New Albany City Council Regular Meeting - October 5, 2026

The New Albany City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026, with President Dickey presiding and a quorum present. The meeting lasted approximately 14 minutes and included approval of previous minutes and extensive council member discussion regarding a zoning letter sent to Central Christian Church concerning a homeless individual, as well as updates on community resources, homeless services, and public safety for the upcoming Harvest Homecoming festival.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of minutes from September 10 and September 17, 2026, passed as a slate with 5 affirmative votes and 2 abstentions from members absent on those dates.

Communications from the Council

• Council Member Collier expressed gratitude to police and fire departments for their work during the festival and wished everyone a safe Harvest Homecoming.
• Council Member Phipps echoed safety wishes and reminded drivers to yield to pedestrians. He then read and criticized a letter from the zoning office to Central Christian Church, which alleged that a homeless individual had been residing under a building awning on the property and that the church was operating a de facto transitional housing land use without authorization. Phipps noted the letter stated it was not a finding of violation but demanded the occupancy end immediately. He argued the city was unfairly targeting the church while ignoring other code violations and questioned the selective enforcement. He added that the pastor had assured him the individual would have permanent housing by the following Tuesday.
• Council Member Fitzgerald also received a call from the pastor and raised concerns that such a letter should have been preceded by personal outreach from the city. He also thanked the street department, fire department, and police for a successful parade and highlighted the groundbreaking for the Silver Street soccer field renovations.
• Council Member Goman continued the discussion, stating that the city lacks adequate housing for homeless individuals. She recounted a neighbor who said they were told there were no homeless people in New Albany before moving to the city, suggesting a need for broader community awareness. She expressed hope that the church situation would initiate a conversation about permanent housing solutions.
• Council Member Griffith inquired about the effectiveness of the city's cooling station program and whether it could be better integrated with the Community Foundation's new transportation program to improve access for those in need.
• Council Member Murphy confirmed she had spoken with the pastor, the constituent, and Mr. Wood about the issue and mentioned there were additional dynamics she would share separately. She also reminded residents that early voting begins October 6 at the 4-H fairgrounds and Nova Park.
• President Dickey thanked all city staff and safety personnel involved in Harvest Homecoming, reminded the public of street restrictions and increased patrols, and paid tribute to Rick Manning, a longtime journalist and founder of the Silver Hills Historical Society who had recently passed away. In response to Council Member Griffith, he noted that a meeting of pastors after the cooling station program resulted in a desire to move the location to a more central downtown site next year, as the Culver's location was difficult to access due to transportation issues.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the minutes from September 10 and September 17, 2026, with 5 votes in favor and 2 abstentions.
• No ordinances, resolutions, or other actionable items were brought before the council.
• President Dickey noted that the budget ordinance package would be presented on third reading at the next meeting per state statute.