The August Fishers City Council Meeting will be held at 7pm on Monday, August 21, 2023. I warmly encourage you to participate. All City Council meetings are held at Launch Fishers, 12175 Visionary Way. Launch Fishers is located in the tech park, just north of Super Target.
How to Observe and Participate in the City Council Meeting
- The meeting will be held in-person and will be open to in-person attendees.
- A video of the meeting will be broadcast live at http://tinyurl.com/CityOfFishers starting at 7pm onMonday so you can watch from home. This is the way to observe the meeting remotely.
- In-person attendees are welcomed to address the City Council during any Public Hearings during the meeting – and during Community Comment, which is held at the end of every meeting.
- Fishers residents are also welcomed to submit public comments electronically prior to the meeting. In order to submit a comment, you need to designate the date of the meeting that you want to comment on. Look at the public meeting calendar. Then, complete the online Public Comment Form. Select “City Council” and that will open a comment box for you to type in. Submit your comments by NOON on Monday, the day of the meeting. All comments submitted before the meeting will be presented to City Council members. These comments are not read aloud but become part of the official meeting minutes.
- Community Comment at the end of each City Council meeting is always open for your comment on any Fishers topic. This is an “open mic” opportunity for Fishers residents to address the City Council for up to three minutes each. The council members are not required to resolve or respond to your comments at that moment. Usually, pathways are identified for follow-up and additional dialogue.
- Meeting agendas and past meeting minutes can be found here, under City Council tab.
- Past meeting videos are supposed to be posted within 48 hours of the meeting. You can find the videos in the City of Fishers YouTube channel.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
The City Council Meeting agendas are available here, under the City Council header. Each agenda has items on it that appear in blue. These are links to open the supporting documents.
Here’s a rundown of this meeting’s agenda items and my interpretation of them.
4. CAD Interoperability. The statewide 911 board is conducting a feasibility study on potential ways that emergency dispatches can connect to the closest and most appropriate EMS resource to respond to each emergency.
5. Council Committee Reports.
Finance Committee Report. The Finance Committee is charged with advising the City Council on matters concerning the general financial operations of the City. The City Council is responsible for fiscal oversight and final approval of the municipal budget. Typically, the Finance Committee report is reflected in action items for the City Council that are reflected in the “Budget/Financial” part of the meeting agenda.
The Sept Finance Committee Report will include the annual budget review for 2024 budget. This review and budget approval is important because it sets the municipal tax rate for residents and determine the city’s budget priorities.
6. Department Reports.
Item a. The monthly Fishers Health Department Report is usually made available to residents every month about our city’s vaccine status, COVID community risk status, and other important public health info. The FHD 2022 Annual Report is available.
Item b. There is no Engineering Report for some reason.
Here are some important Engineering Dept reports from earlier this year:
Commercial Private Roadways Report is an update on private roads near SR37 and Barrett Law implementation.
SR 37
The State Road 37 Progress Report alerts residents about the status of the 141st St Roundabout plans. The date to rebid the 141st Roundabout has been set for Spring 2024 and the actual completion date is late 2024/spring 2025. Completing this interchange means converting the 141st St/SR 37 Right-In/Right-Out intersection that was constructed in January 2023 to a Roundabout.
Most recent State Road 37 article from The Indianapolis Star. Most recent update to residents from the City of Fishers.
7. Consent Agenda.
There are two items on the Consent Agenda.
Item a. is approval of last month’s City Council meeting minutes and minutes of the joint meeting with HSE Schools Board. Support for the HSE Schools referendum renewal was unanimous and bipartisan.
Item b. transfers funds. These actions transfer funds within the city budget, which is needed periodically. The transfers do not adjust the bottom line at all. This is a transfer of dollars from one budget category to another to avoid a negative balance in a category.
The Consent Agenda is a grouping of routine reports that should be approved in one swift action, instead of approving each one separately. I believe that all items included on the Consent Agenda should be approved as presented and approved unanimously. If not, the item that requires a revision, abstention, or other action needs to be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as a separate voting item.
REGULAR AGENDA
Budget/Financial
9. 2024 Budget. Mayor Fadness will provide an introduction to the 2024 Budget.
The first reading of the Mayor’s budget plan and open public comment on it will be at the September 21 City Council meeting.
Visit this webpage to learn more about the city budget.
Moving Funds.
The next three agenda items are requests from city staff to move money out of the city’s cash balance to pay for expenses. These expenses are not covered by the 2023 city budget. The City Council must approve moving $ around like this and the public must have a chance to give feedback on it during a Public Hearing.
10. Additional Court Perpetuation Funds. This item is to move $7,000 from the cash balance to pay for needed City Court supplies. PUBLIC HEARING
11. Additional Continuing Education Funds. This item is to move $35,000 from the cash balance to pay for needed Fishers Police Department equipment. PUBLIC HEARING
12. Additional Sewer Funds. This item is to move $150,000 from the cash balance to pay for needed Fishers Sewer Utility expenses. Most of this request is to pay for insurance for wastewater lift stations located in flood plains and some additional insurance expense for equipment. PUBLIC HEARING
A PUBLIC HEARING means that any resident is invited to comment on this topic. This is the only opportunity to make a comment and address the City Council on this specific matter. Fishers residents are welcomed to submit comments for the public hearing on this matter electronically prior to the meeting. All comments received by noon on Monday on the day of the meeting should be presented during this part of the meeting and will be part of the meeting’s official minutes. The Public Comment Form is live on the website right now.
If you do attend the City Council meeting in-person, you may comment on this matter during this part of the meeting. The City Council President will open the public hearing by asking if anyone would like to speak. If no one indicates that they want to speak, the public hearing can be closed quickly. So, please indicate immediately that you have something to say when the public hearing is opened. Otherwise, you may miss your chance.
Economic Development
13. OnPoint Innovation Park. An 100,000 sq ft office building on 8 acres in Fishers’ Life Sciences Park on 126th/Cumberland Road area. OnPoint is planning to invest $15 million and hiring 81 employees. In return, the City is giving the land, waive city fees and offering a property tax abatement. Year One- developer will pay 0 taxes. Year Two-developer will pay 20% taxes owed. Year Three-40%. Year Four-60% and Year Five-80%. Year Six is 100%.payment of taxes owed. OnPoint is affiliated with Meyer Najem, a Fishers construction company that does a lot of business with the City.
The Economic Development Agreement was approved in May that authorizes the tax abatement. In June, the Declaratory Resolution twas approved to establish the revitalization structure. Now, this is the final step – the Confirmatory Resolution – which includes a public hearing for public feedback. PUBLIC HEARING.
14. Pure Pharmacy. This is a women-owned business currently based in Carmel. Pure Pharmacy is a specialized compounding pharmaceutical company. The owner is a Fishers resident who has built this business recently and it is growing very quickly. They plan on building up a new team here to expand their compounding operations by leasing 21,000 SF in 6950 E 96th St at the Indy Metro Airport development owned by Patch Development. They plan to hire 50 new employees by December 2027 and invest $2,500,000 in new personal property. They will retain their space in Carmel, too. A 5-year, sliding personal property abatement is being proposed. Year One- the company will pay 0 taxes. Year Two-developer will pay 20% taxes owed. Year Three-40%. Year Four-60% and Year Five-80%. Year Six is 100%.payment of taxes owed. The estimated value of the abatement (total over 5 years) is $71,000. In June, the Economic Development Agreement was approved that authorizes the tax abatement. Also in June, the Declaratory Resolution was approved to establish the revitalization structure. Now, this is the final step – the Confirmatory Resolution – which includes a public hearing for public feedback. PUBLIC HEARING.
15. Andretti Autosports. Andretti Autosports announced in late August 2022 its intent to build and establish its $200 million global headquarters at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport’s undeveloped business park property. The headquarters will bring Andretti’s operations for all racing entities, research and development, and history museum to one campus location. The Project Agreement was approved in Sept 2022 by the City Council. This item approves issuance of bonds (not to exceed $26 million and bonds will be purchased by the developer) which are paid back solely from TIF revenues from the project. This item creates the Metropolitan Airport Allocation Area and allows for TIF capture of the area. Now, the City and Andretti now desire to amend the Project Agreement to increase the allowable interest rate on the Bonds, extend the Closing Date and specifically state that a qualified third-party may purchase the Bonds.
Government/Miscellaneous
16. Designation of a Professional Sports and Convention Development Area. During the 2023 legislative session Fishers was added to Senate Enrolled Act 362, allowing our community to capture up to $2M in sales and state income taxes on the new Event Center for Indy Fuel hockey team. This action establishes a Professional Sports and Convention Development Area, a special taxing district which allows the city to keep Indiana sales tax and state income tax within the PSCDA for the purposes of re-investing in amenities there. Otherwise, that $2M annually would go to the State.
The PSCDA is not defined by specific boundaries, but rather venues. The PSC Development Area is comprised of 15 hotels and the Event Center. The maximum amount of tax revenue captured in the PSCDA is $2M per year, and will be used by the City for constructing or equipping the Event Center.
The city’s annual debt payments on the Event Center is estimated to be $10.4M.
17. Non-Profit Grants. I serve on committee that facilitates applications, reviews applications and grants $250,000 to local non-profit organizations that serve our community. This year, 24 organizations applied for grants. It was determined that, in the future, Youth Mentoring Initiative, Youth Assistance Program and Conner Prairie should be funded outside of the competitive grant process since they have specific arrangements with the City.
The 2023 grant awardees and previous year’s awardees follow.
18. Softball Field Fee. This item is to approve $2000 rental fee for each of the three seasons of an adult softball league that is using one field at Holland Park. Mudsock Youth Athletics is no longer offereing adult softball, so another organization, CCA, will organize it.
19. Local Public Health Revenues Agreement. Health First Indiana is a new state program that offers Indiana counties a share of $225M of state funding for public health efforts. Over 60 counties have signed up to receive the funds so far. The City of Fishers Health Department is required to have a partnership agreement with Hamilton County Health Department in order to receive our share of the funds.
The goal of Health First Indiana is to ensure that every Hoosier has access to the core public health services that allow them to achieve their optimal health and well-being. Hamilton County is ranked #1 in the County Health Scorecard. This investment in local public health will focus on the 6 areas of focus:
- funding; governance, infrastructure and services
- emergency preparedness
- workforce
- data and information integration
- childhood and adolescent health
Planning & Zoning
20. Amend Sign Standards. This item is to amend the sign standards for The Link at Fishers District building – the Navient building at 11100 USA Parkway, a multi-tenant building now.
21. City Walk. This item removes the city right-of-way at E 121st Street and Circle Drive, east of Lantern Road within the Circle Heights subdivision. Wanas Group, LLC is in the process of developing a residential subdivision know as City Walk at Nickel Plate Trail (City Walk), generally located on the east side of Lantern Road, west of the Nickel Plate Trail. City Walk includes a proposed 41 townhomes, 106 condos, and 87 apartments. As part of this project the public Right-of-Way of E 121st Street and Circle Drive needs to be vacated. Two access drives will be provided off Lantern Road. No new Right-of-Way is be proposed. PUBLIC HEARING
Voluntary Annexations
A voluntary annexation is when a property owner wants to incorporate into the City of Fishers and receive city benefits, i.e., access to city utilities and city services like road maintenance and snow plowing. The annexed property will start paying city property tax to cover these benefits. Sometimes, annexations are a first step for a property being sold for development. Annexation Procedures can be found here.
22. and 23. Geist Forest.
24., 25. 26, and 27. City Walk. A new housing development on Lantern Road, between 116th-126th Street, across the street from Sunblest Apartments. It will include condos, townhomes and apartments.
- A four-story, multifamily building comprised of eighty-seven (87) for-lease multifamily units
- A six-story, residential building comprised of forty (40) for-sale condominiums
- A six-story, residential building comprised of sixty-one (61) for-sale condominiums
- forty-one (41), four-story townhomes
28. Nix Annexation. First Reading is the first consideration of the matter and no vote are taken. PUBLIC HEARING.
29. Kaley Annexation. First Reading is the first consideration of the matter and no vote are taken. PUBLIC HEARING.
Unfinished/New Business.
Community Comment. All comments submitted through the online are supposed to be provided to the city council members before the meeting and become a part of the meeting’s official record. The Public Comment Form is live on the website right now. Select “City Council Meeting” and that will open a comment box for you to type in. Submit your comments by noon on Monday, the day of the meeting, so they can be distributed before the meeting.
Meeting adjourned!
If you have any comments or questions, please send them my way. Email is a good way to get a hold of me.
Thank you for reading all of this.