CarmelFest, Flood Solutions, and Better Infrastructure

Hello neighbors,  

It was great to see so many of you at CarmelFest to celebrate this country’s 250th anniversary! I wanted to extend my sincerest thanks to the Carmel Clay Parks Department for the opening of the new playground and hundreds of volunteers who endured blistering heat, to Mayor Finkam for opening City Hall so that attendees could cool down, and to the Rotary Club for putting on the event. 

Friendly reminder that you can watch the entire City Council meeting here. 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES

Recognition of Outstanding City Employees

• Mail Carrier Barb Crane has retired after 50 years of federal service, including 46 years working for the post office. Through long hours and extreme weather, she served Carmel and its residents with warmth, respect, and dignity. Thank you, Barb, you are one of the reasons Carmel is the best city in the country!

Barb and her Outstanding Employee Award!

Persons Who Wish to Address the Council 

• Congratulations to Jack Feldman for winning the Schmidt Award! This award goes to a junior who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to community service; I can’t think of a better example of this value than Jack Feldman, who always makes his voice heard to make a difference.

  • He encouraged the Council to pursue clearer marking on the crosswalk near Flowing Well Park on Gray Road. 

• Kelly Nagy spoke in favor of more pedestrian and biking infrastructure on neighborhood streets. 

• Michael Hoy wants the Council to explore ways to encourage drivers to avoid phone use and to control speed around trails.

• Kris Cadden and Allie Missler talked about the drainage and flooding issues in their neighborhood, Concord Village, in the center of Carmel that have been plaguing them for decades. 

• Denny Breedlove spoke about the drainage and flooding issues he and his neighbors have experienced on Shelbourne Road on the west side of Carmel that have been ongoing for last 10 years 

• Angela Wheeler asked for a crosswalk to access the Monon from her neighborhood, College Commons.  

Land Use Committee

• After multiple readings at Common City Council meetings and feedback from residents, the Land Use Committee took up Ordinance D-2795-25 which would establish public areas of City Hall. 

• We covered two main concerns about City Hall use:

  • The first is ensuring that public meetings by Council committees, mayoral boards and commissions would be able to meet after normal office hours, and that these meetings would remain open and welcoming to the public.

  • The second is making sure public restrooms and facilities are available for cooling off or warming up during free public events held at the Gazebo and around City Hall.

• I believe that we can adjust the ordinance to actually address these two issues in a meaningful way that establishes a clear policy.

Mayoral Comments

• Danny, an elementary student, talked to us about his business, Danny Pro. He takes clients’ garbage cans to the curb on garbage day, does yardwork, and is considering adding lawn mowing to his list of services.

  • Carmel is a Founding member of America the Entrepreneurial, and Danny is a perfect example of the entrepreneurial spirit the organization fosters. 

Old Hearings

Ordinance D-2829-26 & Ordinance D-2831-26

• Both were approved

• These came with a positive recommendation from the Finance Committee.

• The ordinances create a non-reverting fund for Carmel’s new Enterprise Resource Planning (EPR), Workday, and appropriate $2,000,000.00 to support ERP implementation costs.

• I do still think we will need to consider how the inability to use Workday for Police and Fire payroll and tracking of hours will be addressed as we move through implementation.

• The question of the $2 M price tag being fully inclusive with no additional costs was addressed and I do not expect there to be continual asks for significant funds the price should not be higher than what we were told and I will be looking to ensure that this is the case.

• The concerns that I raised regarding Workday itself as a company currently undergoing restructuring were addressed and the contract that we signed will be for 10 years on pricing and providing us adequate support and training

Public Hearings

Petition to Vacate a Public Way; 942 West Auman Drive; Steven and Nicole Kofkoff & Petition to Vacate a Public Way; 1006 Auman Drive West; Wedgewood Building Company, LLC

•  Both approved

New Business

Ordinance D-2834-26 & Ordinance D-2835-26

• Sent to the Finance Committee.

• This bond ordinance permits the City to issue waterworks revenue bonds to pay for the design, acquisition, construction, installation, and equipping of various improvements to the City's waterworks and sewage works systems.

• This money will be used to replace outdated watermains, relocate infrastructure to support City projects, and may also be used to enhance cybersecurity.

• Questions ensuring that rates for citizens will not be increased and that the bond structure will ensure we get the best interest rate available as well as the best terms will be discussed in Finance.

Ordinance D-2836-26

• Sent to the Finance and Land Committees. 

• This ordinance would raise residential stormwater fees from $6.85 to $10 per month to fund improvements to stop drainage and flooding issues in certain Carmel neighborhoods, and it would eliminate the automatic 3% annual fee increase. 

  • This is meant to raise $20 million for stormwater improvements. 

• You may have heard that there was an impassioned debate between Councilors Snyder and Worrell at this meeting. I won’t get into the specifics, but what’s important is that we get on the right track toward fixing this decades-long problem and we do so with the care and compassion that residents deserve.

• There was a meeting following this on July 7th where we heard from many residents and neighbors regarding flooding and the need to fix it.  During that meeting we also heard about other traffic and road safety issues that need to be addressed.  

• Thank you to Allie Missler and to Matt Snyder for organizing this meeting and for ensuring that a solution is put forward to address the issue.

• Come to Carmel Clay Public Library, 425 E. Main St., at 5:30 pm on July 14 to share your feedback on this issue and to hear comments from City Engineer Brad Pease and Mayor Finkham regarding ways to address the concerns raised.

Events Around Carmel

• The Cool Creek Park & Nature Center is hosting Mellencougar: America 250 Celebration as part of their live music series on July 10 at 7 pm. Admission is only $5 for adults and free for children. 

• Carmel Food Truck Nights brings together Indiana’s favorite food trucks every Friday from May 1st through October 16th, 5 pm to 9 pm. Come to 930 N. Rangeline Rd for great food and fun outside!

• Enjoy free outdoor movies at Midtown Plaza throughout the summer! Movies at Midtown runs from June through September, Tuesdays at 6 pm, and Thursdays at Noon & 6 pm. 

• You can watch World Cup games on the Midtown screen! View their entire schedule on Facebook. 

Thank you all for reading this recap. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with 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!