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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.19.24 CC Meeting Minutes1 COMMON COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2024 – 6:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS/CITY HALL/ONE CIVIC SQUARE MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Council President Anthony Green; Council Vice-President Adam Aasen; Council Members: Jeff Worrell, Ryan Locke, Rich Taylor, Teresa Ayers, Matthew Snyder, Anita Joshi, Shannon Minnaar and Deputy Clerk Jessica Komp were present. Council President Green called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. AGENDA APPROVAL The agenda was approved unanimously. INVOCATION Pastor Ben Snyder, Carmel Friends Church, delivered the Invocation. Prairie Trace Elementary 5th Grade Student Mira Gautam led the pledge of allegiance. RECOGNITION OF CITY EMPLOYEES AND OUTSTANDING CITIZENS Chief Jim Barlow introduced five new Carmel Police Officers. Mayor Sue Finkam swore in Officer John Mitchell, Officer Cason Elkin, Officer Sarah Peters, Officer Carson Jones and Officer Landon Kennedy. RECOGNITION OF PERSONS WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL Eric Zalas shared his concern regarding local roundabouts where it may be impossible to make a legal left-hand turn. Ron Ogle shared his concern with the feasibility of monitoring speeds driven within roundabouts and his concern with the quality of construction materials being used to build homes within the Andrews PUD. Nick Kestner shared that he has been pleased to see this Council discuss Park Impact Fees with improved transparency. Mr. Kestner would like to see this Council support the Park Department more than past Councils have done. Mark Westermeier thanked the Council and the Land Use Committee for working so hard on Resolution CC-01-08-24-01, and stated that he hopes the Council passes this resolution tonight. Mr. Westermeier shared his concern for lack of long-term funding for the Parks. He hopes the City, the Council and the Park Board can work together on this issue. Beth Meyers addressed her desire to see more checks and balances in the decisions regarding PRIF usage. Ms. Meyers shared that she uses all the City’s parks, both urban and suburban, and does not believe there should be two separate park funds. DocuSign Envelope ID: D8E88F28-A107-4417-A610-8CD398B0ABB2 2 Dan Dutcher shared his support for Resolution CC-01-08-24-01, and expressed his appreciation for the Land Use and Special Studies Committee working through it to come up with a version that requires better cooperation between the Carmel Redevelopment Commission and the Park Department. Baljit Bhatt expressed her appreciation and support of Resolution CC-01-08-24-01. With the growing population on the Northwest side, Ms. Bhatt believes the need for Bear Creek Park to be built is of the utmost importance, and would like to see Park Impact Fees go to projects such as that. Anika Bhatt shared that she lives in Northwest Carmel, and asked that the money collected (PRIF) please go to building Bear Creek Park. COUNCIL AND MAYORAL COMMENTS/OBSERVATIONS Councilor Aasen thanked local Cub Scout Pack 123 for visiting today, and noted that the Scouts asked great questions of the Councilors. Councilor Worrell announced that there will be two upcoming civility events. The next will be on March 6, 2024 at the Village of West Clay Meeting House. The second event will be in Fishers on March 13, 2024 at the Knowledge Center (former Marsh headquarters off of I-69). Council President Green introduced Sarah Ogren, an insurance attorney, as the Council’s Democratic appointee to the Carmel Ethics Board. Mira Gautam gave the Mayor’s update to Council. Mira introduced Christian Chamberlain as the new Deputy Chief of Staff. Mr. Chamberlain comes to Carmel with experience serving in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. Mary Jo Rothenbush is the new Executive Assistant in the Mayor’s Office. Mary Jo will support the entire executive team, and served in a similar capacity for the City of Lawrence for 8 years. Captain Drake Sterling from the Zionsville Police Department will be Carmel’s new Chief of Police. His swearing-in will be on March 12th at 6:30 p.m. The Mayor is also encouraging everyone to complete the community survey that was launched last week. Finally, the Mayor thanked the Council for working through the Park Impact Fees so far (Resolution CC-01-08-24-01). CONSENT AGENDA Councilor Minnaar moved to approve the consent agenda. Councilor Aasen seconded. Councilor Taylor noted a misspelled word to be corrected in the minutes. Council President Green called for the vote. The consent agenda was approved 9-0. a. Approval of Minutes 1. February 5, 2024 Regular Meeting b. Claims 1. Payroll - $3,872,519.67 2. General Claims - $1,539,889.93 3. Retirement - $110,204.16 4. Wire Transfers - $7,497,185.44 DocuSign Envelope ID: D8E88F28-A107-4417-A610-8CD398B0ABB2 3 ACTION ON MAYORAL VETOES There were none. COMMITTEE REPORTS Councilor Worrell reported that the Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee met on February 8, 2024. The committee reviewed the survey that was taken from 1300 residents regarding pedestrian safety in roundabouts. Involved in the discussion were the Police department, the City Engineering department, the Carmel Transportation Administrator, City Legal, the safety leader from the Federal Highway Administration, and Carmel residents. The Committee is asking for feedback from the community so that a proposal can be drafted to grant the City Engineer the authority to study a roundabout that may be of concern, and if deemed necessary, to petition the Board of Public Works for the funding and the permission to enact speed control mechanisms, such as signage, flashing beacons or raised crosswalks. The next meeting of the committee was planned for March 12th, but will be rescheduled due to the Police Chief swearing-in that night. Councilor Snyder reported that the Land Use and Special Studies Committee met on February 7th to discuss the PRIF ordinance. More will be discussed when we reach that item on the agenda. OTHER REPORTS – (at the first meeting of the month specified below): Xiao Ou Yuan, the City Council appointee to the Carmel Clay Public Library Board of Trustees, introduced Bob Swaney, the Director of the Carmel Clay Library, and Elizabeth Hamilton, the CCPL Library Foundation Director. Mr. Swaney presented the annual library report. 2023 was the first full year in the new library. The library had a $40 million budget for renovation, and it did stay under budget. The Library Journal, which is a national publication, features one library each year for its design, and CCPL was the chosen library for 2023. CCPL was also featured in American Libraries magazine for its Teen Artist in Residence Studio. CCPL offers a Teen Library Council, which teens must apply for and be approved to join through an interview process. The new digital media lab has been incredibly successful and proven to be an invaluable resource for Carmel High School students. The newly designed library offers meeting rooms for the community, which also generates revenue for the library. Last year the library offered 236 programs for adults, 864 programs for children, 278 programs for teens, 63 outreach events, and served over 50 homebound patrons. There were over 30,000 reservations for study rooms in 2023. There were over 580,000 recorded visits to the library last year. Benjamin Legge, Interim Corporation Counsel, gave the annual Ethics Board report. Being that the Ethics Board is a reactionary body, it did not meet over the last year, as there were no reported ethical matters to review. Once the new Corporation Counsel is in place, that person will work with the Ethics Board to define the roles of each going forward. Michael Klitzing, Director of Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation, gave the quarterly report. Notable achievements in 2023 included an Inclusion Program of Excellence Award, Chaucie’s Champion Award, trail expansions at Central and West Parks, 10 Save Stations and 10 new cabanas at The Waterpark. There were 688,348 visitors to the Monon Community Center and The Waterpark, there were 137,496 program participants, $110,892 Scholarships awarded, 7,223 camp participants, 2,746 after-school participants and 3,946 volunteer hours worked. One of the key components of the Parks master plan is addressing the funding sources, as $5.4 million of township funding is going away. DocuSign Envelope ID: D8E88F28-A107-4417-A610-8CD398B0ABB2 4 OLD BUSINESS Council President Green announced the Sixth Reading of Ordinance D-2696-23; An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Adding Chapter 8, Article 4, Section 8-44 to the Carmel City Code; Sponsor(s): Councilor(s) Worrell and Aasen. This remains in the Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee. Council President Green read Resolution CC-01-08-24-01; A Resolution of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Recommending Consideration of an Amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance for the City and Referring the Same to the Carmel Plan Commission for Recommendation. Sponsor(s): Councilor(s) Aasen, Snyder and Taylor. Councilor Snyder reported that the Land Use and Special Studies Committee had met on January 19th and February 7th to discuss this resolution. After considering a great deal of constituent input, and after much productive dialog between the Councilors, the CRC and the Parks Department, a compromise has been reached, and this resolution now returns from committee with a favorable recommendation. Councilor Snyder made a motion to send this resolution to Plan Commission. Councilor Aasen seconded. Councilor Worrell thanked the Land Use Committee for their work on this matter, and said he would be casting his vote with the hope that we can move forward and that the two government entities (CRC and Parks) can resolve this issue. Councilor Aasen also thanked the Land Use Committee for their work on this resolution, and reminded everyone that this is only the first step. Next the Plan Commission will consider this, and then it will come back to the Council as a real ordinance to be considered. Council President Green also thanked Mayor Finkam for her work on this issue as both a Councilor last year, and now as the Mayor. Council President Green called for the vote. Resolution CC-01-08-24-01 approved 9-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS Council President Green introduced the First Reading of Ordinance D-2700-24; An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Authorizing and Approving an Additional Appropriation of Funds from the Operating Balance of the General Fund to the 2024 Department of Community Services Budget. Councilor Worrell moved to introduce. Councilor Minnaar seconded. Councilor Worrell introduced the item to Council. There were no questions of the Councilors or subject- matter experts. Council President Green opened the public hearing at 7:42 p.m. Seeing no one who wished to address the Council, Council President Green closed the public hearing at 7:43 p.m. Councilor Worrell moved to suspend the rules and act on this tonight. Councilor Aasen seconded. There was no Council discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. The motion was approved 9-0. Councilor Worrell moved to approve. Councilor Aasen seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Ordinance D-2700-24 was approved 9-0. Council President Green introduced the First Reading of Ordinance Z-687-24; An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Establishing the Andrews Planned Unit Development District. Councilor Minnaar moved to introduce. Councilor Joshi seconded. Councilor Minnaar introduced the item to Council. Councilor Minnaar also shared that this ordinance came out of Plan Commission with a unanimous favorable vote. Jon Dobosiewicz of Nelson & Frankenburger, LLC presented the ordinance to Council. This zoning request is for an empty-nester, active adult for-sale residential community. Mr. Dobosiewicz noted that there will be an additional public hearing on March 18th, due to a misprint in the original public notice. DocuSign Envelope ID: D8E88F28-A107-4417-A610-8CD398B0ABB2 5 This planned community will be comprised of 30 single-family detached homes, and includes a dog park and community gardens. Pulte Homes is the builder, and all building standards are in accordance with the City of Carmel’s building code requirements and safety requirements. Councilor Minnaar noted that the use of vinyl siding has been prohibited in this development. Councilor Aasen noted that this PUD has been substantially changed since it was originally conceptualized. Councilor Worrell asked about the proposed speed bump between this development and the existing Gray Oaks subdivision. Mr. Dobosiewicz stated that the speed bump was requested, and will benefit both neighborhoods. Councilor Taylor commended the petitioner and Pulte for the changes made to this proposed neighborhood. Councilor Minnaar added that she applauds the neighboring residents and the petitioner for coming to some agreements. Council President Green opened the public hearing at 7:59 p.m. Jayne Gates, resident of Gray Oaks subdivision, spoke on behalf of her neighborhood. Gray Oaks residents are primarily concerned with access issues, and how much traffic will route through Gray Oaks to get into and out of the Andrews PUD. Ron Ogle, Carmel resident, spoke about what he deems to be inferior building materials for the proposed development, most specifically vinyl windows, which will not last long enough for home buyers who intend to live in these homes for the rest of their lives. Council President Green closed the public hearing at 8:05 p.m. This was sent to the Land Use and Special Studies Committee (2/21/24 meeting date). NEW BUSINESS Council President Green introduced Resolution CC-02-19-24-01; A Resolution of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Assigning a Special Study of the Unified Development Ordinance to the Land Use and Special Studies Committee for Review. Councilor Ayers moved to introduce the item into business. Councilor Aasen seconded. Councilor Ayers presented the item to Council. Councilor Snyder explained the process through which it was decided that this document be reviewed. Councilor Aasen stated that he believes this study and review is long overdue. Councilor Worrell asked what the process would be to approve costs incurred by conducting this study. Councilor Snyder and Council President Green concurred that if outside counsel is hired, this will first be approved by the City Council. Councilors Joshi, Minnaar and Taylor all agreed that this study should happen. Councilor Aasen moved to approve this resolution. Councilor Joshi seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Resolution CC-02-19-24-01 approved 9-0. Council President Green referred this study to the Land Use and Special Studies Committee (2/21/24 meeting date). Council President Green introduced the First Reading of Ordinance D-2701-24; An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Amending the Subsection (49) to Chapter 8, Article 5, Section 8-47(a) of the Carmel City Code. Councilor Aasen moved to introduce. Councilor Worrell seconded. Councilor Aasen introduced the item into business. Benjamin Legge, Interim Corporation Counsel, presented the item, explaining that this is an amendment to a parking ordinance to move parking from the east side of the Palladium to the west side, as this will ease parking issues. Councilor Aasen moved to suspend the rules and act on this tonight. Councilor Taylor seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Motion to suspend the rules approved 9-0. Councilor Aasen moved to approve this item. Councilor Ayers seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Ordinance D-2701-24 approved 9-0. Council President Green introduced the First Reading of Ordinance D-2703-24; An Ordinance of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, Amending Chapter 3, Article 1, Division II, Section 3- 30 of the Carmel City Code. Councilor Minnaar moved to introduce the item into business. Councilor DocuSign Envelope ID: D8E88F28-A107-4417-A610-8CD398B0ABB2 6 Joshi seconded. Councilor Locke introduced the item to Council. This item would add the Carmel Climate Action Advisory Committee’s quarterly reporting requirement to the Council agenda. Councilor Locke also added that the Climate Action Advisory Committee would next meet on February 28th at 5:30 pm. Councilor Taylor moved to suspend the rules and act on this tonight. Councilor Aasen seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Motion to suspend the rules approved 9-0. Councilor Minnaar moved to approve the ordinance. Councilor Joshi seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Ordinance D-2703-24 approved 9-0. AGENDA ADD-ON ITEMS There were none. OTHER BUSINESS Council President Green announced the Request for Approval of CRC Purchase of 331 W Main Street. This item is returning from the Finance, Utilities and Rules Committee with a favorable recommendation. Councilor Worrell moved that the Council affirm this purchase. Councilor Aasen seconded. There was no discussion. Council President Green called for the vote. Approval of CRC Purchase of 331 W Main Street affirmed 9-0. Henry Mestetsky, Director of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, gave an Update from the CRC Regarding the Republic Headquarters Project. Republic is requesting to move forward with their portion of the development, without the multi-family portion being ready to move forward at the same time. For the sake of transparency, because this is different than what was presented to Council previously, the CRC is putting on the record this de-coupling of the timing of these items. ANNOUNCEMENTS Saturday, May 11th is the National Association of Letter Carriers food drive. ADJOURNMENT Council President Green adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, _______________________________ Jacob Quinn, Clerk Approved, _______________________________ Anthony Green, Council President ATTEST: _______________________________ Jacob Quinn, Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: D8E88F28-A107-4417-A610-8CD398B0ABB2