City Council Meeting JANUARY 22, 2024
JANUARY 22, 2024
5:30 P.M.
AGENDA
| I. | INTRODUCTION |
01-22-2024 Agenda Attachment:
| II. | APPROVAL OF MEETING MEMORANDUM |
01-08-2024 Memo Attachment:
| III. | REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS |
| IV. | SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY |
A. Department Liaisons
| V. | CONSENT AGENDA:Â FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
| VI. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| VII. | REGULAR AGENDA:Â SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS |
A. ORDINANCE R-2023-39 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 907 N Governor St Owner:JRW Realty, LLC by James Wright Requested Change:Â C1 to R1 Ward: 4 Burton Representative: Steven L Bohleber, Law Office of Steven L Bohleber R-2023-39 Attachment:
B. ORDINANCE R-2023-40 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 1524 W Louisiana St Owner:KJ Realty, LLC by James Wright Requested Change:Â M3 to R1 Ward: 6 Brinkmeyer Representative: Steven L Bohleber, Law Office of Steven L Bohleber R-2023-40 Attachment:
C. ORDINANCE R-2023-41 An Ordinance to Rezone Certain Real Estate in the City of Evansville, State of Indiana, More Commonly Known as 414 E Illinois St Owner:JRW Realty, LLC by James Wright Requested Change:Â C4 to R1 Ward: 4 Burton Representative: Steven L Bohleber, Law Office of Steven L Bohleber R-2023-41 Attachment:
| VIII. | RESOLUTION DOCKET |
| IX. | MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS |
A. THE NEXT MEETING of the Common Council will be Monday, February 12, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.
B. BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
C. 2023 INVESTMENT REPORT; Russ Lloyd, Jr., City Controller
D. STORM WATER PRESENTATION; Karan Barnhill, MS4 Director
E. ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS
| X. | COMMITTEE REPORTS |
| XI. | ADJOURNMENT |
Evansville /Vanderburgh County School Board Will Meet To Discuss Issuing Bonds
The Board of School Trustees of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation will meet for the regularly scheduled Board meeting Monday, January 22, 2024 at 5:30 PM in the Board Room of the EVSC Administration Building located at 951 Walnut Street, Evansville, IN. Board meetings can also be observed by tuning to EVSC’s radio station, 90.7 WPSR or live streamed online at https://www.wpsrhd.com/.
As published previously, the Board of School Trustees will also hold the second Public Hearing to take public testimony from Vanderburgh County residents regarding the preliminary determination to issue bonds.
FOOTNOTE: Â We expect the School Board to inform the general public about the amount of the bonds, for how many years, the interest rate, and what they are going to be used for.
Johnson leads the Aces in final day of Indiana Invitational
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. —Â The University of Evansville track and field team wrapped up its time at the Indiana Invitational with another podium finish and three more broken program records.
Sprinter Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) broke her previous 400-meter record for the Purple Aces second podium finish of the weekend. Johnson placed third in the event while running a 57.80 while teammate Eilen Brenne (Skein, Norway) placed 13th with a time of 1:01.19. Along with another podium placement, UE set new program records in two other events.
Graduate thrower Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) topped Evansville’s record in the men’s shot put with a throw of 15.53 meters for a seventh-place finish. Dove now holds both the indoor shot put and weight throw program records after Saturday’s performance. The Ace’s other new program record came in the men’s 4×400-meter relay as the team of Austin Liversgowdy (Florence, Ky. / Cooper HS), Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS), Jose Ocampo (Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico), and Alvaro Monfort (Castile Y Leon, Spain) ran a 3:22.79 for a fifth-place finish.
The women’s 4×400-meter relay team came just two seconds shy of their program best last weekend, running a 4:03.58 for an eighth-place finish. Also on the track, UE had three runners compete in the men’s 400-meter race all finishing within three spots of each other. Liversgowdy had the best finish at ninth by running a 51.16 and was closely followed by Ocampo with a season-best 51.90 run while Jakub Nowick (Poznan, Poland) ended in 11th with a 52.00 run.
Mid-distance runners for Evansville also had a good day with two top 10 finishes in the women’s 800-meter race and two top 15 finishes on the men’s side. Nayla Martin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada) placed eighth with a time of 2:18.24 while Kalina Urbaniak (Suchy Las, Poland) finished right behind her in ninth with a time of 2:16.68. In the men’s 800-meter race Monfort and Adam Oulgout (St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) ran identical times of 1:56.488 to tie for 14th. Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) also finished the 800-meter with a time of 2:02.11.
The Aces finished their day on the track with the 3000-meter events as Sonja Inzinger (Mautern an der Donau, Austria) had the highest placement at fifth with a time of 9:58.82. Graduate distance runner Sarah Vanderhoof-Dossett (Franklin, Tenn. / Independence HS) finished the event in 16th with a time of 10:37.46. On the men’s side Samuel Lea (Worchester, England) placed 10th with a time of 8:32.08 while Rafael Rodriguez and Owen Cuplin finished with times of 8:35.78 and 9:09.75 respectively.
UE’s throwers fared well on Saturday along with Dove’s new program record. Jaden Hayes (Huntingburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) had a season-best in the shot put with a throw of 14.19 meters. In the women’s shot put Brooke Springer threw 9.39 meters while freshman Jillian Miller made her throwing debut at 8.07 meters.
THUNDERBOLTS COME UP JUST SHORT IN 2-1 LOSS TO RIVERMENÂ
THUNDERBOLTS COME UP JUST SHORT IN 2-1 LOSS TO RIVERMENÂ
JANUARY 20, 2024
Evansville, In.:  Despite outshooting the Rivermen 39 to 26 and playing an excellent defensive game, the Thunderbolts were only able to pick up a single goal in a close 2-1 loss to the Rivermen at Ford Center on Saturday night.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Friday, January 26th against the Birmingham Bulls, puck drop at 7:00 pm CT.
Peoria grabbed the first lead of the game at 12:35 of the first period as Jordan Ernst scored on a power play with a shot that banked in off the far post. Evansville tied the game at 12:21 of the second period as Brady Lynn scored on an Evansville power play from Myles Abbate and Mark Zhukov, the goal being Lynn’s first professional goal in his professional debut. The Rivermen were able to score once again on the power play in the third period and regain the lead as Cale List scored at 8:09. Despite a late push by Evansville that at one point had them on a 6-on-3 man advantage with Ceci pulled, the Thunderbolts were unable to find the tying goal, ending their win streak at 4 wins.  Lynn scored Evansville’s goal on the night, while Cole Ceci stopped 26 of 28 shots faced. The Thunderbolts and Rivermen meet again on Sunday, January 21st at Peoria Civic Center.
Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for this 2023-24 season. Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are also on sale. Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.
About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL.  The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com
Witnesses for Life Depart Today for Indiana March for Life.
Evansville, INÂ – Â Right to Life of Southwest Indiana annual bus trip to attend the March for Life in Indianapolis will depart from Evansville this morning at 7:00 a.m.
The Indiana March for Life, which is Monday, January 22, 2024, is a peaceful witness for life. The March is held right after National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, established by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. People across the country bring awareness to the need for a culture that respects life and outlaws abortion. This year’s March celebrates the upholding of Indiana SEA-1 and reminds us of the continued need for pro-life laws to be established and supported at the state level.
The day will begin at the Indiana Convention Center with a youth event followed by a Mass for Life. The March for Life commences at Georgia & Illinois Street and processes through downtown Indianapolis to the Statehouse, where a post-march rally will take place.
Medicaid Forecast Updates and Initiatives
Last month, FSSA presented the Medicaid Forecast to the State Budget Committee as we do every December. A substantial variance in actual and projected Medicaid spend was presented and FSSA committed to bringing forward a series of sustainability strategies to mitigate the impact of the forecasted need for an increased appropriation to the Medicaid program.
Since then, FSSA has been diligently reviewing data, policies, and federally approved program authorities to identify the key drivers behind the variance. We sought to understand the issues so solutions can be as tailored as possible and maintain our focus on the people served and supported by FSSA. Our solutions are detailed below in two categories: Â strategies related to the Aged & Disabled (A&D) waiver and strategies across the Medicaid program. A&D waiver strategies are important because data showed this is where the Medicaid program is most acutely seeing an unanticipated growth in spending.
Implementation of some of these strategies necessitates changes to our draft waivers recently out for public comment. As a result, a second round of public comment begins today, Jan. 17, for the A&D, PathWays, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Community Integration and Habilitation (CIH), and Health & Wellness (H&W) waivers. The Indiana PathWays for Aging program is still on track to launch this summer.
In addition to these strategies, FSSA will be implementing enhancements to the forecast process and Medicaid budget monitoring. These include a detailed review of assumptions, reducing data lag, and identifying emerging risks. Across divisions, improved policies and controls will ensure a comprehensive understanding of programmatic changes’ financial impacts before implementation. We will also increase monitoring of enrollment, utilization, and expenditures, enhancing our ability to respond promptly to trends. More information on these efforts will be available in the near future.
FSSA’s Medicaid forecast mitigation strategies are outlined below. More details about each will be forthcoming as a number of these strategies will be implemented in the coming weeks. As we move forward, FSSA remains committed to clear communication with members, their families, care managers, providers, and all interested stakeholders.
Aged & Disabled Waiver Strategies
Legally Responsible Individuals (LRIs), Attendant Care Compliance, and Structured Family Caregiving (Implementation target: 30 days from now):
- Â Effective immediately, no new Legally Responsible Individuals (LRIs), including parents of minor children, legal guardians, and spouses, may provide attendant care services. LRIs are also not permitted to provide the Home and Community Assistance (HCA) service. This will ensure compliance with the current CMS-approved A&D waiver.
- FSSA will work with providers and families currently utilizing LRI-provided attendant care to transition to an alternative attendant care provider or to determine a transition plan to the service of structured family caregiving on or before July 1, 2024.
- FSSA will implement changes to billing processes and require providers employing LRIs for waiver services to include this information on the claim submitted for payment.
Service Plan Review and Approvals (Implementation target: Mid-February 2024):
- FSSA will adjust the threshold for A&D waiver service plans that are automatically approved.
- FSSA will increase State staff engagement to ensure a person-centered, thoughtful, and thorough review process for initial and annual service plans, as well as for specific services like home modification.
Service Definition Compliance (Implementation target: Mid to end of February 2024):
- Â FSSA will reinforce practices to align all services with federally approved definitions.
- FSSA will train care managers and providers on home and community assistance requirements.
- FSSA will further clarify Home and Community Assistance (HCA) and Attendant Care (ATTC) service definitions in a waiver amendment planned for 2025.
Pediatric Eligibility Review & InterRAI Tool (Implementation target: July 2024):
- FSSA will ensure level of care (LOC) assessments for applicants aged 0-22 on the A&D waiver are accurate and appropriate for pediatric populations.
- FSSA will develop training for AAAs conducting pediatric LOC assessments.
- FSSA will create a dedicated team to review pediatric assessments.
- FSSA will reinforce the expectation of in-person assessments, regardless of age.
- FSSA will plan for a new strategy or approach to assessing youth on HCBS waivers longer-term with a proposed new method or tool in July of 2025.
End Retroactive Coverage while Medicaid Eligibility is Pending (Implementation target: TBD):
- FSSA will implement system changes to restrict retroactive waiver coverage in compliance with current waiver authority.
- FSSA will review existing service plans to align with confirmed Medicaid eligibility status.
Waiver Slots (Implementation target: Currently in effect and July 2024):
- Â FSSA will maintain current A&D Waiver slots at approximately 50,000 and expanding SFY 2025 waiver slots to 55,000.
- FSSA will evaluate potential waitlist scenarios to stay within approved participant count.
Continuity of Care – 180 days to 90 days (Implementation Target: PathWays launch):
- FSSA will adjust continuity of care requirements in the transition into the PathWays program for existing service plans from 180 days to 90 days.
Strategies Applying to All Medicaid Services: 2% Rate Indexing (Implementation Target: Currently in effect)
- FSSA will temporarily pause the 2% rate indexing across Medicaid servicesÂ
The impacted waivers have been posted to FSSA’s website for public comment. The PathWays waiver draft can be found here and the FSW, CIH, TBI, and H&W waiver drafts can be found here. Instructions for how to submit a public comment on the waiver drafts can also be found at these links.
Please contact medicaid@fssa.in.gov with any questions. Ongoing stakeholder collaboration and feedback are invaluable as we work together to implement these strategies effectively.
Raley reaches 1,000 career points, USI remains unbeaten in the OVC
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball kept its unblemished Ohio Valley Conference record intact at Screaming Eagles Arena Saturday afternoon after a 70-55 victory against second-place Morehead State University, while USI senior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) posted a game-high 18 points to surpass 1,000 career points.
For Raley, the forward became the 21st player in USI Women’s Basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Despite having four personal fouls late in Saturday’s contest, Raley achieved the feat with under three minutes remaining on a three-point play to give USI some breathing room on the scoreboard down the final stretch against Morehead State. Raley exited the game in the final seconds to a standing ovation from coaches, teammates, and spectators, including her family in attendance.
With Saturday’s win, the Screaming Eagles improved to 12-5 overall and 7-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The win also marked USI’s eighth consecutive overall victory. The eight-game winning streak is the longest for USI since the 2018-19 campaign, and the seven-game winning streak in conference action is the longest since the 2017-18 season. With the 7-0 record to start the OVC slate, USI is enjoying its best start to a conference schedule since 1996-97, when the Screaming went 30-2 and was an NCAA II National Finalist. The 1996-97 squad also owns USI’s all-time best winning streak of 29 games.
From the opening tip, Southern Indiana had early success going inside and scoring in the paint. USI also had strong moments on the defensive end, forcing Morehead State deep into the shot clock on several occasions. After a small run by Morehead State late in the first, the visiting Eagles led 15-11 after the opening 10 minutes of action.
Morehead State’s run continued into the second period, spanning four minutes total. The 10-0 run led to a 20-11 lead for Morehead State with eight minutes left in the first half. After a few exchanged baskets, and Morehead State ahead 26-15, Southern Indiana buckled down on defense and cranked up the offense. USI went on a 12-0 run over three minutes to surge into the lead, 27-26. Senior forward Madi Webb (Bedford, Indiana) capitalized on a couple of looks in the paint, while junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) found her touch with the jump shot.
The Screaming Eagles eventually stretched the push to a 24-5 run for the last 6:40 of the first half. Shafford drilled another pair of triples before Webb and Raley also converted on opportunities down low as part of the big run. USI shot 10-16 for over 62 percent in the second period. Shafford and Raley reached double figures by halftime, as USI led 39-31 at the intermission.
Morehead State scored first out of halftime, but USI answered to increase the margin to nine, 45-36, thanks to an acrobatic, reverse layup from sophomore guard Ali Saunders (Depauw, Indiana). By the five-minute mark of the third, the Screaming Eagles’ lead reached double digits after back-to-back makes in the post by Webb. Late in the third frame, Saunders continued to be aggressive, knocking down a three-pointer and scoring on dribble penetration. Saunders joined Shafford, Raley, and Webb in double figures by the end of the third, as USI led 56-44 going to the fourth stanza.
Defenses clamped down to begin an intense start to the fourth quarter. Shots were challenged and contested on both ends of the floor. Morehead State made a small charge, but USI was able to maintain its double-figure advantage, 60-50, with 4:32 remaining in the fourth. After a short dry spell for both squads, Raley took control to finish off the win for USI, converting two three-point plays inside the final two minutes.
Southern Indiana was 27-63 for just under 43 percent shooting from the field in the matchup, including four made triples. USI went 12-14 for just below 86 percent at the foul line. Following a slow start on the boards, the Screaming Eagles outrebounded Morehead State, 44-39. Plus, USI outscored Morehead State 44-24 in the paint. In addition to Raley’s 18-point performance, Shafford and Webb added 14 points, while Saunders tallied 11 points.
The Morehead State Eagles dropped to 10-8 this season and 5-2 in the OVC with Saturday’s loss. In the game, Morehead State shot for below 33 percent (19-58) from the floor with six treys but was only 11-24 for under 46 percent at the free-throw stripe. Morehead State had three players score 10-plus, led by senior guard Veronica Charles’ 16 points.
Southern Indiana concludes the homestand at Screaming Eagles Arena on Thursday at 5 p.m. against Western Illinois University, which is in its first season in the Ohio Valley Conference. Thursday’s game can be seen live with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on 95.7 FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
Thursday’s USI-WIU matchup is a White Out game, so fans should wear their white apparel to help white out Screaming Eagles Arena. Plus, arrive early to receive a free white t-shirt and rally towel while supplies last.