Carmel New Budget + Diwali Rescheduled for 10/23
- Anita Joshi
- Oct 21
- 8 min read
Hello neighbors,
We passed the budget! Carmel Council Council and the Mayor worked side-by-side to ensure that we got the best possible budget for the community with the funding disaster Statehouse Republicans passed down to us. I am proud to say our first responders, our parks, our arts organizations, our streets and our libraries are funded. If we keep prioritizing these things, Carmel’s best days are ahead.
In other news, extreme weather rained out our Diwali celebrations. But, in true Diwali spirit we are bringing light out of the darkness and are rescheduled for Thursday, October 23, from 5 pm to 9 pm on Carter Green! I want to thank the attendees for their understanding and for prioritizing safety. All the activities, performances, and vendors are returning so please enjoy the great food performances, cold spark fireworks and the Palladiscope show! I can’t wait to see you all there, and don’t forget to tag me in your photos of the event!
As always, you can watch the entire City Council meeting here.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES
Recognition of City Employees and Outstanding Citizen
FD Chief Thacker presented Stork Awards to outstanding city and county employees who bravely delivered a baby in the field. Thank you to Office Thomas Szybowski, Hendricks County 911 Operator Nicole Telemba, EMS Division Chief Andrew Young, and Engine 341 Crew Members Phillip Buddy, Rudolpho Montez, Brad Allen, Ben Creek, and Chris Kelly for their incredible work in making this delivery as safe as possible for mother and child!
PD Chief Sterling swore in new Carmel Police Department Officers Elise Tarpley, Nathaniel Fordham, Jesus Gutierrez, Alexander Garcia, and Connor Jackson. They received over 300 applications for these roles, and these officers stood above the rest! I am so proud to have such talented and upstanding people protecting our community.
Recognition of Persons Who Wish to Address the Council
Jack Feldman spoke in favor of Ordinance 2795-25, which would ensure that public buildings stay open to the public when a city meeting is taking place. The ordinance is discussed more later in this blog.
Rachel Bailey spoke in favor of the micromobility ordinance. An e-bike recently injured her son, and he has been unable to return to school due to his injuries. As a runner, she has been inconvenienced by fast e-bikes many times. She advocates for required licensing for micromobility devices, mandatory education for riders under 16 years of age, and the establishment of walking or low-speed zones near schools. Additionally, she supports posting speed limits on bike paths and for School Resource Officers to create a riders’ education program.
Jordan Cole supported the micromobility ordinance because car-free areas enhance safety and promote the social lives of children.
Mathew Broadnax, VP of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge, wanted the City Council to pass the budget because it strengthens public safety.
Mike McKenzie, former pilot and aviation consultant, spoke in favor of the budget, which he said managed to be financially responsible while still reinforcing public safety, infrastructure, and the economy.
Council Comments
As I was celebrating Diwali with my family, Councilor Minnaar made sure to inform everyone that Diwali was rescheduled for Thursday. Thanks, Shannon!
Historic Preservation Commission
Mark Dollase, Director of the Historic Preservation Commission, provided us with a delightful update on their activities.
St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church has donated its “Blue School,” the oldest standing school in the city. The church and the commission are in talks to determine its future use.
He also visited the Silas Moffitt House with the Parks Department. The Moffitt House was built in the 1920s, making it one of the oldest homes in Carmel.
All eight applications were approved for the second round of facade grants.
A historical home on Hazeldale was threatened by demolition, but the commission struck a deal to donate the home to Mr. Crowley. It has been moved to a new location, and, after it is restored, it will be donated to Carmel.
They are hard at work creating the North Rangeline Road Historical Area.
Learn more about their activities below, under the headings “Ordinance D-2792-25” and “Ordinance D-2793-25.”
Audit Committee
Santosh Rajmane, Chair of the Audit Committee, said that the city’s financial reporting is accurate.
In fact, their salary reporting was so excellent that it received a certificate of achievement for high quality. Thank you to Controller Ann Bingman and the rest of her finance department for this great achievement!
There will be no single audits for groups receiving less than $1 million in government funding, and the city does not expect any more single audits for the remainder of the year.
Old Business
Ordinance D-2784-25
Approved
This ordinance amends and clarifies requirements of Chapter 4, Article 6 of the Carmel City Code relating to the rental ordinance.
This is the final version of the amendments related to the rental cap ordinance. We received so much good feedback from residents, which is reflected in this amendment.
Please join us at the Land Use meeting–we value your input!
The changes made to the ordinance are:
The certificate of occupancy will be changed to “ready to let” for all areas of the city.
A rental certification ordinance holder can’t have three or more civil judgment citations or one or more criminal convictions. We need to make sure the right person is being registered.
The city can enforce against landlords who advertise buildings for rent without being registered.
We have increased the fine from $100 per day to $1,000 per day fine for each date rental is let without a permit.
Please note that condominiums are not included in the rental ordinance, at the advice of our legal team.
Ordinance D-2792-25
Approved
This ordinance designates a historic district consisting of the Klingensmith-Pettiner Farmstead property, located at 14420 Cherry Tree Road.
We heard from the lovely Rosemary Pettiner, who bought the property from the Klingensmiths and has preserved it over the years. She hopes to return the farm to the Klingensmith family in the future.
Rosemary is an excellent representative of a Carmel resident who goes above and beyond to protect our city’s past. Thank you, Rosemary!
The Preservation Commission unanimously recommended the preservation plan.
Ordinance D-2793-25
Approved
This ordinance designates a historic district consisting of the Wilkinson-Hull House property, located at 2724 East Smoky Row.
This building is a log structure built in 1835 by David Wilkinson, with an additional brick portion added in 1850, which was donated to Mark Dollanse’s organization, Indiana Landmarks.
Matt and Erin Uber are the owners and restorers of the home. They have invested so much blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention money, to preserve the Wilkinson-Hull House.
Matt invited the community to come and have a look at the house!
Thanks to the Uber family for stepping up and showing what it takes to make Carmel the best city in the U.S.
Councilor Snyder knew the previous owner and wanted to remind us that the family had donated a significant amount of land to Carmel, including the land on which the high school football field is located.
Ordinance D-2788-25
Approved
This ordinance establishes 2026 maximum salaries for employees of the Carmel City Court.
Thank you for the good work Judge Poindexter
Ordinance D-2790-25
Approved 7-2
This ordinance establishes the 2026 salaries for employees of the Executive Branch.
There will be minor reorganizations in the Transportation and Utilities Departments, involving the removal of one title and the reintroduction of another.
The Transportation reorganization will save $260k because they are not backfilling one position after a retirement.
This eliminates the positions of Economic Development Director & Chief Infrastructure Officer, but it is simple to add these positions back into the budget if we deem them necessary.
Ordinance D-2791-25
Approved
This ordinance establishes 2026 salaries for Carmel’s elected officials.
I support this ordinance, which ties the City Council’s 3% COLA raise to those of city employees because we as a council align ourselves with the city employees
This change removes the politics from COLAs and aligns us with our fellow workers.
Each City Councilor earns only $25,129, so a 3% raise is negligible. With a salary like this, only those with wealth already will be incentivized to run for city council. By instituting COLAs, we can keep these wages from stagnating.
We also approved a 3% raise for the Mayor, Judge, and Clerk. This will be added to the budget, but will likely be rejected by the executive branch.
Resolution CC-10-06-25-02
Approved
This resolution states that the city 2026 property tax rate should not exceed 0.7783, which is the same at the 2025 rate, and recommending how the DLGF should allocate the 2026 property tax levy among city funds
Ordinance D-2785-25
Approved
This is the 2026 Carmel City budget!
Some of the major changes have been:
Reducing Fire “full-time regular” by $300k because they are not filling certain positions.
Reducing legal fees by $125k
Increasing $50k for City Hall after-hours security
Increasing arts grant by $110k
Increase landscaping by $115k and concrete by $100k
The city is pursuing grant funding for PrimeLife for $50k. If they are unable to attain this funding, it will be provided for another way.
Eliminating one of the two Urban Forester positions.
According to the Mayor the remaining Forester is capable of handling the calls from the eliminated position.
There was a robust conversation about the legal budget requiring over $200k more by the end of the year.
Councilor Locke brought forward some very important concerns regarding the use of outside counsel and ensuring the cost is warranted.
Councilor Locke moved to bring the outside legal budget to zero in order to ensure appropriate checks and balances. The motion failed.
Another motion was made to change the budget from $475k to $350k, which succeeded.
Councilor Snyder motioned to increase Marketing and Communications organizational support, which succeeded.
Discussion of the budget starts around 2:15:00 in the video for those of you who would like to learn more.
Carmel is a thriving, diverse, educated, healthy and creative community, and I will champion a budget that keeps that true.
None of us, the Mayor nor any of the city councilors, got everything we wanted, but we worked together to pass a budget that meets our most pressing needs.
New Business
Ordinance D-2794-25
Approved
This ordinance establishes the 2025 maximum salaries for employees of the Executive Branch.
Ordinance D-2795-25
Sent to Land Use
Approved
This ordinance establishes public areas of City Hall.
This ordinance ensures that safety is maintained while still allowing the public to attend city meetings.
This was a very important ordinance as it ensures that the peoples building will be open for business when the people are able to attend meetings, which is often in the evening.
Ordinance D-2796-25
Sent to Land Use
This ordinance establishes regulations on the use of micromobility devices within the City of Carmel.
We are still working on the micromobility ordinance, and we welcome more community involvement. Please attend the upcoming Land Use meeting on November 3, at 5:30pm, at a yet to be determined location.
We will be discussing a helmet requirement for e-bikes.
City Council Appointments
The City Council will work on one nomination for the Christkindlmarkt Board, which is a two-year term.
Events Around Carmel
After getting rained out on Saturday, Carmel Diwali has been rescheduled for this Thursday, October 23, from 5 pm to 9 pm on Carter Green.
Carmel’s Runners Club is hosting a Halloween-themed run, walk, and costume contest starting at Athletic Annex at 6 pm.
From October 30 to November 1, starting at 7 pm, Carmel High School’s theater department will be performing Dracula. Support our young artists by attending!
Celebrate Halloween by watching The Addams Family as part of the Movies at Midtown series on October 31, at 6 pm at Midtown Plaza.
Trick-or-treating hours are from 5 pm to 8 pm on Halloween night! Have a fun and safe night with your little goblins.
If you need a sensory-friendly option, River Heritage Park is hosting a Trick-or-Treat trail on October 25.
Thank you all for reading this recap, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions.
Caring for Carmel,
Dr. Anita Joshi
If you have a fifth grade Carmel student who would like to give the mayoral update at a council meeting next year please reach out to me and I will be happy to put your student's name forward.
As always if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out to me. I’m always here to listen and advocate for you. If you wish to review the details of our city meeting, the recording is available here, and the meeting agenda is available here! If you’d like to attend a city council meeting, committee hearing, or other council events, please visit our website for the calendar!
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