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HomeMy Public PortalAbout08-19-2002PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, MONDAY AUGUST 19 2002 The Common Council of the City of Richmond, Indiana met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., Monday, August 19, 2002, in the Council Chambers in said City. President Bruce Wissel presided with the following Councilmembers present: Howard "Jack" Elstro, Etta J. Lundy, Karl Sharp, Bing Welch, Larry Parker, Paul Combs, Phil Dickman and Sarah "Sally" Hutton. The following business was conducted: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE PRAYER BY COUNCILMEMBER PARKER ROLL CALL Nine present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the August 5, 2002 meeting were approved on a motion by Councilmember Welch, second by Councilmember Sharp and the motion was carried on a voice vote PRESENTATION OF REMONSTRANCES, PETITIONS, MEMORIALS INTRODUCTIONS MOTIONS AND PUBLIC COMMENTS COMMUNICATION FROM THE MAYOR Mayor Shelley Miller commented on the amount of construction going on within the community and gave an update on some of the projects. She said that at this time the CSX Railroad has two of the five crossings completed at South L and she said the road would probably be closed for at least another two weeks before they could complete their part of the project. She said when that is done, the City would be able to move forward with the asphalt and the curb and sidewalk repair in that area. The improvements to re-route Bridge Avenue are more than one-third complete and the road should be opened in another two to three weeks. Also, improvements on Main Street from 15S to 5 h, including curbs, sidewalks and landscaping started today and the completion of the project is estimated to be sometime in October. The Mayor said work on 1" Street into the Gorge is proceeding and the road will be completed down to the logo building in the Starr Gennett valley. She said the additional work will be delayed as the City is working with IDEM, on remediation of the remainder of the work site. Councilmember Sharp alluded to a list he had seen earlier this year which contained projects and some of those, he said, were in his area. However, he said, he has seen no activity along that line and he was curious about the schedule. Mayor Miller said there are several contracts for the asphalt, curbs and sidewalks and as. far as she knows there have been no changes so if it was on the original list it should be completed within this construction season. REPORT FROM BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS AND SAFETY President Wissel said the minutes of the meeting of July 25, 2002 were in their packets. REPORTS FROM DEPARTMENT HEADS Bob Goodwin, Planning Director, gave an update on the activities within his department saying that the switch of office spaces between his department and the Law Department has taken place and is completed. He commented on the retirement of Larry Cash as deputy director, stating that Wayne Jackson has agreed to serve as interim assistant director while a job description is being prepared. His statements included the G.I.S. system, inspections, complaints made by the neighborhoods, properties repaired and the status of the unsafe buildings. Goodwin also said that as Chairman of Board of Works and Safety, he will be approaching Council to address the condition of this building, adding that he had already talked with the Mayor and she has expressed some concerns that since the building is 34 years old and some plans should be made to replace some systems. Councilmember Welch had a question about the implementation of the Historic Preservation ordinance and the Historic Preservation Committee that was formed. Goodwin said the survey is complete in both the city and county and recently the City's designated representative to that committee, Donna Chapman, completed a week in Texas to upgrade her skills in that area. Mayor Miller said the president of the group, Charlie Ball, plans to make an appearance at an upcoming Council meeting to talk about some of the things that they are doing. 1 Common Council Minutes Cont'd August 19, 2002 Page 2 Councilmember Welch also had some questions concerning the aquifer committee, the testing of the wells and the aquifer protection. He asked about a new treatment chemical that has surfaced and Goodwin said he had received a copy of the report which he referred to the chemist at the Sanitary District. He said the report came back showing that the water is clean enough to drink it straight out of the ground. He said he would be happy to share any information about the aquifer that is forthcoming with Councilmembers. Alluding to Ordinances No. 61 and 65 — 2002, Goodwin said the one that has to do with North Salisbury Road and the mobile home court is of particular interest to a lot of people. He said he has a request received today from Attorney George Sowers asking that this Thursday evening the hearing be continued for a month. Goodwin s aid both ordinances had been advertised and he requested that they b oth be added to tonight's agenda. Councilmember Parker moved to add Ordinances No. 61 and 65 — 2002 to the agenda, second by Councilmember Dickman and the motion was carried on a voice vote. Councilmember Sharp commented on the quick response he has had when calling the Planning Department and how much he appreciated the help. Councilmember Elstro moved to bring Ordinance No. 32 — 2002 on to the agenda and then strike it, second by Councilmember Parker. Commenting on that ordinance, Councilmember Welch explained that he and Tony Foster of the Community Development office had spoken to representatives of Smith Dairy this week. He said they explained that the problem is that in the building they purchased from FreshAmerica they have the engineers and architects working now to determine what has to be done to that building and they are putting together a list. He said that he and Foster had told them that this ordinance would be stricken but that they would be allowed to submit a new request without a fee. President Wissel said that the motion made by Councilmember Elstro would have to be submitted as two separate ones. Councilmember Elstro then moved to add Ordinance No. 32 — 2002 to the agenda, second by Councilmember Parker and the motion was carried on a voice vote. Councilmember Parker presented a petition that he said he wanted to pass on to the Board of Works for its consideration. He said it is a request to have an alley paved that runs between North West 7a' and 8fl' Street and is used as a short cut to Dennis Middle School. He said the alley needs some attention and the petition is signed by 51 residents of the area. Councilmember Combs mentioned again the wildlife removal that he talked about at a previous meeting, stating that there are a number of neighborhoods that have this problem. He said that is one of the reasons he has been a strong proponent of changing the animal control services to the Parks Department to get more manpower. He said Bill Gilbert, owner of a wildlife remover company, contacted him and offered to put out some traps without cost in one of the neighborhoods. He said he put out three traps and within two to three days he had caught 3 raccoons, 2 possums and a mole. Councilmember Combs said this was a safe removal, adding that he felt it was a humane way of addressing this problem. He said he feels the City needs to think about and plan for especially when looking at future budgets. Councilmember Sharp called attention to the article in the Palladium -Item about the Roseview Transit Department for receiving a Service Provider of the Year award given by the state and congratulated them on its accomplishment. .President Wissel said that prior to the meeting Councilmembers had received a nomination for the Street Tree Commission and that was for Neil Sabine, an associate professor of biology at Indiana University East, who has expressed a desire to continue to serve another term on that Commission. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES REPORTS FROM SPECIAL COMMITTEES REPORTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS ORDINANCES ON FIRST READING Councilmember Elstro moved to suspend the rules and read Ordinances No. 61, 64, 65, 67 and 68 - 2002 by title only, second by Councilmember Welch and the motion was carried on a voice vote. ORDINANCE NO. 61— 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 61 — 2002 — A SPECIAL ORDINANCE REZONING THE PROPERTY COMMONLY KNOWN AS 625 N. 19rn AND 1975 HAWKINS ROAD, RICHMOND, IN Common Council Minutes Cont'd August 19, 2002 Page 3 President Wissel explained that this ordinance is a request for a special use district for mini -storage buildings and it would be assigned to Planning. ORDINANCE NO.64 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 64 — 2002 — AN APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE SUBMITTAL, ACCEPTANCE, AND APPROPRIATION OF A GRANT FROM THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM In the absence of Tony Foster, Mayor Miller explained that this ordinance deals with a request for a Community D evelopment B lock G rant o n b ehalf o f W ernle H ome. She s aid t his o rdinance a ddresses a planning project for Wernle and the funding will be used to develop a facility master plan for the campus and specifically for the main structure which was built in 1909. She said areas of the structure which need to be evaluated include the school; fire escape and the facility's ability to meet ADA regulations. The Mayor described the criteria for the grant and the reasoning behind the City's requirements to submit the application. She said that in the past, the City has provided assistance to such grants to Townsend Center, Depot, Green Acres and the YWCA Genesis Battered Women Shelter. She said these grants typically are awarded and closed out within a nine -month period. She added that there is a required 10 percent local match and those funds would be provided by Wernle. She said in the audience tonight is Ron Murphy, chief of programming of Wernle, to answer questions. Councilmember Welch said he understands there is a public hearing scheduled for August 30 and asked if it would be appropriate for this ordinance to go through that public hearing to seek public input. The Mayor said that hearing is at 10 a.m. and the deadline for this ordinance is September 30. President Wissel said this ordinance would be held on second reading. - ORDINANCE NO.65 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 65 — 2002 — A SPECIAL ORDINANCE REZONING THE PROPERTY COMMONLY KNOWN AS 3132 N. SALISBURY ROAD, RICHMOND, IN President Wissel explained that this ordinance deals with a request for a C-4 special use district at 3132 North SalisburyR oad for use as a mobile home park. He said this would be passed on to the Planning Commission. Councilmember Parker asked Goodwin to point out exactly where this would be located and he explained that this is immediately southwest of Clover Leaf Mobile Home Park and actually surrounds it, fronting on State Road 38. Councilmember Sharp asked if this was the same one that was discussed a few years ago and Goodwin answered that it was, and it is basically the same request. However, he said, that was in 1997 or 1998 and at that time it was turned down because the City did not want them tying into the sanitary sewers. He said he understands that they have now put together their own sewage system which is acceptable to the state and has been cleared and that is why it has come back before Council tonight. Councilmembers Welch and Parker voice concerns about the ordinance. ORDINANCE NO.67 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 67 — 2002 — A SPECIAL ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE APPROVAL OF A STATEMENT OF BENEFITS FOR A PROPERTY OWNER APPLYING FOR DEDUCTIONS UNDER I.C. 6-1.1-12.1 Councilmember Sharp explained that this ordinance deals with a tax abatement request by Sanko Peterson Corp. at 505 Industrial Parkway and is being assigned to Councilmember Welch to look into and bring back to the next Council meeting. ORDINANCE NO.68 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 68 — 2002 — A GENERAL ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 30.01 OF CHAPTER 30 OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND CODE REGARDING BOUNDARIES FOR COUNCIL DISTRICTS City Attorney Bob Bever explained that this is the year by state statute that the City has to submit a redistricting ordinance even if there are no changes made. He said Councilmember Sharp had spent numerous hours on this, attending a couple of the seminars and worked with the numbers. He said Councilmember Sharp had put together his suggestions which he (Bever) attempted to codify in this ordinance. Bever said he had explained the changes in his cover letter received by all the Councilmembers. President Wissel said this ordinance would come back on second reading. Common Council Minutes Cont'd August 19, 2002 Page 4 ORDINANCES ON SECOND READING AND ENGROSSMENT ORDINANCE NO. 32 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 32 — 2002 — A SPECIAL ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE APPROVAL OF A STATEMENT OF BENEFITS FOR A PROPERTY OWNER APPLYING FOR DEDUCTIONS UNDER I.C. 6-1.1-12.1 Councilmember Welch moved to strike Ordinance No. 32 — 2002, second by Councilmember Parker and the motion was carried on a voice vote. ORDINANCE NO. 58 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 58 — 2002 — A GENERAL ORDINANCE AMENDING AND RE- STATING SECTIONS 74.24 AND 74.47 OF RICHMOND CODE Terry Quinter, Roseview Transit Manager, speaking on behalf of the Parking Advisory Committee highlighted a few of the changes addressed in this ordinance: Parking Garage: Raise the cost of the monthly parking permit to $10 and to allow those permit holders to park anywhere within the garage, eliminating the ban on parking on the first two floors; and, in an effort to have some consistency to the charges in the City -owned lots, change them to reflect a cost of $15 per month for a parking permit. She also noted that businesses who reserve their monthly permits by the year would received a 10 percent discount and new businesses which come into the uptown area that agree to purchase permits for their employees would receive the first year free, the second at one third of the rate, the third year two-thirds and the fourth year they would pay the regular fee. Discussion centered on the definition of a new business, the parking attendants, revenues being received from the merchants, taking a look at the three-hour free parking and the issuing of parking violations. Bever stated that none of the items in this amended ordinance will go into effect until it is adopted by the Council. City Controller John Kenny stated that the parking situation is not holding its own without City backing right now. Councilmember Parker said he feels there should be something to help offset the cost of the parking. The M ayor c ommented that s ome o f the things that have b een 1 ooked at include the a xpenses associated with collecting, the cost of personnel at the lots and parking meter costs. She said some of the things that are being done to increase the revenue side is to provide incentives to help more businesses locate in the uptown area. She said it is not an easy puzzle to solve and the City is open to any suggestion or recommendation to put in place to alleviate the parking problems. She stated that just about every community struggles with the pros and cons of any plans that they have in place. Councilmember Combs also commented on making the uptown user friendly for those people choosing to shop uptown and use the services in the area. President Wissel declared Ordinance No. 58 — 2002 on public hearing. Renee Oldham, executive director of Main Street Inc., said that what is needed is an ordinance that is flexible. She said the thing to keep in mind is how to make the parking more user friendly for the visitor, employer and the employee to utilize. She stated that the uptown area has changed from what it was in the 1960s. and is not full of merchants, but many are service businesses which own their own lots and have their own lot on which to park. The discussion concluded with President Wissel announcing that Ordinance No. 58 — 2002 would be brought back on second reading and public hearing at the next meeting. ORDINANCE NO.60 — 2002 The Clerk read Ordinance No. 60 — 2002 — AN APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE TO BE KNOWN AS THE 2003 FIREFIGHTER AND POLICE OFFICER SALARY ORDINANCE Explaining this ordinance was City Controller John Kenny, who said this is the third year of the contract and has an August 19 deadline, and asked that it be adopted. There being no further comments in favor of the ordinance, and none against, Councilmember Elstro moved for engrossment, second by Councilmember Hutton and the motion was carried on a voice vote. Common Council Minutes Cont'd August 19, 2002 Page 5 Councilmember Lundy moved to suspend the rules and advance Ordinance No. 60 — 2002 to third and final reading and read by title only, second by Councilmember Welch and the motion was carried on a voice vote. The Clerk read Ordinance No. 60 — 2002 on third reading. Ordinance No. 60 — 2002 was adopted on a unanimous roll call vote. ORDINANCES ON TBIRD READING UNFINISHED BUSINESS Councilmember Combs said he had been approached by a friend who had problems with his motorcycle that was stolen and was in the impound. He said the friend was going to have to pay to get it out and he thought that was not quite right and Councilmember Combs said he agreed with that. He asked if someone could address the issue at the next Council meeting. Bever said that if Councihnember Combs could give the name to him he would check into it and get back to him with an answer. CALL FOR ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, on a motion duly made, seconded and passed, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. ATTEST: Norma Schroeder, Clerk Bruce Wissel, President