Updating Parking Enforcement

Hello neighbors,  

I was so excited to see so many young faces at our council meeting this evening.  Of course our Deputy Mayor, members of our community, Carmel High School students.  Their presence reminds us of the duty we have to the next generation of Carmel residents. We must always ensure that the decisions we make are not driven by the short term and will be inclusive of all members of our community. As we celebrate Pride Month in June and continue to celebrate our rich cultural and religious diversity in Carmel, I reject fully discriminatory and divisive rhetoric, and remind everyone, as I have for the last 30 years, there is only one race, one creed and one core group and that includes all of us as human beings!  

Friendly reminder that you can watch the entire city council meeting here. 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES

Christkindlmarkt Update

At the beginning of our meeting tonight Councilor Tony Green asked about the ongoing Christkindlmarkt investigation. The point was made that the law firm contracted for this must remain independent, so the Council has refrained from asking for progress reports. But the investigation is awaiting documents requested by the contracted law firm and should be completing their scope of work soon. Transparency remains a priority, and updates will be shared when possible! Thank you all for your continued interest. 

Swearing in of New Police Officers

Please join me in congratulating Carmel's newest police officers:

• Nickolas Smith

• Wesley Wubbena

We are grateful for their commitment to serving and protecting our community!

2026 National Academic WorldQuest Champions

I had the honor and privilege of bringing to Council some academic scholars from CHS.

• Four amazing Carmel High School students were recognized for an incredible

• achievement: winning the 2026 National Academic WorldQuest Championship! 

• This competition is sponsored by The Council of World Affairs and the local Indiana Council of World affairs.  

• They competed against 33 teams from across the country by answering questions on global topics like commodities, nuclear policy, and even FIFA.

• Special recognition also goes to Carmel High School Social Studies teacher Dominique Camara for guiding these outstanding students.  It is our teachers that make this community one of the most desirable ones in the country to live in!

Congratulations to:

• Leying Yang

• Rafan Tajwer

• Grayson Miller

• Ryan Sharp

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Persons Who Wish to Address the Council 

• Jack Feldman would love to see our new automated parking enforcement extended to people stopped in crosswalks. He also spoke in favor of ticketing people who are revving their engines while stopped. 

  
  

Council Comments 

• Congrats to Carmel High School Boys Lacrosse, who just won the state title!

  
  

Mayoral Comments

Soham Narla was our deputy mayor for the evening and did a terrific job!

• Carmel was ranked the number one place to live in the United States by the U.S. News & World Report!

  • This is an incredible achievement, and we should all feel proud to be a part of this community. 

• Carmel received the Silver Designation from the League of American Bicyclists for contributing to the movement to build a more bicycle-friendly America for everyone. 

• The Carmel Small Business Network June 16 meeting begins at 11 am at the Carmel Fire Department HQ on Veterans Way. Connect to local entrepreneurs and get a direct line to City leadership.

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Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Aging 

• Researchers from Indiana University have completed their study; next steps include developing a plan and applying for AARP credentials to help Carmel become a more aging-friendly community.

  
  

Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Housing

• Come to the next Housing Commission meeting on June 11 at 9 am!

  
  

Land Use Committee our meeting was on June 3rd

Ordinance Z-707-26 .

• This ordinance addresses Engineering Fees. These fees are being implemented to curb the submission of poor design plans to our city engineering department, that then required increased work from the department

• These are fees that are already charged by all surrounding municipalities and have never been charged by Carmel

• They are not meant to generate significant revenue but to help offset the cost of conducting these detailed reviews

• My only concern is that these fees should not be leveled on single family properties that are of average size. We want to ensure that homeowners are provided these services when needed and protected from increased fees.

• Returned to council with positive recommendation with amendments reflecting the concerns above.

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Ordinance D-2826-26

• This ordinance amends excavation and right-of-way disturbance permit, maintenance and restoration requirements, as well as amending penalties for violation.

• We had discussed this in detail in this committee multiple times and we are only recommending a clean up of some redundant terminology with no significant alteration

• Returned to council with a positive recommendation again.

Old Business

Ordinance D-2820-26

• Approved

• Returns from the Finance Committee with a positive recommendation. 

Key changes include:

• Automated parking enforcement technology will help identify parking violations.

• Administration of these violations may be handled by the Police Department.

• This will increase penalties for misuse of accessible parking spaces.

• This will allow one part-time parking enforcement officer to work at a time, cutting down on expenses.

• Under this system, your license will become your permit for residential parking. 

For those of you with privacy concerns:

• Several questions were raised about privacy and data security. Carmel Police Department representatives stated that license plate information will be used primarily for parking enforcement, but could be used in connection with other activities. 

• Because it is city information, the public can request it, but they would need a really good reason for the City to accept the request.

• The city would be under a three year contract with Passport to provide these services

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I abstained from voting for this ordinance for 3 main reasons, I do not believe that we have had all our questions answered on privacy, I do not believe we have received a clear answer on the cost of this system and the cost recovery for the city, finally, the company Passport is currently being acquired by another company with ties to international corporations that make me more concerned about data security. I do believe that we need to change bad parking behavior in particular areas of the city but this may not be the only or best way to deal with this issue.

Ordinance D-2822-26, Ordinance D-2823-26, Ordinance D-2824-26, Resolution CC-05-18-26-01, Resolution CC-05-18-26-02, Resolution CC-05-18-26-03, Resolution CC-05-18-26-04, and Resolution CC-05-18-26-05

• Approved

• These ordinances will refinance millions of dollars of debt to lower interest rates, saving the city up to $  million.

• There will be no change to maturity date on the current 2016 bonds in question, ensuring that we are paying lower interest but still within the timeframe originally stated so I feel confident that we are not kicking the can down the road.

• There will be some cost to refinancing, about $1.2 million, which is accounted for in the savings calculation.

• You can learn more about the specific debts being refinanced by reviewing the agenda for the June 1, 2026, meeting.

New Business

Ordinance Z-707-26

• Sent to committee. 

• There will be a public hearing about this at the next City Council meeting on June 15. 

• This Ordinance amends the Filing Fees in Article 1, Section 1.29 of the Unified Development Ordinance.

Ordinance D-2826-26

• Sent to committee. 

• This ordinance amends excavation and right-of-way disturbance permit, maintenance and restoration requirements, as well as amending penalties for violation.

Ordinance D-2827-26

• Sent to committee. 

• This ordinance prohibits excessive vehicle noise by attaching a sequence of fines. 

An additional event on June 3rd after land use was a Town Hall meeting at the Library where we heard significant concerns once again about the drainage issues, the extension of Richland Road and traffic concerns. It truly is time to deal with storm water and drainage issues within the city and the citizens in this neighborhood and on the west side as well have been quite clear about what they need. Investment in infrastructure and plans to ensure we have funding to pay for maintenance of our beautiful city needs to be fully thought out and planned for.

Events Around Carmel

• 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!

• The Cool Creek Park & Nature Center is hosting The Woomblies Rock Orchestra as part of their live music series on June 5 at 7 pm. Admission is only $5 for adults and free for children. 

• Join Kiln Creations at Bier Brewery on Sunday, June 7th, from 2 pm to 5 pm for a wildly fun night of plants, pottery, prizes, and just enough chaos to make it memorable.

• On June 26, visit the American Legion Post 155 to attend “Beyond the Headlines: Veterans’ Stories.” Carmel's veteran organizations will present an oral history event to celebrate America's birthday. Families are invited to learn about our history through storytelling as presented by a panel of veterans. 

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!