City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening everyone and welcome to this regular meeting of the Terode City Council. It's a little bit after 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 2nd, 2025. We begin each meeting with a moment of silence and the pledge of allegiance will be led in the pledge this evening by council person Candace H. I pledge 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.

Thanks everyone. Michelle, will you please call the role? Council person Azar. Council person Boland, present. Council person Chaos, present. Council person Devon, here. Council person Dinkle, present. Council person Hinton, present. Council person Laddermill, present. Council person Nation, here. Council person Thompson, here. Adah present, one is absent.

Thanks, Michelle. Council person Nazar sends his regrets. He's got a restaurant emergency. Um, another one of our traditions is to begin each meeting with up to 30 minutes of comment on public comment on items not on the agenda. Uh, when you came in last when you came in, there was a signup sheet out there. If you didn't sign up and want to address us, you certainly can. Uh, but there's one name on this list and it's Mark Smith. You want to approach the mic microphone, Mark, and talk to us? Hi, welcome. We come up here with the Terrell Street Department and we were just in discussions and the city is offering us a 655 contract.

Mark. Yes. Um I believe that your contract will be on our agenda later in the form of our salary, a vote on your salary ordinance and then there's also a vote on the budget. Okay. This is this part of the meeting is for people who have business with the council that's not on the agenda. No problem. We'll we'll wait. Okay. Yeah. We'll look forward to hearing from you. Is there anybody who didn't sign up who wants to talk to the council about something that's not on the agenda hearing? None. Uh corrections to the journal, please. Michelle, there are none. Communication from the mayor.

There are none. reports from city officials. We have one.

Good evening, Council President Nation, members of the city council. Um, I'm at I'm the human relations commission director for the city. I'm pleased to share that the nomination process for this year's Black History Month banner project is now open. Last year, we had a tremendous community participation with this project. We had more than 50 nominations submitted and we think that that level of engagement really shows how meaningful this project is to our city. So I want to take a moment first to acknowledge that um the ISU PhD students from actually council person Hinton's program at ISU um who under the direction of her colleague Dr. Mary Howard Hamilton played an important role in revitalizing this project. Um, these banners honor black leaders, visionaries, and trailblazers who have shaped Terraote's history and continue to inspire our future. We invite you all and of course the entire public to once again nominate individuals whose stories should be celebrated on banners that will be displayed in downtown this coming February. As a reminder, the nominations are open now through October 29th um at 11:59 p.m. Um details can be found on our city website and I've left you all with a flyer. You can also check out the city's social media. Um and please share if you would be so kind. Thank you.

Thank you at

welcome Jesse. Thank you, President Nation, the council. I am just here to remind you that October 25th is our citywide pulling up. So, I want to officially get that on the record, officially invite you out to participate. Um, we did a great job last time. So, let's do that again. There'll be three locations. One at city hall where they will be taking only large items or any sort of dumpsters here. Woodro Wilson will also be a place for large items, debris, um dumpsters only. And then the street department at 14th, I believe it is, they will be taking electronics there. They'll take some tires. They'll also have dumpers and they'll also take uh like wood chipping, that kind of stuff. Any questions about the citywide cleanup? Sounds great, Jesse. How many of these are we doing a year now?

We're doing two a year. Right now. All right. As many dumpsters as they're willing to provide for us. Spring and fall. Thank you. Thank you, Jesse. Question. Is this posted somewhere we can share? It is posted on social media and we'll continue to sort of ramp up that messaging as we get closer to It's on the city or on It's on city socials. Yep. Thank you. You're welcome. All right. Um, reports from standing committees, there are none. Reports from non-standing committees, there are none. Items previously tabled, there are none. Tax abatements for confirmation,

there are none. Items on second reading, there are none. And items on first reading. Mr. President, I believe you're going to be moving. Yes. Uh, at this time, I'd like to uh move resolutions 23 and 24 uh up to the the top of the queue. And uh let's hear resolution 23. Michelle, resolution 23 2025, transfer $50,000 in the cumulative capital development fund number 0402. Welcome, mayor.

Hey, good evening, Council President, Nation, and members of the Terote City Council. Um, we actually had a discussion about this a year ago. So, the cemetery department had used to have a a worker's shed that was quite literally caving in on itself. Um, so what we've done is we're transferring funds internally within cumulative capital development from two funds. One of them which is being discussed on this resolution to pay for the new cemetery workers shed. So, I've gone out I've checked it out. Breton did a wonderful job. It took a while to get some quotes, but we were able to get them better working conditions because it was it was a pretty tough building. Thank you, Mayor. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about resolution number 23, 2025? Hearing none. council. [Applause]

Since this is a resolution, we don't need to move to take action. Mr. President, council person ladder milk. If there is no discussion, I'll make a motion that we approve resolution 23 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Laddermilk, second by Council Person Chaos that we approve resolution 23 2022. All in favor, please say I. Opposed. All right, that one passes. Next order of business, please. Michelle, resolution 24, 2022, renaming a portion of First Street from Maple Avenue to Halman Street in a portion of Furton Road from Halman Street to Margaret Avenue. Welcome, Lori.

Thank you, Councilman President Nation, and council members. Thank you for your time this evening. The last time I was with you, um, you saw the master plan that had been developed to collaboration with the city and the county and riverscape and, um, you graciously adopted that as our guiding vision for redeveloping our riverfront. So, I'm here this evening to move forward with some implementation plans towards that end. Would like to give you a quick update. Um, since I was here in April, we have roughly 80 plus acres of riverfront property that are in very productive conversations with new property developers and people that see a vision for developing our riverfront. Lot of conversation around that. We have as a team have hired Mike Kop who if you know anything about Oklahoma City and their downtown riverfront development, you could mow their riverfront 25 years ago. it was a trickle and now they're going to host the um LA 2028 Olympics for their canoe slalom in downtown Oklahoma City. So, we are thrilled that Mike Canop is going to help us activate our river and bring that two and a half decades of experience to the table. He's just a a brilliant connection for us. Um in addition, I'm here tonight to talk about helping to create a better, stronger identity for our riverfront. As you see in the resolution, we are asking to rename um up from First Street North, South and parts of Puritton Road from Maple Avenue down to Margaret Avenue. And we would rename that uh permanently as a way to create identity and eventually as we build out the riverfront along that space, creating a gateway down what is now First Street toward our riverfront and further development. So we have um had communication uh strategies to inform

residents and businesses along that thoroughfare. Um we sent out certified mailings. We had a public openhouse on September 25th to answer questions accompanied that with an FAQ in that mailing. I had a meeting last night as well. And I personally have stopped by most of the businesses along that thoroughare to answer questions and make sure they've received the mailing. Um, and we will also be providing for to ease the transition of an address change some small grant and reimbursement opportunities for the businesses if they need to replenish. Oh, I heard from one they need new keychains that have their address. So, we want to be helpful as much as we can. Um, but we also are reminded that the post office will indefinitely forward all mail to those people along that thoroughare. So, uh, we'll ease the transition, but I think it's a great step forward and would really appreciate, um, adopting this this, uh, path forward, and we'd be happy to answer any questions. Thanks, Lori. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about resolution number 24, 2025? Hearing none,

council, Mr. Council person Thompson. Um I was at the area planning meeting last night and there were a few business owners uh that raised some concerns. Um and they did make a good point. Um was the option of I guess um an alternative name for the road considered like you know when we have our memorial roads for officers that been killed in the line of duty. Um was that something that was considered by Rivercape?

We did take a look at that. We really would like this to be a permanent indefinite naming of the road. So when people talk about where are you going at this? I'm going to such and such at Riverside Road. Riverside Road. And we think that's the best way to permanently start branding that space and getting people talking about where they live and where they they have their businesses. And in regards to the grants, um, the gentleman were talking about how at the end of the year, I don't think my microphone's working. It's the only thing. Oh, it's flash. You take

Yeah. Okay. How at the the end of the year, you know, they recently just spent quite a bit of money for new promotional material. How much is available in terms of the grants for business owners?

We're looking at that right now. on I actually reached out to both of the businesses that were there last night, had those conversations to really understand what are those impacts. What I've heard from the people I've talked to are business cards, letterhead, envelopes as a primary and not everybody uses those these today. We have businesses everyone from Alanco to Centerpoint Energy to Pulse Fitness. So all sizes of business. So, we're hoping to have a pool of $3,000 and it will be on a first come first- serve basis and helped subsidizing those costs. I've also negotiated a kit of um parts so to speak, business, business card, letterhead, and envelopes with Tabco at a reduced rate. So, we'll be taking those calls as businesses call in and um if they so choose, there would be a community uh pricing available to them through Tabco. So, the grant um it would be a pool of 3,000 for all of those businesses along.

For all those businesses, yes. Okay. About how many businesses are along there? They're going to be They're about 30. Um surprisingly, as I've done my um kind of inventory, most do not have address, the street name on their signs. Um there are a few, a couple of them have an 8x14 metal sign. So, I've gotten prices on those that actually have the street name. But if you look at some of them, they just have the number above on their window. So, um the number with street names is very limited for signage. Uh what did you find in terms of the cost of the replacement signs? The eight the metal the small about an 8.5 by 14 is just at about $99.

I don't have any other questions. Thank you. Anything else, Council Boland? I I'm not really sure, but what's the process for uh changing 911 addresses? We'll work with area planning. In fact, the addresses we received were from and they coordinated with 911. They will get populated directly. No one will have to take any action as in terms of property owners to update the 911 in emergency services. Thank you. I yield to res. Anybody else? Mr. President,

council person Letterman. Um I know you said about 30 businesses and I drive that about every day so I apologize but how many actual residents is we so we mail to property owners and adjacent property owners. So we mail into unique property owners are about 60 to 65 but you'll we have individual property owners that may have multiple property parcels. So we may we have to mail to each of those for this next mailing if this gets approved. So overall you melt about 60 or that was just residences and then 30 businesses. We had about 90 parcels. Okay. And then unique property owners with 60 to 65. And of that there are about 28 to 30 businesses. Okay. I thank you.

Thanks. Anybody else? Council person Debon. Um, if we're done with discussion, I'll make a motion that we approve resolution 24 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Don and seconded by Council Person Hinton that we approve resolution 2425. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed? That passes. Thank you very much. Yep. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

appropriation 10, 2025, $119,240 from MBHR number 0203000000 to paving MBHR number 02030000003 43210 0. Good evening, council. Marcus Meyer, city engineer. So, what we're looking here to do is to appropriate the carryover balance for last year so that we can continue more paving work. Hoping to get to that work here in about 3 the 27th. [Applause] Great. And I'm sure Brad could tell you all the roads uh if you want to know those names, but uh

Okay. Uh is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about appropriation number 10, 2025? Council, Mr. President, as a reminder, uh, you will need to vote to take action on all the appropriations. Thank you, Mr. President. Council person Hinton. No more discussion. I move that we take action on appropriation number 10, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Hinton, second by Council Person Bolan that we take action on appropriation number 10, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed? All right, we can take action. Mr. President, Council Person Hint,

I move that we approve appropriation number 10, 2022. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Hinton, seconded by Council Person Bolan that we approve appropriation 10, 2025. All in favor, please say I. Opposed. That passes. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, next order of business, please, Michelle. Appropriation 11, 2025, $87,500 from edit number 0440096 to make my move. 044009603432 010. Welcome back.

Good evening, council president, nation, and members of the terite city council. Uh so what we've got today essentially edit that fund gets reimbursed for the make my move program. Then we have to move that reimbursement line back into that specific line itself. Uh so that's what we're doing. Taking the reimbursement we received from the IADC, putting it in the make my move line uh to post those expenses. Moving forward in 2026, I'm sure you might have noticed this in your budget, there is not a make my move line. While the IEDC has agreed to fund it, make my move itself is in conversations with some of our statewide foundations about getting additional funding to lower the rate that local municipal governments have to pay because they understand the impacts of Senate Bill One. So if the conversation emerges next year, we'll have to do not necessarily an additional appropriation, but create a line and do an inser transfer. So closing out this year next year is a big question mark just based off of what's going on in the state.

If we do it in an inser transfer, would that come out of edit? Yes, that's where it would be asked. All right. Thanks. Um, is there anyone who in the audience who has a question about appropriation number 11, 2025? Council, I guess I jumped the gun in asking a question about where the money would come from. Mr. President, Council Person Dickle. No further discussion. I move that we take action on Appropriation 11, 2025.

Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dinkle, seconded by Council Person Thompson that we take action on appropriation 11 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed? All right, we can take action. Mr. President, Council Person, move that we approve appropriation 11, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dinkle, second by Council Person Thompson that we approve appropriation number 11, 2025. All in favor, please say I.

Opposed? All right, that passes. Thank you, mayor. Uh, next order of business, please, Michelle. Preparation 12, 2025, $22,210 from cumulative capital development number 04200051 to building improvement number 042005104 442030. Mr. Mayor,

good evening council president nation. So this appropriation we touched on it at the beginning right about 2third of the cemetery department building was housed out of that fund. Now we are moving funds from CCD to building improvement to pay that project off completely in cash. That way it can be done this year. So this is moving of one fund CCD to the other to building improvement and we post that expense in two places instead of one. It allows us to pay for a project out of multiple lines uh and reduces the overall movements within the budget. Thank you, mayor. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about appropriation 12 2025? Hearing none. Council,

Mr. President, Council Personal, if there is no discussion, I'll make a motion that we take action on appropriation 12 2025. It's been moved by Council Person Ladderm, second by Council Person Boland that we take action on appropriation 12 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. I opposed. All right, that one passes or we can take action. Mr. President, council person ladder. I'd like to make a motion that we approve appropriation 12 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Laddermark, second by Council Person Bolan that we approve appropriation 12 2025. All in favor, please say I. I.

Opposed. All right, that one passes. Next order of business, please. Michelle. Preparation 13, 2025, $648,820 from casino casino number 01800000000 to principal on notes number 018000000003439178 for 629,110 and interest on notes number 018000000003439179 for $19,710.

You're on. Long time no see. For this one, we're taking casino funding from this year and paying off leases for engine 3, 6, and 2024 fire uh gear. By doing so, the principal and interest amounts for the next 2 years go away. So, that amount of money is quote freed up within the next two calendar year budgets. What this also does is it allows us to save money on interest. So, similar if you're paying off your mortgage early or a vehicle early, we get interest savings because we're paying this off early. The benefit $26,000 in interest that we save. The secondary benefit $363,712 and $285,98 is was freed up within the EMS budget to allow for uh additional equipment pay and other items.

Thanks, Mayor. Yep. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about Appropriation 13, 2025? Hearing none, councel. [Applause] Council person Chal move we take action on appropriation 13, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Chlo, second by Council Person Watermark that we take action on appropriation number 13, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. We can take action. Yes. I move that we approve appropriation 13 20225. Second.

It's been moved by council person, second by council person milk that we approve appropriation 13 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. It's approved. Thank you. Next order of business, please, Michelle. Well, I guess next um I'm going to move the budget to the end of the agenda. Uh, and that's appropriation number 14. So, we'll forge forward with um general ordinances. There are none. Special ordinances.

Special ordinance 212025, the 2026 salary ordinance for city hall employees. I believe you have a proposed amendment before you. You must vote to take action. Okay, we have a petitioner on this one. Welcome, Mike.

Thank you, Mr. President, members of the council. What you have before you is the 2026 proposed salary ordinance for city hall employees. I'm just standing in for Brandon as he stepped out, but I'm happy to answer any questions related to that. This may be a question for Brandon, but what's the amendment? Molly. Yeah, I think I can answer the amendments right here. The amendment was to add in a $200 per employee per year clothing allowance or uniform allowance for the EPD employees. I see it now under section 4. Thank you. You're welcome.

Um, is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 21, 2025? Hearing none. Council This is what we've always referred to as the city hall employee budget. This is everyone who's not covered in a union.

Mr. President, I guess for the record, maybe we should um say what maybe the average increase percentage was for General Hall employees. That's that's a good point, Councilwoman Laddermilk. And um that proposal you have in front of you is reflective of a 3% increase across city hall employees.

Mike, yeah. Is that 3% overall or 3% a year for so many years? Well, as city hall employees don't collectively bargain, their salary ordinances are adopted annually as opposed to those units that collectively bargain on a longer term. So, their proposal is only yeartoyear. So, I yield. Council person uh Michael, this is a general question. I hope it's okay to ask it at this time. Can you tell us on these salary ordinance which ones are covered under a collective bargaining agreement?

Yes. Uh so the units covered by collective bargaining would be police, fire, police, civilian, transit, street, wastewater, cemetery, parks. I think I said transit, but if I didn't, uh, I believe that's it. Tammy, it's basically everyone, but general employees and elected officials and redevelopment. I'd say that's correct. Engineering. Yeah. Well, engineering if they're part of the general employees salary ordinance.

Thank you. Thanks, President. Council person ask I think it's clear. So the um Homeman links pro and the assistant superintendent is where we are moving monies into the golf director position.

I I believe that's Yep. Um, Councilwoman Hinton, hold on. I'm going to pull this one up. Not totality, is it? Yeah, it's not in totality. Technically, it's too separate. I just want to make sure I read off this number correctly. Uh, that is a split. So, part of it is coming out of that home and links and Excel is loading. The other part you will see I believe in Ray Park. Let me check that ordinance. Rayman.

Ryan Hman. Yes, it is Ray and Hullman. Thank you. And that's that change of that assistant uh not necessarily assistant but superintendent of golf position. I yield, Mr. President. Council President Dickl,

in looking at all of these salary ordinances, there's a there's slightly different language used regarding uh percentage of insurance that the city will cover for employees. Some of them say up to a percentage, some say no less than a percentage, and some say equal to a percentage. Is there a reason why we have that differing language? the um I would say the ordinances come from the language of the contracts

and those contracts have not been uniform across all those bargaining units. Uh, I would I would say in in practice, Councilman Nikl, that they're all at that 70% figure with the exception of the transit union. Um, no matter what any of them say, for all practical purposes, every other employee outside of transit is at that 7030 split.

Okay. Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome. Counc. Okay. So, for those that aren't covered under collective bargaining agreement or contract, is their insurance um I mean, is it in the employee handbook? Is it referenced? Yeah.

Yeah. No, the um yes, the benefits that are made available are referenced in the handbook and then all employees are notified by the HR department of the relevant open enrollment dates and the information that comes through from those third parties, you know, being pushed out to the employees as it comes in. Uh but in terms of the the plan, that's something the city, you know, has a contract with through the AIM medical trust

and our contracts for is it for three years now? Is that two or three? Two years remaining after. Okay. So we don't have to worry about um change in benefits for that percentage that we've got negotiated. Okay. Thank you. I Yep. Counc. Yeah, I'm still stuck on parks parks and recreation. I might the the super Thank you, Cheryl, for this. Um the the change in superintendent salary was lowered.

Yes. Uh, Councilwoman Hinn, so on when our incoming golf director took that position, there was a pay decrease um because the duties and responsibilities were decreased. Um, now with that position, there is an agreement with sponsorship revenue that a sponsorship revenue hits 50,000, that individual can then start to work back to where they left their salary at. Uh but that can only come if additional revenue is brought in at a certain rate.

So the previous the previous superintendent um salary was was based on revenue sponsorship. No, sorry.

Incorrect. So we've got um let's kind of explain it this way. Uh two positions in 2025. superintendent of parks and recreation and goal, assistant superintendent of the parks department. Next year we will have a new superintendent of golf and the parks. That would be Kylie. And then a golf director/golf superintendent, however you want to label it, he takes a decrease to go to that position. However, if revenue tops a certain amount for the courses, he can then start to earn back some of his decrease. But the position there is essentially smaller than the position that he has had moved from. Uh Kylie did receive a bump, but not to the same amount that uh Eddie Bird was paid because he had been there for longer. But she did still did receive a bump now that she's stepping in his department head.

Always looking for pay equity for women. I yield Mr. Mr. Oh, sorry. Sorry. This will be it for me. We going to rock paper scissors this one or who's going first? Prompted another question for me. So, or your response prompted another question for me. So, where is that captured? Did that that if you get to that $50,000 sponsorship, you have a chance to that would be a contract with that employee. You have an individual contract with that employee. Okay.

And it's not just that employee. Council Limb, I might add, um, your golf pro shops, for example, they stock the golf pro shop with items and then they get a portion of that sale. That's also a contract with them. Like the city doesn't stock home and links with the polos. That individual does the golf pro does, which is what other golf courses do. Okay. I wasn't aware. Thank you.

You're council person. Um, mayor, when I looked at my comparisons from last year to this year's for general employees, can you tell me because I noticed that if there were any employees moved from the general employee salary ordinance to a collective bar bargaining ordinance because it looks like wastewater took to two employees maybe the lab technicians to the wastewater under the wastewater. Now they've been moved to Y. Yeah. No. To collect the B to

the wastewater took two positions uh into their union. and the two lab technicians, the street department took in their administrator into their union and um believe those are the only two facilities the right to I don't know if you facilities coordinator to the police to the facilities coordinator from the police department went to the police civilian. Yes. And the two social workers. Yeah. And the two social workers. Yeah. And uh were removed from the general employees now covered under the police civilian. I'm sorry.

And they're now covered under police civilian contract. Yes. The two social work all the two social workers, the technician and the new uh Molly's position is is part of the police civilian union. Was that voted on by the police civilian union to take those in or I mean how does that work? Yeah. No, I mean the they ask to be part of it or Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I mean I mean same way with wastewater they ask to be part of it. Is that how that works? Okay. Yep.

I mean the administration has to consent to the you know alteration of the salary ordinances. But in each of those instances you know their hourly employees working in those facilities. They uh fit all the other criteria the other union members do. So if the union agrees to take them in then they they are allowed to do that. Okay. Thank you. [Music]

Anybody else? Mr. President, CPresident, there's no other discussion. I move that we take action. Take action. Take action on special ordinance number 21, 2022 as amended. Take action. Take action.

Second. It's been moved by Council Person Hinton and second by Council Person Dingle that we take action on special ordinance number 21, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. So, we can take action. Now, we amend it. No amended. Okay. Mr. Mr. President, I move that we approve the amended version of special ordinance number 2021 2020 21 2025. No, just a yes. Second.

It's been moved by council person Hinton to amend special ordinance number 21 2025 and second by council person Boland. All in favor, please say I. I opposed. All right, it's amended. Now we can vote to take action on the amended version. Move to approve. I'm sorry. Now we can approve. You know what I mean? No, I don't. Oh, okay. But I thought I knew what you meant, Mr. President. Counc. I move to approve special ordinance number 20 number 21, 2025. Second as amended. As amended. been amended.

It has. It's been moved by Council Person Hinton and second by Council Person Boland that we approve special ordinance number 2020, I'm sorry, number 21, 2025 as amended. All in favor, please say I. I. Post. One passes. Next order of business, please. Michelle, special ordinance 22 2025, the 2026 salary ordinance for MVH Street department. All right. Uh, do we have a petitioner on this one?

Yes. So, uh, what you have before you is the proposed, uh, 2026 salary ordinance for the, uh, street department. I know there are some representatives here uh to speak on that. So, I'll let them have their opportunity if there unless there are any questions that I can answer initially for the council. Thanks, Mike. Thank you. All right, gentlemen. Uh sorry to make you wait this long, but please uh share your names and tell us what's on your mind. Uh

my name is Mark Smith. This is Dre Lawrence. Sorry. And like I said, we're here with members of the street department. Um, what was offered to us was the 655, which you probably have the numbers there. Um, people have been here 10, 15 years, and with the small raises that we've been getting, we our paychecks hasn't changed. Our bring home paychecks hasn't changed in 15 years. I've been there 10 years myself, and I bring home the same that I have since 2016. And with everything else going up, we just can't afford it anymore. So, what we are asking if there's any way that we could raise it in the budget, raise more money to possibly do a 101010, which would put about $70,000 into this budget, approximately $100,000 more in the next budget, and then $115,000 next in the budget after that. That would bring us up to 101010 on our raises instead of 655. I think this is the time when we ask for guidance from our city attorney.

Thank you. Thank you. Um I can appreciate the statements that were made and the uh sentiments that were expressed. the the offer that was made to the street department outside of the police department and fire department was the only offer that exceeded 5% in any year. the the 655 that was extended to the street department was the only department that went above 15% as I said excluding the police department and fire department from that conversation. I think that that was meant to express the sincere efforts that this administration has observed from the employees of the street department in their efforts to, you know, make safe infrastructure for all of us to uh move about and go through our lives on. and the if the resources that the street department had proposed and talked about up here, you know, I think if if those were realistically available for this administration, you know, I I think Brandon would be looking for bigger raises for all city employees, including including the street department and would love to be in a position to offer a 10% raise,

which is, you know, a a considerable amount for um anybody who goes yeartoear waiting to hear what they're in government. In my experience, uh a 10% raise is somewhat out of the norm. Um, and the fact of the matter is Senate Bill One's effects have not been truly felt yet. And the offer that was extended was what the city could reasonably expect it could follow through on and comply with and have the resources to utilize across all departments while recognizing that, you know, The street department employees are oftent times called to work in hard conditions and do hard jobs at bad weather and things like that. And we believe that the agreement that we've bargained provides specialty pays for those types of circumstances and appropriately reflects the services that they're being asked to provide. Um I you know I think that that makes the point I want to make. Thank you m

Mike before you go um

where are we in negotiating this contract? So we met uh Monday this week um following you know the conver they bargain with uh you know Joe Bulk from uh the laborers and um we met May of this year. Uh the conversation centered very much around the proposed uh insurance increase or the the possibility of an insurance increase. And during the course of those negotiations, it was made clear that, you know, that information needed to be available before the union was going to uh react. We got confirmation and I want to say late August Brandon got confirmed that the you know there's a 0% rate increase for next year on our health insurance. So we made that information known to Mr. Vulcan and and we met this past Monday uh at their hall to confirm that go through the uh the rates. You know, they asked questions during that meeting about the potential for a rate increase in the second in the the following year of you know insurance. And we explained that that determination is very much dependent on the claims that acrue over the first 6 to 8 months of 2026 in our

health insurance plan. And without that information available, we could not get, you know, any any sort of reasonable uh estimate as to what that potential increase could look like in 2027. But we have, you know, a contract that provides a ceiling on that rate increase for 2027, but knowing this specific figure, we just weren't able to accommodate that request. So, um, but that's where it stands. Mayor, is there something you wanted to add?

Yeah, thanks, Council President Nation. You know, I think what I'll add is that the frustrations that these gentlemen have are probably the same frustrations 90 95% of all city employees have. Um, without a doubt, when you look at 2008 and 2009, the property tax caps, there was a long period in Teroot Municipal Government history where we weren't doing six or 5% raises. We were doing one or zero. I mean look at the entire staff of the city department city departments. I know in every department individuals have been recruited to go work for other cities or the private sector. When I look at my list of department heads almost every single one has been recruited to do another job in the private sector or public sector that pays more. I mean we are behind in a lot of our departments but what we were literally not able to like quite literally financially impossible you you cannot correct that in one year let alone one contract. The state requires a budget that we can afford that we can pay. That is the balance budget in front of you all. And we do what we can. We do mass purchases on equipment. We change revenue. We change expense lines as much as we can and we try to offer what we can afford to the highest extent and I believe that's what we've done here and and across the city uh to the best of our financial ability.

Thanks, Mayor. Gentlemen, we've heard from you. Is there anyone else you'd like to I'd like to say a few more things. That's all right. Um about the insurance, we do understand it's not going up. A lot of us are paying $400 a month right now for insurance through the street department and that's only going to go up from there. And as far as you know other departments, I understand that not getting the same amount of raise. A lot of other departments out there are not first responders. We are considered first responders under federal law. So that's why we feel that we need to be treated as such and get a higher raise than some of the other departments that aren't. That's what I'd like to say. Very good. Thanks, Mark.

Is there anyone else from the audience who'd like to add anything? All right, we'll close public comment and uh councel counc I don't Brandon or Michael, one of you, what what happens if because none of these contracts have been ratified. None of these have. What happens if they don't ratify the contract?

Then they would revert to the previous year amount in the raises under the previous year and then we would go to arbitration where essentially what the city does is we show our tax projections over the next few years uh which are concerning as I've explained to this council and this community several times and then arbitration is decided from that. Uh we do know several of our other unions have gone to a vote and have voted to ratify their contracts. They've just not been officially signed at a board of works meeting. So we're making substantial progress. Okay. So when do they have to ratify by? December 31st. I mean I can show you the contracts from No.

Yeah. I mean there there were approvals made in October, November, December of that respective year. I mean, you know, it's like previous year wastewater presents to the sanitary board, parks, park. So, I mean, there's just various levels of approvals that are sought, but I mean the contract that we are in now runs through December 31st of this year and the new ones begin January 1st, 2026. And a negotiation started. They occurred with everybody. I mean we have approximately for everybody. Yes.

Everybody. Yes. Everybody. We have met with every union multiple times. Uh extended an offer to every union. the street department having met you know on Monday. We uh you know they will have a copy of the proposed contract to consider as a union um as they see fit. But the uh every unit is aware of the city's offer for their three-year contract. Thank you,

Mr. President. Councel, a couple of questions. One's procedural. So, what happens if say we approve this tonight and there's a change in the agreement that would affect the the figures or the language in this? So theoretically with any appropriation, what this council does is it approves the amount of the budget and the amount in the in the specific funds and accounts. So if something were to change inside of account, we'll use motor vehicle highway as an example. If you were to move from series 1, 2, 3, or four, you would either need a transfer, um you really couldn't take an additional appropriation because it it's just not there. Sure. I understand. I'm talking about just the salary ordinance itself. Would that have to be an amendment?

It'd be an amendment with the transfer. Okay. Thank you. Uh second, do we still cover spouses on city insurance? Yes. Yes. Okay. I know that was a question and I can say that's um and that that's out of the norm. Um it is out of the norm. I think that's a benefit that we uh take for granted at times. I can tell you in my employment history, I've never been able to carry my spouse on my health insurance. Um,

and I would tell you, Councilman Neagle, that was a provision that was in a lot of the contracts that based on our negotiation that that Brandon concluded with AIM where they, you know, remove that carve out necessity, we remove that from those contract. So, um, this is always a difficult conversation we have every year, and I think it's especially this year because we're in negotiation with all of our unions.

Um, as you said, Mike, I I we know that everybody in city government is underpaid. That was one of the first things that was very apparent to me after taking office and looking through the budget. Um, it's amazing that we have such dedicated employees that come in every day for what we're able to offer. Um I I wish we could give 10 15% raises because everybody deserves it. City hall employees, street department, police, fire, transit, everybody works very hard for the city. But we also as a as the fiscal body of the city have to consider the constraints that Senate Bill one particularly has put on us. Um, we were all very concerned when we heard the initial language of of that bill and I don't think we even know today the true impact of what that's going to be. Um, and I we're very fortunate to have casino revenue to be able to even discuss some of the raises that have been offered um this year. Um, that doesn't negate the concerns of the street department, any of our unions. Um, I've said before that it's challenging when we give percentage raises across the board for people at the lower end of the scale because 5% of 30,000 is a lot less than 5% of 80,000. Um, but I know it's difficult to try to find equity and treating all our employees fairly. So, um I I think everybody has uh valid concerns here. Uh yeah, I'll yield.

Customers, this one's particularly um hard on me. I've got a couple really good friends on the street department, right? And we all know they've gotten their heads kicked in in the last two or three, four storm seasons that we have. Um mine's more of a legal question. And I guess I guess guess that would go to Mike. Um, as we all know, I'm old and and this is my fourth non-consecutive term. Has the law changed? I mean, from what I understand is the only ones that we can raise from the law legal standpoint by state statute is police and fire. We can only reduce we can only reduce everybody else.

I'm not sure I understand the question, Jim. Well, we're being asked to raise it to 10,000 legally. What I'm saying is the code provides at least it was when I was on not even allowed to do that by state law is what I'm getting at. So, is that has that changed since I was on last time?

No. No, it has not. Um, you know, you're right in that the amounts that have been published, you know, you could accomplish some things with transfers and thing that, you know, in a purely hypothetical sense, but you're right in the sense that there would have to be a a new budget, a new salary ordinance, a new uh lit Everybody but the police of fire that's still fixed by the executive branch, right? That's what that's what that was just a legal question. Thank you.

Go ahead. Council I just have a quick question for Mike as he talked about earlier just going forward for the rest of the salary ordinances. Yes.

Um can you tell us which ones have not been voted on or ratified by the unions that are just waiting to go to board of public works? Uh so fire has been voted on. Police is in the process of being voted on. the uh wastewater transit cemetery and streets have all been sent out. The proposals have been sent to the department heads to check against what I had and then assuming those are confirmed, they'll go out to the unions for their

but they've not started their voting process yet on them. Okay. Did you mention parks? Parks. Yes. Yeah. No. Um basically the only one that has voted is fire. Yes. Correct. Yes. Thank you. The only one that's concluded voting is fire. Yes. Thank you. I yield.

That's bullet. I I I'm just kind of struggling with I mean I get that we're giving everybody as much as we can give everybody. Um and negotiations have been ongoing and we're not a part of that and we don't need to be a part of that. But I guess you know we hear all the time the two departments that continue to bail us out when we have emergency issues uh are the street department and wastewater. Okay. And I guess my question is if the street department and waste water are 65 and five, is that equal to cemetery employees or No, Michael explained that earlier. Councilwoman Bowling,

I missed it then. So the street department 655 is a cumulative total of 16%. The other bargaining unions have a 555 with a cumulative total of 15%. Okay.

To echo Councilman Dinkle's comments earlier, hey, I feel like a 5% it's someone verse 30, verse 80 is separate. Well, what we have been doing is for different unions. We try to take the middle point and then have a conversation about what that raise looks like there. For other unions, it's it's 18% on the base pay of a first year patrolman or a first year firefighter. So that way it's not too high for the folks at the top to spread that out. I mean, I think and I understand where you're going with this question, Councilwoman Bolan, but we are literally at a point where we have fewer people in sewage billing. We have fewer people in the controllers's office. We have fewer people at parks. We have fewer people at the street department. We have fewer people at wastewater. We keep getting asked to do more with less. We keep going to the governor's office, to the legislator saying, "You guys vote on these bills, but you never look at them in the eye." That's right. The state house never looks at them. The governor never looks at them, but they make these decisions that put us in this situation. So, we'll continue to literally give what we can do to deliver a budget that can legally be submitted to the state of Indiana and we'll try our best. We'll look at our numbers, but you know, we are unfortunately doing what we can and we recognize that it is higher than historically what the city was getting, which was either zero, one, two, and maybe a three. Um, so we're proud that we were able to come in and offer more and we recognize that for some individuals that's not enough.

I agree and I do understand. I just I'm you know that I that's just my struggle and and we do need to filter it back up to where it comes from and and why we're in this position and continue to talk about that. The only other point that I wanted to make was, you know, at at the meeting on Monday, one of the things that came out of that, and this is more in regards to the question about people at the lower end versus the people at the higher end of those rates. In the street department, they do they do do something different in that every employee gets like they spread the increase evenly across all employees. So, it will be a higher percentage increase for people at the bottom of those rates and a lower percentage for the people at the top to try and narrow those gaps. So,

Mr. President, I do have one more question. Council person, a statement. Um, looking at last year's salary ordinance to this one, did we eliminate a position in the street department in the office? Yes. Not in the office. In the street department itself. Okay. What I see is office manager is not listed in the 2026 salary ordinance. That was um Councilwoman Loudermill. There was I believe three years ago, Molly, there were two women in that office and then one of those positions went away and the contract never updated to the salary ordinance in and of itself. So that is actually correcting something from three years prior. I believe three years. I think I'm close on that.

Okay. Okay. And then I just have one quick statement to make um while we're talking about Senate and Road Act one um act one. I just got back from a conference and I had some kind of disheartening um conversations with some of the financial consultants who have been working with um your state reps. So, I'm going to oppose this to all the unions. I'm going to start talking to your state reps because they not only do we have the property tax caps, they want to cap the tax rate at possibly $2. If the city's tax rate goes to $2, nobody will be working. I'm just going to be bluntly honest. Nobody will be working. It'll be a very hard conversation. And so I was informed of that. I think we all need to stay on top of that when they start their short session next year. You need to start speaking with your local legislators now. And I'm I'm I'm very concerned about that and it is something that was discussed. So it it's such a hard conversation for all of us. Um but I'll go off my soap box. I just wanted to make sure that I just found that out and I want to make sure that everyone's aware of that.

Councilman Ladderm, I'll add had Senate Bill One not been passed, an additional billion dollars is in the general fund and able to be levied uh specifically also across their account. That million dollars could have accounted for all of our non-public safety unions to be able to start negotiations at 1055 right off the bat. That one bill that no one here voted for cost us that much. Thank you. I'm sorry.

Mr. President, uh just as a reminder, if no vote to take action occurs or it's not unanimous, this will go to next week. [Applause] Okay, remembering that I'm supposed to be like asking for a motion like three times to make sure that uh that we really don't want to do this. So, um do I hear a motion to uh in this case take action on special ordinance number 22 2025? That's the first of three. the second one and the third request for a motion to take action on special ordinance number 2022 number 22 2025. Okay, hearing none. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

special ordinance 23 2025, the 2026 salary ordinance for transit department. So, see you next week, guys. Thank you. We have a petitioner on this one. Welcome back, Mike.

You have before you a uh proposed salary ordinance for the transit department. Uh the increases across each of the three years of the proposal is is 5%. The one note I would make about transit was um some language revision to the certifications that are required for nonbus driver positions. Thank you, Mike. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 23? Council.

Mr. President Council Salado Mike I have a question because the salary I have last year for a bus operator was 2137 to 2311 this year unless my formula is wrong on them. That shows an 8% increase. That's a type that's a typo, Cheryl. I mean the uh Yeah, there's not an 8% increase for bus drivers because mine shows 8% all the way down for each one. Yeah, that's that's incorrect.

Last year's was a typo. This year shows the 5% on last year's.

So what we passed last year was wrong. I mean, I had 24s in front of me. I mean, sorry, 25s. At least I thought. Let me look. I got

transit. Yeah. Special Windows 23. Look at last year. Yeah,

yeah, mine says 2137 for a bus operator. And in my looking, this year says 2311. My formula shows 8%.

I want to check and then mine said 2243 to 2424 goes 8%. And I will go back and and confirm this, Cheryl, and I will ask the council to provide some time to accommodate that. But the um belief is is that the rates for the rates that were adopted in 2024 for 2025. um maybe didn't make it into the system correctly. So, we had been

I don't want to misspeak which is my only hesitancy in um what you Yeah, it's last year's. So, did we ever amend last year's to correct it? That's what I was going to ask. I don't need to. I think we caught this during this process. Yeah. But we've been paying them the correct amount, right? Yes. Okay. They didn't receive the correct amount. Okay.

Jeez. But you caught it during this process, but you have been paying them the higher I believe that's true. The higher amount. Well, I don't want to say that would we we shouldn't be paying somebody more than what's in the salary ordinance. I understand that. Um, give me one second. Let me grab it.

Okay. So the salary ordinance, you're correct, says 2137 per hour, right? They were paid 2201 per hour. So they were paid correctly. We based the increase off of 2201. 2201. Is that right? Is that what you said? Yeah. Okay. But it was never brought That makes 5%. But it was never brought back to the council to amend. Yeah, we just don't figured it out. I No, apparently not.

So, we didn't look at the salary ordinance and pay what was on the salary ordinance beginning of the year of this year. We just added the increase and then from 24s and paid them that, but we didn't look actually look at the salary ordinance. What's your question, Councilman Ladderman? So, we just added the percentage from the 24s to the 25s and paid them, but we didn't look at the salary ordinance to see if it was the same. Yeah, we

I mean it's a it's a procedural error, right? So, we know what we are paying our employees. We have a 5% on the current salary ordinance. We've identified that last year's salary ordinance for this position was wrong and we're getting it fixed for next year. I think the the employee was paid the correct amount which is the important part and it was a procedural error. Can you give me the rest Evan? Can you give me what the mechanics were? Yes.

So the mechanics for 2025 are 2309 per hour. Um the cleaners and utility men are 2209 excuse me 2209 and then the part-time employees are $1879. Okay. So, there were five, five and five. Yes.

So, I'm sorry. You have before council. Oh, I yield. Thank you. Um, what's your pleasure? Would you like us to Would you like a week to sort this out and bring us back an amended version? Yeah. You know what? I think we're good with all the salary ordinances for the rest of the night. We'll bring them next week. That's fine. Okay. Anybody like to make a motion or we can continue to discuss? like that or we have to do it motion.

No, because we have to take action anyway. We have to do take action. So I guess that constitutes the first offer or request for a motion. So the second request for a motion. Do I hear any Do I hear a uh motion to take action on special ordinance number 23, 2025? Second time. Third time. Okay. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

special ordinance 24, 2022, the 2026 salary ordinance for parks department. We have a petition on this one. Welcome back, Mike.

Thank you, Mr. President, members of council. Um, what you have before you is a proposal for the 2026 uh parks department union. Their uh proposal was again a 5% raise across each of the three years of the contract. I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you, Mike. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about uh special ordinance number 24, 2025? Hearing none. Council Mr. President,

Council Person Digle. There's no further discussion. I move that we take action on special ordinance 24, 2022. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Digle, second by Council Person Hinton that we take action on special ordinance number 24, 2025. All in favor of taking action, please say I. I. Oppos. All right. So, we can take action. Mr. President. Council person Dickle. I move for approval of special ordinance 24, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dickle, seconded by Council Person Hinton that we approve special ordinance number 24, 2025. All in favor of approval, please say I. Opposed. All right, it's approved. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

special ordinance 25 2025 2026 salary ordinance for cemetery department. All right, welcome back, Mayor. We're swapping out. He's got some prior commitments. So, uh, in front of you, you've got the 2026 salary ordinance for the cemetery department. The negotiations there, um, with this batch in front of you is reflect a 555 offer. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 25, 2025? Hearing none. Council,

Mr. President. Counc Thompson. So, cemetery, that's one of the ones that has not been signed yet. Is that right? Correct. Do you know when they're scheduled to meet? Um, I do not. I know their red line version had been sent to them and we received really good feedback from them. Okay. I don't need questions. Anybody else? Mr. President, Council Person Louder Milk, I just wanted to when we spoke about this one, did did we eliminate one position?

Yes, Councilwoman Laddermilk. What we did there is we went down one uh regular full I say full-time but hourly employee and then they have gotten a bump in their part-time employees for seasonal employment. Okay. So they went from maybe what was it six to five? Six to five. Councilman LMO

I I've got a question about this one. Um, mayor, I see that um we pay for their um life insurance uh 100%. Can we can you talk about that a little bit?

Yes, Councilman Nation. That is from a previous contract. Um, so it was one of those where, you know, '9s, early 2000s, there were 24 people at that department. And when you go from 24 to five in part-time, uh, there is a conversation around additional insurance to to help with them. And that was from a previous contract. And since we're taking them down a person and adding part-time, it was not worth removing that clause because they're already taking a hit in terms of employee numbers. Thank you for that explanation. Is this the only uh group that we pay 100% life insurance coverage for?

Council Nation, off the top of my head, I can't answer that one. I would have to check with uh city attorney Michael, right? No, pretty much all of them get it. Okay. 25,000.

General employees get it. Cemeteries get it. Yeah. All right. I'm pretty sure they I think it's pretty much in everybody's contract. I think that's what this city chose to do. Mhm. Great. Counc. If there be no further council discussion, I want to make a motion that we approve I'm sorry, take action on special ordinance 25, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Devon, seconded by Council Person Thompson that we take action on special ordinance number 25, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed?

We can take action. Um, I just noticed I think this is a Scrier's error, but all the way at the top it says special ordinance number 25, 2022. I I noticed that. That's on the ordinance itself, not on the agenda. So, but I suspect that doesn't really matter. Uh, but pointing it out. Council person Don, I'll make a motion that we approve special ordinance 2525 um in front of us. Second.

It's been moved by Council Person, seconded by Council Person that we approve special ordinance number 25, 2025. [Music] All in favor of approval, please say I. I. Approved. Thank you, mayor. Yep. Next order of business, please. Michelle, special ordinance 26 2025 2026 salary ordinance for wastewater treatment plant.

You're on. So, in front of you all, you'll see the uh salary or special ordinance um number 26, 2025. No error on this one. So, always good to focus on the positives. Uh big changes here. This is a 555 contract. We did bring in the two lab techs. They were kind of off on their own. Um and the duties and responsibilities of them had been adding up. So they had agreed to go into the union. The administration agreed to do that. Uh, of note within this budget, um, the wastewater treatment plant budget, partially what's helped this raise is we essentially had a I say duplicate, but we had two positions that would help as safety coordinator, seeing as um, our department heads and our assistant department heads are trained in active safety coordinators. That position was able to come out. While that is a non-union position, it did help take care of some of these numbers in these raises. So in front of you, you have the first of three years at a 555.

Thanks, Mayor. Yep. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 26, 2025? Hearing none, council. Council person Chalos. I move we act on special ordinance 26 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Chos, seconded by Council Person Dinkle that we take action on special ordinance number 26, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. We can take action.

Council we pass special ordinance 26 2025. Second. It's been moved by council person Jayla, second by council person Dingle that we approve special ordinance number 26 2025. All in favor, please say I. Opposed. All right, that one passes. Next order of business, please. Special ordinance 27205 to 2026 ordinance for police civilian employees. I believe you have a proposed amendment before you. You're on there. Wait one second.

You got that amended version up in front of you? Yeah, that's what I'm pulling up to make sure. All right. So, what we have in front of us, special ordinance number 27205. Okay. This is the police civilian union. Uh their contract is a three-year contract. It is slightly different. And here's why. We have to file the budget. We had filed the budget and then essentially, honestly, and I mean this in the best way, forgot that they had been looped into the fire in the police department. Uh and there was a clause in there that we had to look at which was the parody clause. We did agree to do a 375 so they get that total of 15% which we completely understand. Hey look how this is written in. We can't make that change this year. We will get the two points back on the the year two. So you've got a 375 in front of you. We added the social worker. We did add the public records and litigation coordinator. Uh that is a a different rate. that rate is at 344 uh because of the the higher base salary with with that said position. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 27 2025? Hearing none. Council Mayor, just so I'm tracking uh what you just explained, it's a 375 for everybody except for the public relation, public records and litigation coordinator

except the social workers because they were on a United Way grant right until this year. So they didn't get the bump for last year. So their year 1 bump is higher and then they go 0% for year two and then I believe 2% for year three. Um so there was a course correction there because the grant wasn't really allowing us to increase uh that position for this year. So we had to go back and clean some of that up. So am I understanding then that you're that that on this piece of legislation there are three different rates?

Yes. This is a 375 for secretary level three parking violations clerk facilities coordinator and then I'm sorry what's the rate for the social worker the the percentage rather hold on I'm checking the math to make sure I give you the right number for year one well they went from 57 to 66 which was a 15.79% what I see here is 58 no,700 110 struck out on the ordinance itself that's before us. Right. But last year they were 57 for 2025 they're 57,000. Okay. So we're taking them to 66. Yes.

So it's a little over 15. And then you said the second year zero third year two or two three years. No two. We're all having fun today, folks. Yeah. 15 and a half 02. Okay. And uh that's the social worker uh with that's coming off a United Way grant has special circumstances and then uh public records and litigation coordinator at 344. Is that correct? Correct. Thank you. I'll stop asking questions and uh council personal

um I did notice some other amendments to this the did that take place after we got the first one which was the reward days did that change the reward days because it did say two now we're given well it did we're given two instead of one in three months not two months

right that is being changed primarily to make it easier for bookkeeping. Everybody's in the same system. So if the guy that keeps track of reward days for officers and civilian union members, it's easier if it's all the same. So they get the same as the police. Police gets three months, they get two reward, right? Consecutive months they get two reward days. Okay, that was just the change I noticed from the initial one. And sick days increased. And sick days increased. Yes. From like 9 to 12. Was that what? Correct.

Eight. Nine to 12 maybe. And was that to match the police? Oh, sick days. They get one per month. Theirs is different. Yeah, theirs is different. Yeah. Well, actually, they really almost get 12 because they get one per month. Okay, I yield. Thank you. Thanks. Anybody else,

Mr. President? Council person DLE. There's no further discussion. I move that we take action on special ordinance 27205. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dingle, second by Council Person Chillis that we take action on special ordinance number 27, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. We can take action. Mr. President, Counc Digle, I move that we amend special ordinance 272025 as presented. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dinkle and second by Council Person Hinton that we amend special ordinance 27 2025 as presented. All in favor of amending, please say I. I opposed. All right, it's amended. Mr. President Council person D.

I move that we approve special ordinance 272025 as amended. Second. It's been moved by council person Dingle, second by council person Hinton that we approve special ordinance number 27 2025 as amended. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right, that one passes. Thank you. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

special ordinance 28 2025, the 2026 salary ordinance for the police department. So, this is your police one. Um, they're currently out to vote on their contract. It includes an 18% for one year and then 0% for year 2, year three on base pay. Year two though, the rank pay is increased. That 18% amount, that rank pay is different based on each rank. So, it's not you're not essentially taking, you know, say $75,000 again and multiplying it by 18. There's a stipen for that rank pay. uh this allows us to stretch out that impact even though it's marginal but we can take that on next year instead of all this year. Can you explain that just a little bit more uh about the

base the the based on the rank uh the impact of rank on this please?

So we'll use this example right so say Kevin Baron our police chief and David Thompson are with us. So say in this example David's a sergeant and Kevin's a lieutenant they get for instance $50 or $100 based on the pay. That's not the exact amount. I'm using those numbers because they're round and end with a zero. Um, next year they get 18% on their base pay increase. Both our sergeant and our lieutenant in this example. In year two, their 50 and $100 stipen would increase the amount of 18%. So in our current example, our lieutenant would go up to 118 instead of 100 and our sergeant would go up 59 instead of 50. Does that make sense? It makes sense. Thank you. I'll stop asking questions and let somebody else. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to ask a question about uh special ordinance number 28 2025? Hearing none. Council

Council Chillis. There's nothing else. I'd like to uh propose we act on special ordinance 2825. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Cho, second by Council Person Don that we take action on special ordinance number 28, 2025. All in favor of taking action, please say I. I. Opposed. All right, we can take action. I move we pass special ordinance 28, 2025. Second.

It's been moved by Council Person Cho, second by Council Person Deon that we approve special ordinance number 28 2025. I'm going to call for discussion on this. Uh I think somebody has to ask the obvious question. Can we afford this? Yes. So the beauty of this Councilman Nation is with our health insurance increase being at 0% and locked in essentially at a singledigit rate next year. We where Senate Bill one hurts us is the growth, right? The the extra property tax you're getting yeartoear. So theoretically from this year to next year and the year after that amount the growth isn't coming in as much as it used to but there is still growth to allow for your I say like oper operational increases insurance uh general property casualty insurance. So the contract is spread out very deliberately to frontload it. So we can take the bulk of the growth of 2025 to 2026 to those departments and then it spreads out and hits zero. And since it's zero in year two and year three, the growth in year 2 and year three actually fund the differences for your other collective bargaining units and your other city functions. It's different than we've done in the past. Uh, and I'm not saying that's bad. I'm just saying I'm struggling to understand uh especially as we uh factor in um some of the points that have been made previously about the impact of SEA1

uh or what we think might be the impact of SEA 2 uh one. I understand that nobody knows what's really going to happen and that there's the outside possibility that the legislature might change things or whatever. Yeah.

Um and none of this is meant to um cast shade on what you proposed. I think that um you know if you have negotiated this with our public safety union unions and you have it figured out as to how we're going to pay for it then I believe in you mayor. I want to support you. So there's we can take action. We've got a uh a vote. I'm sorry. We've got a uh motion and a second. All in favor of uh special ordinance number 28 2025 signify by saying I.

I opposed. Passes. Thank you. Next order of business, please. Michelle, special ordinance 29 2025 the 2026 ordinance for the fire department.

You're up, mayor. If you take all of my comments from the previous ordinance and change the word police to fire, uh that is what you have in front of you all with the exception of one thing. Uh so the police uniform pay is 500 for three years. That adds up to $1,500. The fire is zero this year, but 750 750 for year 2, year three. So it then adds up to 1,500 at the end of that three-year contract. So they're both in parody. So, is this an 1800 uh or not? Yes.

Okay. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 29 2025? Hearing none. Council council personalis. If there's nothing else, I propose we act on special ordinance 29 2025. Second.

It's been moved by Council Person Cho, second by Council Person Thompson that we take action on special ordinance number 29, 2025. All in favor of taking action, please signify by saying I. I. Opposed. We can take action. Council Chillos. I move we pass special ordinance 29, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Cho, second by Council Person Debond that we approve special ordinance number 29, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed? It passes. Excuse me. Next order of business, please. Michelle, special ordinance 30 2025, the 2026 salary ordinance for the mayor.

Um, in front of me, you have the mayor's salary ordinance. This is reflective of a 3% raise. Uh, one key difference over the last two years, we've reduced the personnel in that department going from three to two. Um, and then I do cut my cell phone stipen in half, uh, and give use that amount for Lana's cell phone stipen uh, because I do call her after hours for a number of things. And this job is not an 8 to4 by any means. And I recognize that if I'm doing that as an employer that that should be there. Thank you, mayor. Mhm.

Is there anyone in the audience who would like to ask a question about special ordinance number 30, 2025? Hearing none, council,

Mr. President, Council Personle, no further discussion, I move that we take action on special ordinance 30, 2022. Second. It's been moved by council person, second by council person that we take action on special ordinance number 30, 2025. All in favor of taking action, please signify by saying I. I opposed. All right, we can take action. Mr. President, Council Person, I move that we approve special ordinance 30, 2025. Second. It's been moved by Council Personle, second by Council Person Laddermilk, that we approve special ordinance number 30, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I opposed. All right, that one passes. Thank you, mayor. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

special ordinance 312025, the 2026 salary ordinance for city council in front of you all. You have your city council ordinance. So, I worked on this one with council president nation. It is reflective of a 12% bump asterisk there, but the council had I mean almost a decade of no bump at all. So, There had to be some course correction and you are still underpaid compared to your peers in other cities, but this is what we're able to offer at this time.

Thank you, mayor. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to ask a question about special ordinance number 31, 2025 hearing? None. council. Um I have one observation and section two and section three. There's language that says city of Teroot will provide to each full-time permanent employee who's estab whose salary is established by this ordinance etc. Um we are not full-time permanent employees. I understand that this is boilerplate language that's probably always been in our ordinance. Um, but I probably should have caught it a long time ago.

Oh, I see it now. I would like to propose that we strike uh the three words full-time and permanent. and the amended on the floor language would then read the city of Teroot will provide to each employee whose salary is established by this ordinance etc. I'd like to propose that that be done for both section two and section three. I would second that proposed amendment. Yeah. Can you put it forth in the I I I can't make an amendment. So, can you make the amendment the amendment? Mr. President, council person, I have a question.

Sure. If they if they take that language out, um, city attorney told me that it's in there because the city doesn't offer insurance to part-time employees. So, does it need to be in there? I would think that it would. Um, granted I am not an attorney, so at this time I'm going to publicly state that my legal advice should be considered that I am not an attorney. Uh, I would recommend pausing on that amendment though and if needed to amend the salary ordinance at a later date with that language, Councilman Nation. Yeah. Okay. U,

and I'll just throw in there that you are I'm me as myself as well and the judge, we're considered employees when it comes to salaries. Um because like our salaries uh state board of accounts DLGF consider us receiving a salary as an employee even though we're elected. So be careful on um uh removing too much. I understand. Um and I won't go down the rabbit hole of whether we're part-time or full-time.

Okay. Uh, so, uh, sorry to get us off in that side sidebar, folks. Um, I believe that I've asked for public comment and there was none. Now, we're still in council uh, discussion. Council President, so Mike, would it be best that we approve this and then amend it later or should we table it tonight? I'm just taking a pass it show. So let's approve it and then amend it if it needs to. But that language may need to stay in there too. That I mean that's the question and you don't want to write your health insurance out of your salary.

Exactly. I don't. And and there was an amendment to statutes which I do not recall the uh um exact statute top of my head. It's under 36, but you are as an elected official full time considered full-time. Yes. Okay. Okay. Hearing that advice, I will move that we take action on special ordinance 312025. It's been moved by Council Person Dingle, second by Council Person Boland that we take action on special ordinance number 31, 2022. All in favor of taking action, please say I. I. I opposed. All right, we can take action. Mr. President, Council Person,

I move that we approve special ordinance 312025. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dingle, second by Council Person Hinton that we approve special ordinance number 31, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right, it's approved. Thank you, mayor. I thank thank the mayor for noting the long time since we had received appropriate um salary increases. Also, just for the comment, we also don't require office space or laptops or uniforms or cell phones or any of those other things cost the city those additional funds. So, we appreciate your

I should also thank you for not almost writing out your health insurance even though that would have been a savings to the right. Yeah, it would have been my health insurance. So, but I appreciate that these guys need it. So, thank you for that, too. I was going to write out my own health insurance, but I'll get the badge. Saved by the attorney, Michelle. All right. Uh, next order of business, please. Michelle, special ordinance uh 32 2025, the 2026 ordinance for the city court judge. I'm almost scared to go with his in mind now. Is there anything you want to remove?

Michelle, correct me if I'm wrong. The judge and yourself are just the clerk and the judge because the staffs are in the uh city hall ordinance which is special ordinance 21. Correct. Correct. Okay. So, in front of you then is the city court judge which reflects a 3% raise. Thanks, mayor. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 32, 2025? Hearing none council. Mr. President, Council Person Hinton, if there's no discussion, I move that we take action on special ordinance 32 2022. Second.

It's been moved by Council Person Hinton, second by Council Person Thompson that we take action on special ordinance number 32, 2022. All in favor of taking action, please say I. I. I opposed. All right, we can take action. Mr. President, Council Person, I move to approve special ordinance 32, 2022. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Hinton, second by Council Person Thompson that we approve special ordinance number 32, 2025. All in favor of approval, please say I. Oppos. All right, that's approved. Next order of business, please. Michelle,

special ordinance 32 2022. Oh, sorry. 33. I've lost track. 33 2025. It's my salary. 2026. Now we're going for the city clerk. Are you our petitioner, Michelle? Sure, why not? Hopefully, you'll let me get paid next year. Happy to answer any questions. And again, it's just my salary, not my um um staff. They're in city hall salary ordinances. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about special ordinance number 33 2025 council?

I'd like to make the obvious statement that I really appreciate all that Michelle does for us. Yeah. Yeah. Y second. And I'd entertain a motion at this point, Mr. President, Council Person, I move that we take action on special ordinance 33, 2022. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dingle, second by Council Person Thompson that we take action on special ordinance number 33, 2022. All in favor of taking action. Please say I. I. Opposed. All right, we can take action. Mr. President, Council Person, move that we approve special ordinance 332025.

Second. It's been moved by Council Person Dinkle, seconded by Council Person Thompson, that we approve special ordinance number 33, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. We're going to pay you again next year, Michelle. Thank you. The judge and I thank you. Uh, next order of business, please. Michelle, special ordinance 34, 2025, the 2026 ordinance for redevelopment. You're on again?

Yes. So, in front of me, you've got the redevelopment salary ordinance. Now for two of them it is not directly 3%. Specifically the office manager was a little bit higher. It's just easier to take that to a round zero number. Um and then for real estate administrator you will notice that it's a little bit lower because someone had moved into that position who didn't have that longevity but was still a bump for that individual by moving to that position. So uh in front of you you've got the redevelopment team. uh they've done a great job with the infill lots with obviously recruiting uh Indiana Railroad, a number of downtown tiff and east side projects as well.

Thank you, mayor. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to ask a question about special order December 34, 2025? Hearing none. Council. Council person Chalis. I may move we take action on special orders 34 2025. Second. It's been moved by council person chos second by council person Thompson that we take action on special ordinance number 34 2025. All in favor please say I. Opposed. All right. We can take action now. Council person move we pass special ordinance 34205. Second.

It's been moved by Council Person Cho, second by Council Person Thompson that we approve special ordinance number 34, 2022. All in favor, please say I. Opposed. All right, that's approved. We got one more. The uh next up is the budget. The budget. Sorry guys, I forgot about the budget. Next order of business, please. Michelle, appropriation 14, 2025 to 2026 city of Terote budget. You must vote to take action. Thank you. All right. All right. You're on, mayor. Let me reset up to the nation. It's all right. Sorry, we skipped it. We moved it all around.

I think I'm very trying to make it back to read Cat in the Hat one time tonight to little Scarlet. That's okay. She'll wake me up at 1:00 a.m. I can read it to her then.

All right, folks. Okay. In front of you, you've got appropriation 142025. This is a budget form one budget estimate for the city of Terode. Uh it is a very lengthy document 57 pages but it breaks it down. Casino riverboat general scrolling here. Edit fire pension local road and street motor vehicle highway. So this is your overall collected budget from the presentation that we had did uh a week prior. 1.45 45 1.47% increase from 2020 2024 to 2025. Uh at this time, I'll take any questions on the overall budget. Thank you, mayor. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to ask a question about appropriation number 14, 2025, the 2026 city of Tarot budget? Hearing none. Council Council person chose.

I move that we take action on appropriation 14205. Second. It's been moved by council person chose, second by council person Boland that we take action on appropriation 14 2025. All in favor of taking action, please say I. I opposed. We can take action. Council move to pass appropriation 142025, the budget. Second. It's been moved by Council Person Sha, second by Council Person Bolan that we approve appropriation number 14, 2025. All in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. All right. Passes. Thank you, mayor. Thank you.

I'm afraid we're stuck here tonight. We're not going to be able to leave. Michelle, do you have any uh reminders or anything for next week? We will see you next week. All right. I will say I am uh out of town next week. Sorry. Motion to start to hear it. Uh okay. We call George. It's been moved by council person uh Laddermilk, seconded by Council Person Hinton, that we adjourn. All in favor of adjournment, please say I. I. See you next week, folks. Thank you for standing. Give George a call and tell him we can't leave until he We all have to sign the budget. Yeah.