City Council

TOWN OF CICERO TOWN COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM Call to Order: President Cox called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Gary gave the prayer. President Cox called for roll call. Members of the Cicero Town Council were present or absent as follows: Present: Joseph Cox Absent: Christopher Lutz Eric Hayden Dennis Johnson Emily Pearson Declare a Quorum Present: President Cox 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: Ms. Pearson made a motion to approve the agenda as amended, Mr. Johnson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Approval of Prior Minutes: Town Council Meeting Minutes, April 1, 2025, 7:00 PM Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the minutes listed above. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Approval of 4/15/25 Claims: Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve claims dated 4/15/25 as presented. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Council Committee Reports: 1. OTC Report – Ms. Pearson reported that OTC prior to the merger with Friends of the Park coordinated a Burbon and Bites Fundraiser which is scheduled for 4/25/25. She was happy to report that the event is sold out. Due to demand an additional 25 tickets are available for purchase. 2. EDC Report – President Cox had nothing at this time. 3. SWU Management Board Report – SWU President had nothing new to report. 1 Legal Counsel Report – Mr. Culp touched on the overhaul to property taxes also known as Senate Bill 1 (SB1). He stated that Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM) will be hosting a webinar in the coming weeks. He and Ms. Gary plan to join the webinar to get some more insight into the bill how municipalities will be affected. Mr. Culp plans to give additional updated to the council over the next few weeks. Cicero/Jackson Township Plan Commission – Mr. Zawadzki had nothing new to report. Mr. Strong had nothing to report. Town Engineer Report – 1. Water – Mr. Bryant had nothing new to add. 2. Wastewater – Mr. Bryant reported that construction continues i.e. concrete, oxidation ditch, sludge press building work, piping, clarifier #3 excavation and subgrade preparation, etc. Mr. Bryant also reported that the underground storage tank is scheduled to be removed on 4/28/25 and that they applied for a grant for the tank removal. Hopefully, the town will be reimbursed 50% of that cost. It was also noted that it appears that the subgrade below clarifier #3 is satisfactory. 3. West Jackson Street – Mr. Bryant stated that construction on West Jackson Street has started. He believes they will finish up the water main soon and will then start on the storm sewer with the current crew on site. Mr. Bryant stated that he meets with Midwest weekly and iterates the town’s desire to be at a good stopping point for the town’s July 4th festivities (no demolished walk areas). Mr. Bryant also had handouts and pictures of handrails for the outdoor seating for the council to decide upon. Council asked for input from the staff and decided to proceed with the 36” high, black Riveria II (C32) rail. 4. 2025 Community Crossings Matching Grant – Mr. Bryant stated that they will advertise the project next week. Ms. Gary has sent the advertisement to the paper for a May 20, 2025, Council meeting bid date. Mr. Bryant also explained that they have evaluated the possible striping for a north bound/left turn land on Morse Landing Drive. Due to visibility restrictions and turn radii, it was not recommended with just striping. Old Business: a. Fuel Tank Replacement – Mr. Johnson started by saying that as discussed at the 041024 Staff Meeting the bid that Superintendent Hunter received last year (8/2024) for a new gas tank has increased by 14%. Council encouraged Superintendent Hunter to push back on that. Superintendent Hunted did just that and ultimately got the bid for around a 3% increase with the possibility of an IDEM reimbursement. Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve $490,801.00 for the project. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. b. Tax Rate – President Cox would like to continue discussion concerning a general obligation bond over the next few council meetings. New Business: a. Ordinance No. 04-15-2025-01 Amendment to Salary Ordinance – After a brief explanation, Ms. Pearson made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 04-15-2025-01. Mr. Johnson seconded, motion carried 4-0. b. Planning Software System – Mr. Culp asked to remove this from the agenda. 2  c. 160 W Jackson Street – Council inquired about the condition of the property. Superintendent Hunter and his crew have added dirt and seeded the area along with a small area that has been used for parking. He and his crew will keep an eye on the property. If parking continues, he has other ideas to prohibit parking there. Miscellaneous: There was nothing. Comments by Citizens: a. Mr. Green, Cicero resident, had a photo of Fallen Hero’s Memorial traveling wall. He gave a brief history of the wall. The wall will be on display here in Cicero 7/3/25- 7/7/25 at the Cicero Community Park during the 4th of July activities. Council thanked Mr. Green for his efforts on this. b. Ms. Pearson confirmed with Chief Overholser that there will be a ‘push in’ ceremony at the fire station on 5/3/25 @ 10:00 AM. She also stated that the following week the fire department’s pancake breakfast will be held at the fire station at 7:00 AM. c. Superintendent Hunter stated that the concrete work is complete at the baseball fields. There will be an opening ceremony at noon Saturday. Motion to Adjourn: Mr. Johnson made the motion. Ms. Pearson seconded, motion carried 4-0. Signatures on Official Documents! Signatures of Cicero Town Council AYE NAY Joseph R Cox Dennis D Johnson Eric C Hayden Christopher J Lutz Emily K Pearson Attested: Rhonda Gary, Clerk Treasurer The Next Cicero Town Council Meeting will be on May 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM at Cicero Town Hall. 3