By JEFF JELLISON
Reporter Publisher
Westfield City Council members remain at odds regarding a project that would widen State Road 32 through the downtown area.
The project is estimated at $15 million to be split 50/50 by Westfield and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).
On Monday, Council President Mike Johns introduced a proposed ordinance that would terminate the interlocal agreement that outlines funding responsibilities between Westfield and INDOT for the project.
Johns wants to know why federal funding has been removed from the project, and he also wants answers on how potential cost overruns will be handled between Westfield and INDOT.
Johns
“Introducing this ordinance should not be seen as a threat,” Johns said. “In my opinion, we do not in fact have an agreement. I believe the agreement that was approved by the previous city council in October 2018 was in fact breached by INDOT in November 2020 when it arbitrarily removed the federal participation and federal funding from the agreement.”
Johns continued, “I’ve asked our attorney to review this document. I also note that I asked the administration to remove the pedestrian bridge from the agreement, and that should cover some additional cost. All of these issues are significant changes to the agreement, and is the reason I believe, at the very least, the agreement needs to be amended to take these changes into consideration.”
Following Johns’ statements, council members Jake Gilbert and Scott Willis commented.
Gilbert said he does see the proposed ordinance as being a threat and encouraged other councilors to vote it down if it would appear at an upcoming council next meeting.
Gilbert
“I respectfully disagree with Councilor Johns. I believe INDOT has went above and beyond,” Gilbert said. “I certainly have always been in support of this project, but I absolutely welcomed the questions about costs in the wake of the [State Road] 37 overrun … I thought that was good governance by the council to ask certain questions. I was never afraid of that scrutiny nor alarmed by those questions, but I felt like INDOT has stepped up to the plate and talked about what they will cover in terms of acquisition of right-of-way, pedestrian crossing, historical mitigation, and how they will chip in on half any overrun. I thought they put me at ease regarding the threat of an overrun.”
Willis agreed with Gilbert. “I think he is spot on.”
“I don’t know what else we need in terms of information other than when the bids come in [and] we will have a decision to make on that final number,” Willis said. “There is a process that plays out that we follow. I think it is appropriate for us to be concerned because that final number hasn’t been disclosed. I feel very comfortable with the data they shared around their confidence and where we are at currently around the budget that it is going to hit the mark and possibly come in below what we’ve budgeted.”
Willis
Willis continued, “This is the third time it’s popped on our agenda. I feel like in the spirit of transparency, why aren’t we communicating clear with the community in what we want with this? When are we going to vote on this? How long are we going to dangle this over peoples’ heads? I think it is wrong. I would ask, what yet do we need and why haven’t we gotten it? There have been ample opportunities for us to get that information. Not to mention, from purely a relationship standpoint, it is bad business. It is bad with our neighbors in Noblesville. It is bad with the county who we often times need to go to for support in projects. I think it threatens our relationship with INDOT, and I think it has an impact on our MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) process down the road if we want to go after federal dollars. We do not need this reputation attached to us.”
Before ending his statement, Willis encouraged the rest of the city council to think carefully, but to act swiftly for the benefit of the city’s taxpayers.
“Like Councilor Gilbert, I would urge everybody to think very clearly about this,” Willis concluded. “We all have concerns, I get that, and that is fine. The manner we are going about this feels wrong to me. I hope we get this resolved quickly and not dangle it over taxpayers’ heads.”
Johns concluded the conversation by saying, “We will put this on the agenda for our next meeting. I will be in touch with INDOT and hope they appear. I think it is important as councilors to do what we are elected to do, and that is look after the financial well-being of this city.”