City Council

TOWN OF CICERO TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2024 at 7:00 PM Call to Order: President Lutz called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Gary gave the prayer. Mr. Lutz called for roll call. Members of the Cicero Town Council were present or absent as follows: Present: Joseph Cox Absent: Dennis Johnson Eric Hayden Christopher Lutz Emily Pearson Declare a Quorum Present: President Lutz declared a quorum with four members present. Others Present: Rhonda Gary, Clerk Treasurer Jeff Rednour, Police Chief Lance Overholser, Fire Chief Frank Zawadzki, Cicero/Jackson Township Plan Commission Director Terry Cooper, Street & Utilities Director Jim Hunter, Parks Superintendent Aaron Culp, Town Attorney Keith Bryant, Town Engineer Bruce Freeman, Storm Water Management Board President Dan Strong, Project Coordinator Approval of Agenda: Mr. Cox made a motion to approve the agenda as amended. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Approval of Prior Minutes: Town Council Executive Session Memorandum, July 2, 2024, 5:45 PM Town Council Meeting Minutes, July 2, 2024, 7:00 PM Mr. Hayden made a motion to approve the minutes listed above as presented. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Approval of 7/16/2024 Claims: Ms. Pearson made a motion to approve claims dated 7-16-24 as presented. Mr. Cox seconded, motion carried 4-0. Council Committee Reports: 1. OTC Report – Ms. Pearson had no report. 2. EDC Report – Mr. Cox had no update. 3. SWU Management Board Report – SWU President Freeman reported that the SWU Board will meet next week to work on their next project which is to repair/replace lines along Morse Landing Drive. Legal Counsel Report – Mr. Culp had nothing at this time. Cicero/Jackson Township Plan Commission – Mr. Zawadzki reported that he is working on the details for the traffic study as requested by the council. More information to follow. 1 Town Engineer Report: 1. Tamarack – Mr. Bryant reported that he has not heard back from MI Homes concerning the completion of the punch list items in Section 4. He reached out to them again today. 2. Water – Mr. Bryant relayed that Peerless Midwest is waiting to conduct test wells. 3. Wastewater – Mr. Bryant stated that the town received Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) approval from the State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Program. He plans to schedule a preconstruction meeting next week to keep the project moving forward. He believes that Reynolds Construction will be mobilizing resources to the site within the next week or two. Mr. Bryant said that Mr. Hadler with Baker Tilly confirmed that the BAN closing is scheduled for 8/21/24. Mr. Bryant also requested President Lutz’ signature on the Reynolds Escrow Agreement which was emailed. Mr. Cox made a motion to allow President Lutz to sign the Escrow Agreement. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. 4. Tollgate Road – Mr. Bryant stated that the paving is done on the northeast section of Tollgate Road at the Tamarack entrance. Mr. Hayden inquired about the paving on the east side of the road where he thought there might be an issue. Mr. Bryant will walk it to ensure it is satisfactory. 5. Brinton Street Storm Water Rehab Project – Mr. Bryant has spoken with Insituform and they plan to be onsite Monday to finish the liner. Mr. Bryant will update the council. 6. Jackson Street CCMG – Mr. Bryant said that the extension of the bid date deadline to 7/23/24 has generated more potential bidders. Based on contractor feedback today , he believes that three plan to submit bids, two will not and he is awaiting response from another four. He asked President Lutz to sign the Notice of Intent to Construct a Water Main Extension (NOI) from Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Mr. Hayden made a motion to allow President Lutz to sign the NOI. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Old Business: a. Barnes & Thornburg Engagement Letter (tabled from 7/2/24) – Mr. Hayden made a motion to untable this discussion. Mr. Cox seconded, motion carried 4-0. President Lutz inquired if council had an opportunity to review the letter and they had. Mr. Cox then made a motion to allow President Lutz to sign the engagement letter. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. New Business: There was none. Miscellaneous: a. Virtual Private Network (VPN) – Chief Overholser asked council’s approval not to exceed $750 to purchase a VPN program which is an added layer of security for the town. Council consensus was to allow this purchase. b. State of the Town Luncheon – President Lutz stated that he represented the town at the State of the Town Luncheon today. He said that a representative from Sheridan was there as well. c. Lights Over Morse Lake (LOML) – Ms. Pearson thanked all the department heads for their participation and success of the July 4th weekend festivities. Parks Superintendent Hunter stated that 9,000 visitors scanned the ‘unique visitors’ QR (quick response) code at the Parks Department. 2 Comments by Citizens: Ms. Chance, Jackson Township resident, thanked everyone for all of their time as well as comments and questions. She then addressed the council concerning the proposed waste transfer station. Ms. Chance has many concerns with the transfer station, one being that the petitioner requested no comments, the lack of information to constituents and Cicero doesn’t want to be a dumping ground for Noblesville and Westfield to name a few. A lengthy conversation ensued. Mr. Culp gave some guidance on how the BZA and Plan Commission work and the criteria set. Mr. Freeman inquired about how the Council informs the public about what’s going on in town. Mr. Strong offered that he, Mr. Culp and Mr. Zawadzki will work together to work on how to improve notification procedures. President Lutz plans to include this on the Plan Commission agenda. Mr. Dunmire, Jackson Township resident, inquired if the Comp Plan is being followed, lake contamination and the lack of information. President Lutz said that he appreciates all the comments and agree that some enhancements are needed. He and the council will take an opportunity to review this information. He also asked Mr. Culp to look at other communities and how they handle some of the concerns that Ms. Chance brought up and report back to the council. Motion to Adjourn: Ms. Pearson made the motion. Mr. Hayden seconded, motion carried 4-0. 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 The Next Cicero Town Council Meeting will be on August 6, 2024 at 7:00 PM at Cicero Town Hall. 3