HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 20, 2025 Council Minutes COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA
October 20, 2025
Regular Meeting Minutes
The Common Council of the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana met for the Regular Meeting on October 20,
2025. Council President Stoner along with City Clerk Gill called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.The
meeting was open to the public in person as well as live streamed via the City Website using Zoom.
INVOCATION:
Led by Vice Council President Burns
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
ROLL CALL:
The roll call was conducted by City Clerk Lisa Gill and present in Council Chambers were Councilperson
White, Council Vice President Burns, Councilperson Semones, Councilperson Anderson, Council
President Stoner, Councilperson Reed, Councilperson Webb, Councilperson Hawkins, and Councilperson
White arrived at 05:01. Let the record reflect that 9 Council Members were present in Council
Chambers.
Daniel Walters, Council Youth Advisor was present for the proceedings.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Council Vice President
Burns; motion passed, 9-0.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the Minutes for Special Proceedings on
9/23/2025, seconded by Councilperson Semones; motion passed, 9-0.
Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve the Minutes for Special Proceedings on 10/6/2025,
seconded by Council Vice President Burns; motion passed, 9-0.
Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve the Minutes for Regular Proceedings on 10/6/2025,
seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed, 9-0.
CLAIMS TO APPROVE:
Civil City$ 1,726,339.08
Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve the Civil City Claims, seconded by Council Vice
President Burns; motion passed, 9-0.
Parks$ 79,851.25
Heather Metcalf, City Controller, stated there was one change on the first page — a credit for$19.17
that needed to be removed. She noted that this brings the new total to $79,851.25.
Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the Parks Claims, seconded by Councilperson
4 Semones; motion passed, 8-0.
REPORT OF THE CLERK:
City Clerk Lisa Gill reminded everyone that with the adoption and approval of the budget that evening,
that it is marked for where Evan signs, and each council member would sign in their designated area.
She also reminded members to mark how they voted — aye, nay, or abstain — noting that this
information is required for the state.
REPORT OF THE YOUTH ADVISOR:
See attachment
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
1. Kim Calabro 2025-OR-43 Ordinance Fixing the Salaries of Appointed Officers and Employees
for all Departments of the City of Jeffersonville
There were no changes and no questions from the Council.
Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the Ordinance 2025-OR-43 on the 3rd
and final reading, seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed, 9-0.
2. Chad Reischl 2025-OR-44 Ordinance Establishing an Non-Reverting Fund for the Jeffersonville
Tree Board
There were no changes and no questions from the Council.
Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve the Ordinance 2025-OR-44 on the 3rd and
final reading, seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 9-0.
3. Heather Metcalf 2025-OR-45 (Budget Adoption) Ordinance for Appropriations and Tax Rates
Heather Metcalf, the City's controller stated she had no changes from the previous meeting.
Councilperson Hawkins: "So, apologies for not being here last time, I was on the other side of
the earth and wasn't available to come to the meeting. I did have some things that I shared with
President Stoner leading up to this. I just want to say it out loud that, from listening to the
meeting, it sounds like the budget is going to pass and everything is ready to go. However, in our
council budget, I thought this was an opportunity for us to cut a lot of what we spend as a City
Council. Not that we spend it, but we do appropriate. I had several things I wanted to address,
but it looks like this is going to pass without those changes. For example, in the City Council part
of our budget that's on page 5 (see attachment) we have contractual services that are
overfunded, legal services that are overfunded, and I believe special projects are also
overfunded. I'm not even sure what we spend money on for promotion, and I certainly don't
think we should be getting money for meals. We haven't spent those things, and it's not that we
haven't been good stewards of money, but I don't know why those items continue to be
appropriated. I thought this would have been a good opportunity to remove them.
Furthermore, on page 13 (see attachment) of the budget, legal services again appear very over
budget. These are things we can always do through additional appropriations, but I don't see a
reason for them to be in the budget to begin with. When we look at line items like JNLA, Main
Street, and Southern Indiana, I don't feel any of those line items should be in our budget. I'm
not against giving them money — don't misunderstand me. If they come and ask for it, like
Southern Indiana Landmark, they do good work, and we get value for that. But with all the
changes and refocusing on things with the given legislative environment, I thought this would
have been the ideal time to remove those from the budget. When they're part of our budget, it
naturally become part of their budget. If they can't survive without us giving them money, then
perhaps they shouldn't survive, that's not our role. Our job is to lend a helping hand when
needed, not to provide continuous revenue that keeps them operating. I wanted to say that on
the record because I wasn't here. Mr. Stoner was kind enough to ask what I wanted him to say
about it, but I told him these are my arguments and I should be the one to say them. He did
bring it up, and I appreciate that and the conversation we had. This is no small amount of
money. By my estimate, a lot of this would have been handled through additional
appropriations, but I'm talking about nearly$100,000 that I would have cut from the city council
side of the budget. We've asked other departments to pare down and be good stewards, and I
thought this would have been a good opportunity for that. I understand the budget is already
put together and we're at the end of the process, but my absence didn't do this cause any good
service. I just wanted to get that on the record what I proposed and the direction I thought we
should go."
Councilperson Reed stated that Mrs. Semones had also pointed out some of the same issues,
particularly within the City Council budget, where there were areas that could be cut or re-
appropriated. She noted that there was unified support for some of those reductions but
acknowledged that it was late in the process this time. She added that there was still room for
further investigation into those areas. Councilperson Hawkins noted that just because money is
appropriated in the budget doesn't mean it has to be spent. He added that if the council was
ever going to remove certain items from the budget, this would have been the time to do so. He
acknowledged the process and the current stage of the budget but wanted to make his position
part of the record. Councilperson Snelling stated that the council should inform organizations if
there is a possibility of budget cuts. He explained that they wouldn't want to "pull the rug out
from under them", as many may have already planned or spent the funds. He compared it to a
nonprofit relying on yearly funding—sudden changes could cause struggles. He emphasized the
need to make them aware if such situations arise. Councilperson Reed suggested forming a
subcommittee this year to review some of the council's automatic appropriations. She
recommended examining whether the funds are still needed, having detailed conversations, and
involving the organizations to discuss what the funds mean for them. She concluded that it
would be a great idea.
Councilperson Webb: "Heather, can we put those in? Like if a department has financial issues,
we can put it in fire or parks?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "You can reduce your budget at any time. It's the same process as doing additional
appropriations. It would be the same process of doing a reduction to the budget. So if you have
a committee that decides you want to make changes in these different ways, then we can come
in and do a reduction in the budget that would reduce the total budget of the general fund or
whichever funds you're looking at, and then free up that money to potentially be appropriated
by another department."
Councilperson Reed: "Is that something anybody else on the council would have interest in—
looking over our automatic appropriations and making sure that they're in line with priorities in
our city?"
Council President Stoner: "I would be in support of that because I did speak with Councilperson
Hawkins, and I think that he brings up a good point that we're, what we're essentially saying is
that these organizations are now relying year after year that that money is always going to be
there. And, with our current financial situation of Senate Bill One and the financial challenges
that we have ahead, it might be worth going ahead and starting some of those conversations.
I'm not sold either way, but I think that Councilman Hawkins brings up a good point with that. It
might be something that we need to take a look at."
Councilperson Reed: "I'd certainly like to see if our council budget is spent every year or if we
utilize that somewhere else. I'm sure there are business cards and name plates and things that
we just don't think of that have to be purchased."
Mrs. Metcalf: "If I could suggest to have all of that finalized by the end of June, because then we
get into the budget season and all those budget numbers are based off of a June 30 date.
Everything can be kind of figured out before then, it would be best."
Councilperson Reed: "Well, we may not make any changes, but I do think it's always important
to look at things and understand exactly what's going, especially if anybody on the council has
questions or concerns."
Councilperson White "It'd be good to get people in here because that hasn't happened.Then it
refreshes people on what they do and why we funded them in the past.Then we can make
decisions as to whether or not to continue that. So, it's a good idea."
Mrs. Metcalf: "It would also be nice for those entities, if you decided not to fund them, to know
by June."
Council President Stoner: "Does anyone have any historical context around what those were
used for in the city council funds? I feel like I've said in the past—I know last year—that I
thought the city council should take a little more of a role in promoting what's going on in the
city. I know that, obviously, with the situations we're in now, that's probably not going to
happen. But does anybody know what that was even used for in the past?"
Councilperson Webb: "There were lunches bought for the budget meetings. But I would have to
refer to Lisa because she has the most experience."
Mrs. Gill: "Is he talking about promotion or are you talking about business meals? Promotions
was for like, you remember when they opened up the cancer center across from the hospital?
They came in and needed money, and the promotion was used if something was getting support
of the council and the city seal was displayed on something that really promoted the city. That's
what that was geared for. It's really more the mayor that does the promotion of the cities,
unless somebody's coming in. Business meals was for when we went line by line. I remember we
did circuit breakers the first couple of times. We had long meetings on that, but other than that,
we don't."
Councilperson Hawkins: "I do recall when we'd have an executive session and then a meeting,
they would provide food in between. To me, I don't feel like taxpayers should pay for that. So I'd
be a part of that as well. Donna, if you want. If we need three, and if nobody else wants to do it,
I would do it."
Councilperson Reed: "Anybody else want to take part in that?Of course, it would all come back
to the general council."
Council President Stoner: "I would be happy to be involved."
Mrs. Gill: "I think one of the past promotions was when they helped with Jeff High wrestling."
Councilperson Reed: "Can we have more than three on that, how about four? I think Dustin, if
you are free, I'd like to have you on that also. I know that you have some good connections with
some of the funding."
Council President Stoner: "Okay, so that would be Hawkins, Reed, myself, and Mr. White.
Councilperson White: "And I'm sorry. Yes, some of that stuff that you had mentioned, like Main
Street where does that come out of?"
Councilperson Hawkins: "It's on page 13. That's out of LIT. And again, I want to reiterate for the
purpose of making sure everyone is clear on what I'm saying: I'm not saying don't give them
money. I'm saying that it shouldn't be a necessary function of our budget to appropriate that
money to them. I love what Main Street does. In fact, I called Mr. Ellis and said, 'Hey, this is what
I'm thinking about doing. I don't want you to get scared. I'll still vote for your appropriation if it
comes around.' He understood and even said we probably need to come in more often and
explain how the money is being spent. I just want to make clear that I'm not against these
appropriations; I just don't like committing to them in a way that makes the entity dependent
on that funding.That can create problems if we need to withdraw it, as Jackie pointed out. So
that's all I was doing, now we have a committee, and now we can pass the budget."
Councilperson White: "Mr. President,just with respect to the budget, I've made some
comments at the last meeting and I wanted to reiterate those comments. I feel like the proposal
does not do enough to prepare for, with respect to our general fund, what's to come in the
future with respect to Senate Bill or Senate Enrolled Act One. I was looking for some deeper cuts
in our general fund, which I did not see. We have had now an 18-year desire to put an additional
fire company in the eastern portion of the city.This budget does not accomplish that. That was a
driver in convincing folks to rescind the fire territory, which would have provided the additional
company in the East end and that was said and done, and voted on. We had an inter-local
agreement with Utica Fire Protection District, but folks were convinced to rescind that with the
assurance that we could still accomplish that goal.That goal is not accomplished in this budget.
Solely based on that, I will not be supporting this budget, I'll be voting against it.There was a lot
of work put in that would have allowed us to accomplish that long-sought-after goal. Even with
the tax cap, we would have been able to accomplish that. The assurances that were given have
not come to fruition. The $1.7 million one-time gift from River Ridge is doing nothing but plug a
hole in the budget that is there because deeper cuts were not made in this budget proposal.
That $1.7 million should have been to increase the services to some extent that were presented
4 last year by both police and fire to River Ridge to provide additional coverage that is sorely
needed in the eastern part of the city. That part of the city has grown exponentially, and our
services have remained stagnant. The police department and the fire department last year put a
lot of work into developing budgets. We shot high—$4.5 million budgets for each department.
Presentations were given knowing that it wouldn't be funded at that level, but the goal was if
we service the area to the standards that we expect, how much would that cost? What would
that look like?Those are the presentations that were given because you can have a goal of
somewhere you want to go and incrementally get there. This $1.7 million would have helped us
along that way. Also, I'm disappointed that we only got $1.7 million because earlier this year
that was offered and the mayor publicly in the newspaper said that was not enough. It was like
putting a Band-Aid on something, I forget exactly what his quote was, but then that's what he
settled for. Not only that, but then voluntarily gave up the traffic control measures that were
well received by folks in River Ridge, that was another$400,000 that was voluntarily given up.
So there was not a success there. We know that we could have done better, I know we could
have done better.There are two other councilpersons here who have some meetings and know
we could have done better. I hope that the future bears a better number than what we're
seeing now. We would have been guaranteed an amount with the fire territory to provide that
fire service that is desperately needed. We would have freed up $2 million in the general fund,
which would have tremendously helped the city absorb the effects of Senate Enrolled Act 1. I
just wanted to wait to see what the administration was going to do when it supported
rescinding the fire territory and it fell short and that is very unfortunate. With all that said,
again, I will be voting against this budget because it doesn't accomplish the goals the city needs,
that's all I have."
Council President Stoner: "I also have some discussion. So first and foremost, I would like to
again thank the Jeffersonville Mayor's office, Controller Heather Metcalf, the incredible team in
the finance department, assistant director Yvonne Dowd, Lynne Mayfield, Heather Pennington,
Hope Northam, Alana Sparkman, and Lois Missi. I appreciate your dedication, both seen and
unseen, in preparing and crafting the city's budget and ensuring that it meets all of our state
requirements. I know that it can be difficult at times. I just appreciate your hard work on that.
I also want to thank the Clerk's office, Clerk Lisa Gill and Deputy Clerk Linsey Risner. They've
been very helpful to me personally, and I think it's safe to say to others as well. I don't want to
speak for anyone, but I think they've been very helpful. Lisa, I appreciate all that you do to keep
us informed, sifting through historical information, scanning, sending, and printing documents,
and of course your diligence in preparing the minutes of our meetings, which I know must be a
lengthy process and probably not entertaining at all. Right, Linsey?Shifting through those
minutes. During this year's budget process, I had stated multiple times that it was difficult for
me to find much waste in our budget. If every dollar that we allocated were spent, I believe it
would go towards a worthy cause, one that makes our city safer, stronger, and more
prosperous. So let's take a look at some of the critical items that our 2026 budget funds. Our
2026 budget funds the salaries, healthcare, and benefits of our police officers and their families.
Our 2026 budget funds the salaries, healthcare, and benefits for our firefighters and their
families. Our 2026 budget funds the salaries, healthcare, and benefits for our civilian workforce
and their families. Our 2026 budget funds a 2% pay increase for our dedicated department
heads who are available 24/7, 365 days a year to keep our community and our city running
smoothly. Our 2026 budget funds our law department to ensure the city has adequate legal
counsel. Our 2026 budget funds contributions toward health savings accounts for our civilian
and union workforce to help offset the cost of healthcare and related expenses. Our 2026
budget funds equipment and supplies needed to meet not only the daily demands of city
business, but maintain our city vehicle fleet and keep it working in safe order. Our 2026 budget
funds our street department, our parks department, our sanitation department, arguably some
of the most vital components of city government to ensure residents and visitors can travel
safely through our neighborhoods, and that our neighborhoods remain clean and pest-free.
Even with all the new companies moving into River Ridge and here in Jeffersonville, there is no
mistaking the positive impact that our city workforce has on Jeffersonville's economy. Now, I
think it's been very clear that there are things that are not in this budget that I, of course, wish
were in this budget. If you saw me come into this role last year, you know that I had my sights
set very high. I probably have a list about this high of things that I would like to see. Right?
Splash Pad in Claysburg, a new salt barn in North Jeff, fixes and upgrades to some of our city
infrastructure in our city buildings. One of the saddest things I think that we're losing out on is
Steamboat Nights. I was down there with my mom and my little sister, she's 17, and she actually
goes to school in Louisville, they live in Louisville. We get down to Big Four Station, and my sister
meets like five of her friends down at Big Four Station in Jeffersonville. It just made me smile
that she and her friends came over and could find a joy and a fun, safe environment to hang out
in here in Jeffersonville. I told my mom, we don't know if Steamboat Nights is going be here next
year and my mom was actually upset about it, she was sad, and she said, this is really good for
the community. This is something that people really look forward to. Even when I was down at
Steamboat Nights and talking to the people at the Howard Steamboat Museum and some
people from the city, they were talking about how even in the past when Steamboat Nights was
at risk, the city came together and found a way to make it happen. I would be part of that
conversation if there's a way that the city, people in the city, and other organizations would like
to band together and make Steamboat Nights happen. I'm all for that conversation. Secondly, I
know there was a conversation I had with multiple city officials about the dredging at Duffy's
Landing. I know that's been brought up multiple times by some of our residents. That was a risk
of destroying private property and could potentially lead to lawsuits. We're fixing the dredging,
and I'd like to thank Paul Northam for his leadership in that. We're fixing the dredging, so that'll
be done in 2026. While I know that we're not all getting what we want from this budget, and
even myself with the learning curve of understanding just how the budget process works, and
doing my best to work alongside the administration and to see where we can improve, I know
that it's going be more challenging now because of Senate Bill One, but I feel confident that
there are people that want to have those conversations that are proactive and that can lead to
something better, even though it's uncertain."
Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the Ordinance 2025-OR-45, seconded
by Councilperson Reed; City Clerk Lisa Gill conducted a roll call vote:
Councilperson White: No
Council Vice President Burns: Yes
Councilperson Semones: Yes
Councilperson Anderson: Yes
Council President Stoner: Yes
Councilperson Reed: Yes
Councilperson Webb: Yes
Councilperson Hawkins: Yes
Councilperson Snelling: No
Motion passed, 7-2; Councilperson White and Councilperson Snelling voted against.
4. Heather Metcalf 2025-OR-46 (PUBLIC HEARING) Ordinance of Additional Appropriation
Heather Metcalf stated she had no changes from the last meeting but noted that Larry Wallace,
the City's Building Commissioner was present to answer questions the council may have.
Council President Stoner: "I would like to thank Mr. Wallace. Vice President Burns and I had a
chance to meet with Mr. Wallace — should I say Commissioner Wallace — here at City Hall and
to go over some of the ways that your office is helping to preserve this building. So the floor is
yours, sir."
Mr. Wallace: "Thank you, the $100,000 I was asking for is actually because we have $71,535 in
bills coming due, but$42,512 of that was allocated five or six months ago. We had trouble
getting the units in when we had trouble with Perfections supplying the right unit, so I held their
money up. In the meantime, we had a lot of pumps go out — very expensive pumps — and a lot
of cooling tower work that we had to do, so that's where a lot of the money went. Right now,
we're up to $71,535. We asked for the $100,000 just in case, because we still have the rest of
the year to go in case something else, God forbid, breaks down. We've replaced so much stuff
this year in this building, it's not even funny. Hopefully next year is going to be a much better
year."
Councilperson Semones: "Do you have any actual needs for the additional $29,000 at this
time?"
Mr. Wallace: "Not at this moment, because we don't know, we still have the rest of the year to
go. Boilers could break down, cooling towers could break down — we just don't know."
Mrs. Metcalf: "This is just so you all are aware — this is being appropriated in the Cumulative
Improvement Fund for the Building Authority, and that's what that money is for: repairing the
building."
Councilperson White: "What's the balance of the reserve in that fund?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "I think it's $150,000, it's below$200,000."
Mr. Wallace: "Yeah, and then whatever we don't use of that hundred, it goes right back into the
fund, correct?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "Yes."
Councilperson White: "Back into which fund?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "The Cumulative Improvement Fund, it get's$70,000 put into it each year."
City Attorney Les Merkley: "Yeah. Pursuant to the actual lease agreement between the City and
the Building Authority, what the lease is — I call it a rainy day fund as well — but it's for major
repairs. A certain amount of money has to go in, and it has to maintain a certain level of funding.
If it dips below, then money is put in there. If it doesn't dip below, it stays the same every year,
for major repairs, the money's there to do it."
Council Vice President Burns: "Fortunately, we've been here what 20 years now, Mr. Wallace?"
Mr. Wallace: "Yeah, 19, we're down to the last three units going in, two of them going in this
I
weekend. We'll be glad to get all the units in, we'll have 23 new units in the building."
Council Vice President Burns: "Yeah, unfortunately, we're at 19-20 years old when things are
aging and probably past their useful life, so we've stretched it."
Council President Stoner: "So, Mr. Wallace, have there been times when you've had to come in
late at night for building repairs?"
Mr. Wallace: "Oh yeah."
Council President Stoner: "What about your staff? Have any of them had to come in on
weekends or nights for building repairs?"
Mr. Wallace: "No."
Council President Stoner: "So it's mainly just you?When we met, you talked about this specific
fund, and in a way, it says a lot about your financial management—managing it well and actually
saving. You've built up this fund in case repairs are needed, right?"
Mr. Wallace: "This is the first year that we've really had to get this far into this money, we
usually have quite a bit left."
Mrs. Metcalf: "This is the second additional appropriation for repairs this year, yeah."
Council President Stoner: "And I know you mentioned this, but just for clarification, it is a new
appropriation, but it is his funds and his department."
Mrs. Metcalf: "It is a special revenue dedicated fund, specifically for this, specifically for
improvements."
Council President Stoner: "And we do this$100,000—whatever's left over—goes right back into
that fund?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "Yes."
Councilperson White: "This money that we're appropriating, this money is from the Cumulative
Cap?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "Cumulative Improvement Fund for the building, yeah. It's called the Jeff Building
Authority, capital improvement fund."
Mr. Merkley: "It's a fund simply under building, it's not the other cumulative cap fund."
Councilperson White: "Right and the money that is in the reserves are built up in this fund are
from the lease?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "Yes."
Councilperson White: "Okay. We do the lease, then what's left over stays in that fund?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "Yes."
Councilperson White: "And the money for the lease comes from the general fund?"
Mrs. Metcalf: "Yes."
Council Vice President Burns: "It's been 19 years, are the bonds about paid off then?"
Mr. Merkley: "No, no bonds."
Council President Stoner opened the public hearing for anyone to speak for or against 2025-OR-
46 at 06:38 PM, which there was no one to speak for or against, so Council President Stoner
closed the public hearing at 06:39 PM.
Council President Stoner made a motion to approve the Ordinance 2025-OR-46 on the 2nd and
3'd reading, seconded by Councilperson Webb; motion passed, 9-0.
5. Heather Metcalf 2025-OR-47 Ordinance Transferring Certain Funds Within the Same
Department.
Heather Metcalf stated she had no changes from the last meeting and there were no questions
from the Council.
Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the Ordinance 2025-OR-47 on the 3'd
and final reading, seconded by Councilperson Reed; motion passed, 9-0.
6. Chad Reischl (PUBLIC HEARING) 2025-OR-48 Ordinance of Amendment to the Unified
Development Ordinance (UDO)for Article 10 Processes and Procedures
Chad Reischl, Planning and Zoning Director, explained that two weeks ago he presented a minor
update to Article 10 of the zoning code to the council.The amendment had been suggested by a
member of the public following some challenging cases earlier in the year. While the Plan
Commission had given a favorable recommendation, he noted that the council had provided
useful input during the last meeting. Since then, they had learned of potential litigation in the
case. After discussions with Les Merkley, the City's Attorney, he suggested it might be better to
deny the amendment upfront, with the possibility of revisiting the issue if problems persist. He
invited the council to ask any questions.
Mr. Merkley: "The reason you need to vote it down is because it received a favorable
recommendation, and we cannot withdraw it. If it just lingers out there by state law, it would
become law within 90 days of the favorable recommendation if no action is taken by the
council. So it needs to be voted down if the council so chooses."
Councilperson Semones: "I thought it appeared to be retaliatory and shortsighted, so I'm happy
to vote against it."
Council President Stoner: "I appreciate Mr. Reischl, your pro-activeness. I think maybe the
timing wasn't right, but this is something I would want to reconsider down the road. I think you
were in the right place, and I appreciate your hard work thank you."
Council Vice President Burns made a motion to remove Ordinance 2025-OR-48 from the table
and make it active, seconded by Council President Stoner; motion passed, 9-0.
Council President Stoner opened the public hearing for anyone to speak for or against 2025-OR-
48 at 6:44 PM, which there was no one there to speak for or against, Council President Stoner
closed the public hearing at 6:45 PM.
Council President Stoner made a motion to approve the Ordinance 2025-OR-48 on the 15t
reading, seconded by Councilperson Semones; Clerk Lisa Gill conducted a roll call vote:
Councilperson White: No
Council Vice President Burns: No
Councilperson Semones: No
Councilperson Anderson: No
Council President Stoner: No
Councilperson Reed: No
Councilperson Webb: No
Councilperson Hawkins: No
Councilperson Snelling: No
Motion failed, 0-9.
NEW BUSINESS:
None
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
None
ATTORNEY COMMENTS:
Larry Wilder— Not Present
Les Merkley- None
DEPARTMENT HEADS:
None
COUNCIL COMMENTS:
• Councilperson White—"Thank you. I request that the administration make a presentation
regarding the grant award from IEDC. I've received questions from constituents about this grant,
and I would like to be informed about what the grant is for, its purpose, and how it is intended
to assist in the development of Jeff Boat, and that's all I have."
• Council Vice President Burns— No Comment
• Councilperson Semones—No Comment
• Councilperson Anderson— No Comment
4
• Councilperson Reed—"I'd like to make sure everyone is invited to Schimpff's on Friday,
November 7th at 10:00 AM for a once-in-a-generation celebration. They'll be celebrating 35
years of leadership, honoring Schimpff's for being named the number one candy store, and
holding a passing-the-torch ceremony to the fifth generation of their family. Everyone is
encouraged to come out, enjoy some Red Hots, and be part of Jeffersonville's history. Also,
Terrace Park Place is hosting safe trick-or-treating this year, the barricades will be back this year
and we have wonderful people to watch those—please come enjoy the fun. Additionally, don't
miss Boo Fest and Fright Fest as part of this year's Halloween celebrations. Regarding the
committee to review funding, I'll send out an email later this week with a request for a list of
potential times, noting that virtual meetings may work better for some participants."
• Councilperson Webb— No Comment
• Councilperson Hawkins—"Thank you, everyone, for doing the biggest job we have as a council.
Thanks to everyone that Mr. Stoner mentioned earlier—it truly is a herculean task, and thanks
to the mayor. This budget isn't everything I would have wanted either, but that's the essence of
what this body does. We have to compromise on some things for what we hope is the greater
good. I share Mr. White's concern about our revenue outlook moving forward—it's scary—but
we have to deal with the cards we've been dealt and hope that the next legislative session is
productive. We can't base what we do now on what may or may not happen later. We just have
to play the cards we're dealt and trust that our representatives hear our concerns and take
action to improve the situation. Thanks again, everyone. This is one of the hardest budgets
we've had to handle in my time here, but overall, it does what a city should be doing. So, thank
you all."
• Councilperson Snelling—"I brought up a couple of things during this discussion a few weeks ago
about take-home cars. I've never heard anyone talk about it. Bill sent me a list of all the rules
that apply to take-home cars. I noticed in Section 11, Part A, it says no take-home cars are
allowed across state lines. Can anyone clarify that or talk to someone about it? Evan?"
Council President Stoner: "Have you set up a meeting with Michael O'Brien?
Councilperson Snelling: "No, didn't you make a list of questions Donna?"
Councilperson Reed: "We made a Google Doc of questions, but I don't know that many people
filled it out. I know Mrs. Semones did."
Council President Stoner: "Well let's see, we could set up a meeting with Mr. O'Brien, you and
him."
Councilperson Snelling: "Love it."
Councilperson White: "I don't think Mr. O'Brien keeps track of all the cars in different
department, right? I think that's one of the issues."
Councilperson Snelling: "I mean we're spending $1.2 million and somebody needs to look at it
and I'll set up a meeting by myself."
Council President Stoner: "Mr. Merkley, do you have anything on that?"
4 Council Vice President Burns: 'I thought the comment was made that the administration was
4
looking into that. Did I misunderstand that Mr. Merkley?
Councilperson Snelling: "Nobody's monitoring it I guess? It's a lot of money."
Council Vice President Burns: ""We had two, and one was repealed. So I'm not sure if 11A is in
effect."
Councilperson Snelling: "We're looking at taking$35,000 out of our budget, City Council budget.
I mean there's a whole lot of money on that budget, wherever it's coming from."
Mr. Merkley: "There was one adopted September 29, 2021."
Councilperson Snelling: "Right, that's the one councilman Burns sent us a couple of weeks ago,
it's all the way in the back Les, probably 3 pages from the back. I heard someone mention tolls
— that we're paying tolls, and some people are reimbursing them? Next year's going to be a lot
worse unless this is fixed at the state level. Would you agree with that, Councilman Hawkins?
But that's all I have"
• Council President Stoner—"I just want to say thank you to our Youth Advisor, Daniel Walters. At
the beginning of your term, I spoke with your father, and he said he wanted to make sure you
were active and not just sitting through meetings. I really appreciate your initiative in going out
and learning about different happenings in our community. Daniel visited the library and
interviewed the Executive Director, along with other community partners. I truly appreciate you
sharing what you learned with us. I'd also like to extend a big thank you to the Ann Disher
Memorial Foundation, the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, the Indiana Economic
Development Corporation,the Indiana Small Business Development Center, and of course, the
Jeffersonville City Council for helping bring a new entrepreneurial economic development tool
to our city. The Economic Abatement Fund — the $400,000 that was sitting untouched — now
has $30,000 allocated for a business incubator project. That project is now complete. I
encourage everyone to go take a look at it. I hope it allows people from all financial backgrounds
to create and carry out their business plans. Finally, I know this is a local platform, but I want to
use it to express my appreciation to President Donald Trump, who was elected in 2024 through
a free and fair election in both the Electoral College and the popular vote, for his efforts to
promote peace in the Middle East. It's been encouraging to see our nation's leadership work to
end longstanding global conflicts. While there are many things I may disagree with him on, I
want to give credit for what appear to be tireless efforts to promote peace abroad. Secondly, I'd
like to thank the Jeffersonville Police Department for their work over the weekend to ensure
everyone in our community could safely exercise their freedom of speech during a recent
protest."
S
Over the past decade, there have been many protests I have both agreed and disagreed with,
but I will always support the right to peacefully protest. I have always believed — and continue
to believe — that there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is right with
America. Let me offer a reminder, though, that destroying public property is illegal and is not
freedom of speech. I appreciate all those who contribute to our national discourse in a peaceful
way and who continue to seek common ground with those they may disagree with."
4 ADJOURNMENT:
a
Council President Stoner made the motion to ADJOURN the meeting at 6:55 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 B
v Clerk
Evan Stoner, Council President ATTEST: Gill,
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Webster said, "An entrepreneur is the one who
organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a
business or enterprise." If you have not seen the news,
the Jeffersonville Public library officially opened
applications for the new business incubator on October
16th. You may be asking yourself just what is a
business incubator? A business incubator is a program
that helps early-stage startups develop by providing
resources like office space, mentorship and networking
opportunities to accelerate their growth and success.
The library will have a 20 week course where people
make their own business, learn leadership skills, and
pitch their business Shark Tank style. Earlier this month,
I visited the Jeffersonville public library to see the new
entrepreneurship space. Mr Seckman, the library
director, toured me around and gave me the chance to
interview him. Mr Seckman said, "The mission of the
' library is to break down barriers to service and
success." He told me about the Jeffersonville City
Council, and how much help they contributed to the
project. He also told me about how this started with
sitting down for coffee with City Council President, Evan
Stoner. This business incubator can change lives and
shape future generations for the better. It can inspire
change and entrepreneurship in Jeffersonville for all
ages, especially the youth. It gives an experience that
will live on with you forever, and can build connections
that will thrive. This is why I encourage everyone of all
ages to apply for this course. Thank you