City Council

MINUTES OF THE LAFAYETTE COMMON COUNCIL FEBRUARY 7, 2022 REGULAR MEETING (https://www.youtube.com/user/CityofLafayetteIN/live The Common Council of the City of Lafayette, Indiana met in regular session Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:00 pm. President Brown called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was given to the flag of our Country. Present: Klinker, Nargi, Snyder, Hession Weiss, Ahlersmeyer, Weast-Williamson, Downing and Brown Absent: Reynolds City Clerk Cindy Murray and City Attorney Jacque Chosnek were present. Councilwoman Hession Weiss moved to approve the minutes of the January 10, 2022 council meeting, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. There were no Disposal of Claims, Petitions or Communications: The Clerk stated the following reports are available in the City Clerk’s Office: Fleet Maintenance Department Monthly-December Renew Department Monthly-December Water Works Department Monthly-December No Ordinances for Second Reading. Ordinances for First Reading: The Clerk read Ordinance 2022-01 (An Ordinance Reestablishing the Cumulative Capital Development Fund) by title only on first reading. Councilman Klinker moved for passage, Councilwoman Nargi seconded. Mayor Roswarski spoke regarding the Ordinance and the advantage to reestablishing the fund. Ordinance 2022-01 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first reading. Councilwoman Weast-Williamson moved to set a public hearing for Ordinance 2022-01 on Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6:01 pm, Councilman Snyder seconded. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. The Clerk read Ordinance 2022-02 (An Ordinance to Amend Ordinance 2021-54-An Ordinance Fixing the Salaries of the Sworn Protective Occupation and Law Enforcement (POLE) Members of the Police and Fire Departments for the Year 2022) by title only on first reading. Councilman Downing moved for passage, Councilwoman Weast-Williamson seconded. Jacque Chosnek, City Attorney spoke regarding the ordinance. Ordinance 2022-02 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first reading. The Clerk read Ordinance 2022-03 (An Ordinance to Amend Ordinance 2021-53-An Ordinance Fixing the Salaries of the Appointed Officers and Employees of the City of Lafayette, Indiana for the Year 2022. Excluding the Sworn Protective Occupation and Law Enforcement Members of the Police and Fire Departments) by title only on first reading. Councilwoman Nargi moved for passage, Councilman Klinker seconded. Mayor Roswarski noted this ordinance transfers legal services from contracted services to a position of full-time employment with the city. The Mayor also noted a change in classification change for a member of the custodial staff. Ordinance 2022- 03 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first reading. The Clerk read Ordinance 2022-05 (An Ordinance for Additional Appropriation of American Rescue Plan Grant Fund (Fund #1760)) by title only on first reading. Councilwoman Hession Weiss moved for passage, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Mayor Roswarski spoke regarding the process used to determine how the Grant Fund would be utilized. Steve Moore, Water Department Superintendent spoke regarding the projects that will be completed using the Grant Fund. Jeremy Diehl, Controller explained to council how the funds are being appropriated and tracked by his department. There will be a project account with very lengthy tracking and reports. Mr. Diehl noted the city will receive an additional grant appropriation of Eight Million Dollars later in the spring. Ordinance 2022-05 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first reading. Councilman Klinker moved to set a public hearing for Ordinance 2022-05 on Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6:02 pm, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. The Clerk read Ordinance 2022-06 (An Ordinance for Appropriation Reduction of General Fund (Fund #1010) and For Additional Appropriation of General Fund (Fund #1010)) by title only on first reading. Councilwoman Hession Weiss moved for passage, Councilwoman Weast- Williamson seconded. Jeremy Diehl, Controller explained to council this appropriation is necessary to provide funding for the newly created legal department. Ordinance 2022-06 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first reading. Councilman Klinker moved to set a public hearing for Ordinance 2022-06 on Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6:03 pm, Councilwoman Ahlersmeyer seconded. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Resolutions: The Clerk read Resolution 2022-02 (A Resolution Adopting A Community Investment Plan Detailing the Use of American Rescue Plan Act Funding) by title only on first and final reading. Councilman Downing moved for passage, Councilwoman Weast-Williamson seconded. Mayor Roswarski spoke regarding the resolution, which is to adopt the plan previously discussed in Ordinance 2022-05. Resolution 2022-02 passed 7-0 on a roll call vote on first and final reading. No Reports of Standing Committees. No Reports of Special Committees. Report by the Mayor: Mayor Roswarski presented the following State of The City Address: “Mr. President, members of the City Council, those in attendance and all the citizens of Lafayette. It is my honor to deliver to you my State of the City Address. I would like to begin by thanking all of our citizens. The strength of any community is its people. Our citizens are dedicated, committed, engaged and are the foundation of our wonderful City. I would like to say thank-you to the City Council members, who work diligently to better our community and represent your constituents, and all those who volunteer their time to serve on our many City boards and committees. A sincere thank-you to our Department Heads and Team Members who work every day to deliver outstanding City services. And especially to all the staff of the City of Lafayette who performed exemplary service during the recent snow emergency to clear our streets timely and efficiently, to keep our city moving. And a special heartfelt thank-you to Cindy Murray, our amazing Clerk. I could not do my job without her. Thank you, Cindy! As you are fully aware, one of the primary responsibilities of the City Council is to be the fiscal body and to ensure the wise use of our tax dollars. I am pleased to report that at the end of 2021, we are once again in a strong financial position. The current Rainy-Day Fund is $6,289,212.00. In 2004, the fund had $11,200.00 in it. Our cash operating balances have increased. We have developed investment and debt management policies that continue to work well. We have $6,227,412.00 in EDIT reserves, which brings our total in reserves to 12,516,624.00, which is 28.7% of the General Fund, and 17.8% of the Civil City budget. Our Utility Finances are in a strong position and our Tax Increment Financing Districts have positive favorable cash positions. I will now use a significant portion of my State of the City to talk about public safety, to demonstrate how safe our community is and to present an accurate and transparent accounting of crime statistics covering twenty years of data. I will present the information both orally and through the use of graphs. I feel the visual aids will be very helpful in putting the information into perspective. We will be discussing the Part I crimes that we report to the F.B.I. and are considered the most serious offenses. They are:  Homicide  Rape  Robbery  Aggravated Assault  Burglary  Larceny (theft)  Auto theft  Arson First and foremost, Part I crimes in Lafayette are down, not up – and they are down significantly. With the help of Analyst Micah Lupa, we went back to 2002 – that is twenty years of Part I crime data: And the fact is, in 2002 there were 3,400 Part I crimes and in 2021 there were 2,254 Part I crimes. That is a decrease of 33%. Let’s look into this a little deeper to show how these numbers moved over those years. Now I would like to look at the last five years since we announced our initiatives in 2016 and break down specific crimes by percentage of change. I would like to conclude my visual presentation that shows the trend in Part I crimes as compared to population growth. Some quick concluding thoughts:  Areas we are still working on and making progress is shootings. o FACT: Most of our shootings don’t result in death. The vast majority of our shootings involve people that are involved with illegal narcotics who know each other.  Homicides are again primarily people involved in illegal activity who know each other or domestic violent situations. o FACT: In 2002, there were five homicides. In 2021, there were six homicides, with a significant growth in population. FACT:  Crime is trending downward.  The total number of Part I crimes is lower in 2021 than it was in 2002.  2021 was the lowest number of robberies, burglaries and larceny in twenty years.  We continue to find new and innovative ways to fight crime. Our $55M Public Safety Center is on track for completion in early 2023 and will be a state-of-the-art facility with cutting edge technology leading us in the 21st century to further address and reduce criminal activity.  The new Center will not only feature the best environment for law enforcement personnel to do their work but will have a large public community room and outdoor public park as a community amenity and space for interaction among citizens and police personnel.  But it’s not just technology and brick and mortar, it’s about relationship building, community policing and working with all citizens for fair and equitable treatment, safety and a better quality of life.  The men and women of the Lafayette Police Department are doing a tremendous job. The City of Lafayette initiatives are working, but the reality is we need every citizen doing their part to keep this community safe. Be engaged, stay vigilant. We are stronger together. My administration and I are firmly committed to public safety and it is our number one priority. 2021 was an important year for finishing up significant projects. The beautiful new Loeb Stadium hosted its first baseball season and many other events. The response from the community was tremendous. The Columbian Park lagoon and Memorial Island was completed and it is amazing. The carousel building is complete awaiting the arrival of the new carousel this summer. The pedal boats are back and the train has been refurbished. Crosser Girls Softball Complex opened and had a wonderful first season. Overall, our Parks and Recreation are in great shape. And, we continue to focus on creating memorable experiences for people of all ages. Downtown is booming with nearly $100 million dollars of projects under construction with the S 8th Street development, Nova Tower, the Ellsworth and Luna Flats among others completed or under construction. Many new downtown businesses opened their doors this past year, further adding variety and diversity to our urban center. Our economy is strong and our businesses continue to invest in our community. Unemployment is at 1.5% for Lafayette – a tremendous turnaround from the recent pandemic high. Numerous groups and businesses are working on job training and workforce development across multiple platforms. Working with Tippecanoe County, West Lafayette, Greater Lafayette Commerce and Purdue University, we continue to pursue new business opportunities for capital investment and job creation. We continue strong investments in our road, water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure including a new public works campus to better serve Lafayette’s citizens so that we can react at the speed of business and be prepared for the future. In addition, our Utilities and Sanitation Departments operate at high efficiency, keeping our City running smoothly. I would also like to recognize the hardworking men and women of the Lafayette Fire Department who are always ready to serve and once again achieved an ISO rating of 2. In conclusion, our community is well positioned for the future. We have great citizens, great team members, a strong business community and committed local building trades and craftsmen. We also have a compassionate and generous community, that reaches out to help others. Our community provides endless opportunities to live, work and play. Because of all of these reasons, Greater Lafayette was selected as the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce Community of the Year for 2021. Again, thank you to everyone for all that you do, and may God continue to bless our community.” Miscellaneous or New Business: Mayor Roswarski presented a short video showcasing several events throughout the city in 2021. Reports by the Council: Councilman Klinker praised the employees involved in snow removal. during Winter Storm Landon. Councilwoman Hession Weiss commended the work of the employees of the City of Lafayette and Mayor Roswarski. Public Comment: Lloyd Wells, 3717 Rawlings Dr. Praised the city’s snow removal during the recent storm and the Police Department. Councilman Klinker move to adjourn. Councilwoman Hession Weiss seconded. Motion passed meeting adjourned at 7:04 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