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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 2, 2026 Council Minutes COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA March 2, 2026 Regular Meeting Minutes The Common Council of the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana met for the Regular Meeting on March 2, 2026. Council President Reed 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 President Burns PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: ROLL CALL: The roll call was conducted by City Clerk Lisa Gill and present in Council Chambers were Council Vice President Burns Councilperson Semones, Councilperson Anderson , Council President Reed, Councilperson Webb, Councilperson Hawkins, Councilperson Snelling, Councilperson Stoner, and Councilperson White was absent. Let the record reflect that 8 Council Members were present in Council Chambers and 1 absent. Daniel Walters, Council Youth Advisor was absent for the proceedings. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Councilperson Stoner made a motion to approve the Minutes for Regular Proceedings on 2/17/2026, seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 8-0. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Councilperson Stoner; motion passed, 8-0. CLAIMS TO APPROVE: Civil City$ 2,047,476.01 Councilperson Anderson made a motion to approve the Civil City Claims, seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 8-0. Parks$ 62,979.45 Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the Parks Claims, seconded by Councilperson Stoner; motion passed, 8-0. REPORT OF THE CLERK: None REPORT OF THE YOUTH ADVISOR: None UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Heather Metcalf (PUBLIC HEARING) 2026-OR-5 Ordinance of Additional Appropriation President Reed introduced the first agenda item under unfinished business, noting that there would also be a public hearing. Heather Metcalf was not present at the meeting, City Clerk Lisa Gill addressed the council in her place and informed them that there had been no changes since the last meeting. President Reed opened the public hearing at 6:04 PM, for anyone to speak for or against 2026-OR-5, no one stepped forward to speak. President Reed proceeded with closing the public hearing at 6:04 PM. Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve Ordinance 2026-OR-5 on the 3rd and final reading, seconded by Councilperson Semones; motion passed, 8-0. NEW BUSINESS: PUBLIC COMMENTS: None 1. Kerby Conner(Public Hearing) 2026-OR-6 Ordinance for Vacate of an Unimproved Grandview Drive, a Public Way in the City of Jeffersonville President Reed introduced the next agenda item along with Kerby Conner. Ms. Conner: "Thank you and good evening. I'm Kerby Connor, I am the counsel on behalf of the joint petitioners. As our petition states, this is for a partial vacation of a right of way known as Grandview Drive. It's an unimproved plat and has remained that way for over 70 years since it was originally platted. The adjoining property owners are moving to have it returned to them in part, a split between petitioners and consenting neighboring property. Another portion would go just to petitioners because it was never a part of the plat that was granted to the consenting party on their side, that's laid out in our parcels. All adjoining parties are either petitioners or have admitted their consent. We did go before the Board of Public Works, who gave us their favorable opinion as well." President Reed: "Wonderful, I believe this is a one and done." Council Attorney Larry Wilder: "So in order for the ordinance, it has to be read alike. But since you've had your public hearing, you had a favorable recommendation, I'm going to ask you to consent." President Reed: "Ok, you're saying that we've already done our public hearing because of Board of Public Works?" Mr. Wilder: "That's correct." City Clerk Lisa Gill: "We still need a public hearing tonight." President Reed: "Ok, it sounds like you think we need a public hearing." Mrs. Gill: "That was advertised." Mr. Wilder: "We need the public hearing, afterwards I would ask you to consider, if you want to identify suspending the rules and voting on all three readings." President Reed proceeded with opening the public hearing at 6:07 PM for anyone to speak for or against 2026-OR-6, no one stepped forward to speak. President Reed closed the public hearing at 6:07 PM. Council Vice President Burns made a motion to suspend the rules for Ordinance 2026-OR-6 to be passed on all 3 readings, seconded by Councilperson Hawkins; motion failed, 7-1. Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve Ordinance 2026-OR-6 on the 1st and 2nd reading, seconded by Council Vice President Burns; motion passed, 8-0. 2. Heather Metcalf 2026-OR-7 Ordinance of Additional Appropriation President Reed introduced the next agenda item and asked City Clerk Lisa Gill if she had anything to add. Mrs. Gill: "This was 2026-OR-3, the DLGF changed the way that you have to do additional appropriations now. So everything wasn't entered into Gateway within the time limit. So it has to totally be redone and given a new number. So it will be given number 7 tonight and it passed on all three readings before and there has been no changes." President Reed: "Ok wonderful. Do we have any concerns on this one or do we want to discuss it at all? Sounds like it was just an issue with new rules coming out." Mrs. Gill: "Yeah, this is just housekeeping." Councilperson Semones: "And this one passed on three readings previously?" Mrs. Gill: "Yep, the mayor signed it and everything was fine. It just wasn't reported into Gateway in time." Councilperson Semones made a motion to suspend the rules for Ordinance 2026-OR-7 to be passed on all 3 readings, seconded by Council Vice President Burns; motion passed, 8-0. Councilperson Semones made a motion to approve Ordinance 2026-OR-7 on all 3 readings, seconded by Council Vice President Burns; motion passed, 8-0. 3. Heather Metcalf 2026-OR-8 Ordinance of Additional Appropriation President Reed introduced the next agenda item then gave the floor to Mrs. Gill. Mrs. Gill: "This is when you all were talking about BAYA. You didn't know if you wanted to do the restricted or the unrestricted. She has both, I think you all wanted to appropriate all of the cash out of both, and that's what that is doing. I'm not quite sure what the professional services was for parks." Vice President Burns: "That's reimbursement from FEMA to pay for the work down to Fisherman's Wharf. It was done a year ago; we were waiting on payment." Councilperson Snelling: "Does anybody know how much that was? How much money was transferred out?" Vice President Burns: "To which?" Councilperson Snelling: "The restricted that we were talking about right?" Vice President Burns: "This is the entire amount." President Reed: "Appropriating all of it, it doesn't mean it has to be used. I think they were just doing it because we have to have public announcements and things with this. They wanted to go ahead and get all that stuff together in case we did want to utilize it." Councilperson Stoner made a motion to approve Ordinance 2026-OR-8 on the 15t and 2nd reading, seconded by Council Vice President Burns; motion passed, 8-0. President Reed: "Along with that, I didn't realize that we may need to make a motion for the BAYA funding to come out of the unrestricted at eh $1,500 level, because we couldn't do it last time. If anybody is comfortable with making that motion now I would be open to that motion." Councilperson Stoner: "We don't have to wait until it's fully appropriated do we?" President Reed: "We just couldn't have a motion on the unappropriated funds at the last meeting." Councilperson Semones: "And now they've been appropriated." Vice President Burns: "They've been two-thirds of the way appropriated." Councilperson Semones: "Oh, we have to do one more?Oh ok, so we're not done." Councilperson Stoner: "The previous ordinance on number seven, there was also a restricted item." President Reed: "And that was for Drug Facts Week from quite a while ago. Is anybody comfortable with making the motion for the BAYA, the $1,500 that we discussed last time out of the unrestricted?" Mrs. Gill: "I just need to know where to pay the claim at when this is all done." Councilperson Stoner made a motion to approve payment of$1,500 out of the Opioid Unrestricted Funding for BAYA, seconded by Councilperson Snelling; motion passed, 7-0-1; Councilperson Anderson voted to abstain. 4. Heather Metcalf 2025 Gateway Annual Report, Encumbrances,Top 20 Salaries,and Vendor List President Reed introduced the last agenda item; Heather Metcalf's 2025 Gateway Annual Report, encumbrances, top 20 salaries, and vendor list, and that the council was simply seeking a motion to accept the report into the record. Councilperson Stoner: "I know that we got this via email. Does anyone want to potentially push this off until a meeting where Heather can be here in case we have any questions before we accept, or are you all comfortable accepting without having an official presentation?" City Clerk Lisa Gill: "You can table it." President Reed: "I think I'm fine." Councilperson Hawkins: "She can always give the presentation, because if we're just accepting it. Councilperson Stoner: "That's true, that's fair." Councilperson Snelling: "There's only one question I had on this.There's$139,000, I don't have it open right now, but Utica Fire Territory Board or whatever it was, but it was for$139,000 I believe. I had a question from a constituent that wanted to know where that came from.That was in the last of 2024 where we did an inter-local agreement with Utica before we started the fire territory process to cover their area for$39,160, but that's what that was for. So that's the only question I had, but I can go on and pass it." President Reed: "Are we comfortable with accepting it into the record without the presentation and asking for the presentation later or would we rather wait until we have the presentation? I'm open either way." Councilperson Semones: "I'm good to go." Vice President Burns: "I don't recall her ever doing a presentation. Does she do one?" Councilperson Hawkins: "She just answers questions." Councilperson Stoner: "I'm comfortable with that." Council Vice President Burns made a motion to approve the 2025 Gateway Annual Report, Encumbrances,Top 20 Salaries, and Vendor List, seconded by Councilperson Webb; motion passed, 8-0. COMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMENTS: President Reed: "I know you guys had a committee meeting today. Do you want to talk about anything that was discussed, or do you consider that a committee meeting?" Councilperson Stoner: "I just felt really good about the meeting. I appreciate everybody's time. It's always good when you can sit down and have that good faith dialogue." President Reed: "Do you want to tell them what the committee was?" Councilperson Stoner: ""Yeah, it was regarding the animal control ordinance. So we were able to get a little bit of a deeper insight. We met with Kristy Ashcraft, along with the City Clerk, Lisa Gill, as she was very involved with the original writing of that ordinance in 2016. So we were able to get some additional questions answered and we can release something out to the whole council." President Reed: "Wonderful." Councilperson Anderson: "The same, I just appreciate everyone that was there and the dialogue that we had." Councilperson Snelling: "Yeah, it was good." President Reed: "Wonderful. I appreciate you guys so much for taking that seriously and really digging into that." ATTORNEY COMMENTS: Larry Wilder— No Comment Les Merkley— Not Present DEPARTMENT HEADS: None COUNCIL COMMENTS: • Councilperson White—Absent • Council Vice President Burns— No comment • Councilperson Semones— No comment • Councilperson Anderson—No comment • Council President Reed— "Wonderful. I have a couple of things, but I will not keep you too long. America Place did reach out to us. I think we are all familiar with their gallery building, a really beautiful space. Evidently, they have a space in Jeffersonville off of Plank Road that has a bunch of local companies that are local resident-owned. They have invited us out to tour if we want to learn more about that area. It will be on March 27th from 11:00 to 1:00. They are going to give us a golf cart tour. If you would like to attend that, I will forward the email out to everybody and you can let me know so they know how many people to expect. Also, the Center for Lay Ministries reached out. You may remember we gave them a $5,000 gift to help with some needs they were having. They are having their annual gala, and they have included that sponsorship within the gift we already gave them. We have a table of eight on May 12th at 8:00 AM at 300 Spring Street. If you would like to attend, I will forward that email and let me know if you are going to be there so we can make sure our table is filled. Lastly, I know we have gotten a lot of community feedback on the opioid restricted funding. I have talked with several of our council members. We are going to form a committee, a very small committee of community members who are active in that space, to look at that funding, the restricted only, and collaborate and bring us a plan that will build capacity with our opioid and recovery community and encompass all of the people involved, instead of people coming to us one at a time and asking us for funding. We asked them to bring us a plan by May, and they should receive invitations within the next week for that. It will be a very small committee, about five or six people. We are hoping to build something that will utilize those funds and grow them within our community. I would love to have a couple of members of our council on that committee to serve as liaisons and walk them through some of that. I know Mr. Stoner has volunteered. Is there anybody else who would like to be on that? I know we are on a lot of committees, so no pressure, but if someone would like to be on that, feel free to speak now or call me afterward." Councilperson Stoner: "Can I mention one thing, Madam President? With that, and if it has not been circulated, I am sure Madam President will send that out. There is a document that outlines the way communities should start that conversation with the restricted funds. It is very thorough and focuses on engagement with our communities and bringing them in, so they already have a blueprint for how that works. That is what we will follow with that committee." President Reed: "Awesome, I think this will give us something where we do not have people coming at us one at a time. They will work together. They will create a plan for that funding, hopefully, and then we will vote on whether we accept that plan or need to work on it. If you have any questions or concerns about that, please let me know. I am excited about the direction that goes in. Again, that is just the restricted funding, not the unrestricted. Any questions on that? We can have more conversations later. With that, that is really all I have." • Councilperson Webb— No comment • Councilperson Hawkins— No comment • Councilperson Snelling—No comment • Councilperson Stoner—"Well, I fully expected to come to this council meeting today and actually apologize because I had stated that I was going to be bringing a potential funding request via email to all the council members. I spoke about it briefly at our last council meeting, and then I forgot to add it to the agenda. But coincidentally, Dominic Whipple from the Domino Effect was not feeling well today. She was under the weather, so she was not going to be able to make it. So I will send that email, Madam Clerk, to you to get her added for Monday, March 16th. I would like to thank Council President Reed, we attended a graduation down at the courthouse, the second cohort of the Domino Effect program, and the respect that they have for her and the work that she has been able to do is really incredible. So if you get a chance to interface with any of our judges or our Work staff and can ask them about the impact that program is making, please do so. Along those lines, I also wanted to thank Judge Reger, Judge Jacobs, and Judge Karaffa for their support of the Domino Effect program. They are going to be circulating a letter that they will present to the council as well in support of that funding request on March 16th. I appreciate them. Other than that, hoping that we get some better weather soon." ADJOURNMENT: Council President Reed made the motion to ADJOURN the meeting at 06:22 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: , --.,_ kJt/c/ Donna R , Counc resident EST Lisa Gill, Clerk