City Planner to Talk Redistricting with County Clerk
Posted
Craig Brosman-
Warsaw City Council passed several resolutions Monday night to improve economic growth and adopted an anti-nepotism ordinance.
Mayor Joe Thallemer started off the meeting by calling on City Planner Jeremy Skinner to talk about ordinance 2012-06-03, redistricting the city council districts.
Skinner explained to the council that there were districts that have swelled in population and other districts that have lost population in their respective districts. By the laws of the state, Skinner and the city can have those districts redrawn and even them out.
“Every 10 years or after a census, districts can be redone to balance the population in the districts,” Skinner said. “Each district is supposed to represent an even amount of people. Districts three and five have seen the most growth and districts two and four have seen the most decline.”
Skinner went on to say that he needed to meet with County Clerk Jason McSherry to work out the districts. In the meantime, Skinner asked the council not approve the ordinance and withdraw it from the agenda, until he has a chance to meet with McSherry.
Thallemer quickly moved from redistricting to adopting ordinance 2012-06-04, anti-nepotism policies.
Human Resources Director Jennifer Whitaker informed the council they had to approve the ordinance by July 1.
Councilman Charlie Smith asked Whitaker if there were any situations that may become issues because of this ordinance.
“Yes, we have one, possibly two employees, that are related to other employees,” Whitaker said. “When the one gets through the hiring process we need to document that they were hired before July 1.”
Additionally, the council discussed amending the redevelopment plan for the Northern Economic Development Area in Warsaw. Within the amendment the council looked at expanding the Tax Increment Financing district to encompass the newly annexed properties near U.S. 30 and CR 200W.
Thallemer saw this as an opportunity to recoup tax dollars and develop an undeveloped area of town.
“This is an opportunity to recapture anything invested in that area to work on city infrastructure,” Thallemer said. “The idea is to take a district that is undeveloped and develop it over the course of 30 years. It is a partnership between the city and the businesses in the district.”
The council approved the expansion unanimously.
In other business, at the last meeting the council approved the declaring resolution designating the Wildman Business Group an economic revitalization area. Monday night the council discussed the confirming adoption of the declaratory resolution.
Skinner told the council that revitalization designation would stay in effect for 10 years. He also informed the council that once they were finished approving the resolution they would need to look at the business’s request for abatement.
The council unanimously approved the resolution.
Skinner went on to inform the board that Wildman was requesting a 10-year abatement on their long-term investment to the community. Wildman plans to invest $600,000 in real and private property improvements, as well as hiring eight additional jobs totaling $272,000 in salaries.
“Wildman currently has an abatement from 2006,” Skinner said. “So far they have exceed their estimates for their 2006 abatement. They project that they will add jobs over the course of the abatement, but from what I have got from Wildman they plan to add those jobs in the first three or four years.”
The council unanimously approved the abatement.
In an move to save the city during budget time, Thallemer asked the board to transfer $556,365.51 from the Indiana Department of Revenue’s distribution of local income tax revenue.
“These are the funds that were withheld from municipalities and we were advised to deposit ours when we got it,” Thallemer said. “We have taken a wait-and-see strategy with this money. In order to not have the money affect the levy during budgeting we need to move the money from the general fund to the rainy day fund.”
Thallemer’s request was approved unanimously.
The next meeting of the Warsaw City Council will be July 2 at 7 p.m. at the Warsaw City Hall.
