The Noblesville Common Council met July 23 for a regular meeting at City Hall. Councilor Roy Johnson was absent. The next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at the City Hall Council Chambers (second floor), 16 S. 10th St.
What happened: The council unanimously approved two ordinances amending and updating the city’s unified development ordinance.
What it means: The approval amends Articles 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 and 15 – concerning definitions, zoning applications and approvals, subdivision procedures, site design and improvement standards, zoning districts, signs and enforcement, respectively – and appendix A, concerning fees, charges and expenses, as an overall update for the unified development ordinance. The ordinances were last updated in 2017.
What happened: The council introduced an ordinance to approve additional appropriations from the city’s general fund for a public purpose grant for the reconstruction of the Logan Street Pedestrian Bridge over White River.
What it means: Jeff Spalding, city financial controller, explained the need for the appropriation.
“We appropriated funds last year for this purpose, but it was in anticipation of this (memorandum of understanding) being completed with the county. Well, that all didn’t quite occur during the last fiscal year,” Spalding said. “As a result, the appropriation for that lapsedm so this is, in effect, reappropriating funds that (the council) appropriated the previous year. The amounts have been set based on the amounts referenced in that MOU.”
Because the ordinance was introduced for first reading to the council, no final action was taken. A public hearing for the ordinance was set for the next council meeting, Aug. 13.
What happened: In line with the agenda item prior, the council approved a memorandum of understanding between Hamilton County and the City of Noblesville concerning construction of the Logan Street Pedestrian Bridge over White River.
What it means: City of Noblesville and Hamilton County attorney Mike Howard explained the details.
“This memorandum of understanding was discussed mid-year of 2018,” he said. “The bids came back substantially higher than anticipated. The amounts in this MOU were arrived at by talking to the engineering department for the county. Essentially, we have a base reimbursement in Paragraph 2 of $1,542,823, and that includes our contribution, not only to the construction of the structure, but also the lighting on the structure.”
The MOU outlines costs associated with the widening of the bridge to allow for a pedestrian pathway along the road’s edge, crossing over White River. The city and county have agreed to split costs.
The construction of the pedestrian bridge was bid at $3,715,500 in addition to election costs of $587,900, totaling $4,303.400. The City of Noblesville, as outlined by the MOU, will pay a minimum of $1,542,823, half of which will be paid when and if the Noblesville Common Council approves the MOU at its next meeting, Aug. 13. The MOU also states that the City of Noblesville will not pay more than $1,622,750 for the total cost of the project.
The project is set to be complete by September but has experienced delays because of heavy rain.
