Passing a New Budget, School Zone Speed Limits, & More - 9/19/25

Hello neighbors,

It was an extremely challenging week for the council, as we had two full days of budget workshops where each department presented its proposed budget for 2026. Mayor Sue Finkam also presented her vision of the budget and shared her priorities. 

A city budget is both aspirational and pragmatic–we need to understand the dollar amounts we are working with. Then we must align the vision, needs, and expectations of our citizens with them. Unfortunately, the Republican supermajority in the state legislature left every community in Indiana scrambling to cut budgets or raise revenue.

They knew the numbers did not add up, but they didn’t care; they rewarded business owners on the backs of individual homeowners, leaving cities and towns to make cuts or increase revenue. In Carmel, we are fortunate to have a thriving community, which allows us to withstand some of the fallout. It is up to the council to work with the mayor to create a budget that keeps Carmel the best city in the country. 

As always, you can watch the entire City Council meeting here . I encourage those of you with fortitude to watch both the first and second days of the budget hearings. 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES

A Note on Experience Carmel

• During the budget hearing, it was proposed that the city transfer marketing and events from the city budget to a new nonprofit, Experience Carmel. 

  • There are many questions left unanswered about this major change, and we’re waiting on more details. 

  • However, a city that has built its brand on the arts cannot neglect the very thing that defines us. 

  • The arts are an economic driver for our city, and it would be short-sighted to cut funding by $1.8 million and allocate it to a yet to be established organization. 

Recognitions of City Employees

At the end of a grueling day, we got to meet some fabulous new K-9 officers, which raised our spirits.

• K-9 Rouk works with Officer Christian Wilhite, was awarded first place in narcotics detection, and earned Top Dog for overall best in call. 

• K-9 Atlas works with Officer Mark Parshall and won first place overall in tracking abilities in his class. Fun fact, he responds to commands in French!

• Lt. Katie Malloy, K-9 coordinator shared that both dogs are trained to detect fentanyl, which is not common so we are very lucky to have them.  

• These new officers bring Carmel up to one K-9 officer per shift. 

  
  
  

  
  
  

Persons Who Wish To Address the Council 

• Rose Popovich said the council shouldn't start a new nonprofit, referring to Experience Carmel, when budget cuts are coming. She also made it clear that she wants the arts funded as much as possible. 

• Kay Gaither believes the council should deal with the mess that the state house handed us. Acknowledging that the Republican party is responsible for it, she believes we should face the challenge and prepare a budget that is as efficient as possible with the money provided.

• Jeff McDermott, President/CEO of Allied Solutions Center, spoke in favor of fully funding the arts in Carmel. He also expressed concern that he hasn’t received an explanation on how the savings will be used to fund Experience Carmel. 

• It was a delight to hear from Carmel High School Senior Krish Gajaria. He wants Carmel students to be more involved in working with city government and asked us to think about ways we could collaborate.

  • Please support the nonprofit Krish founded, Pages for Progress, which works to increase book availability for refugees in Indiana.

Comments from Council 

• Jeff Worrell encouraged everyone to attend the inaugural Project Civility Summit, scheduled for September 26 and 27 at the Carmel Clay Public Library. You’ll hear from leaders and changemakers about how civility can be a vital tool for change in communities. 

Carmel Redevelopment 

• Henry Metesky, Carmel Redevelopment Director, assured us that the redevelopment projects are progressing well.

• Recently, we celebrated the topping off ceremony of Civic Square Condos. 

Land Use and Special Studies Committee  

• At the most recent Land Use meeting, we heard from Kay Gaither, Deerfield HOA President Henry Berman, and Syndie Estes from the east side who wanted to be sure that those registering to rent their homes under the ordinance would be in good standing with neighborhood HOAs.

  • The city cannot enforce HOA covenants, but could insist that anyone applying had a letter of good standing.

• We worked on enhancing permitting and fines that will ensure that the right-of-way ordinance protects the accessibility and safety of Carmel’s multi-use pathways. 

Old Business

Second Reading of Ordinance D-2778-25

• Approved

• This ordinance authorizes the issuance of developer TIF bonds by the City of Carmel, Indiana, to finance certain improvements to support the development of the Rebar Old Meridian Project.

• This project has added 200 age-restricted apartments for those 55 and older.

  • I wanted to make sure that some of these apartments were set aside for veterans. Rebar CEO Tom Dickey said that this was an “easy ask,” but didn’t confirm the number of units that would be set aside. 

  • Veterans deserve a place in Carmel, and I want to ensure that they have access to affordable and accessible housing.

A mockup of Signature55

Second Reading of Ordinance D-2782-25

• Approved

• This is an ambitious project that will replace the speed limit signs in school zones from plain ones to signs with flashing lights. 

  • This will be much clearer for drivers than having to read when the speed limits are enforced. 

  • The Engineering Department collaborated with school officials, after-school program staff, School Resource Officers, and the mayor to establish new enforcement times, which will be 7 am to 6 pm for most schools. 

• Another benefit is that these signs will save energy!

  
  

  

First Reading of Ordinance D-2783-25

• Approved

• This ordinance appropriates funds to cover costs within the City Law Enforcement Aid Fund #910.

• Chief Sterling told us that this appropriation will purchase vehicle barriers for special events, ensuring our safety during high-activity days in the city. 

First Reading of Ordinance Z-701-25

• Approved

• This ordinance will make the Unified Development Ordinance more user-friendly. 

• Simplifying the UDO has been a lengthy process, but I believe we’ll soon have an ordinance that works for both experts and laypeople. 

New Business

First Reading of Ordinance D-2784-25

• Sent to Land Use Committee 

• This ordinance amends and clarifies requirements of Chapter 4, Article 6 of the Carmel City Code relating to the residential rental dwelling registration and permit program.

• This is the so-called rental cap. This ordinance will clarify certain things:

  • You can’t get a permit for a building that hasn’t been built yet. The building must already exist. 

  • The owner can’t also claim the homestead exemption on a building if they want the permit. 

  • All buildings must be registered by December 21, 2025, including “legacy” buildings. 

    • Legacy status ends after this deadline. 

  • Owners must not have been cited for City Code violations, must be current on all City utility invoices, and must not have been the subject of more than three civil citations or criminal violations. 

  • The 10% cap is on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • It adds a rental registration fee of $5 and a late fee up to $200.

• Councilor Snyder asked about an ordinance sent by the council that amended the rental cap to include condominiums.

  • Legal didn’t recommend including condos because they are regulated by an Indiana state code, and most condos won’t be subject to the cap anyway, as they don’t have enough units.

First Reading of Ordinance D-2786-25

• Approved

• This ordinance adds a noise exemption from 5 pm to 11pm for the night before Diwali so that people can celebrate Little Diwali without worry!

• I spoke with PD Chief Sterling and FD Chief Thacker about this proposal; they are both in favor of adding a day. 

Resolution CC-09-15-25-01, Resolution CC-09-15-25-02 & Resolution CC-09-15-25-03

• Approved

• We approved a transfer of $87,000.00 from within the 2025 Police Department budget to pay out leases on cars, trucks, and other equipment early. 

• Another $60,000 went to paying automobile leases in the Engineering Department. 

• $394,000.00 will be transferred from within the Street Department budget to pay for automobiles and vehicle barricades.

Resolution CC-09-15-25-04

• Approved 6-2

• This resolution amends the Central Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) by excluding certain locations and hours from the area’s operation.

  • A DORA is an area where you are only allowed to purchase alcohol from particular vendors. 

• This resolution lifts DORA during certain events, including the Winter Games, the Gazebo Concerts, and Christkindlmarket. This makes things easier on Carmel PD so that they don’t have to enforce DORAs in situations where it doesn’t benefit the city. 

• I abstained from this vote because I disagree with the creation of the DORA in the first place. The DORA regulation is not functioning if it continually needs to be amended to allow for certain exceptions that the committee deems appropriate. 

City Council Appointments 

• Maddie Augustus, one of the council’s two Christkindlmarket board appointments, has stepped off the board for maternity leave. We were encouraged to think of suitable replacements, but no suggestions have been made.. 

• This situation might change because there has been talk of Experience Carmel absorbing the CCI board. 

Events Around Carmel

• This Saturday, September 20, starting at 6:30 pm at the Monon Plaza, enjoy the Chinese Mooncake Festival! There will be a dragon parade, traditional Chinese dancing and music, and, of course, mooncakes. I’m excited to be speaking there!

• The Carmel International Arts Festival will be held on September 27 and 28 in the Carmel Arts and Design District. This exhibition invites over a hundred professional artists across mediums to compete for awards and cash prizes.  

• Come to Carmel Food Truck Nights at Ginther Green every Friday from 5pm to 8pm for great food and even better company!  

• Bring the family to Lilo & Stitch as part of the Movies at Midtown series at the Midtown Plaza on Tuesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 25.  

• Come to the Carmel Summer Farmer’s Market every Saturday from 8 am to 11:30 am until September 27. 

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, please reach out to me and I will be happy to put your student's name forward.

If you’d like to attend a City Council meeting, committee hearing, or other council events, please visit our website for the calendar.