What Happened: The city unveiled its budget for 2015.

What it Means: After going through workshops where each department presented its needs for the coming year, Mayor Jim Brainard has drafted a budget of $131,020,555. “It does what the city needs and it doesn’t raise taxes,” he said. A complete breakdown is available on our Web site on the “City Beat” blog.
What’s Next: No action taken on this item. Tabled until Nov. 3 to give councilors a chance to meet and discuss the budget before any action.

What Happened: The Carmel City Council passed four ordinances regarding annual pay raises for government employees.

What it Means: Every single salary was set for the upcoming budget with a two percent pay increase to account for cost of living increases.
What’s Next: The ordinances were adopted and will go into effect.

What Happened: There was a public hearing for the Grannan Grove planned unit development.

What it Means: The developer wishes to rezone 9.774 acres to build 14 residential lots with a common area at 3739 W. 141st St. This area is located south of and adjacent to 141st Street and west of Shelborne Road, near the Edgewood Neighborhood.
What’s Next: The bill was sent to the Land Use, Annexation and Economic Development committee which meets next on Oct. 28.

What Happened: The City Council voted 4 to 3 to remove a roundabout at Carmel Drive from the city’s comprehensive plan.

What it Means: This particular roundabout has sparked quite a debate. Some City Councilors don’t want it because they said they believe it hurts businesses if motorists are driving too fast by their storefronts. Others said that it would improve traffic flow while increasing customers because they wouldn’t avoid the area due to congestion. The roundabout would be paid for through federal money and some say it’s a critical component for redeveloping the former home of Party Time Rental, a vacant building on Range Line Road. Councilors previously removed the roundabout from the document, but the Carmel Plan Commission went and put it back in, necessitating this ordinance.
What’s Next: The roundabout won’t be in the city’s comprehensive plan, which isn’t to say it could never be constructed, but it could deter such plans.