City Council

TOWN OF CICERO TOWN COUNCIL STAFF MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024 at 7:00 PM Call to Order: President Lutz called the meeting to order. Present: Christopher Lutz Absent: Joe Cox Eric Hayden Dennis Johnson Emily Pearson Others Present: Rhonda Gary, Clerk Treasurer 1. Town Council – a. IEDC – Mr. Strong briefly discussed the Readi 2.0 and CIRDA Grants in which he has applied for with the assistance of Ms. Henderson. He believes that the grants will be awarded sometime in June. b. Salary Ordinance Amendment – Ms. Gary distributed a salary ordinance amendment for enhancements to the water and wastewater sections of the ordinance as previously discussed. Ms. Gary will add this to the next town council meeting for approval and adoption. c. Hope Clinic – Mr. Strong stated that the Hope Clinic is requesting a donation as they are moving to a new location where they will see an increase in their monthly lease as well as additional costs. Council briefly discussed using Opioid funds; however, Deputy Smith wasn’t sure if those funds could be used in that manner. Council will take this under advisement. Ms. Pearson stated that the Hope Clinic is hosting a fundraiser – bingo night on 6/27/24 at 6:00 at Mustard Seed Gardens in Noblesville. d. ARPA (County) – President Lutz informed the council that the County ARPA meeting is next week and inquired about attendance. In the end, it was decided that he, Mr. Strong, Mr. Culp, Mr. Hayden, Mr. Lutz and Ms. Henderson would attend. There was also discussion concerning the agreement that the county proposed. Council is hopeful that they will be able to partner with the county. e. Recognition to Departments – Ms. Pearson would like to initiate a monthly recognition for town employees by submitting an article, pictures etc. to the local paper. The Cicero Police Department will be the first honoree in July! 2. Parks – At a previous meeting, Superintendent Hunter proposed a revision to sick time policy in that the 20-year requirement for sick time payout at retirement be reduced to 10 years of service. Mr. Cox led the discussion and inquired from all department heads their views on the idea. It was unanimous with the department heads to amend the policy; however, only three council members were in favor. Ms. Gary will work with Mr. Culp to amend the policy. 1 3. Plan – Mr. Zawadzki was not present. 4. Fire – a. Fire Truck Purchase – Deputy Smith asked council’s blessing to move forward with the purchase of a new ladder truck as the price will increase significantly on July 1st and September 1st . Deputy Smith informed the council that payment is three years out and the town could still opt out of the agreement upon completion. There was a brief discussion and the council agreed to have further discussion before making the final decision. It should be noted that President Lutz was not in favor at this time. He also inquired about the cost of the fire truck. b. Schedule of Fees – Deputy Smith presented a fee schedule and proceeded to explain the charges. He also said that Mr. Culp has reviewed and approved the charges. Council would like to look it over and asked that Ms. Gary add this to the July staff meeting agenda. 5. Police – Chief Rednour informed the council that he has received several noise complaints from a resident in Hidden Bay and the Pizza House as well as a request to revise the current noise ordinance to lower the decibel level from 90 to 70. After discussion, council requested that Chief Rednour do some research and compare the town’s ordinance to other communities. Chief Rednour invited anyone interested to stop by the police station to get an idea for their understanding of the current decibel level. The council will revisit at that time. 6. Water/Wastewater – Director Cooper informed the council that he has had to make ongoing and significant repairs to the wastewater treatment plant. He went on to say that to date he has used approximately 97% of his 2024 budget to do so and that he will probably be back to request an additional appropriation if this continues. Council will make a note of that. 7. Clerk Treasurer – a. Ms. Gary informed the council that the next staff meeting will be a budget meeting. b. Ms. Gary presented a replica of the notification to residents concerning the public hearing on 6/4/24 concerning rate increases in water and sewer. Council was ok with it. c. Ms. Gary reported that she will be out of the office 6/23/24 – 6/27/24 for a clerk’s conference in South Bend. 8. Project Coordinator – a. As previously discussed, Mr. Strong stated that Wellworth Drive is currently part of Stillwater Cove; however, the Homeowners Association has communicated that they would like the town to consider taking over the private drive. In the end, council agreed that it is the right thing to do. b. Mr. Strong also touched on projects that he is working on currently i.e. the trail at Methodist Church, West Jackson Street property demolition. He also 2  gave some kudos to the department heads for their willingness to help with the many projects in which the town is involved. Motion to Adjourn: Ms. Pearson made the motion. Mr. Hayden seconded, motion carried 5-0. Signatures on Official Documents! Signatures of Cicero Town Council AYE NAY Christopher J Lutz Joseph R Cox Eric C Hayden Dennis D Johnson Emily K Pearson Attested: Rhonda Gary, Clerk Treasurer 3