NEW PALESTINE — When the New Palestine Town Council gathers for its first meeting of the new year at 7 p.m. Wednesday, the group will have a brand new look with four of the five members being newly elected town officials.
Incumbent Bill Niemier is the only returning council member, with Teri Reed, Ethan Maple, Ryan Hartley and Chad Molinder all attending their first council session as members after being sworn into office during a ceremony in December of 2023.
Hartley noted many of the new council members have already met and talked about their goals prior to being sworn-in. He was pleased to say all the new council members seem to have the same vision when it comes to growth and how the town should develop.
“We all have different opinions, but we all feel the same in that we all want positive progress for the town,” Hartley said.
Hartley noted it’s probably a “good thing” for the different council members to have different views so everyone’s perspective can be heard and appreciated.
“You want a difference of vision because when you take those different visions and add them all up you can have a good outcome,” Hartley said.
One of the first things the council will do is elected a new council president and other council positions as well as assign council members to other town duties and commissions.
Molinder noted the overall goal of the new council members is to learn how a town is run. While many of the newly elected members have attended multiple council meetings, there are still many procedural processes and official responsibilities they’ll need to learn about as quickly as they can. That includes delving into and understanding the town’s current comprehensive plan to see if it is what the town residents really want or needs to be altered. They’ll also need to get on board and educate themselves on the town’s new waste water expansion and what that will mean to the community.
“Everybody wants to hit the ground running, but with a government entity, there is just a lot you have to learn,” Molinder said. “The one thing we want to make sure of is that we know things before we start taking any kind of action on things.”
Molinder agrees with his fellow council members who say having multiple different inputs on issues and understanding them is key before moving forward with an output on any topic.
“That’s going to be the intent,” Molinder said. “Our goal is to look into the growth, the controlled growth and focus on making New Palestine the best community we can make it.”
Maple feels the learning process for a council member will and probably should be unending.
“The opportunities we’ll have to do some training are there and I know I’m going to take advantage of them,” Maple said.
That includes a training session later this month, one he and other council members plan to attend.
“Obviously as a council we want to do the best job that we can and be the best servants as we can for New Pal,” Maple said. “Being elected is a big responsibility and I feel like this council will take that seriously.”
Maple noted there are still a few issues the new council will need to address, issues the old council wasn’t able to agree upon before they tackle anything new such as what should the town’s food truck ordinance look like.
“I know there are some items we’ve got to look at and then move on with,” Maple said. “We don’t want to leave any unfinished business unresolved. We’ll have important conversations with how to set up the town for success food trucks and beyond.”
Maple feels this council will be able to lean on one another to make sure they make the right decisions together when it comes to figuring out what is best for the town.
“I just know I’m excited to serve and get going,” Maple said. “I know everyone on the council is strong in their leadership roles and their dedication to the community and what they bring to the table.”
