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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.03.25 CC Special Emergency Meeting Minutes 1 City of Carmel CARMEL COMMON COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 – 1:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS/CITY HALL/ONE CIVIC SQUARE Council President Adam Aasen, Councilors Shannon Minnaar, Teresa Ayers, Matthew Snyder, Rich Taylor, Jeff Worrell, and Deputy Clerk Jessica Komp were present. Councilors Anita Joshi and Anthony Green attended virtually. Councilor Locke was not present. Council President Aasen called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. Mayor Sue Finkam expressed her gratitude to our first responders and to all of our other team members for all they did last night to help our community. This storm diagonally cut across our community from southwest to northeast. Although many were impacted, we were very, very lucky that much more damage wasn’t done and that there wasn’t loss of life. Our Police, Fire, Street, and Building Inspection teams have done exceptional work overnight. Hamilton County 9-1-1 answered 429 incoming calls. There were 108 9-1-1 calls and 321 non-emergency calls from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. 40% of the call volume was within 3 hours. The Mayor stated that she is declaring a State of Local Emergency. She read the declaration, which will last for seven (7) days. We have sent out a press release to let the public know that we are here to help our residents clean up from storm damage. It appears that most of the trees damaged are private trees. We feel it is the right thing to do to help our citizens manage through this disaster. Therefore, if you were in the tornado’s path, and you need help clearing trees to get to your home, the Street Department can help with that. If you have debris in your yard, you can bring it to the curb, and the Street Department will pick that up as well, at the city’s cost. Next, Police Deputy Chief D.J. Schoeff gave an update from CPD. We had 13 officers that were on shift last night. We had an additional 15-20 that came in to help. We had numerous surrounding agencies helping us as well. Working together with CFD, we have checked over 900 homes in the areas where power outages were recorded. We found two people who were in need of oxygen and were able to resolve that, we also found a power line on top of a building that we were able to assist with. We still have power outages at this time, but we have every indication that all power will be restored some time this evening. We do still have two road closures, one is on Gray Road between Jennings and Main. The other is at 111th and Pennsylvania. Both are due to power lines being down. We’ve identified three structures that need overnight security and we’re working on a plan to put that in place. Fire Deputy Chief Luke Ray gave an update from CFD. We had substantial building damage from this storm. We were lucky to only have one minor injury, which did not require transport to the hospital. We did not have any fires reported. Councilor Snyder then asked about the process of recovering expenses through State funds. Fire Chief Joel Thacker responded that since the Mayor made the declaration, we will work with the County Emergency Management Agency in collecting our costs that we started tracking in the very beginning. The biggest expense will likely be debris cleanup. We must reach a threshold of $100,000.00 in public damages, which is city property and overtime costs. This does not include private resident expenses. We could be eligible for up to 50% reimbursement. Councilor Worrell Docusign Envelope ID: 81EBF5DC-F2ED-4D67-97A9-334CA76A927F 2 shared that he has been in contact with the County Commissioners, and they fully intend to support our efforts to document our expenses and apply for reimbursement. Street Commissioner Matt Higginbotham gave an update from the Carmel Street Department. Our first call from dispatch was around 9:40 p.m. Urban Forester was on the scene by 10:00 p.m. By 11:00 p.m., we already had 22 team members working on cleanup at Main and Harrison. We worked through the night, we had approximately 24 service requests overnight. We’ve had an additional four since 6:00 a.m. We had all the roads opened and pretty well cleaned by the beginning of the day. The overnight staff went home at 10:00 a.m. The rest of the team came in between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and they’re still out in the field now. Republic donated two forty-yard dumpsters for us to use. One of our sales reps brought a grapple truck and has been assisting our team. Our Urban Forester went home at 10:00 a.m. and at that time he did not believe that we had lost a single city tree. We hope to have the majority of cleanup done in the 7 day period, but our intent is to help citizens with debris pick-up past that if necessary. Many people are out of town or will be out of town next week for spring break, so they may need a little more time for cleanup. Councilor Joshi stated that citizens in her district are asking how they can help. Councilor Minnaar stated that she would be happy to help spearhead a volunteer effort for those who would like to get involved. She also commended the Street Department for quickly removing a tree that was blocking anyone from entering or exiting a cul-de-sac. Kevin Cusimano, Director of the Department of Technology, next gave an update. The tornado sirens activated six times over a 30 minute period. Siren 421 did not activate, which is a known issue, as it was already scheduled for repair on April 9th. Two other sirens overlap that area, so it was not a problem. We have about six cameras that are currently down. The amplifier that provides the sound at the Palladiscope did burn up last night, but we do have a replacement on hand. There were no network issues. Councilor Snyder asked if insurance would reimburse us for some of the big-ticket items that were damaged. Mayor Finkam responded that we will work with our insurance partner to determine which claims make sense to turn in and which do not. Hopefully we will also qualify for disaster relief. City Hall had some minor damage to some metal on the cupola, and a piece of metal on one of the valleys of the roof came loose. At the Police Department some water infiltration came in through a rooftop unit, the only damage being a light fixture and some ceiling tiles. At the Palladium there was minor water intrusion under the exterior doors of the west balconies. The Street Department had some facia board and guttering come off at the sign shop. At Utilities there was very minor roof damage at the wastewater plant. Fire Station 344 also had some fence damage. Councilors Aasen and Snyder asked about the city cameras that used to be accessible by the public to view various areas of Carmel in real time, as those would have been great to have last night. Chief Thacker responded that Police and Fire together with IT made a recommendation to discontinue live public feeds due to safety concerns. Councilor Snyder requested further rationale for this removal. Councilor Snyder asked Mr. Cusimano how long it took IT to get the network up and running at City Hall this morning after the power came back on at 6:30 a.m. Mr. Cusimano responded that it only took his team a few minutes to get things back online. Councilor Taylor asked about the siren coverage, and if we feel it is adequate. Mr. Cusimano shared a map of the siren coverage for Carmel, showing that we do have adequate coverage. Mike Hollibaugh, Director of Community Services, recognized the building inspectors for their hard work overnight. They arrived at 10:00 p.m. and worked until 4:00 a.m. Councilor Minnaar echoed this sentiment, and thanked Inspector Bill Hohlt, who had virtually joined the meeting. Docusign Envelope ID: 81EBF5DC-F2ED-4D67-97A9-334CA76A927F 3 Chief Thacker stated that it’s important to remember that these tornado sirens are outdoor sirens. They aren’t meant to alert citizens inside their homes, and as homes become more energy efficient, it becomes harder to hear the sirens going off outside. Having a weather radio in your home is a great idea. Brad Pease, Director of Engineering, shared that our Engineering team is assessing vulnerable construction projects that are going on right now, particularly as it pertains to stormwater. We have some pumps out there today to help with those projects. The cumulative effects of this storm, plus the rain that is predicted in the days ahead, add to our vulnerability. Councilor Snyder commended the Mayor for the tree-clearing assistance that we are offering to those affected by the tornado. He then made a motion to allocate $250,000.00 from the General Fund to help assist in the cost of this relief and allocate $50,000.00 out of the General Fund to be put in the Parks 101 Fund to assist with their costs related to cleanup. Councilor Taylor seconded the motion with the caveat that we add the language “up to” those amounts. Councilor Green asked if there would be adequate oversight and controls over how the money is spent. Councilor Snyder responded that these expenses would come before Council as claims that would need to be approved. This would be an after-the-fact situation. Benjamin Legge, Corporation Counsel, recommended adding the language “to the extent allowed under the emergency powers under the law.” Councilor Joshi asked Chief Thacker if he has any concerns in regards to this and state funding. Chief Thacker responded that under the Mayor’s Executive Order, the statute allows for emergency operations and funding. Council President Aasen then called for the vote. Motion approved 7-0. (Councilor Green was not on camera, as such his vote could not be counted.) Councilor Minnaar asked Commissioner Higginbotham how the debris cleanup will work, being that there are more storms expected this weekend. He responded that if you can get your debris and tree limbs to the curb in the next week or two, after all the rain has stopped, contact the Street Department and it will be picked up. The meeting ended with Councilors again thanking the various city departments for all their hard work and excellence through this recovery process. ADJOURNMENT Council President Aasen adjourned the meeting at 2:14 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ____________________________________ Jacob Quinn, Clerk Approved, ____________________________________ Adam Aasen, Council President ATTEST: ________________________________ Jacob Quinn, Clerk Docusign Envelope ID: 81EBF5DC-F2ED-4D67-97A9-334CA76A927F