Council passes declaratory resolution for major project

0
1177

Council president Bill Niemier

NEW PALESTINE — Paperwork surrounding the approval of a $61 million high-end apartment complex passes another hurdle as officials from the Town of New Palestine approve a declaratory resolution surrounding the construction project. In other business during the most recent council meeting, the council decided to give its clerk treasurer a pay raise.

A declaratory resolution surrounding the Becovic apartment complex project was approved, but just barely. After a 2-2 tie with one council member abstaining, Clerk Treasurer Yvonne Jonas was asked to cast the deciding vote. Jonas voted in favor of the declaratory resolution, sending the Becovic project, which the developers say requires a $5 million bond, forward.

Council member Bill Niemier read the declaratory resolution aloud during the meeting held Wednesday, Sept. 21. He noted it approves a resolution approved by the town’s Redevelopment Commission declaring certain parcels in the New Palestine Economic Development area as the Becovic Project Allocation area, thus amending the Economic Development plan.

Niemier and council member Chris Lytle approved the resolution while council members Clint Bledsoe and Angie Fahrnow voted against the measure. Council member Brandee Bastin abstained from the vote. She works for the land owner, Hancock Regional Health, which is working with developers to build the apartment complex near the Wellness Center in New Palestine.

Before the vote, Fahrnow asked the town’s attorney to explain the resolution in layman’s terms so all council members and others could better understand what the council was voting for or against.

The town’s attorney noted a while back that the town’s Redevelopment Commission established an Economic Development area. The area, used by officials from Hancock Regional Hospital, now has a separate reallocation area established within the area.

The separate area was created for the Becovic project. The project had to be approved by several town groups including the town’s Planning Commission. That group said the project showed it met the town’s standards in the town’s comprehensive plan and therefore approved its part.

The resolution passed by the town’s council approved the paperwork done by the town’s Redevelopment and Planning Commissions surrounding the project, the attorney said. The declaratory resolution must now be followed by confirmatory resolutions. A public hearing is expected to be heard at the next council meeting, Wednesday, Oct. 5 before the confirmatory resolution is brought forward for a vote.

Following the explanation, the council voted on the measure with the help of the clerk treasurer to break the 2-2 tie, and they passed the declaratory resolution 3-2.

In other town business, Niemier brought up the pay of the clerk treasurer, noting the position is underpaid at $47,000 and asked the council to consider giving the position a new base salary of $57,000.

“We are very fortunate to have a very competent and hard-working treasurer,” Niemier said.

He noted the town needed to set the base pay higher because if Jonas does not run for the position in the future, they need to be able to attract a competent person to fill the position.

The council had discussed the pay increase during a recent meeting at the prompting of Bastin, who also noted Jonas deserved a comparative salary.

The base pay is expected to be increased when the council is asked to pass a salary ordinance for the 2023 budget at a meeting in the future, town officials said.