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City Council gets new leadership for 2024
The Greencastle City Council not only has a new majority, it has a new leader.
Councilor Stacie Langdon, elected in November to her third term representing the Second Ward, was elected president of the Council at its January meeting Thursday at City Hall.
On a motion from Darrel Thomas, she succeeds Mark Hammer after four years as president.
New Council vice president is Thomas, serving his first full term as an at-large member of the Council after coming aboard in February 2022 after Jake Widner resigned. Thomas was approved as vice president following a motion by Langdon.
The Republican Party has a 6-1 majority on the new City Council with Vince Aguirre the lone Democrat.
The City Council also announced its two annual one-year appointments to the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission (RDC), selecting former Fourth Ward Councilman Cody Eckert, who lost his re-election by a single vote to Aguirre, and reappointing Langdon to the five-member board. Mayor Lynda Dunbar will have the three remaining selections for the RDC, which meets the fourth Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
As far as City Council members appointments for 2024, they include:
Greencastle/Putnam County Economic Development Center -- Hammer (succeeds Langdon).
Sustainability Commission -- Katherine Asbell (succeeds Veronica Pejril).
Putnam County 911 Board -- Tina Nicholson (succeeds Russell Harvey).
Plan Commission -- David Masten (succeeds Hammer).
Budget Committee -- All seven members at the suggestion of Mayor Dunbar, especially for the first year of the Council. Meetings would have to be advertised and open to the public, she noted.
West Central Solid Waste Commission -- Thomas (reappointment).
Tree Board -- Aguirre (board being reactivated).
The Council did not, however, name city department liaisons at the January meeting as has been its practice in the past.
Meeting time and day for the Council remain the same as 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at City Hall.
In other business besides tabling the UTV ordinance (see separate story), the Council:
Adopted on second and final reading the rezoning of a 1.16-acre lot at the southeast corner of Warren Drive and State Road 240 from General Industrial District to General Business 2 to accommodate a new car wash being developed by Tangent Car Wash Co. Petitioner attorney Eddie Felling said the project will need a visit to the Board of Zoning Appeals to clean up some small details before it is ready to move forward. Councilman Masten, noting of the property that its a commercial site in reality, made the motion for approval, which passed 5-0 with Aguirre abstaining.
Approved street closures requested by organizer Gail Smith for the Saturday, March 9 Sham Rock Run 5K, an annual event that drew almost 300 participants last year. Street closures from 6 a.m. to noon will be in effect for Franklin Street from Jackson to Vine and Indiana Street from Franklin to Washington.
Approved street closures and noise waivers as requested by Smith for her annual Greencastle Music Fest, scheduled Aug. 23-24 on the north and east sides of the courthouse square. The noise waiver will be in effect 4-11 p.m. Friday and 2-11 p.m. Saturday during the 15th annual event. Aguirre, noting that the event coincides with his birthday weekend each year and has been part of his life for half his years, made the motion for approval, which passed unanimously.
Approved Resolution 2024-1, authorizing use of credit cards for various city officials, none of which is greater than $5,000 (mayor and clerk-treasurer) and total an available $34,500.
Heard Langdon ask Street Commissioner Andrew Rogers about the digital speed limit signs along Shadowlawn Avenue that have not been in working order for several months. Rogers said he has fixed the one near the Armory a couple times and by the time he goes to lunch and returns, it is no longer working again. It was also noted that the one further east near the People Pathways crossing needed assistance from the company that installed it when it had a hiccup, four or five years ago.
Council members Langdon, Thomas, Masten, Asbell, Nicholson and Aguirre were present for the one-hour, 15-minute meeting. Councilman Hammer was absent.
The next regular session of the City Council is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 at City Hall.