The Noblesville Common Council gathered May 28 for a regular meeting. Councilors Mark Boice, Greg O’Connor and Rick Taylor were absent. The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. June 11 in the council chambers (second floor) at City Hall, 16 S. 10th St. For more, or to see an agenda for the meeting, visit cityofnoblesville.org/council.
What happened: The council approved an ordinance to amend a past ordinance regarding the city’s pledge of local income tax revenues to the City of Noblesville Redevelopment Commission for the payment of lease rentals.
What it means: Noblesville City Controller Jeff Spalding said the amendment to the language in the original ordinance is a result of new guidelines being implemented by the Standard & Poor’s credit rating agency.
Introduced and explained at the May 14 council meeting, Spalding said the change of language about income tax back debt essentially is a safeguard against what could have been seen as a financial risk, according to S&P.
The ordinances passed 5-0, with Councilor Brian Ayer abstaining.
What happened: The council introduced an ordinance concerning the adoption of a recreation zone improvement plan from 2019-2028 and approved the amending of an ordinance regarding park impact fees.
What it means: Parks Director Brandon Bennett, city attorney Mike Howard presented, and City Development Services Manager Joyceann Yelton presented the ordinance that, if approved by council, will update the ordinance on park impact fees. Yelton said because the park impact fees are being updated, the council must also approve an update to the city’s recreation zone improvement plan so it matches.
Park impact fees have been used in Noblesville since the first ordinance was passed in 1991.
“Essentially what it does is it sets a fee on new development for the cost of certain infrastructure, the need for which would be caused by that new development,” Howard said. “So, the fee must reflect the approximate cost of the infrastructure necessary to keep the city’s level of service. This ordinance is substantially similar to the ordinances that we’ve had in place in the past. Obviously the numbers have gone up due to inflation.”
The council approved the amendment to the park impact fee ordinance that updated the rate for a two-family dwelling unit and will vote on the ordinance to update the recreation zone improvement plan at its next meeting, June 11.
What happened: The council introduced and set a public hearing for an ordinance that would appropriate $1.25 million from the city’s motor vehicle highway fund for potential right-of-way acquisition costs for the expansion and extension of Pleasant Street.
What it means: “Essentially, we are in the throes of looking at future improvement on Pleasant Street,” City Controller Jeff Spalding said. “That process often requires the purchase of some land in that corridor as right of way. There is a process the council has to go through for that, but at the recommendation of the finance committee, and with the support of the mayor, the thought was to at least have funds appropriated and available as those properties get identified for council consideration. We worked with the engineering department to at least get a sense of scope – based on the planned work that would be upcoming in the relatively near future – on what the cost of property acquisition might be in 2019 to come up with this $1.25 million we’re appropriating now. So, that’s the purpose of this ordinance, is to just have those funds appropriated for the remainder of 2019 for potential right-of-way acquisition.”
The council unanimously approved a motion to hold a public hearing at its June 11 meeting.
