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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCM-01-22-91CARMEL CITY COUNCIL MEETING NINUTE8 JANUARY 22, 1991 7:00 P.M. ONE CIVIC 8QUARE/COUNCIL CHAMBER8 The city council meeting was called to order by Mayor Dorothy J. Hancock. Councilors in attendance were Minnie Doane, Annabelle Ogle, David Adams, Lee Lonzo, Frank Fleming, Alan Potasnik and Tom Irvin. City Attorney Steve Andrews and Clerk-Treasurer Susan W. Jones were also in attendance. The invocation was given by Councilor Doane followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. MINUTES: Councilor Ogle made a motion to approve the minutes with the following paragraph be inserted on page 2 after the first paragraph. "In reference to Ordinance D-686, Indiana Digital Access, a question was raised as to fees. Attorney Andrews pointed out there is no basis for fees due to the difference between a state regulated utility like IDA as contrasted to a cable TV system." The motion to approve the minutes with that change was seconded by Councilor Potasnik. All members voted aye. Motion carried. CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION: Carmel Firefighter Gary Dufek presented certificates of appreciation to Carmel High School and both Carmel Junior High and Clay Junior High for their contributions and assistance to the Christmas Assistance Program. LETTER OF COMMENDATION TO VICKI COPENHAVER/CARMEL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER: Assistant Chief Doug Callahan presented a letter of commendation to Vicki Copenhaver on behalf of the Carmel Fire Department on the professionalism she demonstrated on January 2, 1991. Copenhaver assisted the White family by relating pertinent CPR information over the telephone, which demonstrated extraordinary composure and concern for life. AGENDA ADDITION/A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT OF THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS, AND UNITED STATES MILITARY FORCES STATIONED IN SAUDI ARABIA: Councilor Lonzo made a motion to add resolution 91-01-22-1 to the agenda and asked the Clerk-Treasuer to read the resolution. The motion was seconded by Councilor Adams. All members voted aye. Motion carried. The resolution called upon all the citizens of Carmel, Indiana, to demonstrate their support of those U.S. military forces by displaying the American flag in all appropriate places; wearing and exhibiting yellow ribbons and to remember servicemen and women in their prayers and thoughts. Collen DuLac whose husband is in the 82nd Airborne Division in Saudi Arabia addressed the Council and called for operation red, white and blue. Mrs. DuLac explained that the operation stood for "We miss you, we support you and we can't wait for you to come home." Mrs. DuLac asked for the City to display ribbons and decorate City Hall in support of the soldiers. Mayor Hancock assured Mrs. DuLac that City Hall will be decorated. ORDINANCE D-688/AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE D-362 ESTABLISHING THE REQUIREMENT OF A PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMON COUNCIL ON PETITIONS FOR REZONING OF REAL PROPERTY AND ANNEXATION: Steve Andrews reviewed the ordinance for the Council and for the public. Councilor Potasnik thanked City Attorney Andrews for getting the ordinance done in a timely fashion and said the intent to inform the public of these issues has been met through this ordinance. Councilor Potasnik called for the question. All members voted aye. Ordinance D-688 passed unanimously. ORDINANCE D-686/GRANTING AMERICAN COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION D/B/A INDIANA DIGITAL ACCESS A NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE: Councilor Irvin made a motion to amend Ordinance D-686 by removing paragraph 3 and 4 and inserting the following paragraph: "The term of this franchise shall be from year-to-year, not to exceed 99 years. It shall renew automatically each year unless such renewal is cancelled by a majority vote of the Common Council." The motion was seconded by Councilor Lonzo. Councilor Lonzo asked Councilor Irvin if he didn't mean to only remove paragraph 3 and leave in paragraph 4. Councilor Irvin said yes. Councilor Irvin made a motion to amend his amendment to only strike paragraph 3 and leave in paragraph 4. The motion was seconded by Councilor Lonzo. Councilor Adams called for an amendement to the amended amendment to include the following paragraph. "Notice of any such action shall be provided to the franchisee and public at least 30 days prior to its inception." Councilor Lonzo seconded the motion. All members voted aye. Motion carried. Councilor Lonzo called for the question. All members voted aye. Ordinance D-686 passed unanimously. CONMUNICATIONS CLAIMS: Councilor Potasnik made a motion to approve a claim from NA Technology in the amount of $4,763.00. The motion was seconded by Councilor Fleming. All members voted aye. Motion carried. Councilor Potasnik made a motion to approve a claim from Barrett Supplies in the amount of $1,536.48. The motion was seconded by Councilor Ogle. All members voted aye. Motion carried. Councilor Potasnik made a motion to approve a claim from AIS Sign System in the amount of $345.02. The motion was seconded by Councilor Adams. All members voted aye. Motion carried. RES0LUTION 1-22-91-2/A RESOLUTION TO FORM A COMMITTEE TO STUDY AND RECOMMEND BUILDING SPACE USE OF THE CARMEL SQUARE CENTRE BUILDING: Councilor Potasnik made a motion to introduce resolution 1-22-91-2. The motion was seconded by Councilor Lonzo. Steve Andrews explained the reason for the committee and read paragraph 2 and 3 to members of the council and the public. Andrews stated this committee would give input on a need for the building. Councilor Lonzo made a motion to amend the resolution in section (a) which would allow the Board of Public Works and Safety to appoint a member to the committee should a BPW member not want to serve on the committee. The motion was seconded by Councilor Potasnik. All members voted aye. Motion carried. Councilor Lonzo asked for a vote. All members voted aye. Resolution 1-22-91-2 passed unanimously. The Mayor asked what the time frame on these committee appointments would be. It was the concensus of opinion that the committee appointments would be made at the next Council meeting. Clerk-Treasurer Jones asked if the meetings would be open to the public and notices would be given, as any other committee or subcommittee of the Council is supposed to do. City Attorney Andrews stated the committee meetings are subject to public notice and the public could attend. CARMEL CIVIC SQUARE CENTRE/LEASE: Steve Andrews asked for authority to begin working on a lease for the Civic Centre Square. Councilor Adams asked for a time frame on this lease. Andrews stated he hoped he would have something within the month. Councilor Lonzo made a motion to direct the city attorney to begin work on a lease between the city and the civic square building corporation for the civic centre. ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION/REQUEST FROM CLERK-TREASURER TO BEGIN ADVERTSING: Clerk-Treasurer Jones asked for clarification on the court's request for an additional appropriation. Jones stated the Judge had submitted a request for $17,000 for a full-time clerk, $15,000 for a full-time bailiff, $2,567 for social security, $5,585 for health insurance and $1,003 for PERF. It was her understanding that the part-time clerk would go to full-time and the part-time position would be eliminated but the request showed no reduction in the part-time position. Councilor Lonzo stated that was clearly the understanding and Clerk should not advertise this appropriation until such time as the amounts could be reviewed with the Judge. Clerk-Treasurer Jones asked for authority to advertise for the Law Enforcement Aid Fund budget based on figures submitted by Carmel Police Officer Steve Babb. The Clerk stated the Enforcement Aid Fund's appropriations ended on 12-31-90 but, since CPD would be applying for another grant, it made sense to advertise for the full amount rather than have to do it twice. Clerk-Treasurer Jones stated she had worked with Assistant Fire Chief Doug Callahan and had the amounts needed for the additional appropriation for the Communications Center. This money was budgeted last year but was not encumbered. Councilor Potasnik assured the Council and the public that this was money that was budgeted for last year and that because there were no bills in hand on December 31st, the money could not be encumbered. This additional appropriation will not be an increase in the taxes. Councilor Potasnik made a motion to advertise for this additional appropriation. The motion was seconded by Councilor Lonzo. All members voted aye. Motion carried. City Attorney Andrews stated the need for an additional appropriation for a budget of approximately $2,000 for the newly created park board. The Clerk-Treasurer was directed to contact Judy Jacobs, President of the Park Board, for a specific breakdown of the amounts needed. Councilor Lonzo made a motion to advertise for this appropriation as soon as those amounts could be determined. The motion was seconded by Councilor Adams. All members voted aye. Motion carried. REVISION OF ORDINANCE D-362: Councilor Irvin distributed copies of a proposed revision of Ordinance D-362. Councilor Irvin asked for input and changes and stated he would put it back on the agenda for introduction at a later date. STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS: Mayor Hancock read the State of the City address to the Council and members of the public. See attached for a complete copy. There being no further business before the Council the meeting was APPROVED ATTEST 1991 STATE OF THE CITY CARMEL, INDIANA MAYOR DOROTHY J. HANCOCK I'm pleased to give this State of the City report to the Council and citizens of Carmel this Evening. 1990 has been an exciting year that has seen many improvements in the ever-changing panorama of our community. We have addressed the needs created by our growth while preserving and protecting the quality community we all enjoy. As we have prepared for the future we have begun a sewer plant expansion - with no increase in sewer rates as well as adding miles of water mains and an elevated water storage tank - also with no increase in rates. July saw the completion of Civic Square and the fruition of a vision that spanned ten years and two administrations. A vision, turned reality, that will serve the citizens of Carmel for many, many years to come. A major accomplishment in 1990 was the formation of the Carmel Parks Board. For more than 20 years there has been conversation regarding the need for parks. We are now beyond conversation. The City park board met for the first time in December and we will see parks, in our community, for our citizens, this summer. The community experienced improvements as a result of public/private partnerships: improvement of Meridian Street from 102nd through 106th; removal of the hump of Gray Road just north of Smokey Row; the communication tower, the cable weather station with emergency voice over-ride to name just a few. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention the road improvements such as widening, repaving and accel, decel lanes installed by developers, at their cost, in conjunction with their projects. 1990 saw recycling come to Carmel. The recycling bin installed at the street department has been unbelievably successful collecting 41,457 pounds of recyclables and generating $1,342.62 into the city general fund in just over 9 months. Continuing attention to our existing infrastructure by an energetic repaving, resurfacing and maintenance program for our city roads assures the maximum utilization of our road funds. The much needed storm sewer project in downtown Carmel marked the beginning of a multi-phase solution to storm drainage problems in the area. We have worked with the State Highway to re align the intersections of Keystone and Main and Keystone and 131st Streets to provide for safer passage through these intersections. Perhaps our most significant improvements in the area of public safety this past year has been the installation of the county-wide E-9-1-1 and for the second year in a row, the crime rate has gone down in our city. We have seen a decrease in major crime of nearly 29% in the last two years. This is virtually unheard of in a city our size with a large metropolitan area at our doorstep. Carmel is indeed a safe place to live. Something to crow about! All of these exciting accomplishments have come to the citizens of Carmel with a reduction of the city tax rate. The value of property in Carmel continues to grow as we continue to be a safe, sound community. Moving into 1991, we enter the new year with enthusiasm and confidence as we face the challenges of our ever-changing environment. The city is in sound financial shape, ending 1990 with approximately $1.4 million carry-over into 1991 and a healthy operating balance in the 1991 budget. But we must continue our sound city fiscal practices. This county is still adjusting the reassessment figures and a lower assessed valuation would mean less revenue into the City. We must also understand that the state legislature will continue to look to local government to fund services traditionally provided by the state. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is looking to implement new permit fees. That means the threat of water and sewer permit fees going from nothing to over $20,000 annually. It is projected that should a collective bargaining bill be passed by legislature, it could increase the city payroll from 10% to 15%. The last legislative session yielded a bill that decreased the excise tax - a tax used to fund local government - with the promise of replacement from lottery funds. There is no mechanism in place to channel those replacement funds back into local government. With the financial position of the state, I am concerned about the possibility we may never see those replacement dollars. I could go on with examples of what this legislative session may cost local government, which happens to serve the same taxpayers who pay state taxes, but I don't want to sound like gloom and doom. There are too many exciting opportunities on the horizon as we move into the new year. The task force on 116th Street will soon return with its recommendation; the newly - formed park board is moving toward merging with the township park board and the promise of new and expanded parks for the citizens of all Clay Township. The research on the pros and cons of a unified city/township government continues. The next few weeks will see the voting on the new comprehensive plan update, the result of two year's work by the plan commission and volunteer citizens. This month will see the beg inning of the D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance Education) program at Forest Dale school. Our trained police officers will be teaching 5th grade students the dangers of drugs - not only to say no, but how to say no and how to deal with the peer pressure and build self-esteem. This is an important step in protecting the future of our children. Target date for the completion of the new communication center is March 1. The merging of the police and fire dispatch enables a much more efficient and effective service to the community. The citizens of Carmel will be served by state-of-the-art equipment and personnel trained in all aspects for the safety of the people we serve. You've seen an example of the outstanding people serving as your dispatchers in Vicki Copenhaver this evening. Plans are under way to determine what programs are best suited to serve all of the citizens of Carmel in the newly purchased building to be utilized in part as a community center. When the weather breaks, the sidewalk pr ojects will get under way as will the improvements to begin this summer at the I-465 and Meridian Street interchange. And speaking of roads, I met with the Indiana Department of Highways and other elected officials of Hamilton County last week. We are working on getting $300,000 released from the state to study a Southwest Hamilton County Connector. This study would include the extension of Hazel Dell all the way to 96th Street and improvement of 146th Street. The 96th Street extension is still on the schedule for 1992, with right-of-way purchase and bids scheduled for 1991. The cooperation between governmental units in the county is at an all-time high and continues to grow as we help one another obtain important goals for all our citizens. 1991 affor ds us the opportunity to continue to look at how government is working for you. Last year we restructured the fire department, the first restructuring in 20 years, to better serve the citizens. We continue to re-evaluate the structure of each department and make changes to better handle today's challenges. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Council, the Board of Public Works and Safety and all of the employees of the City of Carmel for all their work and their dedication to serving the citizens of Carmel. I also want to thank the citizens of Carmel for the opportunity to serve you and for your concerned participation in the governmental process. The city tax rate for 1991 has again gone down. The value of our homes and the quality of our lives in this outstanding community continues to climb. We have much to be grateful for. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said "I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it - but we must sail, and not drift or lie at anchor." The City of Carmel will continue to sail as we move into a new and exciting year.