The Carmel Common Council met on October 6, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a public hearing on the 2026 budget, extensive public comments regarding funding for Prime Life Enrichment, and discussion of several ordinances and resolutions. Key actions included rejection of the 2025 salary ordinance, approval of amended ordinances on zoning notice and parking, and passage of a resolution to study the energy center. The 2026 budget was introduced but not voted on.
I call this meeting of the Common Comp Carmel Common Council to order for Monday, October 6th. First item on our agenda is agenda approval. All right, please vote. Our agenda is approved. Giving the invocation tonight, we have Pastor Steve Lancaster from Northview Church. Let's pray. God, thank you for the opportunity to be standing here today. Hi. Thank you for the blessings which you have poured out over this city. I thank you that we can live in a nation that's free to express our opinions, God, free to debate, free to uh discuss ideas, and free to praise you and recognize your sovereignty and the high value that you place on human life made in your image. I pray for wisdom and discernment for these leaders here tonight, God, that decisions would not simply come from the experiences and knowledge they have acquired, but that discernment would come from your spirit as they humble themselves before you. Remind those in positions of authority in our city, whether it's in government or businesses, churches or schools, that they are stewards of the authority you have entrusted to them, and all influence they have has been given by their creator. Let us take seriously the charge you've placed on our lives, and let us remember that we will all stand before you someday to account for how we stewarded these positions. Above all, Father, help us hold fast to the hope that comes only through Jesus Christ. God, would you protect the families of these leaders here who are sacrificing just as much for their spouses and parents to be involved in this public service? And pray that these leaders would first resolve to be the best spouse and parent that they can be. Let them not show up here to make decisions for the community without first caring for their families, and help them to maintain the priorities that you've established in the sacred institutions of marriage and family. God, would you bring unity to our city, to our nation, and to our world? May the laws, ordinances, legislation, and ideas discussed in this room reflect the ethics of your kingdom. And may our nation flourish as we humbly turn to you. God, I pray that if there's anyone here today who does not have a personal relationship with you, Jesus, I pray that you would open their hearts and minds to recognize you as the one true God, as their Savior, as the way, the truth, and the life. Help them to fully surrender themselves to you, Father. We open this uh evening up to you, and God would you just bless our time here together. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you. Uh, please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, and I'll get started. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And just a reproductive for which stands. One nation under God, individual with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. All right. Next on our agenda, we have recognition of uh we have recognition of city employees and outstanding citizens. We have many but not on the agenda tonight. Then recognition of persons who wish to address the council, otherwise known as the blue card section. We've got a lot tonight, so I'm gonna run through a few rules and some updates kind of before you we get up there to speak. Uh, first off, I'm gonna call your name when you go up to the podium. I'm gonna push the button to speak. You'll see green light goes out on, that means it's time to go. You get three minutes. And I do apologize for having to cut off at three minutes. We've got a lot of speakers and a lot on our agenda tonight. But when you see the yellow light, that means you've got about 30 seconds left. Red means finish up the sentence. Um we do reward brevity though, if you know, with your comments. Um I see a lot of people here to speak about prime life enrichment, um, and some people have written in the 2026 budget. There are two opportunities. We please don't speak twice, but if you could either speak during the blue card section if you filled it out, if you did not fill out a blue card and would like to speak later in the agenda, the budget is a public hearing, which means at that point people who would like to comment on items on the budget can be welcomed up to speak at that time. So you can speak at either moment. Um just to know on this, this we're not entering to a dialogue at this time.