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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 6, 2024 Council Minutes COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA November 6,2024 Regular Meeting Minutes The Common Council of the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana met for the Regular Meeting on November 6, 2024. Council President White along with City Clerk Gill called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.The meeting was open to the public in person as well as live streamed via the City Website using Zoom. INVOCATION: Councilperson Burns led the invocation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: ROLL CALL: The roll call was conducted by City Clerk Lisa Gill and present in Council Chambers were Councilperson Burns, Councilperson Semones,Councilperson Anderson,Councilperson Reed,Council President White, and Councilperson Snelling. Let the record reflect that 6 Council Members were present in Council Chambers. Councilperson Stoner contacted Council President White and let him know he was running a few minutes late. Councilperson Webb and Council Vice President Hawkins were absent from the proceedings. Heaven Williams,Council Youth Advisor was present for the proceedings. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve the Minutes for Regular Proceedings on October 21, 2024,seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed, 6-0. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Councilperson Burns made a motion approve the agenda as presented,seconded by Councilperson Anderson; motion passed,6-0.Anderson CLAIMS TO APPROVE: Civil City$3,682,793.62 Controller Metcalf stated there were no changes. Councilperson Anderson made a motion approve the Civil City Claims,seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 6-0. Parks$87,506.20 Controller Metcalf stated there were no changes. Councilperson Burns made a motion approve the Parks Claims, seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 6-0. REPORT OF THE CLERK: Nothing tonight. REPORT OF THE YOUTH ADVISOR: Miss Williams thanked to everyone who sent their questions for the survey. This survey will go out to Jeff High students and she will be sending out the survey results soon based on the Council's division such as parks will go to Councilperson Stoner, arts will go to Councilperson Reed and Councilperson Semones, etc. Miss Williams said she is also looking into parks options such as a disability park. If anyone on the Council agrees to that please let her know. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Chad Reischl 2024-OR-62 Text Amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance(UDO)to Add Article 8.10(Short-Term Rentals) Shane Shaughnessy was present to answer any questions and stated there were no changes. Councilperson Semones made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-62 on the third and final reading,seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 5-1 with Councilperson Burns voting no. Councilperson Stoner arrived to the proceedings at 6:06 PM. 2. Amy Semones 2024-OR-63 Ordinance Authorizing the Establishment of a Tree Board Councilperson Semones made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-63 on the third and final reading,seconded by Councilperson Reed; Councilperson Snelling asked how big the community is for the board members as he has someone who is interested but they live in Utica (Bob Hill). Councilperson Semones advised the way the ordinance was written states the Mayor will appoint members as well as the City Council. Once the board is established they will then write their own bylaw and organizational documents to determine the rest of their membership. Council President White ended discussion and the motion passed, 7-0. 3. Heather Metcalf 2024-OR-65 Ordinance of Transfer of Funds Within the Same Department Mrs. Metcalf stated there were no changes from the last meeting. Councilperson Burns made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-65 on the second and third reading,seconded by Councilperson Anderson; motion passed, 7-0. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Public Comment: No Public Comment 2. Donna Reed/Ashley Braswell Assistant Director of Clark County Youth Shelter Request for Sponsorship for their Holiday Celebrity Waiter Dinner Councilperson Reed introduced Assistant Director Ashley Braswell;this event is their key event that support the Youth Shelter. Ashley Braswell with the Clark County Youth Shelter advised this event has grown over the last couple of years and is going into its 21st year. The shelter has been in existence in our area for 38 years. This event has different levels of sponsorship and she would love to have a table of the Council Present. Councilperson Reed said they have the funds in their Riverboat 2235 Special Projects line and she would support the sponsorship being paid from there;Councilperson Burns, Councilperson Anderson,Councilperson Stoner and Councilperson Snelling all agreed they would be in support of sponsoring at the$1000 level. Councilperson Burns made a motion approve the sponsorship in the amount of$1000,seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed, 7-0. 3. Shane Shaughnessy(PUBLIC HEARING) 2024-OR-66 Rezoning Request Change for Property Located at 301 W.Court Avenue from CH (Commercial-Highway)to Proposed CD(Commercial-Downtown) Shane Shaughnessy from the Planning and Zoning Department advised this is for the former Hardee's site on Court Avenue. In August the Planning Commission instructed the Planning and Zoning Department to move forward with the rezoning to move it from CH (Commercial Highway)to CD (Commercial Downtown)to be more in line with what is surrounding the location. Council President White asked if the Department had been in contact with Mr.Sprigler. Mr. Shaughnessy said they had spoken with Mr.Sprigler after the initial meeting,there is not definitive purchase plan that they have been made aware of by him. As far as they know he does not own the property as of yet. Their recommendation is to get the zoning in place to make sure that the proper zoning is in place and a noxious use like a car was just can't go in there. Councilperson Reed said she felt it was in the best interest to pass this. Councilperson Semones said she was also in support of this and Council President White agreed he was in support of the rezone. Council President White opened the Public Hearing at 6:19 and as no members of the community came forward to speak for or against the matter the Public Hearing was closed at 6:20. Councilperson Semones made a motion approve 2024-OR-66 seconded by Councilperson Burns; motion passed, 7-0. 4. Shane Shaughnessy 2024-OR-67 Text Changes to the UDO(Unified Development Ordinance) Minor Adjustments&Clarifications to the UDO Mr.Shaughnessy went over the changes for the UDO(See attached presentation). After Council discussion it was decided to move forward passing on the first reading due to concerns around the addition regarding Food Trucks. Multiple Council expressed an interest in speaking with local Food Truck owners to see how this change would impact their business. Councilperson Semones made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-67 on the first reading, seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed, 7-0. 5. Evan Stoner Request for$50,000 Allocation for Catalyst Rescue Mission Councilperson Stoner said this has been discussed all year,the money is already designated for Catalyst and they just need to do the allocation. Councilperson Stoner introduced Meredith Rodriguez from Catalyst. Councilperson Semones asked Ms. Rodriguez to give the Council a brief summary of what the program would do with the$50,000. Ms. Rodriguez advised more than likely it would go to basic operating costs and some fixes that have been put off for the year. They need to expand the water line. This would also help with program cost such as getting people where they need to be, paying for state issued IDs and birth certificates. Councilperson Reed asked if in the future the Council would be open to allocating these funds to multiple organizations and it was agreed that they could look into that. Councilperson Stoner commended Ms. Rodriguez on the work Catalyst is doing and noted that he would like to see these funds earmarked for case management. Councilperson Stoner made a motion approve the$50,000 allocation for Catalyst Rescue Mission, seconded by Councilperson Semones; motion passed,7-0. 6. Heather Metcalf 2024-OR-68 Ordinance of Additional Appropriation Mrs. Metcalf advised this was like a transfer but because it is in different department it has to be treated like an additional appropriation and a reduction. The telephone account for this year was budgeted more. The request is to reduce that line and do an additional appropriation for the HSA line which is needed due to new hires and the postage which is used by everyone in the building. Councilperson Burns made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-68 on the first and second reading, seconded by Councilperson Stoner; motion passed,7-0. 7. Heather Metcalf 2024-OR-69 Ordinance of Additional Appropriation Mrs. Metcalf advised this was appropriating cash already in the funds. The Building Demolition Fund is the fund that they use for weed liens and liens on properties. Parks should say Park Activity Fund and is a reimbursement from insurance. Councilperson Semones made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-69 on the first and second reading,seconded by Councilperson Burns; motion passed, 7-0. 8. Heather Metcalf 2024-OR-70 Ordinance of Transfer of Funds Within the Same Department Mrs. Metcalf advised this was from the Building Commissions Department and is just an end of year transfer to get funds in the correct category for payment. Councilperson Burns made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-70 on the first and second reading, seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed,7-0. 9. Heather Metcalf 2024-OR-71 Ordinance Establishing a Non-Reverting Fund for Tax Disbursements Received from the Utica Township Fire Protection District City Controller Heather Metcalf advised this was to establish the fund so they can deposit the monies in agreeance with the Interlocal Agreement from 2024-R-13. They need a place to put the money when they get the money. Councilperson Snelling made a motion approve Ordinance 2024-OR-71 on the first and second reading,seconded by Councilperson Stoner; Council President White asked if they could just earmark those funds in the General Fund. Mrs. Metcalf stated no,they need to be separate and appropriated by the Council. Council President White asked why they couldn't be earmarked. Mrs. Metcalf said she would think they would want to be in a non-reverting fund so the money would stay in that fund because it will be tax dollars. Councilperson Reed asked Mrs. Metcalf if this would make her job easier and Mrs. Metcalf confirmed it would. Council Attorney Larry Wilder said another point to make is they are getting tax dollars that are being sent to them from another entity that would've received them solely for the specific purpose of using them for fire protection. Council President White said to be clear he fully supports nonreverting funds. With a motion and a second the Council voted; motion passed, 9-0. 10. Amy Semones Formation of Search and Screen Committee Regarding Position of City Council Attorney Councilperson Semones said at the beginning of the year she was clear that she thinks there needed to be a transparent process where the Council was able to solicit applicants and interview them and make a recommendation to the Council for that position (Council Attorney). In the Council packet 2000-R-4 shows where the standards were established for the City Council Attorney. She also provided for the packet a call for submissions that has a deadline of December 2 with interviews to be conducted on December 11 so the search committee can make a recommendation to the full Council prior to the end of the year. Councilperson Semones said she has asked Council Attorney Wilder to give them information on how this call could be published. Councilperson Semones has requested the Clerk to receive the applications and she is asking now for the formation of a committee. Councilperson Stoner said he would like to be on the committee as well. He agrees that this needs to be a transparent process and he is excited to see they are doing it this way. Councilperson Reed said this does not take away from the job Mr. Wilder has done for them this year, it just gives all candidates an opportunity to shine. Councilperson Semones said she would like for this to be a bipartisan committee and Councilperson Burns said he would serve on the committee. Councilperson Reed said she would create a rubric for the process. After discussion it was noted that the time frame for the interviews would be from 12:00—8:00 pm and held by zoom and discussed whether the interviews would be open; Mr. Wilder said he would look into if the committee meetings had to be open to the public and Councilperson Reed said she would like to have the interviews open in order to promote transparency. Council President White said he discussed with Councilperson Semones the creation of the committee and he thought he had already done that; if it had already been created he is dissolving that committee and creating a new committee for the accepting of applications for the position of City Council Attorney and appointing Councilperson Stoner,Councilperson Burns,Councilperson Reed,and Councilperson Semones. Council President White said he would also like to appoint Youth Advisor Williams to that committee as well if she would like and Miss. Williams said she would. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Negotiating Committee—Councilperson Semones said they met with the Fire Union last week and were able to finalize terms that they will be able to bring before the full Council for approval on the Collective Bargaining. They are still trying to arrange a meeting with the Police Union. Once they have met with the Police Union they can set up an Executive Session to discuss with full Council. ATTORNEY COMMENTS: Larry Wilder—No comment Les Merkley—Not present DEPARTMENT HEADS: COUNCIL COMMENTS: • Councilperson Burns—Councilperson Burns asked if Claysburg rebranded. Council President White said the Claysburg Towers are now called The Miranda after their renovation. • Councilperson Semones—Councilperson Semones said with the return of Daylight Savings some of us may be feeling overwhelmed with by the darkness. While it is true we are living in a dark time she wants to remind everyone that eventually the light will return and until it does we each need to nurture and tend to our own inner light and be that light for others. • Councilperson Anderson—No comment • Councilperson Reed—Councilperson Reed thanked the Parks Department for bringing their soccer goals back to East Lawn,she loves to see the community out there playing;community is the connection of people and that warms her heart. Councilperson Reed commended everyone who came out to vote. They had a 53%voter turnout and that shows her the community cares. • Councilperson Webb—Not present • Council Vice President Hawkins—Not present • Councilperson Snelling—No comment • Councilperson Stoner—Councilperson Stoner said he appreciates everyone who put their name on the ballot and who want to make a difference in the community. There are a lot of different ways to make a difference other than just being in elected office. He thinks no matter who is President they have to respect the office and have to support the person that's in there and cheer them on and cheer their success. So to everybody who was elected yesterday he will continue to wish them the best and cheer for their leadership. Councilperson Stoner asked Clerk Gill to put the Fire Turnout Gear on the agenda for the next Council Meeting. He will be reaching out to Administration regarding that, he does not want to wait. • Council President White—Council President White said he added something to the agenda that wasn't in accordance to their new rules and he wanted to make sure it was okay with the rest of the Council. When he added the Report of the Youth Advisor it was not outlined in their rules. Council President White asked if the Council wanted to move that item to another location in the agenda or if it needed to be added each meeting. Councilperson Reed said she would like to leave it up to the Youth Advisor. Councilperson Semones said she thinks it is a good addition and was something that she should have added when drafting the ordinance. Councilperson Stoner asked if they could amend the rules and Councilperson Semones said she agreed that would be appropriate. ADJOURNMENT: Councilperson Burns made the motion to ADJOURN the meeting at 7:27 p.m. DISCLAIMER: These minutes are a summary of actions taken at the Jeffersonville City Council meetings. The full video archive of the meeting is available for viewing at www.cityofjeff.net for as long as this media is supported. APPROVED BY: RAA-, 1 icilkkA . . :.)..-- A,,t-i Dustin White, Council President ATTEST: Lisa Gill,Clerk ... ., ;:s� �' .yc. :�1. . ,r+ '."2' °' .f hart• FF: ,* h. .`� ,C' g ".,.o :a1 Y•,.F .,:k .s�, ��.r h..�; -Y,:f.' 1 ':cxr _ i �,Z, .} .... e ...,,... ,...5 4..'�„� ?:'�'§ "L... r�_.,, ,ice,F' r ,� e; r _ +,.ra,. .,t��rc' Annual Update - Keep the document up to date - Remain flexible as new trends arise - Address minor issues and clarifications Changes and fixes - Short-term rentals added to Article 3 use tables and use matrix - Buffer standards for waterways (Article 6 & 7) - Mural signage in NoCo (Article 7) - Co-location standards for transient merchants (Article 8) - Zoning violation standards (Article 10) -Minor clarifications and errata Questions .