Fall has arrived. One day we’re in shorts, the next it’s jeans and hand warmers. Fall break for Zionsville schools takes place Oct 14-22, so downtown might be a little quieter than normal.
We have two big VRA meetings happening soon. October 24 at 7 p.m. will be a candidate forum for our at-large town council candidates. All four are planning to be present. You may vote for two of the candidates in the November 7 election. Submit potential questions to president@zvra.com. The event will take place at the SullivanMunce Cultural Center.
November 28 at 7:30 p.m. Corrie Sharp will be returning to share with us information about the Gateway project and upcoming traffic study. The meeting will also be our annual elections, and will be at the SullivanMunce.
Leaf collection runs from October 23 through December 1, weather permitting. For those new to the Village, you may rake leaves in rows next to the curb (no sticks, gravel, etc). The town vacuums the leaves and uses them for mulch. It benefits the town, and for residents the process is far easier and more environmentally beneficial than bagging leaves. There’s no set schedule; simply rake your leaves and the trucks make the rounds through the Village periodically.
Dues-paying members for 2023 will get an invitation to our annual Progressive Dinner next month. This hot ticket is for December 9.
Get holiday decorations out! Our annual Village Holiday Decorating Contest will happen again in December, with judging on December 16. If you’d like to be a part of judging reach out to president@zvra.com.
From Town Council
We are currently in the midst of finalizing the 2024 budget. This process involves taking the various requests from the departments and determining how your tax dollars will be spent. This year has been a different process as the Styron administration has chosen to show the Council all requests that come to us before they are pared down. This shows the wide variety of requests from people to equipment to training from all Town departments.
The first proposed budget by the administration showed a $12.2 million deficit. While the Council appreciated the needs identified, it is very important that we pass a sustainable budget so that future Councils don’t have to start cutting services. The second proposed budget was down to $8.6 million, and while that was an improvement, it was still not deemed sustainable by Crowe (the Town’s financial partner). The third proposed budget shrunk the deficit to $5.9 million, but again was not deemed sustainable.
I’ve proposed a budget that cuts further from recurring charges such as new hires and pay raises (4% from 7%). It also uses some of our ARPA funding to help fund one-time spending on things like the creation of a path between Elm Street Green and Lions Park and a refresh of Lincoln Park. Feel free to watch the Town Council meeting from September 18th to see that proposal. It’s too early to tell where we’ll end up based on the publication timeline of this newsletter as I learned that lesson when I published a date for the roundabout opening on Oak Street. I will say it’s certainly trending in the right direction, and I feel good we’ll pass a budget that will keep service levels high and can be sustained.
One other note from our Council meetings is that we’ve recently updated our solicitation ordinance. Most anyone that comes to your door must have a solicitation permit from the Town to knock on your door. A few other notes from these changes:
- We now have a no-solicitation list, which means you can sign up at Town Hall and prevent any solicitors from knocking on your door, well at least legally knocking.
- I learned if you have a no-solicitation sign up on your house, they also cannot knock on your door regardless of their permit.
- We carved out exceptions for certain groups such as school fundraisers, girl and boy scouts and political advocacy groups as they are required by law to have access.
Town Councilor Josh Garrett
Other Town News:
Big-4 Rail Trail Updates
Progress on the Big-4 Rail Trail continues with paving complete on Phase II of the widening project (Mulberry Street to Starkey Avenue). This section of the trail remains closed as crews work to complete the shoulders on each side, topsoil, seeding and punch list items. A wider and paved trail will be completed this fall, as will the new Zionsville Road Trailhead!
AskZionsville Launches
We’re excited to share the launch of AskZionsville! Have a question about Zionsville services, events and more? We have an answer! Search submitted questions by topic or submit your own question. We will respond in a timely manner, and others will be able to view the responses, too. Get started: https://askzionsville.com
Volunteer Opps
The Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department is looking for volunteers for two upcoming Weed Wrangles to remove invasive honeysuckle. Honeysuckle outcompetes our native wildflowers, tree saplings and shrubs for space, nutrients, sunlight and water. Sign up here.
- Saturday, 10/7 from 10 am – noon at Carter Station
- Thursday, 10/26 from 5 – 7 pm at Creekside Corporate Park
No Soliciting
Effective January 1, 2024, the Zionsville Police Department will offer a “No Solicitation List” option for all residents. This list will be given to organizations applying for solicitor permits. To be included on this list, please complete the form here. The registration deadline to be on the 2024 No Solicitation List is December 31, 2023. Note: If you would like to keep your address on this list for following years, you will need to return to this page and re-register.
Trash News
We have received some inquiries about Priority trucks leaking or dripping “garbage juice.” Priority has shared with us that the best practice for residents is to NOT place anything out that has liquid remaining in the object. Dump out the liquids and rinse out the material to minimize the total liquid placed into the garbage truck. When compacted, trucks create 40,000 pounds+ of force and the squeeze that occurs will draw out all the liquid from the material which can potentially seep out.
We have heard from Priority that some neighbors are placing trash/recycle cans too close to each other or too close to mailboxes. This can cause damage. Please remind neighbors to space out trash/recycle cans from each other and from mailboxes. (the mailbox portion doesn’t apply to the Village, however keeping bins away from each other or permanent objects helps the trucks be more effective and efficient on their rounds)