PLAINFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
AGENDA FOR
April 12, 2010
7:00 p.m.
Mr. Brandgard: Plainfield Town Council Meeting for Monday April 12, 2010 is now in session. I would like to ask everyone to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
CONSENT AGENDA
Mr. Brandgard: Thank you. You can tell it's been a while since our last meeting; we have a number of items on the consent agenda this evening.
1. Approval of the minutes of the regularly scheduled Town Council meeting of March 22, 2010.
2. Third Reading and Adoption of Ordinance No. 06-2010: Amendments to Plainfield Zoning Ordinance.
3. Approval of Town Engineer's, Parks and Recreation Director's, Plainfield Police Chief's and Plainfield Fire Chief's reports dated April 9, 2010. Transportation Director's report dated April 10, 2010 and Human Resource Director's report dated April 12, 2010.
4. Approval of March 2010 Monthly Reports for Plainfield Police Department, Utility Billing, Department of Public Works, Department of Planning and Zoning and Plainfield Town Court.
5. Approval to donate $100.00 from Plainfield Police Beneficent Fund in support of Plainfield Quakers High School Baseball team per Chief Mitny's report dated April 9, 2010.
6. Approval Mutual Aid Agreement between Plainfield Police Department and Greencastle Police Department per Chief Mitny's report dated April 9, 2010.
7. Approval of Change Order 007, for addition of a fire alarm horn, strobe and pull station to Room 131, resulting in an increase of $993.00 to the MacDougall Pierce Construction contract per Fire Chief Anderson's report dated April 9, 2010.
8. Approval of Change Order 008, to provide additional wood blocking to all windows resulting in an increase of $3,716.00 to MacDougall Pierce Construction contract per Fire Chief Anderson's report dated April 9, 2010.
9. Approval of Change Order 009, deleting Allowance #2 ($55,000.00) plus five percent (5%) for unearned profit ($2,750.00) resulting in a decrease to MacDougall Pierce Construction contract in the amount of $57,750.00, per Chief Anderson's report dated April 9, 2010.
10. Approval of Change Order #1; Provide for added sub-grade stabilization thru Reeves Road intersection reconstruction and added aggregate for increasing super-elevated curve grade around the Fundex parcel area on the Perry Road widening project resulting in an increase to contract in the amount of $85,009.16 per the Transportation Director's report dated April 10, 2010:
11. Approval of the following Change Orders for the US 40 Streetscape Project resulting in a net increase to Gradex, Inc, in the amount of $67,817.38 per Transportation Director's dated April 10, 2010:
● #10: Alternative coating for pedestrian railing and hand rails resulting in a decrease of ($3,864.00)
● # 11: Added geotextile for under drains resulting gin an increase of $4,485.00.
● # 12: change proposed luminaries to ornamental LED lighting resulting in an added cost of $1,308.44
● # 13: Included installation of multi-cell Conduit for Town's fiber optic system resulting in an added cost of $65,887.94.
Mr. Brandgard: Do we have any corrections or changes to the consent agenda? If not I will entertain a motion to approve.
Mr. McPhail: So move.
Mr. Kirchoff: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: The motion is second to approve the consent agenda as read. If there is not further discussion can I have a roll call vote please?
Ms. Whicker- yes
Mr. Gaddie- yes
Mr. Kirchoff- yes
Mr. McPhail- yes
Mr. Brandgard- yes
Plainfield Town Council Consent Agenda for April 12, 2010 is approved.
Mr. Brandgard: Thank you.
BID AWARD: Façade Improvement Program
Mr. Brandgard: We have a bid award recommendation for the Façade Improvement Program.
Mr. Carlucci: Mr. President there are seven related items, I thought it might be easier if we just went through all those items right now. Some are not related to bids some are but it is all on the same report that Joe left for us. Which by the way that's the optimum word, he left it for us and he is not here tonight, I hold no grudges by the way. But I am also going to ask Linda Fulford to come up and stand by me. I just might add that today is my 40th wedding anniversary my wife didn't seem that interested in it, she's taking her class out at University of Indianapolis and all she seemed to care about was getting back in time for Dancing with the Stars. I don't blame her either. We'll do our best on this, you all have Joe's report which by the way, he wanted me to put this on the consent agenda and I just had no way to do that, the way we do our consent agendas. We did take bids for the Façade Improvement Program, the Town Center and I might add something just very quickly we have learned that today that the Town Center is now National Register of Historical Places, that was approved today. So that is certainly a bit of news. One of the issues that we have here is that when you look at this the low bidder was Patterson-Horth, now a lot of you know Patterson-Horth, they have done some good work for the Town in the past, they are a good contractor but they were approximately $5,913.40 over the amount to cover all the Façade Improvements anticipated and the one other thing they did too is they equalized the bids and what I mean by that is if one business was this amount and their business was this and one was high and one was low they just equalized them all across all of them so all of them can get done, is that correct?
Ms. Fulford: Not equal.
Mr. Carlucci: Not equal, no I did not mean equal, but what I call equalizing, you average them out.
Ms. Fulford: The property owners agreed to a 20% local match for their buildings and that is the amount that the contractor made sure that those funds were equal to what the property owners committed, the 20%, so it is all going to work out in the end and collecting the 20% from the property owners.
Mr. Carlucci: That is why I brought Linda up here is to clarify these little points. So that makes it do-able for all, it keeps all the businesses in the game here. So at this point I would ask that Council to consider awarding the bid to Patterson-Horth in the amount $5,913.40, I'm sorry, it would be $578,000.00. Patterson-Horth bid a $578,000.00 is what approval for the Town Council.
Mr. McPhail: Mr. President, I move we accept the bid and award the bid to Patterson-Horth in the amount of $578,000.00 for the additional $58,000.00.
Ms. Whicker: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: I have a motion and a second to approve the committee's recommendation to award bid for the Façade Improvement Plan of Patterson-Horth in the amount of $578,000.00 and that includes the $5,913.40 which is over the original estimate. If there is no further discussion, all those in favor signify by aye, opposed, motion carries.
Mr. Carlucci: Joe also had in his report the waiving of the building report fees for the Town Center buildings as waived to keeping everybody's cost to a minimum.
Mr. Kirchoff: I move that we waive the fees as recommended by in the Director of Planning report to us for the Façade Improvement Program.
Mr. McPhail: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: The motion is second to waive the required fees for the Façade Improvement Program as recommended by our Planning and Zoning Director. If there is no further discussion all those in favor signify by saying aye, opposed, motion carries. Thank you.
Mr. Carlucci: And one last item and I'll let Linda handle the other ones. During this process several of the building owners wanted to take a look at the size of their buildings in terms of the Façade Improvement Program, there originally wasn't in the architects contract, they have gone forward and done that and they are asking and we will get back to some of this side of the buildings here shortly, but they spend an additional $8,000.00 to do the work up on the sides of several of the buildings in the Town Center and they are asking to be compensated for that work in the amount of $8,000.00.
Mr. Kirchoff: Again, they did what?
Mr. Carlucci: Well most of the buildings that we're doing are just the fronts of the buildings. During the discussions with the building owners and I think this was discussed at that Council Meeting but I couldn't tell you which one right now. But they wanted to look at the size of some of these buildings and do improvements on the sides of several of these buildings; I know one is right across the street here just to the east of us. There were a couple other buildings, that's where Butler Firming used to be, that building there looking at the size of these buildings and so they went ahead and move forward with that study which is rendering from some tax work you have to do and getting ready for a bid.
Mr. Kirchoff: Was it Ratio?
Mr. Carlucci: It was Ratio Architects that did the work.
Ms. Whicker: Do you know what the third side building is, the two that are facing west on Center and what was the third side?
Mr. McPhail: I think they've done all three on the corner of Center, have they done all three on Center and Main? And then I know the building next to the bank, I don't know...
Mr. Carlucci: I know we did one when we updated phones here from Ratio, I think we did other buildings also.
Mr. Kroll: I'm David Kroll with Ratio Architects, there were eight buildings that the original easement says that we were ten feet back from the façade. Now on some buildings that came with a window so it didn't make sense so we started to look at the Streetscape elevations on Vine Street for the two buildings on the Corner of Vine and Main, the three buildings on the Corner of Center and Main and then the alley elevations between Center and Vine and there is different depths and different lengths of those depending on what made architectural sense to go down and pick up the main part of the building or the part of the building that needed the most part of the work.
Mr. McPhail: I move that we pay the additional $8,000.00 to Ratio Architects for the additional work.
Mr. Kirchoff: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: The motion is second to pay Ratio Architect an additional $8,000.00 for work preformed on the Façade Improvement Program relative to the size of the buildings that are in view. If there is no further discussion all those in favor signify by saying aye, opposed, motion carried. Thank you.
Mr. Fulford: Thank you. There are a couple of other situations that came up. Number one (1) is that 116 West Main Street, they did not originally participate in the Façade Improvement program but they would like to participate now, and so their building was designed as an alternate and they paid the same percentage of the match that was in the original grant amount 80/20 percent and so the Town's amount would be to match that would be 25,840.00 and the other situation that came up was in discussions we felt that 124 the side elevation of 124 which is a very prominent intersection of the Town Center that would be in the Town's best interest to go ahead and complete the side on that particular building and the property owner agreed to go fifty percent on that one. So that amount came to $13,650.00, those two together is $39,490.00, there is a very good possibility although not 100% that I could do a grant modification to cover that, however in event that the office of Community and Rural Affairs does not approve that I would need an approval from the Town to possibly cover this amount $39,000.00 and that would get 100% participation of the Town Center and it would take care of the side elevation across the street here at 124.
Ms. Whicker: What business is currently at 124?
Ms. Fulford: It's vacant it's the drug store, Strafford Book Store, Strafford building 124.
Mr. McPhail: Most prominent building.
Ms. Fulford: And 116 was the Comfort Zone, I think that everybody knows that building was right in the middle of the area of improvement, I think it would be very beneficial to get that one finished to complete the whole Façade Improvement Program. Which by the way, it's going to be great, once the Streetscape is finished the façade's are finished to be commended for all your planning and for your foresight on this.
Mr. Brandgard: I think it's an issue that with everybody having agreed to fund at least twenty percent to leave two buildings undone is not in anybody's best interest including the Town's.
Mr. Kirchoff: I assume we could get the authority to proceed with that but pursue the funding...
Ms. Fulford: I will definitely pursue a grant modification request to OCRA. There are funds that we have not expended with the bid, so we should be ok, but again I am not 100% positive.
Mr. Brandgard: My concern is if we were to go out and say let's do that and the Town would cover the short that it will not be for...
Mr. Kirchoff: That's what I'm saying, and authorize her to go through with...
Ms. Fulford: Would you like for me to pursue the Grant Modification and come back at another meeting.
Mr. Brandgard: Yes.
Ms. Fulford: Ok, I will do that. Thank you.
Mr. Brandgard: Thank you.
Mr. Carlucci: One of the things you did approve tonight and theirs no doubt that the after many years of trying to upgrade the Town's Center we're in the midst of it now, but in the end what you approve tonight was for new cabling so that we could run the broadband under along the pretty much the entire length in creating what they refer to as a wi-fi hotspot. Just one more, we would have done this cabling anyway, we had this street open, that's the time to put it in, but it does benefit the Town's Center and the area around the Town's Center for in terms of Wi-fi. That will certainly be a positive for the businesses down here and certainly people just might be in the parks over by P.Y.A.C. someday and want to go plug in their computer. So certainly the Town has made substantial progress and is spending we've gotten a lot of grant money for this too, to make the Town's Center back to the way a lot of you who have lived here your whole life remember it, and I think that is important for a community to certainly protect it's history and historic designation is one way of moving back in that direction also. We have other side elevations but the business owners would like to have done but with Linda today you basically said if we want to go forward with a couple of them go to OCRA first and see about the grant modification for all of us that would like to do this, my opinion is we probably spent enough money here and we might want to wait until the project is done and then see if there is still the desire to have some of these other sides done on these other buildings. Again we are spending a lot of funds here in the area of about a mile in a half from Carr Road all the way to Vestal Road and P.Y.A.C., it might make sense to get this done and see what it looks like and see how it helps the Town Center and if it helps then know that we maybe should do a little bit more or go back and hope for some additional funds but I appreciate Linda helping me out there. It's not something I deal with everyday and well, I'll have to discuss this with Joe to pick a better time to leave town. He said he's going to a Planning Conference which I don't know what they learn there, but its one thing they learned is leave me holding the bag.
Ms. Whicker: Rich, he had requested action on Council on the Gateway finding signs did you just want to wait and hold that item off to...
Mr. Carlucci: I'm glad to wait; I had a little trouble with the amount of cost there.
Ms. Whicker: Ok.
Mr. Carlucci: So maybe I need to talk to him a little bit about the cost, they seemed pretty high; it's up to the board if they want to go, I didn't do that to leave that out purposely.
Mr. Brandgard: If you want to have more discussion, waiting until the next meeting is not going to make or break that project.
Ms. Whicker: Ok.
BID AWARD: Ambulance
Mr. Brandgard: Does the bid review committee have a recommendation for the new ambulance?
Mr. Anderson: Mr. President, the bid review committee met this morning, we reviewed the ambulance bids and the committees recommendation is to award the bid to LifeLine Emergency Vehicles, Inc. for a 2010 Chevrolet G4500 Superliner type 3 ambulance with diesel engine. The bid amount is $166,528.00 minus $16,000.00 for a trade in for our old Ambulance for a purchase price of $150,528.00.
Mr. McPhail: Mr. President, I would move that we accept the recommendation of the bid committee and award the ambulance bid to LifeLine Chassis in the amount of $166,528.00 minus $16,000.00 trade in for a net purchase price of $150,528.00.
Ms. Whicker: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: We have a motion second, for the recommendations of the bid review committee and award LifeLine Emergency Vehicles, Inc the new ambulance contract in the amount of $166,528.00 minus $16,000.00 trade in for a net purchase price of $150,528.00. If there is no further discussion all those in favor signify by aye, opposed, motion carried. Thank you.
APPROVAL OF QUOTE FOR FINANCING: Public Safety Vehicles
Mr. Brandgard: We have a recommendation from the review committee for the approval of a quote for financing the Public Safety Vehicles.
Mr. Bennett: Yes we do Mr. President and members of the Council. The committee met and is recommending that the Council approve the quote for PNC Equipment Finance for 36 months at 2.86% financing with six equal semi annual payments of $201,373.08 and that is reflected in my report. Currently legal counsel is reviewing documents and we should be ready to close on Wednesday and take care of the funding for the vehicles and the equipment.
Mr. McPhail: Might for those that do not recognize the name PNC it's what we know as National City Bank.
Mr. Bennett: That was the lowest and the best quote that we got from the six financing institutions that participated.
Mr. Brandgard: We need a motion to approve.
Mr. McPhail: Would so move.
Mr. Kirchoff: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: The motion is second to approve the Public Safety Vehicle financing quote to PNC Equipment finance in the amount of six equal payments of $201,373.08 and that's at an A.P.R. of 2.86%. If there is no further discussion, all those in favor signify by aye, opposed, motion carried. Thank you.
Mr. Bennett: Thank you Mr. President.
BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR
Mr. Brandgard: Do we have any business from the floor this evening?
7:31:41 - 7:31:51: No audio
Mr. Brandgard: Clay? Bill? Chief Anderson?
7:32:15 – 7:48:07: No audio
Mr. Bennett: Audio returning...If the Council would be so inclined, I would recommend Council approval for contribution for 2010 of $1,000.00 coming out of the administrative budget if the motion carries money funded in the budget for requests like this in the 2010 budget.
Ms. Whicker: I would like to make a motion to make the $1,000.00 donation to Meals on Wheels of Hendricks County in the amount of $1,000.00.
Mr. McPhail: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: The motion is second, for the Town to donate $1,000.00 to the Meals on Wheels program. If there is no further discussion all those in favor signify by aye, opposed, motion carried.
Mr. Bennett: Thank you Mr. President and members of the Council. One more item, I've formulated a committee that is reviewing Fire Suppression Safety Equipment and fire extinguishers throughout the Town. What we've been trying to do is to bring those services under one contract within the Town, the committee has been working on it RFB that we would like permission to advertise in the next couple of weeks and bring recommendations or suggestions to the Town as far as ruling a contract for the Fire Suppression Extinguisher inspections and so forth for the Town's buildings. I would appreciate consent to move forward on that issue.
Mr. Brandgard: You have consent.
Mr. Bennett: That's all I have, thank you.
TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT
STAFF REPORTS
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Brandgard: New business?
Mr. Kirchoff: I have a number of things. The first one is a resident on Miami Drive South, has expressed more than once to me his concern about parking on Brookside and apparently a lot of those houses north of Stafford only have one car garages and he's telling me we are getting parking on both sides of Brookside and he is concerned about public safety. I don't know if we've had any issues trying to get up and down Brookside? I told him I would bring it up to Council and perhaps staff could take a look at it and just see what that might be.
Mr. Carlucci: Mr. Kirchoff, I know what area you are talking about, I go there two or three times a day it does get narrowed down and as you get closer you can see that it gets narrower, there is another issue there they have a pretty large camper, I mean really large one that sits there. And it's not that it bothers the street except they are hanging over the sidewalk and I get people who call in about that a State citation so I say call the Police Department tell them where it's at and we can site them with that, I know exactly where that's at.
Mr. Kirchoff: Well again, I thought it was important for the entire Council to hear that. The second one it's also a repeat request, I don't know if whether I dropped the ball or rather a citizen was supposed to do something, anyway, the son of an elderly person who lives north of Hope Presbyterian Church has been taken advantage of by solicitors. This lady is probably in her eighties and they come to the door and they tell her she needs this done and she needs that done and she has spent considerable money, so his question was do we have a solicitor requirement in town and if we do he would like for us to make some way to publicizing that a little more effectively and particularly the elderly population because she has been taken advantage of more than once and she writes the check and then he finds out later. Again, I thought it was something the Council would give us some guidance on.
Mr. Carlucci: I'd like to comment on that, we have an ordinance on that requires solicitors to go door to door to register, well that doesn't mean that it happens. We do have a draft of a new solicitor's ordinance, so we can go back and take a look at that because that was more stringent than the old one.
Ms. Whicker: And that if they did get the permit they should have that to show the citizen that they are registered and I believe it has your signature on it, correct?
Mr. Carlucci: Clerk Treasurer's office.
Mr. Brandgard: It should be a card that they just need to display.
Mr. Bennett: Could I suggest, Mr. President and Mr. Kirchoff, that we do a couple of things that we periodically and that in the next available WaterLine that we put a short article in the WaterLine and that we do that intermittently through the year and then we will also maybe have a link on our website in regards to with it somehow highlight it on the front page as to beware or to be aware of here is what these folks are supposed to present at the time they approach you when they come to your door. Also we give them instructions on what to do if they see someone that doesn't provide them the necessary documentation.
Mr. Kirchoff: Sure, that would be great.
Ms. Whicker: I think it would be important also to make sure and put in those that do not need to have that, youth or people that live in the neighborhood or the few exceptions and make sure we do publicize what they need as well.
Mr. Bennett: That's a good idea.
Mr. Brandgard: That might be an idea to put it in the Chamber newsletter and website. It will pertain to businesses in those.
Mr. McPhail: Can you get me the information and we will do that.
Mr. Bennett: Ok.
Mr. Kirchoff: Did anyone else have any trouble opening reports off that TP site?
Ms. Whicker: I did.
Mr. Brandgard: I didn't have any problem.
Ms. Whicker: I went back to it at a different time and it was okay, but I did it was spotty at certain times of the day.
Mr. Kirchoff: Some opened and some didn't. I mean the one from the Fire Department I never could get open. The other thing is it kept locking me out, I had to go back and keep signing on. Thank you, William.
Mr. Brandgard: I move those over to a file on the computer.
Mr. Kirchoff: Rich are you going to talk about a couple of documents that you provided to us, I guess where I'm going with that is, do we need to schedule a work session to talk about, the two memorandums that we received second terms and the Elk's?
Mr. Brandgard: I looked at the Elk's and I think we were supposed to funnel information to...
Mr. Daniel: I got, I made two revisions just today and something else on that, but other than that that's to the extent you have the proposal is different than that, I mean that information. I'm going to have suggestions and terms different from what was in that draft.
Mr. Brandgard: With that I'm going to suggest that we set up a work session to cover both items that wouldn't take very long to do that.
Mr. Kirchoff: Do it in one night. It's more than what we want to do in Council session and I think they are both things we want to get on with. So if I have any comments just email them to you?
Mr. Daniel: Yes.
Ms. Whicker: Are we ready to schedule that or do we want to wait till…
Mr. Brandgard: Let's schedule it before we forget about doing it.
Work session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27th at 6:00 p.m.
Mr. Kirchoff: That's all my new business.
Mr. Brandgard: Thank you.
Mr. Gaddie: I have a couple comments and it's overdue. You know I've had neighbors on Buchannan Street they like it but some areas got more straw than they got grass. I noticed Jason today put a drain in up there on Seventh, I thought maybe it was Gradex people but it wasn't. But now I know I've mentioned to Tim on Gibbs Court and there are several areas around like that which long as they've put it in they get grass that north side of the road the grass is pretty well covered, I think they did that before they did the south side. You know it's just small things.
Mr. Brandgard: I was going to say on weren't they going to come back and do that, that is a
Mr. Belcher: Just so you all know, there are still a bunch of retainage on that project and Ed's right there's a lot of different yards that need repair and again given that time of a year we are starting to dry off and get back on it. Jason and those guys are really are helping us out by his guys doing that that drain there has saved us money by not having to go back to the contractor to do that, so it's really helpful. So it is great to have guys with those types of skills.
Mr. Gaddie: That's all that I have.
Mr. Brandgard: I have one discussion that struck a thought it's more old business than it is new but, last fall we had people come in about drainage issues up top of the hill west of Duke Energy, I just wondered where are we at, we had a lot of discussion on those things and theirs a drain down from that area that was ponding.
Mr. Belcher: Was that Picket and Spruce? I forget the ladies name right now but Jason and his guys did do a project down there, we have a drain that crossed that driveway where the water is going down in the garage just bring back that and remember what was going on there. I had two things going on; one was a major collapse of a system inside of a pipe that backed up a large amount of water. That we replaced, the vendor replaced that device that collapsed at his expense and that's been taken care of. We don't anticipate that happening again but you know we will see if we get anymore six inch rains. The other item was more of a problem right at the property where the waters going off the public street down the driveway and the garage what we had done with the slotted drains across the drive we did have out in public right of ways opposed to a public drive and it's improved it quite a bit, but Jason was able to get out when it rained hard, it was last week once and still have a little bit we are going to make some adjustments there to catch a little bit of the water that is actually getting around that drain. I think we've made some major headway in that, again it's our folks doing the work.
Mr. Carlucci: I have an update on that. The gentleman that was representing that lady, he called me last week and he left a message and the message was they are very happy with how it's turned out and that he was hoping to be at the meeting today, I don't think I see him here. He wanted to come to the Council and tell them.
Mr. Gaddie: Water standing on the west end, I think it's heartland that runs east and west down at the west end where the...
Mr. Belcher: Yeah, I think Jason actually was going to move from what he's putting in now to that.
Mr. Gaddie: They said they seen the State there.
Mr. Belcher: Yeah probably, probably Jason's guys getting ready for another job so that one is going to be taken care of too. I think we're getting out now that the weather is nice hitting a lot of these things, it's great to see them taking care of.
Mr. Brandgard: I just wanted to check, I know we have plans but I hadn't heard of what we've accomplished with anything out there so. Great, thank you.
RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 2010-07: s2f worldwide Personal Property Tax Abatement
Mr. Carlucci: Mr. President the first resolution is for S2F worldwide, I'll go ahead and typically explain the project like I normally do, but it seems recently we've not had some good news in Plainfield because we've had Covidien is now moving their operations to Georgia.
The other day I saw a big flatbed that came out of the John Deere warehouse with the racking systems. I was tempted to call the police chief and ask him to stop them for taking racking systems out of Plainfield without a permit, but then realized we didn't have a law to do that. But probably more than any other community in central Indiana though, we've been able to weather the storms like that and come back strong. For example, you saw some of the pictures, Niagra Bottling is already adding to their line which is a real positive.
The staff is looking at Magnum Logistics now they bought a piece of Duke's remnant property at Reeves and Perry Road approximately and they are going to build a 13,200 square foot building 6,000 of that is going to be office so that's a positive, those are usually higher paying jobs. So there is always some good news with some of the bad news. But we also have some good news tonight too, S2F Logistics, I was schooled today and again it is one of the most difficult thing to type on a type writer to find a “S”, a “2”, and a “F”, and then I was told it was not a capital W it is a small w. I pretty much have given up so I know I make mistakes in there. s2f is a logistics company, they are taking 200,000 square feet of the office nine building, that's been vacant for a quite a while. That's a beautiful building.
They also plan to hire an additional 250 employees by the end of 2012 and of course they are for personal property tax abatement because the resolutions as you know, the resolution that you have, I've revised it, it doesn't change anything particularly other than some of my bad spelling. So that is already, so you do not have to do where you have two resolutions, one resolution one month, the next month because it is already on the revitalization already. So they are asking for personal property tax abatement. We do have with us today Randal J. Lewis, who is President and CEO, and Chad Sweeney who works for Janovas and I was wondering if one or both would like to come up and say something?
Mr. Lewis: Thank you Rich, and good evening everyone. I am very excited to become a part of the community. As Rich said we have original plans of bringing 250 jobs to the community by 2012 and I can tell you that was our original plan and based on our activities to date that is still our plan. I'll also tell you that the instillers that are being provided by the city had a lot to do with our decision to select Plainfield. I'd like to also acknowledge Cinda Kelly, she's been a great partner to work with and her responsiveness in working with us on all of this and this project has just been greatly appreciated. So you all have done a great deal to already make it easy for us to do business in the Town so we are much appreciative of that.
Mr. Carlucci: I would be remising and if I didn't I'd be paying the price later. Cinda, do you want to say anything? But you do have that resolution in front of you tonight. Again you have the revised part. The statement of benefits didn't change. But by approving that resolution you approve their statement of benefits they indicate on the IT equipment and the other personal property
Mr. Brandgard: Entertain a motion.
Mr. Kirchoff: I move that we approve Resolution No. 2010-07.
Mr. McPhail: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: The motion is second to approve Resolution No. 2010-07: s2f worldwide Personal Property Tax Abatement. If there is no further discussion roll call vote please.
Ms. Whicker- yes
Mr. Gaddie- yes
Mr. Kirchoff- yes
Mr. McPhail- yes
Mr. Brandgard- yes
Plainfield Town Council Resolution No. 2010-07 is adopted.
Mr. Brandgard: Thank you.
Mr. Carlucci: I'd also like to talk about the next resolution, the Town Township consolidation. A few years back, the Governor, in the addition to the property tax caps also asked the former Governor and the Chief of the Indiana Supreme Court, Kernan-Shepard report came out it's been on the table for the last three years for consolidation. It hasn't done too much to date. Things may change, I think the one thing the Town was concerned about it, I'll give you a good example about a few years ago we entered into a process with the Township for the fire territory and I would think that everybody now that would bring it up has worked out well. At that time at those meetings, and I was over at the Township discussing it with them I asked someone from the audience maybe we should wait because we are in consolidation here, the Governor's report Kernan-Shepard report, the Townships with us appear and all those functions will go to the County. Well, then three years and they still haven't done it.
One thing that has driven my discussion with the legislatures and Ken's and Robin's and the other Council members there is what happens if the Township if they somehow the house is no longer controlled by a democrats and you have the house and the senate and the Governor all of one party? So I think it became a choice for us to decide, do we wait till something happens and it's too late or do we try to go through with our consolidation process? I think that is kind of the point we are at now. I have different mixed feelings about it from the last two sessions I've worked with the Indiana Associations Cities and Towns, with Senator Lawson to get legislation that would allow us to take Hummel Park into the Town with the tax rate so that would be a Town Park.
I talked to the County people, they have no desire to want to have Hummel Park, and I would say that close to seventy-five percent of the money that goes to finance the operations of that park are citizens of Plainfield who live in Guilford Township, so we have a lot to lose here. This resolution just says that of course the Township has to pass a similar one. That the Town and Township will study the process and at the end of that process each board will look at the study and decide whether they want to go forward or not. You'd have to take another vote and if you do take that vote to go forward with the consolidation then at the end of the day the Citizens of the Township and the Town will both separately have to agree to do this. If the Township people said no, they didn't want to do this, which would be fine. That ends it right there, it doesn't matter what the Town people do, it's not a vote of majority plus one, or one plus type thing. So I tend to try to trust the Citizens whom they vote and make a decision, they vote and make the right decision if we get to that point. All this does is gets the process started.
Now my understanding of the next meeting of the Township is early May, if the Council passes this tonight we'll prepare resolution just with exchanging a few things just put their name in where ours was, and they have to make a decision whether they want to study the issue. I spoke to the plan to continue to work to try to carve out for that park so that we can maintain that in the Town of Plainfield. I'm 0 for 2 first two years. I have a feeling that this could be the year and it doesn't happen very often that republicans have all three chambers. I think the last time I had that the speaker of the house was from Brownsburg, that tells you how long ago that was. So again I think we will have mixed feelings here but we will try to figure out how to keep that park for the people who primarily pay for it. We're doing well at that park, that's one thing is what is driving the issue. Now the one thing I talked to Robin about at length is that there will be concern about there on the tracks of farm land that are out there that this will raise our taxes.
Now I think the farm taxes are two percent is under the two percent cap and the one thing I talked to Robin about is we already have the authority under Indiana law and annexation that if we annex farm ground to get to another piece we're actually the ones that got this law on the books to begin with and now it's going State wide. So when we do the annexation we can agree with the property owner that they won't pay the Town tax our portion of the taxes they would normally have to pay, they would pay the other taxing districts but not ours so as long as they keep that ground as agricultural, but once they rezone that property anything other than ag then they are subject to the Town tax. We have that authority now, I say we just annex the whole thing; we can do that right now. I understand the sensitivity of the farmers. I don't know if right now if their at the top of their cap or not but the only thing I talked to Robin about is holding them harmless so that wherever they are at they are at and that we will not add anything on to their burden until such time they change that zoning from ag to anything else any other zoning.
I know I've talked around a couple of times about this and Ed doesn't need an appointment he just wanders in and says hey are you busy? I've mentioned that to him and this may be a good way to go through with this process. There again, it's going to be left up to the Township officials, specifically the Township Board to decide after we present them the resolution if it passes tonight if that is what they want to do.
Mr. Brandgard: I think the other point to make is we did have a joint work session on the consolidation based upon what has happened in the Zionsville area, they gave us a little bit of background. But then again I think this just forms a study commission made up of both Township and the Town to look at what we would do and how we would do it and what we would end up with when we are done so I think we need to talk about it because I would much rather be ahead of the game than over ran by events. If we don't do something we're going to get over run.
Mr. Carlucci: I think that legislature, I think that the democrats had a two vote or three vote lead in the house and given the momentum that I've seen to be out there, that may change and that's what I'm worried about. I'll still work with the senator to see if we can get that legislation in there and that will solve all of our problems but otherwise this is not as complicated as what was going on in Zionsville and their was two townships in the Town of Zionsville and what they are trying to do down in Greenwood which is with White River Township is much more complicated because we make up such a large percentage of the Township already.
Mr. Brandgard: The other piece of this is from the study committee when it gets done it can change the form of Government we have. It will have the ability to do that to an extent.
Mr. Carlucci: If the Council decides they want to go through or if the Township wants to approve the resolution then we will go further and sit down and talk to them about it. Give them direction because they will get to appoint three members and we will appoint three members and the Council President gets to appoint the chair person under the way the resolution is written tonight.
Mr. Kirchoff: The only question I have on that proposed resolution list if I read it correctly the political make up must be four and three and in this community there might be a change.
Mr. Carlucci: Maybe we'll have to find some tea party people, I don't know is there. No, I don't know but I think that is what we are stuck with unless we can find a true independent.
Mr. Kirchoff: I didn't realize that.
Mr. Gaddie: You know, looking at this I've heard hear say on this, talk you know, I'd like to see a work session. You mentioned a public hearing after you go through this but, I think we need to as a Council members get more in depth of what this covers.
Mr. Carlucci: Well Mr. Gaddie, I don't disagree with you. I was asked at the Council meeting a few meetings back to prepare the resolution and bring it back to the Council and that's what I did.
Mr. Brandgard: We did have a work session on this.
Mr. Gaddie: I was the Township but it doesn't bring any of this forward, the legal part of it or anything.
Mr. Kirchoff: All this is saying is let's roll up our sleeves and see what's out there.
Mr. McPhail: It doesn't commit anybody to anything other than studying the issue. I really believe that we're not meeting our responsibility to the Citizens of this community if we don't take a look at this. I certainly don't know what may come out of a study committee, and the Township board may say they don't support moving forward to looking at it. But I know that, I feel certain that this is number one agenda on the Governor's to eliminate Township Government and I think the Citizens of this community and when I say community I mean the Town and the Township, and I think they should have the right to decide what their future is going to be and not somebody at the Statehouse and I think if we don't try to move forward and have the opportunity to look at it, it may not come up with a resolution that the voters will support, I don't know. But I think the voters of this community should have the right to decide what they want to do and not be forced to do something from the Statehouse. And the longer we kick it around, it's not going to change anything, the statute says you have to do it in a certain way and all we're saying is with this resolution we are going to follow that statute and try to move forward. It doesn't commit us to anything.
Mr. Carlucci: Like I said the first decision point is, First decision point is to for the Town and Township to pass basically similar resolutions. The second decision point is, when the study is done, and then both the Town and the Township have to approve the study and taking it to a referendum now they can decide they don't that at that point, and that's fine. But like I said Ed, I was just responding to bring this resolution because I was asked by the Council to do that and at the end of the day if they decide at their May meeting that this is not what they want to do then we'll assume Hummel Park as a separate issue and go from there. But we have Senator Lawson's, in a powerful position, I still can't get the language in there, but maybe a third time will be a charm.
Mr. Brandgard: I think the other part is various areas of the Community and I count the Community the Town and the Township which as I've always looked at it that's Plainfield Community, questions within the Township area, unincorporated as well as the corporated part wanting to know when we are going to do something relative to the Township. I mean the overall trend I hear is people think it's going to go away, the Township will go away but do you want the Township to go to the County or do you want it to stay here where it is still at local control? So it's something we need to bring out and talk about. And as far as having a work session, part of that study process will be work sessions.
Ms. Whicker: The committee does those and presents the findings to Council.
Mr. Brandgard: Right this does not preclude us from not being at the work session, but it is still a vote, I'm certain there will be several work sessions involved looking at different avenues.
Mr. Gaddie: Well, I know that constructive information I got several people in the County
Resolution No. 2010-07: s2f worldwide Personal Property Tax Abatement
Mr. Brandgard asked for a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2010-07. Mr. Kirchoff made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2010-07. Mr. McPhail seconded the motion. There was no further discussion. Mr. Brandgard asked for a roll call vote and the resolution was unanimously adopted.
Resolution No. 2010-08: Town of Plainfield-Guilford Township Reorganization
Mr. Brandgard asked for a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2010-08. Mr. Kirchoff made a motion to adopt resolution 2010-08. Mr. McPhail seconded the motion. Mr. Brandgard asked for a roll call vote and the vote was 4-1 in favor of adopting said resolution with Mr. Gaddie casting the Nay vote.
Resolution No. 2010-09: TIF Bond Anticipation Notes Extension
Mr. Brandgard asked for a motion to adopt Resolution No. 2010-09. Mr. McPhail made a motion to adopt resolution 2010-09. Ms. Whicker seconded the motion. Mr. Brandgard asked for a roll call vote and the vote was 4-1 in favor of adopting said resolution with Mr. Gaddie casting the Nay vote.
ORDINANCES
First Reading: Ordinance No. 07-2010: Prohibiting Damage to Municipal Broadband System and Related Facilities
Mr. Brandgard asked for a motion to pass the first reading of Ordinance No. 07-2010. Mr. Kirchoff made a motion to pass the first reading of Ordinance 07-2010. Mr. McPhail seconded the motion. Mr. Brandgard asked for a roll call vote and the vote was unanimous in favor of passing the first reading of said Ordinance.
Audio returned 8:33:08
Mr. McPhail: So people do that accidently but it will certainly, I think it's really important that we have an ordinance to protect ourselves. I was glad to see that on the agenda tonight.
PROCLAMATIONS
COUNCIL COMMENTS
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Brandgard: Is there anything else that needs to come before the Council this evening? If not, I will entertain a motion to sign documents requiring signature and adjourn.
Mr. McPhail: So moved.
Ms. Whicker: Second.
Mr. Brandgard: All those in favor signify by aye, opposed, motion carried. Thank you.
