quality of the community businesses are in.

“It’s not just trying to attract capital investment and jobs, it’s now having a place where companies want to locate–good schools, amenities, things like that,” he said. Sorrell added the notion that people follow jobs had been a tenet of economic development for a long time, but that this recent prioritization of quality of place has flipped it into the now widely held principle that jobs follow people.

The Community Foundation and HEDC worked with HWC Engineering to draft the plan, which followed 10 months of work involving a diverse steering committee that included HEDC Community Development Manager Erica Adams, focus groups, community workshops, open houses, and online surveys. It resulted in an overarching vision of healthy living – physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, and environmentally. The initiative also identified a peer community of Oldham County, Kentucky, whose tourism director visited Hancock County to present on her county’s quality of place at a Community Foundation Civic Circle session.

Gibble acknowledged the plan includes goals challenged by a lack of capacity of local organizations, but does not mandate governments to issue funding to boost that capacity. Rather, it positions the county nicely to pursue grants for funds that could boost that capacity, much like the robust plan put in place that helped secure the windfall of funds in Hancock County from the Stellar Communities Program in recent years.

“What this framework does do is provide us a tool to be ready for funding when that funding comes down the pike,” Gibble said.

The Commissioners’ proclamation follows letters of support for the plan from the municipalities of Cumberland, Fortville, Greenfield, McCordsville, New Palestine, and Shirley.

“Jobs follow people,” Hancock County Commissioner Bill Spalding said. “Well I think people follow quality of place and quality of life, and that’s what we’re hoping to add here. I never thought that our county would be in the position to grow like it is. It is, so we’re going to do our best to try to accommodate that and make it a great place for people to come.”

Pictured above: Gibble and Sorrell give a presentation on the Quality of Place Plan for Hancock County to the Hancock County Commissioners.

Read the proclamation in its entirety below.

PROCLAMATION OF THE HANCOCK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

ACKNOWLEDGING AND THANKING THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF HANCOCK COUNTY AND THE HANCOCK ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AND OTHERS FOR THEIR WORK ON A QUALITY OF PLACE REPORT

WHEREAS, in accordance with IC 36-7-4-500 et. Seq., a comprehensive plan for Hancock County, Indiana (“Comprehensive Plan”) was approved by the Hancock, County, Indiana Board of Commissioners (the “Commissioners”) on January 3, 2023; and

WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan included a directive to further study and determine Quality of Place initiatives that could be implemented in Hancock County as part of the County’s economic development strategy; and

WHEREAS, two non-profit organizations located in Hancock County, the Community Foundation of Hancock County (“CFHC”) and the Hancock Economic Development Council (“HEDC”) jointly worked to assemble people with diverse perspectives including members of the public, elected officials, stakeholders and consultants to hold open meetings, in order to vet Quality of Place ideas and make strategic recommendations of selected initiatives, which they did through a 97-page report titled, “Quality of Place Plan for Hancock County.” The report identifies ways to promote Quality of Place through a focus on healthy living – physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, and environmentally; and

WHEREAS, the Commissioners find that the Quality of Place Plan for Hancock County will be a valuable resource to the Commissioners as they carry out their legislative duties to further incorporate Quality of Place initiatives into future legislation and/or for future amendments to the Comprehensive Plan.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED BY THE HANCOCK COUNTY, INDIANA BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS:

1. The Commissioners express their gratitude and appreciation and thank both the CFHC, led by President/CEO Mary Gibble and the HEDC, led by Executive Director Randy Sorrell, and all members of their staff, elected officials, stakeholders, consultants and members of the public who volunteered their time, effort, and money to the development of the Quality of Place Plan for Hancock County, which will serve as a valuable resource in preparing further local legislation for Hancock County.
2. The CFHC and HEDC are applauded for their ongoing work and dedication to furthering the progress of Hancock County and their efforts to make Hancock County a quality place to live, work, and play.

This proclamation is hereby approved and adopted this 20th day of October, 2025.

HANCOCK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Jeannine Gray
Gary McDaniel
Bill Spalding

ATTEST: Debra Carnes, Auditor