Town Council

Rocky Ripple Town Council Meeting March 12, 2024 Rocky Ripple Town Board member, Randy Sanders, called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. Town board members Rachel Hunter, Randy Sanders and Megan Hulland were present. Julie Smith, clerk treasurer, Mike Kiefer, town marshal, were present. Sarah Guffey, legal counsel, was present via Zoom. Welcome Community! Town board member, Randy Sanders, welcomed and thanked those who were present at town hall as well as those who are joining us for tonight’s meeting via Zoom. Clerk Treasurer Reports Miscellaneous – Julie finished annual financial reports and TIF reports at the end of February. Rachel has been added to PayChex. Town will monitor electric bills in March to see if the higher costs are a mistake or if our rates have increased more than expected. We have asked Julie if she can contact AES and CEG about the higher bills for an explanation. Randy has asked Town Web to stop archiving emails on an ongoing basis but plans to ask them to close out Mandy’s old email this month. Minutes – February minutes were presented with two small changes. Rachel made a motion to accept the minutes with those changes, Megan seconded. All were in favor, motion unanimously passed. Treasurer Report for January 2024 – February financial statement indicated that AES and Citizens Energy expenses were unusually high for the month. Annual Town Web bill received. LRS and MVH income received. Ending bank balance for 2/29/2024 was $97,824.73. Megan motioned to accept the Treasurer’s report and Rachel seconded the motion. All were in favor, motion unanimously passed. Discussion of Chase transition next steps – Chase transition still underway. Megan, Randy and Julie met with Chase representative in late February; Julie will follow-up on next steps to have Mandy removed and Megan and Randy added to bank account. Old Business Rocky Ripple Flood Protection: DPW Updates, ILA – Randy and Rachel had individual meetings with DPW in mid-February and had a few additional updates to add to Megan’s updates from last month. Both met with Shannon Killion, DPW Stormwater Administrator and Brandon Herget, DPW Director. DPW is still waiting for FEMA accreditation of Indy North flood reduction project on or around March 20th. The town will have a better sense of timeline and next steps for final design – pending FEMA approval – once Indy North project is certified. The Board has been promised a 30 day cursory review window of this design and will work with DPW to share this design publicly. DPW confirmed that no bank stabilization is planned for nine homes outside of the floodwall project. Per the most recent design plans, a construction staging zone is planned near 49th and Riverview. It is estimated that inflation costs are up 21% since 2020. When it comes to internal drainage, DPW will be looking to FEMA to help guide specific remediation plans; some properties may have more of a traditional storm drain while other homes will benefit from a smaller solution. DPW will be assessing the cost vs. benefit ratio on a case-by-case basis. When asked for additional logistics about the Rocky Ripple flood reduction project, DPW clarified that one neighborhood bridge would likely be dedicated to construction traffic only and that the Board would need to work with DPW to establish construction hours, which tend to be between 6:00am and 6:00pm. DPW reaffirmed that they would not move forward with the project before all land was purchased and the Interlocal Agreement (ILA) was signed. CEG STEP Program Update – Citizens is working on restorations of property over the next few months; homeowners will be notified the day before or the day of when a representative of Citizens will be stopping by. Street sweeping will be conducted after all late sign-ups have been completed in April. Speeding Cars in Rocky Ripple/Related Safety Concerns – Will address in spring; plan to bring in to April town board meeting if Butler representative is present. INDOT ADA and Title 6 Compliance Plan – Megan re-forwarded her past research on this topic for the board to digest. Rachel to look at the formatting of the existing ordinances to make them more user friendly and easier to update in advance of the next board meeting. Town Manager/Marshal’s Report – Marshal Mike shared that a warrant arrest at the 5100 block of Riverview, a warrant arrest at the 500 block of 54th and a tree collision at the 4900 block of Riverview occurred this month. Marshal Mike submitted Community Crossings Grant (CCG) in January; grants are currently in the review stage and town is waiting for a response from CCG. Community Association Updates – Park grove update, others – Chili supper and February BINGO both successful. Additional BINGO gatherings are scheduled for 3/23 and 4/27. RRCA continues to think through ideas for the “sugar shack” area in Hohlt Park; goal is to begin planting in April. RRCA will bring a proposal to the April town board meeting for sign off. Weatherproof sign will be installed at the park. RRCA elections will take place in May; VP position is up for election. Easter egg hunt and cake walk planned for March 30 th. New Business Moving May and June meeting dates – Board agreed to move both May and June meetings due to councilor conflicts. May meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 7 th and June meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 4th. Megan will send an e-blast to notify residents of this change. Community Concerns No community concerns. Meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm. Respectfully submitted, Megan Hulland