Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Project Zodiac Culvert topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council holds Adams Center culvert reimbursement tied to development after debate over Google forum
Summary
The Fort Wayne Common Council unanimously held an ordinance authorizing a stormwater culvert reimbursement until Jan. 13, 2026, after an unsuccessful motion to table and extended debate about whether advancing the project preempts an upcoming public forum about the Google data center.
Council members on Dec. 9 unanimously agreed to hold an ordinance approving a stormwater drainage contract for a 74-foot culvert on Adams Center Road until the council's Jan. 13 meeting, after a failed motion to table and a prolonged exchange tying the work to a nearby Google-related development.
City Utilities engineer Eric Rupert told the council the work covers the city's existing 74-foot culvert across Adams Center Road and is a replacement of an aging, near-failing pipe. He said the work was a more economical, longer-life option than an emergency rehab and that the city's portion represents only the segment the city owns and will maintain. "So this part of the, you know, this storm culvert is the owned by the utility," Rupert said, describing the scope and saying the project is funded through stormwater utility revenue.
Council debate focused on timing and optics. Councilman Neil moved to table the bill, arguing that voting to advance what a colleague called a project tied to private infrastructure "a couple days" before a public forum risked preempting or contradicting that forum. "This is for the benefit of Google," he said during the exchange, adding that proceeding now "is political malpractice." That motion to table failed, and after further clarification that the city would be reimbursed for the developer's share, the council instead voted to hold the ordinance until Jan. 13 so the issue could be revisited in the new year.
Council members and staff clarified cost-sharing arrangements during the discussion: Rupert said the developer would manage and pay for the extension portion and that the city's share is roughly two-thirds (about 67%) while the developer's portion would be about one-third. Rupert said crews had planned the work independent of the development and that "we had a crew in there ready to do" the work in response to the emergency condition.
The council's action leaves the project pending further review and discussion in January. City Utilities officials said the culvert replacement was driven by an urgency to avoid road closure and potential collapse and that the planned arrangement was the most durable and cost-effective option.
What's next: the council held the item to its Jan. 13 meeting; staff said they can meet that calendar and work with procurement and contracting timelines in the interim.
