Town of Zionsville

The agenda for the Town Council meeting included the swearing in and pinning of new firefighters, including Battalion Chiefs Brian Miller and Mitch Young, and Probationary Firefighters Anthony Bear and Jacob Steiner, which involved customary traditions such as presenting symbolic necklaces and bottles of aged bourbon. The Council also presented a proclamation honoring the Zionsville High School Girls Golf State Championship Team for their second consecutive state title. The Zionsville Tree Board presented the "Z' Tree of the Year Award" to Peter and Carol Bick for preserving an approximately 250 to 300-year-old chinquapin oak. Business items involved continuing consideration of an Ordinance concerning the Letter of Agreement between the Town of Zionsville and Citizen's Energy (Ordinance 2025-27) to the next meeting due to ongoing legal review. New business included a discussion regarding the annual appointments to Town Boards, Commissions, and Committees (Resolution 2026-01), focusing on urban versus rural service district designations, and the first reading of an Ordinance establishing the Zionsville Architectural Review Committee (ZARC). Preliminary Determinations and Resolutions were scheduled for consideration regarding the DPW Campus Project and the Westside Fire Station Project.

The agenda for the meeting includes the Pledge of Allegiance and attendance verification. Key informational items include the Planning & Building Department's January Monthly Report. The commission will address continuance requests for the Pulte Rezoning petition (Docket 2025-75-Z), which seeks to rezone 161.54± acres from R1 to R2 for a 269-lot residential development. Continued business involves the Woodland Grove PUD rezoning petition (Docket 2025-83-Z) proposing rezoning 51.56± acres from AG to PUD for a mixed-use subdivision. New business items are focused on Development Plans: one for a 26,000 sq. ft. grocery store (The Farm, Docket 2025-88-DP) and another for a 10,880 sq. ft. daycare facility (The Learning Experience, Docket 2025-90-DP). Additionally, an Ordinance Amendment (Docket 2026-08-OA) is scheduled to revise excluded uses within the Michigan Road Overlay to prohibit self-service car washes. A Minor Development Plan Amendment (ACT-2026-01) for an exterior stairwell addition at Intelligent Living will also be noted.

The meeting included the election of 2026 officers, resulting in Doug Tischbein as President, Chad Dilley as Vice President, and Kimberly Lane as Secretary. Key discussions focused on the ZPRD 2025 Year in Review, highlighting achievements in parkland management, nature education, and community events, noting that approximately 3% of the general fund budget was returned to reserves. New business covered the approval of HMBA Trail Improvements at Overley-Worman Park, which will add four miles of beginner mountain bike trails, and the approval of two memorial bench donations. The board also addressed 2026 Fleet Upgrades, which were tabled pending further analysis of lease options versus current vehicle buyout values. Additionally, initial consideration was given to relocating an existing Citizens water right easement located within new acreage at Lions Park, requiring future discussion on setback compliance.

The agenda for the regular monthly meeting includes several new business items, such as the Zionsville National Annual Presentation, an equipment purchase from Howards Mowers, a Special Use Permit request from the Zionsville Rugby Club for temporary storage, and the consideration of five resolutions pertaining to film/photography policy, community gardens policy, naming rights policy update, and shelter reservation policy update. Additionally, the Board will review Change Order #5 for the Carpenter Nature Preserve, discuss 2026 fleet upgrades, consider a resolution regarding a citizens easement within the Greenway Easement, and review claims.

The meeting addressed updates on several initiatives, including ordinance preservation, where one member will champion the initiative and review the current draft. Event planning involved discussion of a presentation to the Zionsville Town Council (ZTC) and coordination for the Zionsville Greenfest scheduled for April 25th with the theme "Bringing Nature Home." For grants, efforts will focus on creating a budget line item and exploring support from the Community Foundation of Boone County. Under old business, it was reported that 52 trees were planted during the fall tree planting. The board discussed ideas from the DNR urban forestry symposium, setting priorities for the following month, and checking on a canopy assessment. A significant focus was placed on the Tree Removal Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), with the goal of having a draft ready by the March meeting to ensure resident transparency regarding tree evaluation processes. There was no new business introduced.