ANNUAL REPORT
2 0 2 0
2020 HIGHLIGHTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Community Engagement and Partnerships
7
Parks
10
Economic Development
13
Public Safety
17
Planning and Permits
18
Public Works
21
Administration
23
Looking Into 2021 >
2
Optum – American Health Network Groundbreaking February 2020 Fun and food at Night on the Bricks June 2020 >
Dear Zionsville, Since becoming your mayor on January 1, 2020, I set out to build and lead a team of public servants committed to unprecedented levels of service to Zionsville citizens. Though we have encountered many hurdles through a global pandemic, our team has delivered positive results over the past 14 months. We focused on the areas of economic development, community amenities and public engagement. We asked questions, we found opportunities, we addressed areas in need of improvement. Certainly, COVID-19 impacted our priorities. Our Town’s approach centered around a coordinated effort with Zionsville Community Schools, state leaders, county officials and neighboring municipalities. This regional collaboration and teamwork not only helped guide our decision making, it enhanced our ability to leverage resources to keep our community safe and our local economy strong. For example, after an afternoon of discussing historical challenges in attracting new business investment in Creekside Corporate Park with local leaders, we uncovered two key factors: land price and marketing. After addressing these barriers, we landed the first new corporate headquarters in four years (Rahal Letterman Lanigan) and 73 new, high-paying jobs. Among the other highlights of 2020, Zionsville completed construction on our first dog park using plans designed for the Town more than a dozen years ago. Overley-Worman Park will be a fabulous new asset to our growing Zionsville parks system and another amenity to add to our overall quality of life. Finally, in response to growing community demand, trail expansion grants secured for 2021 projects promise more miles to travel through Zionsville’s beautiful trail system. Despite the challenges of 2020, the town of Zionsville is in a strong place. We have a lot to celebrate and build upon in the coming year. I look forward to working together as we make Zionsville the best place to live, work and raise a family.
Mayor Emily Styron
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS The Town of Zionsville’s 2020 vision was to increase engagement and transparency and build positive relationships between constituents and the Town. While the pandemic prevented many from meeting in-person, the effectiveness of our communication with constituents improved. Development Signage The year brought new opportunities to give constituents direct access to information related to development projects with the launch of new signage around town to indicate residential and commercial filings. The user-friendly signs, which each have a QR code, provide a very visible way to see projects that are filed before Town boards or commissions.
Transparency In an effort to create a platform for residents and businesses to express concerns and ideas — both related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other topics — the Town pivoted to online platforms to engage with the community and provide virtual opportunities to share feedback. From going live on YouTube every month with Live Sessions, to meeting residents outside during Creekside Chats, to online surveys, to virtual open houses, transparency was a priority within each department.
Live Q+A Sessions had 2,700+ views
2
Social media reach increased 40%
Zionsville Community Schools The Town continues to partner with Zionsville Community Schools in numerous ways from ongoing planning calls related to the pandemic, to School Police Partners from Zionsville Police Department, to supporting crosswalk and bus stop safety.
Social Justice Community Events Resiliency is our strength, and when realized and when unified, we can make real change. Planned in the span of hours, a vigil for George Floyd at Zionsville Town Hall in early June brought together Town staff, faith leaders, activists and more than 100 citizens. In July, the family-oriented Bike To Be Heard community bike ride was organized for social justice awareness. In the fall, the police department met with residents in Mulberry Fields Park for an open conversation about diversity and inclusion experiences in Zionsville.
500 bicyclists & 7 public safety agencies rode for social justice
3
Zionsville Lions Club 90th Anniversary and 4th of July Zionsville Lions Club celebrated its 90th anniversary. Mayor Emily Styron presented the Lions Club with a proclamation announcing May 16, 2020 Zionsville Lions Club Day. While the annual Zionsville Lions Club 4th of July Celebration looked different this year, the Town of Zionsville partnered with the Lions to create a memorable and safe event with a fireworks display at Mulberry Fields.
90!
4
Zionsville Chamber of Commerce Night on the Bricks The Town partnered with the Zionsville Chamber of Commerce to host Night on the Bricks, a weekly outdoor dining event on Main Street. Hundreds of guests dined safely outside, bringing traffic to our restaurants and businesses at the height of the shutdown.
5
Collaboration with Scout Troops Mayor Emily Styron met with hundreds of Girl Scouts and Boys Scouts. From tours of Zionsville Town Hall (pre-COVID-19), to conversations outside at Creekside Corporate Park, we took every opportunity to meet with Zionsville’s youth. As part of a Bronze Award Project, Girl Scout Troop 3633 out of Zionsville Middle School purchased and installed a drinking fountain for people and pets at Heritage Trail Dog Park.
Launch of Boone County Solar Co-op We partnered with non-profit Solar United Neighbors and promoted the launch the first ever Boone County Solar Co-op. The co-op grew to nearly 70 residents and businesses, including Zionsville Town Hall. Co-op members learned about solar energy and were able to leverage bulk purchasing to ensure competitive pricing and quality solar installations. As a result, several members added solar panels to their Zionsville homes.
6
PARKS New amenities in 2020 include: pickleball courts, cornhole, playgrounds and temporary restrooms. We upgraded and repaired the Mulberry Fields Skate Park and improved the Big-4 Rail Trail. We are laying the groundwork to add 6,676 lineal feet of paved path and 1,841 lineal feet of nature path in 2021 as construction begins on Overley-Worman Park.
Green space footprint with Overley-Worman addition: 496.4 acres, an increase of 9% Zionsville Nature Center offered 124 programs
7
Hours of professional training
Days of work missed due to injury
165
0
Maintenance
+88%
-100%
Recreational Programming Through a series of public input meetings and surveys, it was determined that Zionsville residents desire additional recreational programming opportunities. A total of 1,384 people responded to surveys related to recreational programming.
Invasive Plant Species Management The Parks Department initiated aggressive invasive species management in our parks and along the Big-4 Rail Trail. By removing pressure caused by invasive shrubs, native species can fill the area back in.
Recreation Programs The Zionsville Nature Center migrated programming online to safely remain connected and engaged with the community. Despite a late season opening, the Zionsville Golf Course had a record year in both usage and revenue. These funds will be reinvested into the golf course to allow for capital improvements including drainage mitigation and pathway improvements, as well as new golf carts arriving in 2021.
8
Golf Course
47%
increase in revenue from 2019
16,889
rounds of golf played
74.5%
of total tee times reserved
Zionsville’s First Dog Park In the fall, we revived long-dormant plans for a dog park to be built at Heritage Trail Park. The public health emergency reminded us of the importance of our outdoor spaces, whether it be for humans or our four-legged friends. First-round membership was capped at 200 residents and sold out in 13 hours.
9
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The pandemic did not slow down economic development progress. Efforts to seek the right fit for Creekside Corporate Park proved successful with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announcing an expansion to Zionsville for their future corporate headquarters. Since day one, we focused on removing the obstacles that previously prohibited economic growth in town.
In 2020, we welcomed approximately 40 new restaurants, retail, financial, medical, commercial and professional services to Zionsville. The Town of Zionsville will continue to balance building our tax base while maintaining our sense of place.
10
COVID-19 Relief We quickly shifted to a goal of sustaining our local businesses and strengthening the foundation and resolve of our residents. The Town took an active role on this front and through our collective actions nearly $400,000 in grants and loans were distributed to directly address real needs in the community. The 106th Street TIF funded a range of projects including Hotel Tango, Tri-Phase Technologies and COVID-19 grants to 14 local businesses. To support restaurants that depend on carryout orders and to help residents and visitors use these services during the COVID-19 pandemic, we established 20 temporary curbside parking spaces in commercial corridors.
YEAR 2020 COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE
$384,000 in grants
15 MIN CARRY-OUT PARKING ONLY
$23,800 in loans
11
Wayfinding Master Plan To better connect the community to our attractions, parks, trailheads and shopping areas, we launched the Wayfinding Master Plan. The plan is an effort that will help improve economic development, connectivity and tourism.
1,000+ people responded to the community survey.
Zionsville Gateway Area With the demolition of the PNC bank building and the locksmith shop at the northwest corner of Main and Sycamore Streets, the Town of Zionsville began the first stage of the Zionsville Gateway Area plan. Public input opportunities provided the blueprints to a future vision for the entryway into our village business district.
12
PUBLIC SAFETY Zionsville Police Department Zionsville Police Department completed important objectives that allowed us to better serve this community: a focus on diversity and inclusion; community outreach; updating performance, policy and professional standards; professionalizing training; and management restructure.
Focusing on Mental Health Zionsville Police Department officers participated in two new programs to train on nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts: de-escalation training and REACH (Resources, Evaluating, Assisting in Community Health). As part of the REACH program, officers served five community members in just two months.
Diversity and Inclusion In 2020, Zionsville Police Department announced the Use of Force review board. Members investigate instances of when force of any kind is used and make recommendations to Chief Spears. We partnered with Dr. Abbie Robinson Armstrong, a Zionsville resident and former Vice President for Intercultural Affairs and Professor at Loyola Marymount University, for the Community Conversations series which brought citizens together virtually to discuss systemic racism and implicit bias. In addition, all members of the Zionsville Police Department received specific training on implicit bias and systemic racism from Dr. Robinson Armstrong.
Community Outreach Despite the challenges due to COVID-19, Zionsville Police Department officers increased their presence in the community through over 600 hours of bike and foot patrols. The field roll calls, which took place in neighborhoods, parks and parking lots, helped foster an environment that encourages discussion and interaction with residents. Officers installed 66 car seats, a 128% increase since 2019. Chief Robert Knox retired in March of 2020. We recognize and thank Chief Knox for serving in law enforcement for more than 40 years, including 35 years with the Zionsville Police Department.
13
community events
2,381
training hours completed
16,619
calls for service (-14% since 2019)
14
E RESOU RC ES •
NS
EN
T
IO
Z
26
LTH HEA TY
officers trained as de-escalation technique instructors
I UN
4
• SSISTIN G IN NG A ATI CO LU MM A V
VIL
LE P AR O LIC E D E P
TM
Zionsville Fire Department With the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, including wearing PPE at all times, stations on lock down and limited public education, the Zionsville Fire Department is proud of the resilience of the crews in implementing changes in response to new protocol. Throughout these efforts and changes, we have been successful in providing service to the community while limiting our firefighters’ exposure to the virus.
Virtual Public Education We partnered with Zionsville Community Schools to provide virtual safety messages on every school video monitor during Fire Safety Month. Zionsville’s Public Educator created virtual classrooms designed to engage students.
Trainings To meet the need for technical training to safely access steep hills and inclines in Zionsville, the department conducted rope rescue training, fully training one-third of firefighters in this highly technical skill. We partnered with Local 5195 in creating the Boone County Peer Support Team. This team provided training for our firefighters on how to assess their peers for signs of stress that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and other behavioral disorders.
ZFD’s Area Familiarization Driver Training > with Santa, December 2020
15
2,023 + 1,623 = 5.2 million commercial fire inspections
notices of violation issued
total square feet inspected
That’s 187 more inspections, 242 more corrections identified, 4.5 million more square feet inspected in 2020 than in 2019
1,523
patient contacts, a 3% decrease since 2019
Nearly 75% of patient contacts led to transports in 2020, compared to 69% in 2019
2,310
calls for service, a 1% decrease since 2019
4,898
adults
+ 11,717
16,173
training hours completed, averaging 207 hours per firefighter
children
were reached through public education events
16
PLANNING AND PERMITS The Planning and Economic Department engages with the partners and prospective businesses to bring economic development opportunities to Zionsville. We review plans and manage planning functions, issue permits for new development and redevelopment and inspect residential and commercial builds. Throughout 2020, the Planning Department did not experience a decrease in permitting requests.
The 267 single-family dwelling permits issued demonstrate that Zionsville —no matter the odds— is a great place to live.
134 3,736 8.5%
Planning and Economic Development Zoom meetings/webinars participants in Planning and Economic Development Zoom meetings/webinars increase in permits issued and inspections conducted
17
PUBLIC WORKS The Town of Zionsville established the Department of Public Works, combining the Street, Stormwater, Facilities Management and Wastewater Departments into a single entity, along with new divisions of Environmental Stewardship and Engineering. This move promotes internal and external project coordination and operational efficiencies and provides economic benefit to the Town by reducing the need to outsource services related to public works.
STREET STORMWATER FACILITIES MANAGEMENT WASTEWATER ENGINEERING
NEW
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
We had our highest year ever for centerline miles of roads paved. More than eight miles of roads were resurfaced, reconstructed or repaved this year. DPW received nearly $500,000 from a Community Crossings grant that covered a portion of the cost of the specific road resurfacing projects. This year was also one of the biggest years in town history for road projects, seeing completion of:
The Zionsville Road project, expanding Zionsville Road from two lanes to three lanes and adding a center turn lane and pathways The Irongate drainage and improvement project and several sewer projects A new roundabout at CR 875 East and Whitestown Road
18
Sewer Rehab and Service Extensions The Sugarbush Ridge and Oak Ridge lift stations were upgraded to provide more reliable service to over 400 residents in several subdivisions served by these facilities. Construction began on the Oak Street sewer project, the first of its kind in many years, to extend sewer service availability along Oak Street west of town. Once in service, existing homes along Oak Street will be able to connect to sanitary sewers when needed. This sewer project also puts into place the backbone of future projects.
CR 400S
CR 875 E
North-South Connector Project
00S
SY CA MO RE
ST
D
FORD RD
OAK ST
WILLOW RD
6
Progress was made on the North-South Connector project, the largest and most aggressive project the Town has undertaken in its history. This project adds a new roadway segment that will connect the intersection of 850 East/ Cooper Road with CR 875 East to the north, plus a multi-use pathway and 106 ST two roundabouts. NR HIGA MIC
CR 5
ZIONSVILLE RD
19
STREETS STORMWATER ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP WASTEWATER
20
200+ 755 38 505 29 260 853 209 1,000 73.11 400 7.3 16 410.1 30,500
homes connected to pathway network lineal feet of sidewalks replaced, a 61% increase since 2019 curb transition ramps upgraded and 1 new added to ADA standards, a 280% increase in curb transition ramps since 2019
lineal feet of new storm sewer pipe added storm sewer structures repaired formal stormwater permit related inspections conducted on permitted projects self-monitoring inspections reviewed from permitted sites stormwater permits issued for individual lots
tons of leaves collected tons of debris collected from street-sweeping tons of chipped brush and limb collected, a 60% increase from 2019 tons of heavy trash collected, double the amount from 2019 streetlights converted to LED (58% of all town-maintained streetlights are now LED since inception of program in 2018)
million gallons of water treated lineal feet of new sewer main installed due to residential growth, a 461% increase from 2019
ADMINISTRATION Local government administration consists of Finance, HR, IT, Municipal Relations and Communications. Processes were updated and new technology solutions alleviated manual data entry aspects so that staff can spend more time on analysis and value-add activity. Finance
Zionsville Town Council passed a balanced budget of $37.7 million for 2021.
70% $2 million
dedicated for public safety priorities: Police, Fire and Public Works allocated for street repairs
To streamline data management and reporting, we partnered with OpenGov, a digital government platform. With COVID-19, there is a need to connect constituents with Town government online. We are streamlining registrations, applications and payment options for residents so they can conduct business with many of our departments.
$880,946 $78,895
received in CARES Act Funding for public safety personnel, testing, PPE, disinfection and telework provided to those in need for shelter and utilities, a 77% increase from 2019 $34,095 due to COVID $44,800 non-COVID related 21
Human Resources A new Human Resources Director in 2020 shifted the focus to workforce planning, compensation and benefits strategies, recruitment, selection, and performance improvement. We created innovative relationships with benefit advisors and technology providers.
210 83% 240
employees supported by 2 FTE of staff are full-time employees applicants for 7 job postings in 9 months
Information Technology When Town Hall closed at the start of the pandemic, in just 48 hours, Information Technology switched over the majority of office staff to remote work with no disruption in services. For the first time, we moved all public meetings to a virtual or hybrid format and Information Technology staff ensured public meetings were accessible to all.
Municipal Relations Coordination We added a Municipal Relations Coordinator to be a liaison between the Town and the 30 boards, commissions and committees resulting in streamlined coordination among these groups. This role engaged with Town Council, boards, commissions and committees, coordinating information from the mayor and departments. With COVID-19, the Municipal Relations Coordinator has been instrumental in establishing safe protocols and policies for virtual and hybrid meetings.
22
LOOKING INTO 2021 Zionsville Gateway Area Plan We are analyzing results from the Zionsville Gateway Area listening sessions and stakeholder interviews and developing a plan for the gateway into Zionsville’s Village Business District.
Exploring Options for a Community Center We are planning for our future so residents can find the recreational opportunities they want right here in town.
Municipal Action Center We are establishing a one-stop-shop for constituents to launch a project, to recommend a solution, to report a pothole or storm drain problem or register for park programs.
Parks Foundation For the first time, we, like neighboring communities have a Parks Foundation that is resident-led.
Community Enrichment Grant Boone County non-profits that serve Zionsville residents are eligible to apply for a Community Enrichment Grant.
Zoning Code Re-write In order to determine what is working, address current and future needs and revise the ordinances to a modern planning platform, we are setting in motion a plan to update our existing land use regulations from traditional style zoning to a form-based code.
Climate Action Plan Implementation
“Our Town has the collective ability to take meaningful and immediate steps toward the changes that will protect our futures.” —Emily Styron, Mayor Zionsville, Indiana DECEMBER 2020
We are implementing strategies from our Climate Action Plan and encouraging households and businesses to be involved, too. Read the 2020 CAP online: www.zionsville-in.gov/ClimateActionPlan 23
TOWN ADMINISTRATION Mayor Emily Styron estyron@zionsville-in.gov Deputy Mayor Julie Johns-Cole jjohns-cole@zionsville-in.gov Tammy Havard Chief Financial Officer thavard@zionsville-in.gov Michael Spears Police Chief mspears@zionsville-in.gov James VanGorder Fire Chief jvangorder@zionsville-in.gov Wayne DeLong Planning and Economic Development Director wdelong@zionsville-in.gov Jarod Logsdon Parks and Recreation Superintendent jlogsdon@zionsville-in.gov Lance Lantz Public Works Director llantz@zionsville-in.gov Jo Kiel Human Resource Manager jkiel@zionsville-in.gov Joe Rust Information Technology Director jrust@zionsville-in.gov
Amanda Vela Public Information Officer avela@zionsville-in.gov Amy Lacy Municipal Relations Coordinator alacy@zionsville-in.gov
TOWN COUNCIL Josh Garrett President, District 5 jgarrett@zionsville-in.gov Jason Plunkett Vice President, District 2 jplunkett@zionsville-in.gov Brad Burk At-Large bburk@zionsville-in.gov Alexander Choi At-Large achoi@zionsville-in.gov Joe Culp District 4 jculp@zionsville-in.gov Craig Melton District 3 cmelton@zionsville-in.gov Bryan Traylor District 1 btraylor@zionsville-in.gov
We have a lot to celebrate and be proud of in Zionsville. Thank you for your interest in our Town’s accomplishments and goals in 2020. Let’s work together to do even more in 2021.
TOWN OF ZIONSVILLE 1100 West Oak Street Zionsville, IN 46077 www.zionsville-in.gov
Paid for and authorized by Emily for Zionsville