City Council

MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL MAY 21, 2015 The regular meeting of the Hammond Common Council of the City of Hammond, Lake County, Indiana was held on May 21, 2015 in the Hammond City Council Chambers. Council President Michael Opinker presided. Council Coordinator Carmen I. Balboa facilitated. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was recited by all. Invocation by Councilwoman Venecz. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa TOTAL: 7 READING OF THE MINUTES Councilman Markovich, supported by Councilman Kalwinski, moved to accept the minutes of May 11, 2015 and place on file. AYES: ALL APPROVAL OF CLAIMS Councilman Markovich, supported by Councilman Kalwinski, moved approve claims from May 6, 2015 through May 15, 2015. Claim #2832 through claim #2977, inclusive. ROLL CALL VOTE (approval) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker NAYS: None ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa Motion carried 7/0/2 CLAIMS APPROVED PUBLIC HEARINGS None COMMUNICATIONS None Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 1 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. MAY 21, 2015 COMMITTEE REPORTS Council as a Whole Committee - Councilman Kalwinski - Brought out 15-15. Community and Crime Watch Committee - Councilwoman Venecz Fri., June 5th; 1:00 p.m.; Edison on the Road; Golden Manor Senior Apt.’s Wed., May 27th; Jefferson Crime Watch; Jefferson School; 6:30 p.m. Pulaski Park Neighborhood Assoc.; Tues., May 26th; 6:30 p.m.; American Legion ORDINANCE 3RD READING - FINAL PASSAGE 15-15 An Ordinance to Establish Rules and Regulations for the Discharge of Wastewater into the Wastewater Treatment Systems of the Sanitary District of Hammond Councilman Kalwinski, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved for final passage. Councilman Kalwinski, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to amend out the current page 21 and replace it with a new page 21. ROLL CALL VOTE (amendment) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker NAYS: None ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa Motion carried 7/0/2 AMENDMENT ADOPTED Jeff Massey, Hammond Sanitary District Pre-treatment Coordinator - This is just a update of an ordinance that is already existing for the city of Hammond. It was a required change made by EPA and IDEM. What they call their streamlining rules. A couple little changes. A couple local limits. A little bit of change on some little change on fees but everything else is basically the same thing that exists now. It only affects the major industrial users of Hammond. It doesn’t affect any residents or commercial users. Councilman Markovich - Basically, those that put more of the junk in there is gonna have to pay for it now, basically. Jeff Massey - Right, it’s the larger users. The people who put a large volume or higher concentration of waste or more of a industrial type people, the Unilevers, the Cargills of the city. This is what this covers. ROLL CALL VOTE (as amended) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker NAYS: None ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa Motion carried 7/0/2 ORDINANCE NO. 9296 PASSED (as amended) INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 2 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. MAY 21, 2015 15-20 Creating a New Fund (Fund #221) for the City of Hammond, for the purposes of Appropriating a Crash Reduction Grant Councilman Spitale, supported by Councilman Emerson, moved the proposed ordinance to 1st and 2nd reading by title and referred it to the Council as a Whole Committee. AYES: ALL 15-21 Appropriation - $56,200.48 - Police Dept. - From: Operating Balance To: Crash Reduction Grant Fund Councilman Spitale, supported by Councilman Kalwinski, moved the proposed ordinance to 1st and 2nd reading by title, referred it to the Council as a Whole Committee with a public hearing June 22, 2015. AYES: ALL RESOLUTIONS 15R-11 Approving Development Agreement and Declaring its Official Intent to Undertake the Financing of the Construction of the Facilities of the Thruport Intermodal, LLC Councilman Kalwinski, supported by Councilman Markovich, moved for adoption. ROLL CALL VOTE (adoption) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker NAYS: None ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa Motion carried 7/0/2 RESOLUTION NO. R11 ADOPTED 15R-12 A Resolution Related to Certain Water Contract Revenues Councilman Kalwinski, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved for adoption. ROLL CALL VOTE (adoption) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker NAYS: None ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa Motion carried 7/0/2 RESOLUTION NO R12 ADOPTED NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 3 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. MAY 21, 2015 15-16 INTENT TO CONSIDER - CP-15-03 - Petition of Hammond Housing Authority to Amend PUD Ord. #9188 for the PUD District also known as Columbia Center Located in the 1200-1300 block of 173rd Street and the 7400 Block of Columbia Avenue Councilman Emerson, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved for passage. Councilman Emerson - This is the last phase of the revitalizing of the Columbia Center PUD. Previous changes have been going on for ten years. Have sought to improve and stabilize the neighborhood. Those of us who have been around a little while remember 15 years ago what the center looked like and I’m just really happy that they’re in the final phase. When you take Golden manor, and Saxony, and everything else, this is gonna be really great. So, I’m feeling really good about it and we have to go though the motions to complete it. ROLL CALL VOTE (passage) AYES: Markovich, Spitale, Venecz, Kalwinski, Uylaki, Emerson, Opinker NAYS: None ABSENT: Higgs, Hinojosa Motion carried 7/0/2 ORDINANCE NO. 9297 PASSED Councilwoman Venecz, supported by Councilman Emerson, moved to send a letter to Mr. Rich Powers with INDOT regarding the condition of Calumet Avenue from 165th Street going north to Sibley. LETTER SENT: MAY 26, 2015 Councilwoman Venecz - I would like to announce that the East Side Community Council is presenting “Talk to the Hand”. Lear American sign language at a conversational level. This will be from June 2nd through June 25th, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hub of Innovation on Hohman Avenue. The fee is $150 which include course material. If they get enough people to sign up they will have Saturday classes as well. For more information, call Ms. Cynthia Lysles at 219-803-6541. Councilwoman Venecz - I was at a crime watch meeting the other night and I did not comment on an accusation that was made that our city council meetings are edited. I didn’t comment at the Crime Watch meetings because I wanted to absolutely verify, and I have. We all know Jake Jacobs, he records the City Council meetings. You can find the archived meetings on gohammond.tv, they are not edited. I just wanted to make that announcement because it just gives the wrong impression when somebody is out there saying that our meetings are edited and then put on our city website. So, they are not edited. They are there in their entirety. They are there from the day that gohammond.tv started airing the Council meetings. Councilman Emerson - I would just like to wish everyone a safe and reflective Memorial Day. Memorial Day, just the way I keep the two straight as a veteran is for the veteran’s that have given their life for our freedom. Veteran’s day is quite another thing. Councilman Spitale, actually the mayor and myself, we’re all still around and that’s the way I remember what that day’s for. Shoot off fireworks, well, I started thinking that I think it’s NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS cont. Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 4 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. MAY 21, 2015 Councilman Emerson cont. - inappropriate but really that’s why we all serve, so you can do whatever you want on holidays. I think though out of respect... and it’s kind of blended in to police officers, firemen, and even family members that have passed and there is the Mohawk’s Parade. I don’t want to steal Councilman Kalwinski’s thunder. But it is on Monday, 11 o’clock is step off time and so everyone have a safe one. PUBLIC EXPRESSION Carlotta Blake King - Once an ordinance has been passed, how long does it take to get on the web site? I need clarification from Councilwoman Venecz on a report she made at the east Hammond Crime Watch meeting regarding money for security lights and the Security Light Program. Councilwoman Venecz, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to return to New and Unfinished Business. AYES: ALL Councilwoman Venecz - With regard to the Security Light program, the Security Light program was run by or administrated by the UEA many years ago. When that went away Community Development took the program over and they used HUD dollars. When they administered the program and used HUD dollars there were income requirements for that program. The HUD dollars went away. We were without the program for a couple of years. Many of you know that I am president of Edison Community Watch, which is a subsidiary of Hammond Community Watch. Hammond Community Watch requested a grant through Mayor McDermott’s Gaming Grant Committee. We were awarded last year, a $25 thousand grant. I didn’t say that, Councilman Higgs said $25 thousand. Last year we were awarded $25 thousand from the Mayor’s Gaming Grant or the Gaming Committee. We funded 60 lights for the residents of the city of Hammond. We funded National Night Out and we also funded the support of the Crime Watch Groups and made a very nice donation to the Hammond Police department for the crossing guard vests. So those are just a couple of the things that we do, do with the money. I might point out that last year one district monopolized the number of lights that were received. So this year what we decided to do, I worked with UEA, I worked with Community Development, and I am the one who manages the program and we decided that this year we are going to give 10 lights per district. There are 60 lights available, there are six districts so each district will get ten lights. So one district does not monopolize over the other and if you have any further questions, Ms. King, I’d be happy to answer them. Councilwoman Venecz, supported by Councilman Spitale, moved to return to the regular order of business. AYES: ALL PUBLIC EXPRESSION Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 5 MINUTES OF THE COMMON COUNCIL cont. MAY 21, 2015 Councilman Emerson, supported by Councilman Kalwinski, moved to adjourn. AYES: ALL Michael Opinker, President ATTEST: Hammond Common Council Robert J. Golec, City Clerk Time: 6:25 pm cb Minutes approved at the Common Council Meeting of June 8, 2015. Prepared by Robert J. Golec Hammond City Clerk 6