Common Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. It's 6 o'clock. will call to order the meeting of the Auburn Common Council. We'll begin with a moment of silent meditation or reflection followed by the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

We'll move on to roll call. Councilman Finchum here. Councilman Brun here. Councilman Webb here. Councilwoman Dit, she is absent. Was not going to be here. Councilman Williams here. Councilman Bundy here. Councilwoman Proser here. Council, in front of you, you have the meeting minutes from the February 3rd regular meeting. Move to approve as presented. Second. Okay, we have a motion to second to approve the minutes. Any questions or discussion? Changes. Hearing none, I'll call for a question. All in favor signify by saying I.

I opposed. Motion carry. Okay. Recognition of visitors. Mike Little John, Denny Kenberger, Marcus Wagner, Ashley and Kell Douly, Carol Fe and Ryan Baker, Miles Dobson, April Dobson, Mimi Hollesinger, Rachel Holinger, Laura Atkinson, Doug Kelly, Brennan Maloney. Welcome. Move on to communications. Um, so one thing we started in 2025 was was doing something uh special for someone in the community that um maybe sometimes their service goes unrecognized or unnoticed. And so I'd like to begin by reading one thing here. So, the 2025 citizen of the year recipient is a dedicated educator, coach, and community leader whose impact can be felt through Auburn and Northeast Indiana since 2012, excuse me, since the 2012 2013 school year. She has served as a special education teacher at the Cal High School, showing up every day with patience, compassion, and your genuine belief in her students. Her work in a classroom is meaningful, but her influence reaches far beyond that. She played a key role in launching the unified track at DAB High School, helping build what has grown into a nationally recognized unified sports program. Under her leadership, the program now includes botchi, flag football, basketball, cornhole, bowling, track and field, and cheerleading. Decal High School is now one of only a few schools in early in Indiana to earn the national banner for unified sports.

She currently serves as head coach for five unified teams, including the most recent 2025 IHSAA state champion unified flag football team, which they also won in 2021. um the Barons along with unified botchi, basketball, cornhole, and track and field. Her leadership also extends well beyond ECAB High School. She serves as area three director for Spenc Olympics in Indiana, overseeing programs across nine counties in Northeast Indiana. In recognition of her dedication, she along with two student athletes will represent Indiana as part of Unified Leadership Team at the 2026 Special Olympic USA games in Minnesota. Her service to the Auburn community doesn't stop there. She organizes and runs concession stands for football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling events, helping ensure school and community programs continue to thrive. Even with an already full schedule, she continues to give more. She provides respit care through Sky Point social services as a direct support professional, opening her home and heart to local individuals and giving families peace of mind and much needed support. The dedication, humility, and tireless service shown reflects the spirit of our community. Her impact isn't measured just in championships or awards, but in the confidence and opportunities she creates every single day. It is with great honor that I recognize the 2025 Citizen of the Year, Carol Feb Baker.

would like to come up a little bit.

Feel free. But so we all started this I will share um we had Aubbert Q&A night on February 7th at the Fort Wayne comments and I felt it was proper to kick this off with uh Carol receiving the lottery community impact. Um so I thought that was a great way to start this and I'm glad to see Colin here. I'm sorry. Um, yeah, this is I always see Carter and Carol together quite often, but uh, Carter, would you like to present this to Carol? Thank you. Congratulations from this year.

Congratulations. uh the flag football program for the unified barren that's the only IHS IHSA sanctioned sport if I'm correct right out of as well okay but so only two out of all but to be IHS aa sanctioned is huge um and to bring home two state championships in five years amazing um and I'm looking forward to coming to the the ring ceremony the 27th. 27th. Yeah. So again, thank you.

Okay.

Actually, that didn't a right either, is it? Oh, it is. Yeah. Okay. And then uh we did have the state of the city on today, but due to my voice uh we are missing council president. That has been postponed until uh Tuesday the February 24th at 10 a.m. here in the chambers and it will be live streamed for those that cannot attend. Um so I do apologize on that. This will be the first time in three years we've we've kind of postponed it, but I didn't want to push it out for another two weeks. Um, is there anyone in the public that would like to address the council? Anyone in the public that would like to address the council? Hearing none, we'll move on. Clerk treasure.

Good evening. and the current vouchers for 5,669,7626.

Move to approve. Second. We have a motion, a second to approve the vouchers. Any questions, discussion? Hearing none, I'll call for question. All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Opposed? Motion carried. Thank you. Thank you. Ordinances and resolutions.

Ordinance number 2026-5, an ordinance amending ordinance number 2025-18 establishing pay classifications and salary ranges of appointed officers and employees of the city of Auburn, Indiana for the year 2026. Summary. Following is a proposed ordinance amending ordinance number 25 2025-8 regarding the salaries of appointed officers and employees of the city of Auburn, Indiana for the year 2026. I move that we pass ordinance number 2026-5 on second final reading. Second.

And we have a motion, a second to pass ordinance number 2026-05 on second reading. Any questions or discussion? Hearing none, I'll call for a question. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. Motion carried. Thank you. You're welcome.

Um, moving on to reports. under mayor. Uh all council should have received uh annual reports were sent out a week week and a half ago to all council members. Um they also can be found on uh each department page. Um they are listed there as well. We are working on a um uh finance committee schedule or budget schedule for the year. So, I would anticipate that coming out here within the next few weeks uh from Baker Tilly. And that is all I have under mayor. I don't believe council president had anything. So, that brings us to plan commission.

So, we did meet um last time and we had one item on the agenda under new business. It was a development plan for commercial property at 869 on Shook Road, but they tabled it. Um they needed some more work to be done on it. So that should be coming up at the next uh meeting, but that was tabled. Okay. Thanks. Yep. Um committees uh nothing for tax phase in. I do want to comment on the finance committee since you brought it up. Sure.

Uh we were at a meeting Saturday with Rep. uh Schmaltz and Senator Johnson and the city of Auburn got a shout out for our budget process over the last year, especially since uh we're looking at the new SB1 that was passed last year and the changes that are going to be uh we're going to have to adapt. And so we were complimented by Re Representative Schmaltz for being ahead of the curve. So that was a good thing. you know, everybody here on the council works hard. A lot of it you don't see behind the scenes and to get recognized for that kind of thing, that was that was a good thing.

Yeah, we've had a lot of conversations and yeah, and uh the two years that we've implemented the zerobased budgeting, but we reduced our budget 11%. Um, which again puts us ahead of the curve. Um, I think we'll see some impacts from this SCA1 bill. Uh, with the changes, I think it's going to be very minimal. Um, nothing we can't work through. Uh, which is a good thing. Um, I will be having, uh, some more conversations tomorrow. Um, um, I've been been advocating for for Auburn and other communities across the state as well as other mayors, commissioners. Um, you know, you guys have had a lot of conversations as well and uh um you know, we I think we all have the ultimate goal that we'd we'd love to provide some some tax relief. Um you know, every decision we make affects every one of us that are sitting up here, commissioners, county council. Um so we always have that in the back of our mind as well. So thanks for sharing that.

I have something for ordinance and resolution then as well. So, um there are you everybody should have got an email from building planning with two proposed ordinances that will be coming uh before council at some point. One on property maintenance and one on emband abandoned and vacant structures. That's a new one. We had started this process looking at these a while ago and then we kind of scrapped them because there was too many wording discrepancies and things that were going on with existing code. So, they had actually already um had these written up and sent them out to committee members and had anformational meeting with us and went through what this is. So, the plan will be to have them presented potentially at the second meeting in March. And if at that time we need to forward it to ordinance and resolution committee, we can do that. Um whatever you need, just take a look at it and contact building planning development and they'll be able to answer any of your questions on those two ordinances. Yeah. And and if you don't mind, Councilman Ben, I'd like to add to that. Yeah. So, Jim Catarat, uh, city planner took all that information from that meeting. I don't it was either may have been uh early 2025 or even late 24, all the concerns that were brought up at the council meeting and has factored that in.

That was an ordinance and resolution committee meeting. We had we had one ordinance and resolution. Oh, yes, that is correct. Yes. Uh but we had quite a few council members in attendance and so yeah, if we need to have a a public meeting to where the rest of the council could come in, I I think everybody was open to that and um that that could be the route that we pursue. So thank you. You're welcome.

Um yeah, and then another tax phase and like I said, finance committee um we expect to have that schedule here in the next probably three to four weeks. Baker Tilly is working on that. So um that's under it under reports. Is there un any unfinished business to come before the council any new business general good and welfare of the community? Um I will say we're well underway with the fireworks for this year uh which will be happening on July 4th out at Ricky Park. um that is being uh put on by the shifters uh in conjunction with a quite a few local sponsors in partnership with the city to help just coordinate that. Uh we've had some good feedback so far. Um shifters have had a lot of interest with sponsors. I think they've secured what they needed uh which is great. Um we've got food trucks lined up. There'll be more details coming out here soon um as as things come together. Um but we are looking to have that at Ricky Park and utilizing the Y soccer field parking lot for parking. People can sit in the grass and so forth. Um this is going to be a learning curve for us this year. Usually they have it out of the auction park which there's ample ample room out there. Um but I think we'll be okay and and you know we may learn some things this year. we'll have to tweak for 27. But um they they've committed to doing this for at least three years. If all goes well, they will continue. They're going to have their annual big shifters car show, their largest fundraiser of the year out there from 4 to 8 at the lodge uh with their cars and uh so

that'll be a big piece of it and uh looking forward to it. Should be a great time. So I do have one thing to add as well. So this past weekend, Auburn Main Street held their Winter Fest over here at James Plaza. Very, very well attended. Unfortunately, the ice sculptures melted really, really quickly, but they had the the basketball jam, whatever that's called, and they had the actual NCAA trophy in there. Very, very well attended. People were everywhere. I think the warm temperatures helped bring people out, but also destroy the ice sculptures. It was well attended. Yeah. Great. Yeah, I was able to attend that for a little bit and it was about 10:30 or 11 and it was it was warming up at that point. I think a few years ago it was like 60 degrees as well.

Yeah, but yeah, sometimes it can be cold the other way and then nobody shows up because it's too cold, right? So, any other anything else under the goods? Uh, next regular council meeting is Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 at 6 pm. Move adjourn. Okay, we have a motion, a second to adjurnn. All in favor signify by saying I. I opposed.