Tipton mayor reviews first year, cites $2 million for baseball plan, downtown safety upgrades and new hires

Mayor Keegan Schmicker said Tipton made measurable progress in his first year in office, including filling public-safety vacancies, completing downtown street changes intended to improve pedestrian safety and securing $2,000,000 dedicated to a proposed youth baseball project.

On the Tipton Thrives podcast in December 2024, Schmicker summarized personnel moves, park and trail work, the launch of a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) and a new city branding effort. "We have secured $2,000,000 that are very specific for this project," Schmicker said of the baseball effort. He said the funds are a starting point for a broader master plan that county and school stakeholders could join.

The mayor framed staffing as a priority. He said the Tipton Police Department had been "down 4 patrolmen" of a 14-member full-time force but that those vacancies were filled during the year; one officer planned to leave before the new year, meaning the department would begin the next year "down 1," Schmicker said. He named Phil Beaver as the new golf superintendent and Nicky Moss as the newly hired EMS captain after Tipton was "awarded the countywide EMS contract," a step Schmicker said will require building relationships with IU Health and Tipton County to define EMS operations.

Downtown work focused on Jefferson Street, where the city removed traffic signals, resurfaced the street and installed curb bump-outs to shorten pedestrian crossings. Schmicker said the city researched sign sizes and concluded downtown stop signs should be 30 inches instead of the 24-inch signs currently in place. He said the work also added "well in excess of 20 new parking spots" in and around downtown.

Schmicker described the bump-outs as a trial ahead of a larger 2028 project and said the city intentionally deployed a smaller-scale change to test the effect. "This allowed us an opportunity to beta test this," he said.

Tipton also launched a DORA downtown. Schmicker said the DORA map was drawn to match state statute requirements for a continuous area and to allow at least one permitted vendor; he cautioned that, under the ordinance, DORA boundaries cannot overlap and a cup purchased in one DORA vendor'area cannot lawfully be carried across into another. "You can't buy a cup in downtown and walk through the residential areas to the park. That's actually not allowable based on our local ordinance," he said. The DORA map includes portions of a residential area that separate downtown from the park so the city could keep a future option open for park events, he said.

On parks and trails, Schmicker said Tipton concluded a trails extension that still awaits formal Department of Natural Resources approval and used ARPA funds as part of the project budget. The city repaved the pool parking lot by bundling the work into a larger paving contract addendum, a step Schmicker described as a creative way to get a long-delayed project done at better pricing. He also said the parks department added modern acrylic basketball backboards, improved ADA access planning and intends further playground upgrades in 2025.

Schmicker highlighted the city'wide branding initiative and new communications channels launched this year: a city Facebook page, the Tipton Thrives podcast and a separate city logo and color palette intended to be distinct from, but complementary to, the Tipton Community School Corporation''branding. He said the palette intentionally includes two blues in tribute to local schools and a green to give the city its own identity.

Schmicker said many projects remain in early phases and that the administration intends to "commit to continuous improvement" rather than delay small tests until plans are perfect. He said further details on the baseball strategy, park improvements and downtown decorative signage will be released as planning progresses.

The mayor and the podcast host said the Tipton Thrives program will return monthly with updates and that additional communications will appear on the new city Facebook page and the city's YouTube, Apple and Spotify channels.