Committee update: Council committees recommend due-pass on six measures including streetscape, septic elimination and economic improvement district

The Fort Wayne Common Council’s committees advanced multiple measures on Sept. 16 with due-pass recommendations. Committees recorded unanimous recommendations (6-0) on each measure discussed. The items below summarize each action, the presenter and the committee outcome.

R250909 — Warranty deeds for fee-simple right-of-way along North Calhoun Street and Fourth Street Presenter: Patrick Zaharco, City Engineer (with assistant Mason Gamble) What it does: Formalizes conveyance of property to the City of Fort Wayne for right-of-way as part of the redevelopment of the Calhoun/4th Street area; total cost shown as $0 for the conveyance. Committee action: Motion to pass and second recorded; committee recommended due-pass (6-0).

S250901 — Professional services agreement: Phoenix Consulting LLC — 3 Rivers Filtration Plant control systems upgrade Presenter: Eric Rupert, City Utilities What it does: Approves a professional services agreement with Phoenix Consulting for engineering and programming services on the 3 Rivers Filtration Plant Control Systems Upgrade; not-to-exceed amount $147,310, funded by water revenue. Committee action: Motion and second; committee recommended due-pass (6-0).

S250902 — Construction contract: Kraft Water Solutions LLC — Zulu septic elimination Presenter: Eric Rupert, City Utilities What it does: Construction contract to install approximately 5,400 linear feet of 8-inch gravity sewer, a new lift station and associated work east of the city (near Lincoln Highway and Pauling Road); total cost $1,133,484. Homeowners in the area will be required to pay $10,000 per hookup and to pay the 25% higher sewer rate applicable to outside‑city service. The project is 100% funded by ARPA funds provided by the county commissioners. Committee action: Motion and second; committee recommended due-pass (6-0).

S250908 — Oxford Streetscape change order (design contract amendment) Presenter: PJ Thuringer, Community Development Administrator; staff: Haley Bondi (landscape architect), Matthew Wirtz (City Utilities deputy director) What it does: Third change order of $68,750 to the Oxford Streetscape design contract (Jones Petrie Rafinski), amending the not-to-exceed contract total to $456,102. The change adds design for a separated storm sewer trunk line between Lily and Anthony to reduce standing water and limit discharge into the combined sewer system. Total estimated construction cost for the one‑mile corridor is $7,500,000; City Utilities will cover just over 60% of the cost and remainder is expected from the Southeast Strategy Fund. Committee action: Motion and second; committee recommended due-pass (6-0).

S250834 — Establishment/continuation of an Economic Improvement District and EID Board for downtown Fort Wayne Presenter: Regulations Committee (council staff and attorney provided clarifications during a week‑long hold) What it does: Approves establishment and continuation of a downtown economic improvement district and creates an Economic Improvement District Board (ordinance held from 9/9/25 and moved forward after staff legal clarifications). Committee action: Motion and second; committee recommended due-pass (6-0).

Procedure and votes: All committee recommendations were unanimous (6 in favor, 0 opposed). Motions and seconds were recorded in committee for each item; individual vote recordings (member-by-member roll calls) were not provided in the committee record excerpts, so the committee tally is reported as unanimous 6-0.

Next steps: Each ordinance and resolution advanced from committee will return to the full Common Council for final readings and votes as required by council rules and any applicable regulatory processes.