City Council

4 TOWN OF CICERO TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES March 4, 2014 At 7:00 PM Call To Order: President Dennis Schrumpf called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Foster gave the prayer. President Schrumpf called for the roll call and the members of the Town Council were present or absent as follows: Present: Dennis Schrumpf Absent: Eric Hayden Jerry Cook Brett Foster Kay Hartley President Schrumpf declared a quorum present. Others Present: Jan Unger, Clerk Treasurer Charlie Cambre, Park Superintendent Dave Hildebrand, Police Chief Paul Munoz, Cicero/Jackson Township Plan Commission Director Aaron Culp, Town Attorney Keith Bryant, Town Engineer Approval of Agenda: Ms. Hartley asked to add under Miscellaneous a discussion on the parks department. Mr. Foster made a motion to approve agenda as amended. Mr. Cook seconded, motion passed Public Hearing on Cicero’s intent to apply for a grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for a grant from the State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program Drinking Water/Wastewater Improvements Program. Ms. Hartley made a motion to open the Public Hearing. Mr. Cook seconded, motion passed. Ms. Tina Henderson read a copy of the Notice of the Public Hearing. Ms. Henderson reviewed the timeline for the project: Salary survey is under way and looks good; Ms. Henderson has received the needed information from United Engineering and she will be sending out the Environmental Packet; we are having the Public Hearing this evening; and on March 14th, 2014 she will submit the proposal to OCRA. Mr. Keith Bryant showed a diagram of the first 80 lots in Hidden Bay which showed where the waterlines currently are located and where they would be moved to. Mr. Bryant stated that the current location of the waterlines, which are under the mobile homes, create a very bad situation. There have been breaks under the mobile homes and the staff has had to burrow under the mobile home in order to repair. This is a safety issue for the mobile home and the staff. Mr. Bryant stated that the cost would be $557,000 to make the change. Mr. Bryant stated that this did not include the cost for connections. There was a discussion on what the options were for the connections. Mr. Culp stated currently there is a mobile home near the entrance that has a leak which has not been able to be repaired. 1  Ms. Henderson inquired if there were any questions or comments regarding the project. Mr. Bryant stated that if the grant is approved it would not start until spring of 2015. There were no further comments. Mr. Foster made a motion to close the Public Hearing. Mr. Cook seconded, motion passed. Ms. Henderson handed Mr. Culp a Fair Housing Ordinance and a Drug Free Workplace Document. Ms. Henderson suggested that the Town pass these policies. Ms. Henderson also asked for permission for President Schrumpf to sign the last page of the proposal and to allow her to do the minutes for the Public Hearing. Mr. Foster made a motion to approve Mr. Schrumpf signing the document and Ms. Henderson writing the minutes. Ms. Hartley seconded, motion passed. Ms. Henderson was asked if she thought Cicero would qualify for the grant and Ms. Henderson stated that she thought there was a good possibility since the need was there, the salary survey was looking good. Ms. Henderson stated that the comprehensive approach for the community and the lack of funding to OCRA were the drawbacks. She stated that she thought it was well worth the effort. Approval of Prior Minutes: Town Council Meeting Minutes, February 18, 2014, 7:00 PM – Ms. Hartley made a motion to approve the February 18, 2014 minutes with the corrections. Mr. Cook seconded, motion passed. Approval of Claims: Mr. Cook made a motion to approve the claims as presented. Ms. Hartley seconded, motion passed. Petitions by Citizens: There were none. President’s Report: Mr. Schrumpf stated that Susan Brooks would meet with elected officials on March 8th at Osprey Pointe Pavilion and if you were interested in attending tomorrow would be the last day to register. Council Committee Reports: There were none. Legal Counsel Report-Aaron Culp: Mr. Culp stated that he did not have anything. Cicero/Jackson Township Plan Commission Report-Mr. Munoz 1. Mr. Munoz informed the Council the committee met for the Comprehensive Plan. They are hoping to have a draft to the Plan Commission and the Town Council in the next two or three months. 2. Mr. Munoz also informed the Council the stake holders for the Comprehensive Plan met today to discuss the current ordinances for the Plan Commission and possible changes. They plan to wrap this up this summer and should have a draft to the Plan Commission and Town Council in the next couple or three months. Town Engineer Report-Mr. Keith Bryant – Mr. Bryant addressed the following: 1. Jackson Street Pedestrian Path Project – Mr. Bryant distributed copies of the inspection report for February. He stated that they have installed the steel for the retaining wall on each end of the causeway. a. Mr. Bryant informed the Council that they are continuing to discuss the planting. The Sumac will take 3-5 years to spread out sufficiently. They 2  could install geotextile fabric at the cost of $15-30,000. This would possibly help with the maintenance until the Sumac develops. They have discussed planting grass and it might look better but would still have maintenance. Have some worry about erosion. The Council discussed the options and Mr. Cook stated that he thought they should just stay the course and not do additional work. Council agreed. b. Mr. Bryant inquired of the Council whether or not they wanted to have electrical receptacles installed on the lights across the Causeway. Mr. Bryant stated that the speaker wiring was included. The cost of the receptacle wiring is $6,500 additional which would have to be paid by the Town; INDOT will not pay for it. If you remove the speaker wiring the cost would be $4,500. The Council had a discussion. Mr. Cook did not think we need the speaker wiring. Mr. Foster thought we should include. Mr. Foster made a motion to approve both the speaker wiring and the receptacle wiring. Ms. Hartley seconded, motion passed. 2. Cicero-Downtown Sewer Improvements (I&I): No change. Due to the weather, the contractor is not working. May start again in a week or two. Old Business: Nothing. New Business Council To Hear Presentation From The New Superintendent of HHS, Derik Arrowood. Mr. Arrowood, Superintendent of Hamilton Heights Schools, introduced himself and talked briefly about Hamilton Heights being a premier school corporation in the State of Indiana as well as within our own county. Mr. Arrowood then introduced Ms. Peggy Jackson, Director of Budget and Finance/Associate Superintendent, to speak about the future of the school corporation. Ms. Jackson distributed copies of the Hamilton Heights School Corporation Project Vision and Enrollment Forecasts for 2014-2023. Ms. Jackson discussed the Data Collection and the Data Analysis process. Ms. Jackson stated that the enrollment forecasts for 2014-2023 shows a decrease. They are watching this closely so they can make adjustments as necessary. She also discussed the cost per student at Heights compared to other schools in the community. Heights had not had a referendum and the cost is $5,231.79 per student. The average for Hamilton County schools is $5,497.21. Ms. Jackson stated that all of the other schools in the county have had referendums. Ms. Jackson stated that the circuit breaker was hitting all entities but Heights are hit less hard because of the lower tax rate. Ms. Jackson stated that because of good planning the school corporation is in good shape. Ms. Jackson reviewed some of the projects they are looking at for the future. They are looking at an 18 month timeline to complete this project. Mr. Arrowood stated that the schools need to have a partnership with the other taxing units in the community. He stated that the school will do what is best for the kids. Mr. Arrowood asked what Cicero wanted its community to look like. 3  Mr. Schrumpf inquired about the transportation for students. Mr. Arrowood stated that it is in good shape and funded. Mr. Cook said to keep up the good work. Miscellaneous 1. Ms. Hartley distributed the 2014 Cicero Friends of the Park brochure and highlighted some of the activities. Ms. Hartley also noted that the Rod Run and the Chili Cook-off were their major fund raisers. Ms. Hartley stated that they have established tax deductible contributions that can be made to Friends of the Park and the contributors will be listed on a sponsorship board that will go to all parks events. 2. Comments from the Public There were none. Signatures on Official Documents! Ms. Hartley made a motion to adjourn the Town Council Meeting. Mr. Foster seconded. Motion to adjourn passed. __________________________ Dennis D. Schrumpf – President __________________________ Sylvia Kay Hartley- Vice-President __________________________ Jerry G. Cook __________________________ Brett S. Foster _______________________ Eric C. Hayden Attested:__________________________ Jan Unger, Clerk Treasurer Note: The Next Cicero Town Council Meeting will be on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 @ 7:00 PM at the Cicero Town Hall. 4