City Council

MINUTES OF THE LAFAYETTE COMMON COUNCIL February 4, 2019 REGULAR MEETING The Common Council of the City of Lafayette, Indiana met in regular session on Monday, February 4, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 20 North 6th Street, Lafayette, Indiana. President Campbell called the meeting to order at 6:30pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was given to the flag of our Country. Present: Nargi, Reynolds, Brown, Ahlersmeyer, Weast-Williamson, Downing and Campbell Absent: Heide and Klinker City Clerk Cindy Murray and Deputy City Attorney Jacque Chosnek were present Public Hearing Councilman Brown moved to recess for a public hearing on Ordinance 2019-03 (Appropriation Ordinance City of Lafayette, Indiana), Councilwoman Weast-Williamson seconded. No public comment was heard. Councilman Brown moved to reconvene the regular meeting. Councilman Reynolds moved to approve the minutes of the January 7, 2019 council meetings. Councilwoman Nargi seconded. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. There were no Claims, Petitions or Communications: The Clerk stated the following reports are available in the City Clerk’s Office: Water Works Monthly December Fleet Maintenance Monthly December Police Department Monthly December Lafayette Renew Monthly December Ordinances for Second Reading The Clerk read Ordinance 2019-02 (An Ordinance of the City of Lafayette, Indiana, Authorizing the Issuance of Bonds of the City and, if Necessary, Bond Anticipation Notes, for the Purpose of Providing Funds to be Applied on the Cost of Renovation of Loeb Stadium Together with all Related Improvements, Equipment and Incidental Expenses in Connection Therewith and on Account of the Issuance of Bonds Therefor) by title only on second and final reading. Councilwoman Weast-Williamson moved for passage, Councilman Downing seconded. Mayor Roswarski spoke regarding the ordinance. Jason Semler, H J Umbaugh update council on the procedure for placing the bonds for sale. Ordinance 2019-02 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on second and final reading. The City Clerk read Ordinance 2019-03 (Appropriation Ordinance City of Lafayette, Indiana) On first reading. Councilwoman Nargi moved for passage, Councilman Reynolds seconded. Ordinance 2019-03 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on second and final reading. Ordinances for First Reading: The Clerk read Ordinance 2019-04 (An Ordinance to Amend Amended Ordinance 2018-20 Fixing the Salaries of the Appointed Officers and Employees of the City of Lafayette, Indiana, For the Year 2019. Excluding the Sworn Protective Occupation and Law Enforcement Members of the Police and Fire Departments) by title only on first reading. Councilman Brown moved for passage, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Jacque Chosnek, Deputy City Attorney explained the amendment was due to a scrivener’s error. Ordinance 2019-04 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on first reading. The Clerk read Ordinance 2019-05 (An Ordinance to Amend the Subdivision Ordinance of Tippecanoe County, Indiana) by title only on first and final reading. Councilwoman Weast- Williamson moved for passage, Councilman Downing seconded. Ordinance 2019-05 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. The Clerk read Ordinance 2019-06 (An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Ordinance of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, to Rezone Certain Real Estate from R1B to R2U-1106 South 21st Street, Lauren Alexander, Petitioner) by title only on first and final reading. Councilman Downing moved for passage, Councilwoman Nargi seconded. Sarah Wyatt, Attorney for the petitioner spoke regarding the ordinance. Ordinance 2019-06 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. The Clerk read Ordinance 2019-07 (An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning of Tippecanoe County, to Rezone Certain Real Estate from I1 & R1U to NBU-525 Wabash Ave.-Karma Enterprises, LLC, Petitioner) by title only on first and final reading. Councilwoman Nargi moved for passage, Councilman Reynolds seconded. Sarah Wyatt, Attorney for the petitioner spoke regarding the ordinance. Ordinance 2019-07 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. Resolutions: The Clerk read Resolution 2019-02 (A Resolution Approving the Detail of the 2019 Water and Wastewater Department Budgets) by title only on first and final reading. Councilman Brown moved for passage, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Tim Clary, Controller spoke regarding the resolution. Resolution 2019-02 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. The Clerk read Resolution 2019-03 (A Resolution Declaring the Designation of Certain Real Estate as an Economic Revitalization Area (ERA) and Approving Application for Property Tax Abatement-JAK II Partners, LLP-Kirby Risk Corporation-Real Estate) by title only on first and final reading. Councilwoman Weast-Williamson moved for passage, Councilman Downing seconded. Mayor Roswarski spoke regarding the resolution. Doug Mansfield, President and CEO Kirby Risk spoke regarding the planned expansion and addition of new employees. Resolution 2019-03 passed 6-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. No Reports of Standing Committees. No Reports of Special Committees. No Miscellaneous and New Business. Report by the Mayor: Mayor Roswarski give the following State of the City Address along with a short video presentation: STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS – 2019 Mr. President, members of the City Council, and all the citizens of Lafayette. It is my honor to deliver to you my State of the City address. I would like to start by thanking our citizens who participate with our neighborhood associations, help in our schools, or volunteer for our community, civic and social service organizations. I am proud to be part of a community where collaboration is valued, where government, faith based groups, schools and social service organizations continue to lead by example, and in doing so, position our community as a place where a variety of groups come together to advocate for creativity, diversity, innovation and education. In addition, I would like to thank the City Council, who work diligently to represent their constituents, Cindy Murray our City Clerk, the Board of Works, and all the members of our Boards and Commissions, who give their time in service to Lafayette. I am honored to work with an incredible group of Department Heads who comprise our leadership team and all our dedicated City employees. One of the primary purposes of the STATE OF THE CITY is to report on finances. I am pleased to report we are once again in a strong financial position. We have cash balances in all our operating funds. We have developed investment and debt management policies, whereby, our earnings have increased over 200% in the past year. We continue to provide outstanding cost effective services. I am pleased to announce we have slightly over 5 million dollars in our Rainy Day Fund. In EDIT reserve, we have just over $2 million, bringing our total reserve to more than $7 million, which is 16.78% of the general fund and 12.68% of the Civil City Budget. Public Safety The Fire Department continues to provide outstanding services, including fire prevention, community outreach, inspections, plan review, fire suppression and making emergency medical runs. They have an ISO rating of 2, which makes them one of the highest ranked Fire Departments in the Nation. The Fire Department has fully implemented a new training delivery system called “Target Solutions” and the results are significant. In 2016, 10,346 hours of training were delivered to the members of the Department. In 2018, that number increased to 19,500, resulting in an increase of 88%. We are committed to making sure the Fire Department has the equipment they need to protect themselves, as well as the lives and property of our citizens, in numerous types of emergency situations. In the last five years, we have purchased two new engine trucks, two new squads and one new ladder truck. In 2019, we will replace a 75’ quint. We have upgraded two inspection vehicles, replaced all the SCBA breathing apparatus ($750,000.00 purchase) and have new equipment on the rescue trucks. In 2018, we installed the HAAS Alert System in all our first out vehicles. This state-of-the-art mobile alert system was able to send out 98,802 public awareness notifications of fire equipment in the area between April 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018, thus ensuring the 4,761 runs made in that timeframe were well communicated. We replaced all the shoring equipment on the technical rescue trailer and repurposed two SUV’s for winter weather operations. In 2019, we will be constructing a new storage building at the Fire Training Center and remodeling the current building to accommodate a larger classroom. I would also like to thank Local Fire Union #472 for making a $2,500.00 donation to help support an after school program at Murdock School. The Lafayette Police Department continues to focus on important public safety initiatives. I am happy to report we are making significant progress in the areas of addiction and mental health issues, as well as improving safety and reducing crime. Just a little over three years ago, we announced plans to increase the number of Officers in the Drug Task Force, Street Crimes Unit, activate a take home vehicle program, improve NextDoor and social media engagement, add staffing to our Community Outreach Division and Dispatch, as well as hire an additional Inspector in the Engineer’s Office. At this time, I would like to give you an update on the initiatives: We have 33 Officers now with take home vehicles that live inside the City limits. The Drug Task Force worked 84 narcotics investigations and assisted the F.B.I. in arresting multiple fugitives in Tippecanoe County. The Drug Task Force was also involved in three large investigations with the D.E.A. In total, the Drug Task Force worked on investigations involving 37 different federal, state and local agencies. They were involved in 78 arrests and played a role in cases that spanned the United States, Mexico and China. The Street Crimes Unit continued its mission of focusing on high priority targets who pose the most immediate danger to our community. Many of the arrests were of violent felons, drug dealers and subjects who were high priority fugitives from justice. The Street Crimes Unit made major accomplishments in this area in 2018, which increased public safety. The Tippecanoe County Highway Interdiction Team is currently comprised of two LPD Officers (Brainard and Chapman) and one West Lafayette Officer (Dunscomb) with a K9 partner (Bak). The team works anywhere in the county where police suspect trafficking activity, but primarily along Interstate 65 and highways through the county. They also spend time working the hotels along the interstate and checking storage units (dog sniffs/search warrants) within the county. There are ten other teams across the state, but the Tippecanoe County team was the frontrunner in activity and arrests. One of the most important aspects in creating a safe city is having an engaged community and Lafayette’s citizens have responded. Through the efforts of our Community Outreach and Crime Prevention Division, citizen engagement is at an all-time high and the L.P.D. relationship with the community is a very strong one. As a community, we created the Opioid and Mental Health Task Force. United Way took the lead in bringing all the necessary organizations to the table. I would like to say a special thank you to Michael Budd, CEO of United Way, for his leadership on the addiction and mental health issue. Community connection is vital to public safety. In 2018, the Lafayette Police Department’s Community Outreach and Crime Prevention Division conducted 419 total public talks. This number includes presentations to schools, churches, businesses, neighborhood watch programs, and site safety assessments for local business partners. We conducted two Citizens Academies and one Junior Police Academy. The Community Outreach Division has made a conscious effort to increase our connection with the citizens of the community via social media platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram. LPD’s monthly podcast continues to grow as we enter our third year and serves as a conduit for citizens to view the Department from a different perspective. A new event launched in 2018, the LPD Foot Pursuit 5Kfundraiser, and was a huge success with over 420 participants, raising $11,000 for the Heartford House. Through the extended “Fear the Beard” United Way fundraiser, the Lafayette Police Department raised over $1,000 in the name of Tyler Trent for cancer research. In 2018 the Lafayette Police Department partnered with the Aviators for National Night Out, and invited all neighboring law enforcement agencies to participate. Our engagement on Nextdoor consists of 13,360 households within the 107 designated neighborhoods in the City of Lafayette, representing 29% of all households. We know without a doubt that the initiatives are working because crime stats are down once again in 2018. Lafayette is not only a safe community, it is a community that understands the value of a multi- layer approach to crime prevention. In fact, the Part I UCR crimes that are reported to the FBI are lower than any time in the last 12 years, going back to 2007. As you know, robberies were one of our primary concerns – the 62 robberies in 2018 are 6 less than we had in 2007, and are nearly cut in half of the high number of 110 in 2016. These numbers represent a tremendous accomplishment for the entire community and a testament to our hardworking, committed and dedicated Law Enforcement Officers. As we know, our work continues and we must be relentless in our pursuit of keeping our community safe and ensuring justice to our citizens. For this reason, additional operational improvements have already begun. In 2018, the organizational structure of the Police Department increased from three to four divisions. The Divisions are Patrol, Investigations, Administrative Services and Operations. The newly formed Operations Division consists of a Captain, two Lieutenants and four Sergeants. The Operations Lieutenant oversees the Traffic Unit Sergeant and the Operations Sergeant. The Drug Task Force Lieutenant manages the Narcotics and Street Crimes Sergeants. The Highway Interdiction Team and Crime Analysts are within the structure of the Operations Division. In addition, what I believe is a critical step for L.P.D. is the creation of the Analysis and Response Center (ARC). The center falls within the newly created Special Operations Division. They are tasked with identifying crime trends, prolific offenders and locations of criminal activity. The ARC will become the hub of department data and intelligence, directing precise and specific operations. They will work to identify complex problems affecting the community and aid in formulating effective, impactful solutions. The ARC will be a driver for efficient and focused resource allocation, leveraging data analysis and increasing awareness. The aim of this center is to respond to criminal activity with increasing efficiency and accuracy. I would also like to recognize Chief Pat Flannelly, who in the past two years has worked with a group called Fight Crime: Invest in Kids working to get reauthorization for funding for this organization. It is incredibly important, because this group works to invest in strategies that reduce the likelihood of children getting involved in crime in the first place. Over the last two years that the Chief worked with this group, he testified before a United States House of Representative Sub- Committee, a full U.S. House Committee and a United States Senate Sub- Committee. He played a significant role in helping secure the reauthorization of the JJDPA (Juvenile Justice Delinquency Protection Act), which supports funding for many important programs. I want to thank the City Council for believing in our initiatives and appropriating the funds necessary to keep our community safe. It has proved to be a wise investment. Utilities I would also like to take a moment to update you on our two utilities. First Renew and then Water. The City of Lafayette is approaching the half-way point of the Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan. This 20-year plan has already significantly improved the environment. Projects completed by the City have prevented over two billion gallons of combined sewage from entering the Wabash River. While this work is federally mandated, the City is working to seek multifaceted community benefits from each required project. Projects in this plan include: The Pearl River CSO Storage Tunnel Project. This tunnel was a first for a city of our size. This tunnel alone has reduced the volume of combined sewage from entering the river by over one billion gallons. The Earl Avenue project separated over 900 acres of combined sewers and incorporated an award winning innovative stormwater educational park at Jefferson High School. The separation of the combined sewer system in this area keeps over 100 million gallons of stormwater from entering the wastewater treatment plant, saving on energy and maintenance costs. The Brown Street Combined Sewer project was completed in 2018. This project included over 4,500 linear feet of 72-inch gravity sewer installed on Brown Street from 3rd Street to Erie Street. This project also included green infrastructure in the form of permeable pavers and rain gardens along Brown Street. The Greenbush CSO tank is a 4.2 million gallon underground storage tank that will keep over 200 million gallons of sewage from entering the Wabash River each year. The tank is roughly the size of a NFL football field, 40 feet deep, made up of nearly 9,000 cubic yards of concrete, and over 750 tons of reinforcing steel. The tank is held in the ground by over 800 concrete auger cast piles which, when added together, would equal six miles in length. The project team developed a plan to keep all of the excavated soil on the project site saving approximately one million dollars. The City of Lafayette has been granted preliminary approval of a wastewater plant capacity increase by IDEM. The approval raises the daily plant capacity and it also increases the wet weather peak capacity. With minimal capital investment, the City will increase treatment capacity by 27% at the wastewater treatment plant. This will allow for continued economic growth throughout the City. 2018 Awards include: Water Environment Federation (WEF) Utility of the Future Today. One of only 32 utilities nationally recognized in 2018 for transforming from a traditional wastewater treatment system, through innovation and technology, to a resource recovery center and leader in the overall sustainability and resilience of the communities they serve. With roughly 15,000 wastewater utilities in the United States, this award places Lafayette in elite company. Indiana Association for Floodplain Stormwater Management (INAFSM) Outstanding Stormwater Project for Brown Street Combined Sewer and Permeable Paver Project. This Project was also highlighted in three national and statewide trade magazines and was presented as a case study at a number of state and national conferences. In our Water Department, a five year 25 million dollar capital improvement plan is underway. This five year plan includes a new booster station at Murdock Park, a new two million gallon water tower on CR 430S near the Wea Ridge Schools, and several water main replacement projects throughout the city. The new booster station at Murdock Park will be a six million gallon a day facility with a three million gallon underground tank. This station, along with the booster station at Columbian Park, will provide water to the south end of the system and provide redundancy to meet water demand for many years into the future. A new water tower just west of the Wea Ridge Schools on CR 430S, will have a two million gallon tank. As development continues to the south and east, this tower, combined with our existing water towers, will meet the needs for water pressure and fire protection for many years to come. Once this water tower is on-line and the Murdock Park Booster Station is up and running, our water system will have a total combined storage capacity of 15 million gallons, or approximately 1-1/2 to 2 day’s usage. This is unprecedented in the water industry. Another aspect of our five year plan includes several water main replacement projects that will address the problem of aging infrastructure. Economic and Community Development As one of the fastest growing areas in Indiana, we continue to be an economic engine for the entire state. 2018 was another strong year for new investment and job creation in businesses of all types and sizes. The unemployment rate in Greater Lafayette is around 3% and the current labor force for Tippecanoe County is slightly over 98,000, an all-time historical high. Currently, Toyota Tusho, a Subaru supplier, is building a new 350,000 square foot facility and Kirby Risk just announced a new 100,000 square foot addition to their facility. Both projects will create additional jobs. Our collaboration and infrastructure improvements, along with quality of life initiatives, have not gone unnoticed on a national level. In 2018, the Lafayette Metro area was ranked second in the nation for Best Places for Business and Careers by Forbes Magazine for small metros. What people may not realize is Greater Lafayette has been ranked in the top ten 5 years in a row. In the interest of time, I am going to list some projects that were completed and what will get started in 2019: The $35,782,126.00 Sagamore Parkway project was completed. The Marq, a twenty-five million dollar mixed use development and Regional Headquarters of Old National Bank, with 99 apartments, was opened downtown. In the former Journal and Courier buildings, The Press Apartments opened downtown. Construction started on the downtown Brownstone Project on South 4th Street. Construction started on the 12 million dollar Star City Crossing development by City Hall. Completed 2 million dollars worth of renovations to the Long Center. Matchbox, our co-working studio, now has 275 members representing 150 businesses. Grand opening of the 15 million dollar North End Community Center. Grand opening of the new 25 million dollar YMCA – Intersection Connection Complex. Opening of the Residence Inn. Two new water slides are under construction at Tropicanoe Cove, which will be ready for the 2019 season.Completed new pickleball courts. In 2019 you will see: Construction will begin on our new Penguin Exhibit and the project to revitalize the Columbian Park Lagoon and Memorial Island. Construction will begin on the Loeb baseball stadium and event venue. We will begin construction on a new segment of Park East Blvd. and will begin the design for the final segment. Twykenham Blvd design and property acquisition will be completed for construction in 2020. In 2019, we will construct the next phase of Streetscape on 3rd and Columbia by the County Office building, and will begin the plan and design for the final phases of Streetscape to be built in the coming years. We will do another phase of the public art project Wabash Walls. We are currently working with three developers for potential downtown projects. The City of Lafayette is a financial partner in the New Engagement Center, which will open in 2019. The construction of North Street phase II will begin. Construction will begin on the new seven story Drury Inn. Opening of Crosser Girls Softball Complex. Conclusion: Lafayette is well positioned for the future. Our community has everything necessary to compete in a global economy, without sacrificing hometown values. We have the right mix of financial stability, economic strength, first-rate education, forward thinking infrastructure planning and a dynamic workforce. Our world class citizens believe in hard work and collaboration; always moving themselves and our community forward. Everyone plays a role in making Lafayette a great place to live, work, play and invest. May God continue to bless our community and may we all do our part to make 2019 a happy, healthy and prosperous year for all our citizens. No reports of Council. Public Comment: Councilman Downing moved to adjourn, Councilman Reynolds seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 7:40 PM. Minutes prepared by Cindy Murray, City Clerk Complete audio of meeting available in the City Clerk’s office or at www.lafayette.in.gov