The Carmel Redevelopment Commission debated whether to move its regular monthly meetings from the evening to an earlier 4:00 p.m. start for 2026, and a motion to keep meetings at 6:30 p.m. failed on a tie after extended discussion.

Mister Ferguson, who introduced the motion to preserve evening meeting times, argued the change would reduce public participation and narrow who can serve on boards. "Public participation is not a luxury. It is foundational to good government," he said, noting the Plan Commission had recently voted to keep evening meetings and citing what he read as "Indiana code 37 7 14 8" to say scheduling discretion lies with the redevelopment commission.

Henry Mestetsky, the redevelopment director, said staff and the administration requested moving meetings to 4:00 p.m., arguing it could save some money while maintaining transparency because meetings are livestreamed. "We can help save some money while keeping transparency as is by moving meetings back to 04:00 in 26 instead of 06:30," Mestetsky said.

Commissioners pressed for specifics on savings and who bears them. Mister Ferguson and others said projected savings were modest; he noted the city council had appropriated $50,000 in the 2026 budget to help cover meeting-related expenses. Mestetsky said many of the costs (security, some building management) are borne at the administration level rather than from the CRC budget and offered to supply a cost breakdown for commissioners.

After the motion was seconded and the chair called for a roll-call vote, the chair declared the result a tie; city counsel stated that a tie vote does not carry and the motion failed. Commissioners agreed to revisit the topic at the next regular meeting when a previously absent commissioner is expected to attend and asked staff to prepare options (including potential compromise times such as 5:00 p.m.) and a cost breakdown.

The commission did not adopt a change to the meeting schedule. The chair scheduled the next regular CRC meeting for Dec. 17 at 6:30 p.m., when the annual TIF report will be presented by financial advisers Baker Tilly.