The Vigo Ledger

Transcript — Terre Haute City Council, 2026-09-10

Machine transcription of the recording of the Terre Haute City Council meeting on 2026-09-10, aligned to the video timeline. This is not the official record — the clerk's minutes are, and this is unreviewed automatic speech recognition that mis-hears names and numbers. Check anything that matters against the recording.

Each line is stamped with its position in the recording, both as a clock time and as [t=SECONDS]. Those are the same seconds the archive's source links use: open the recording and add &t=<seconds> to jump to any line.

Speakers were separated automatically and named from the meeting's speaker roster where the evidence supported it; an unnamed voice is shown as Speaker <n>, which is a machine label and not a person's name.

Transcript

  • 0:00:00 [t=0] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): At this time I call to order this public hearing for the 2027 City of Terre Haute budget by the Terre Haute City Council. Michelle, will you please call the roll?
  • 0:00:10 [t=10] Michelle L. Edwards (clerk): Councilperson Azar. Present. Councilperson Bowen. Present. Councilperson Chalos. I'm here. Councilperson Devon. Here. Councilperson Dingle. Present. Councilperson Hinton. Present. Councilperson Launamilk. Present. Councilperson Nation. Here. Councilperson Thompson. Here. All are present.
  • 0:00:26 [t=26] Speaker 6: The purpose of this meeting is to conduct a public hearing on Appropriation 14-2026, the 2027 City of Terre Haute budget, and Appropriation 15-2026, the 2027 City of Terre Haute sanitary budget.
  • 0:00:40 [t=40] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): This meeting is for public comment only. There will be no council discussion or comments from the administration. This time I will open for any public comment. Hearing none, we will close public comment. At this time I entertain a motion to adjourn.
  • 0:00:56 [t=56] Speaker 12: Second.
  • 0:00:57 [t=57] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): It's been moved by Councilperson Azar, seconded by Councilperson Bolton, that we adjourn. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Nay.
  • 0:01:26 [t=86] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
  • 0:28:26 [t=1706] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Thank you.
  • 0:28:56 [t=1736] Speaker 21: This evening, the pledge will be led by Councilperson Curtis DeBauw.
  • 0:29:08 [t=1748] Speaker 23: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
  • 0:29:13 [t=1753] Speaker 25: and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
  • 0:29:26 [t=1766] Speaker 8: Thank you.
  • 0:29:56 [t=1796] Michelle L. Edwards (clerk): Councilperson Laudamilz. Present. Councilperson Nation. Here. Councilperson Thompson. Here. All are present.
  • 0:30:04 [t=1804] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): At this time, we reserve up to 30 minutes for public comment on non-agenda items. Public comment is an opportunity for members of the public to address the council. It is not a question and answer period, and the speakers should not expect a back and forth discussion with the council members, staff, or others present. Please direct your comments to the council as a body and maintain respectful conduct so that everyone has a fair opportunity to be heard. We had nobody sign up in advance. Is there anyone from the public who wishes to make a comment on a non-agenda item?
  • 0:30:31 [t=1831] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Hearing none, we will close public comment.
  • 0:30:33 [t=1833] Michelle L. Edwards (clerk): Corrections to the journal of the preceding meeting. There are none. Communication from the mayor. There are none. Reports from city officials. There are none. Reports from Board of Public Works and Safety. There are none. Reports from standing committees. There are none. Reports from non-standing committees. There are none. I am previously tabled. There are none. Items, tax abatements for confirmation.
  • 0:30:53 [t=1853] Michelle L. Edwards (clerk): There are none. Items on second reading. General Ordinance 10, 2026, Amending City Code, Chapter 7, Article 1, Division 2, Creating Section 7-40, Groundwater Usage Restrictions.
  • 0:31:04 [t=1864] Speaker 45: Petitioner.
  • 0:31:05 [t=1865] Marcus Meyer (staff): Good evening. Marcus Meyer, City Engineer. So last week we talked about this and there was some concern about any existing well users.
  • 0:31:13 [t=1873] Marcus Meyer (staff): So we have reached out to IDEM and it is their standard policy to push it through with the cleanup crew to check and see.
  • 0:31:21 [t=1881] Marcus Meyer (staff): We took it a step farther and went to our best resource that we know for wells, which is sewage billing, and Jesse helped out with that. There's 1,081 parcels inside of that. That area was there, and every user of the sewer has a water account associated with their sewer bill use.
  • 0:31:37 [t=1897] Marcus Meyer (staff): So we feel pretty confident there's nobody there relying on well water solely for their household use.
  • 0:31:44 [t=1904] Marcus Meyer (staff): I don't know if there's a way we'll ever know if there's not a well in there that's not been properly abandoned or not been abandoned.
  • 0:31:50 [t=1910] Marcus Meyer (staff): but the best due diligence done on that probably would have been done through the cleanup and that process through the survey process for cleanup to be approved. This is something I-DEMS came to us and they're comfortable pushing forward. It helps close the site that's taking resources but also helps protect the community because they've determined this legacy contamination of the ground makes groundwater unsafe for human use and consumption. So it's just kind of a protection
  • 0:32:27 [t=1947] Speaker 52: effort and helping get some resources better used elsewhere.
  • 0:32:33 [t=1953] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Thank you. Anyone from the public who wishes to comment on General Ordinance 10-2026? Hearing
  • 0:32:43 [t=1963] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): We will close public comment, open for council discussion.
  • 0:32:46 [t=1966] Speaker 58: Mr. President. Councilperson Nation.
  • 0:32:48 [t=1968] Speaker 59: Marcus, I remember when this all started.
  • 0:32:51 [t=1971] Todd Nation (councillor): This is Irmish Cleaners were the people who created these sites. But as you know, there were dry cleaners. We had facilities throughout the community. As you know, there were many more dry cleaners spread throughout the community. I also remember Pat Martin and his good work back when he worked for the city to identify brownfields. I wonder if there's any current project going where we're trying to follow up either on the work that Pat did back then or do a renewed effort to identify whether or not there are other messes like this that need to be cleaned up.
  • 0:33:34 [t=2014] Marcus Meyer (staff): That's a great question. We do still have a brownfields program. It's administered by Department of Redevelopment, now the brownfields funding. that does have further testing, we have a few properties that we're still looking at,
  • 0:33:46 [t=2026] Marcus Meyer (staff): one of them being 19th and Beach, we recall, is an old industrial property. Columbia Enamely, yes. Sorry, I've forgotten to call it 19th and Beach. That is the correct name. So as we come across them, we're trying to get some testing done. If there was one good thing that came from the dry cleaners, it's pretty common for them all to be polluted. So, I mean, that was an easy target. I don't know the history and area of those well enough, but those are being picked off. And I would hope that we're getting near the end of those. Of course, it is a legacy pollutant that comes there.
  • 0:34:26 [t=2066] Marcus Meyer (staff): The source can be stopped, and the rest of it that's buried under the ground below several probably miles of city is really difficult to clean up and really impossible.
  • 0:34:42 [t=2082] Speaker 52: But providing protections like this ordinance does lower the risk level.
  • 0:34:50 [t=2090] Todd Nation (councillor): We also got some Brownfield money to test, and again, like you said, it's through redevelopment, to do some phase ones and maybe phase twos. And when I asked about that, I guess it was early this year or last year, many, if not all of those, were aimed at either Colombian enameling or the old Coke plant, 13th and Holman.
  • 0:35:19 [t=2119] Speaker 67: Is there anything recent with 13th and Holman?
  • 0:35:25 [t=2125] Marcus Meyer (staff): I'm not aware of anything extremely recent. I know on the Colombian enabling side, I know that we're working through the process of meeting the IFA's criteria for having authority to enter the property. That one's in a unique situation of ownership. I'm not super familiar with what's going on at 13th and Holman, though. Okay.
  • 0:35:47 [t=2147] Todd Nation (councillor): Okay. I was also hopeful that some of that testing would be directed toward the former commercial solvents property in my district.
  • 0:35:57 [t=2157] Speaker 73: I believe some of that is planned as well. Okay, good.
  • 0:36:01 [t=2161] Marcus Meyer (staff): That's in a similar situation of getting the access agreement to be able to unlock those funds.
  • 0:36:08 [t=2168] Speaker 77: Yeah. Okay, I'll stop. Thanks. I appreciate your patience with me.
  • 0:36:12 [t=2172] Marcus Meyer (staff): I will note, hopefully, we do have some potential to tap into some IFA funds through some old sewer loans. They have a brownfield reserve, so once we tap into some of those access agreements, we're hopeful that we may be able to free up some, not exactly grant dollars, but funds that we don't have to pay back, if that makes sense.
  • 0:36:37 [t=2197] Todd Nation (councillor): That's a new one on me. Tap through sewer funds?
  • 0:36:42 [t=2202] Marcus Meyer (staff): We've borrowed money in the past. So 13th and Holman is a great example. When we built the main wastewater treatment plant, we borrowed a significant amount of funds, and using the Brownfield Reserve Program, we were able to capture an interest rate reduction that added the funds that could help pay to clean up. And that's how the portion of 13th and Holman that was cleaned up was cleaned up. There may be a potential to tap into some of those funds on either future or existing loans with some of these. So we're hopeful to find some cleanup money, too.
  • 0:37:16 [t=2236] Todd Nation (councillor): That's great.
  • 0:37:17 [t=2237] Marcus Meyer (staff): We don't know the number yet.
  • 0:37:21 [t=2241] Todd Nation (councillor): So, you know, I remember, as I said, Pat and the good work that he did for the city. And then we've recently lost the other person who had the title of planner who was under your command, Matri Desai. Are we looking for another planner? Are we?
  • 0:37:40 [t=2260] Speaker 44: So right now, Maitrey has left town. She's still working for us and working with us remotely.
  • 0:37:45 [t=2265] Marcus Meyer (staff): And we'll probably be heading down that path soon. But for now, we have a good thing, and we're going to keep it going as long as we can, as long as it makes sense.
  • 0:37:56 [t=2276] Speaker 64: And when we hire the next planner, is that part of that person's job to be identifying these brownfields
  • 0:38:05 [t=2285] Todd Nation (councillor): and identifying funds to get them cleaned up? Or is that just a target of opportunity when it shows up?
  • 0:38:10 [t=2290] Marcus Meyer (staff): I think it's probably, you know, it depends on who we hire and what their capabilities
  • 0:38:15 [t=2295] Marcus Meyer (staff): are. We always want to put, you know, whoever we hire in their strongest position. If it's a skill they have, certainly.
  • 0:38:22 [t=2302] Speaker 64: Well, I remember that Pat was really good at it.
  • 0:38:26 [t=2306] Marcus Meyer (staff): Yeah. It's a unique skill, and it would be something we do want to have. They'll
  • 0:38:33 [t=2313] Marcus Meyer (staff): be involved regardless because as much as we like to clean up, having a plan for after
  • 0:38:40 [t=2320] Marcus Meyer (staff): the cleanup helps get the momentum going, right? MR.
  • 0:38:43 [t=2323] Yeah.
  • 0:38:44 [t=2324] Speaker 84: Okay. I'll yield.
  • 0:38:46 [t=2326] Thank you. MR.
  • 0:38:48 [t=2328] Todd Nation (councillor): If there are no further questions, I move that we take action on General Ordinance
  • 0:38:57 [t=2337] Todd Nation (councillor): 10, 2026. MR.
  • 0:38:59 [t=2339] Speaker 98: Second. MR.
  • 0:39:01 [t=2341] James P. Chalos (councillor): Second. Second. Oh.
  • 0:39:06 [t=2346] Todd Nation (councillor): Okay. I move for approval of General Ordinance Number 10-2026. Second.
  • 0:39:11 [t=2351] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): It's been moved by Councilperson Nation, seconded by Councilperson Chalos, that General Ordinance 10-2026 be approved. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay.
  • 0:39:20 [t=2360] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Motion passes. General Ordinance 10-2026 is approved. Thank you.
  • 0:39:24 [t=2364] Speaker 104: Thank you, Marcus. Thank you, Michael.
  • 0:39:26 [t=2366] Michelle L. Edwards (clerk): Next item.
  • 0:39:27 [t=2367] Michelle L. Edwards (clerk): Preparation 13-2026, $604,377 from casino number 01800000 to casino principal on note number 018000003439178 for $541,536. and to casino interest on note 0180-0000-03-439-179 for $62,841. You must vote to take action.
  • 0:40:01 [t=2401] Jessica Thome (staff): Petitioner. Good evening, Council. Jessica Thome, City Comptroller. This appropriation for the casino fund is basically just a prepayment for some fire leases for 2027. We saw an opportunity in the casino fund and we decided to take that just to relieve public safety as we try to do with casino. So the three leases that we are prepaying is the ladder number five truck, two engines, engine two and engine seven, and then three of our ambulances. So that total is $604,000. And if anybody has any questions, please let me know.
  • 0:40:42 [t=2442] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Thank you. Does anyone from the public who wishes to comment on Appropriation 13-2026?
  • 0:40:49 [t=2449] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Hearing none, we will close public comment and open to council discussion.
  • 0:41:01 [t=2461] Speaker 118: Council President DeBond. Did you have a question? No.
  • 0:41:03 [t=2463] Curtis DeBaun IV (councillor): Oh, okay. If there aren't any questions, I'll go ahead and move that we approve appropriation. I'm sorry. Take action on appropriation 13-2026. Second.
  • 0:41:13 [t=2473] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): It's been moved by Councilperson DeBond, seconded by Councilperson Loudermilk, that we take action on appropriation 13-2026. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. We may now take action on appropriation 13-2026. Councilperson DeBond.
  • 0:41:27 [t=2487] Speaker 124: Yeah, Mr. President, I make a motion that we approve appropriation 13-2026. Second.
  • 0:41:34 [t=2494] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): It's been moved by Councilperson DeBond, seconded by Councilperson Laudeville, that Appropriation 13-2026 be approved. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, say no. The motion passes. Appropriation 13-2026 is approved.
  • 0:41:46 [t=2506] Speaker 127: Thank you. Thank you.
  • 0:41:47 [t=2507] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Before we adjourn, I'd like to remind everybody of a couple of upcoming meetings. On Wednesday, September 23rd at 530, we will have a special meeting for discussion on the budget between the Council, Mayor, and King Roller. No public comment will be allowed at that meeting. and then we will meet again for a regular meeting on October 8, 2026, at 6 p.m., where we will vote on the budget and salary ordinance. As a public comment, we'll be allowed at that meeting.
  • 0:42:16 [t=2536] Speaker 129: Move to adjourn.
  • 0:42:18 [t=2538] Anthony J. Dinkel (chair): Second. It's moved by Councilperson A's, or seconded by Councilperson Loudermont, that we adjourn. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say no. The Carrow at City Council stands adjourned. Don't do it, Candace.