Town of Cedar Lake
Board of Safety
Regular Meeting Minutes

Pledge of Allegiance

Mr. Stick called the meeting to order and led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call

Public Comment — Opening

Mr. Stick called for public comment three times. No public comment was received.

1. Approval of Minutes — February 11, 2026

Prior to the vote on the minutes, Mr. Villalobos raised a point of order regarding a matter discussed at the February meeting: the election of Board officers for 2026. He read into the record a letter dated February 13, 2026 from Town Attorney David Austgen, addressed to Board members and Town leadership, which referenced an opinion letter dated February 10, 2026 sent to Chairman Stick, Council President Recupito, Council Vice President Thiel, Town Manager Eldridge, and all Board of Safety members.

The substance of Mr. Austgen’s opinion: under Indiana law, when a five-member body has three or fewer members in attendance, all actions require unanimous approval of the quorum. At the January 2026 meeting, officers were elected with only three members present, and the vote was 2–1 rather than unanimous. Mr. Austgen’s letter directed the Board to address this matter at its next meeting.

Mr. Nagy commented he had not previously seen the February 13 letter. Discussion followed regarding whether the January election was valid and whether the issue could be addressed without it appearing on the agenda. Mr. Villalobos requested the letter be entered into the record. (letter attached to the minutes) The Board agreed the matter should be addressed.

Mr. Kaper moved to amend the agenda to add a new item for re-election of officers. The motion was seconded by Mr. Villalobos.

Motion to amend the agenda to discuss the response from Attorney Austgen made by Mr. Kaper; seconded by Mr. Villalobos.

Motion carries, 5–0.

The Board then returned to the pending vote on the February 11, 2026 minutes. Mr. Nagy abstained, noting a concern about the accuracy of the officer election as recorded.

Motion to approve the minutes of the February 11, 2026 Regular Meeting — motion and second made prior to discussion.

Motion carries, 4–0–1.

Motion to amend the agenda to include re-election of Board officers made by Mr. Kaper; seconded by Mr. Villalobos.

Motion carries, 5–0.

1A. Re-Election of Board Officers (Agenda Amendment)

Pursuant to the amended agenda, the Board conducted a new election of officers to correct the procedural deficiency identified in Mr. Austgen’s opinion letter. With all five members present, a unanimous vote is possible and all actions are valid under the standard majority rule.

Chairman

Mr. Nagy nominated Norman Stick for Chairman. No other nominations were made. Nominations were closed.

Motion to elect Norman Stick as Chairman of the Board of Safety for 2026 — nominations closed; roll call vote.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Vice Chairman

Mr. Stick nominated Larry Nagy for Vice Chairman. No other nominations were made. Nominations were closed.

Motion to elect Larry Nagy as Vice Chairman of the Board of Safety for 2026 — nominations closed; roll call vote.

Motion carries, 4–1.

Norman Stick and Larry Nagy are hereby elected Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of the Cedar Lake Board of Safety for calendar year 2026, effective this meeting.

2. VIPS

February 2026 Report

Mr. Jack Yauger discussed the February activity report. For the month: 5 details; 10 hours of detail; 11 hours of patrolling; 15 hours of miscellaneous administration; total of 36 hours.

Letter of Resignation — Ed Smith

A letter of resignation was received from VIPS volunteer Ed Smith, citing personal and health reasons. Mr. Smith had just passed the two-year mark of service (February 28, 2026). Deputy Chief Brittingham acknowledged Mr. Smith’s contributions publicly, noting he was a reliable volunteer who continued to serve in a crossing guard capacity. The Board directed Recording Secretary Hajduk to prepare a letter of appreciation on behalf of the Board of Safety, to be signed by the Chairman.

Motion to accept the resignation of Ed Smith from VIPS made by Mr. Nagy; seconded by Mr. Kaper.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Police Department

All Police Department items were presented by Deputy Police Chief Carl Brittingham in the absence of Chief Gruszka.

Communications

K9 Fundraising — Law Enforcement Partners:

The public and attendees were advised that the Cedar Lake Police Department is again partnering with Law Enforcement Partners of Bowling Green, Kentucky, to solicit funds for the K9 program. This is an ongoing annual partnership; it is not a scam. Funds go directly to the department’s K9 unit.

Car Seat Safety Check Event (March 6, 2026):

The department co-hosted a car seat inspection event at the Cedar Lake Fire Department. Participating agencies included Cedar Lake Police, Cedar Lake Fire, VIPS, Franciscan Health, Griffith Police Department, Highland Police Department. Eleven car seats were checked; six new car seats were provided to families in need at no cost to the Town — all seats were funded by Franciscan Health. Deputy Chief Brittingham also acknowledged Firefighter/Paramedic Beyer, who served as a certified car seat technician and worked closely with Ms. Moore in organizing the event.

Code Enforcement:

Ongoing discussions with the Town Attorney regarding code enforcement priorities and structure are continuing.

Out-of-State License Plates (Illinois):

This remains an active enforcement topic. Under Indiana law, vehicles must be re-titled and re-plated within 60 days of establishing residency. The violation is a misdemeanor, not a citation-level infraction — meaning officers cannot issue a traffic citation solely for an Illinois plate; instead, compliance contacts or misdemeanor charges are the available tools. Several compliance contacts have been made. Common complications include company vehicles, family vehicles belonging to Illinois relatives (e.g., grandparents), and vehicles being driven by residents waiting for Indiana plates to avoid a gap. Mr. Carnahan noted he plans to survey NIRPC member communities at an upcoming meeting regarding their approaches.

E-Bikes:

E-bike enforcement is an ongoing issue, particularly near the high school and on walking/bike paths. Indiana Code 9-21-11-13.1 addresses three classes of electric bicycles (all require pedals to qualify as e-bikes under the statute). The state law’s intent was to clarify that e-bikes are not motorized vehicles, and essentially requires e-bikes to follow the same traffic laws as regular bicycles. Mr. Becker noted that Dyer and St. John recently posted about this statute. The deputy chief noted the law is relatively weak as it pertains to shared paths and trails. Other communities are developing stricter local ordinances; Cedar Lake is monitoring those developments.

Tall Grass / Abatement:

Mr. Kaper inquired about the tall grass abatement filing process. The Deputy Chief confirmed the department handles abatements in coordination with the Clerk-Treasurer’s office, and that it is already calendared for the appropriate season.

Storm Disaster Relief — Newton County:

Following the March 10, 2026 tornado that caused significant damage through Wheatfield and Lake Township (including Lake Village), Cedar Lake shared a Town Hall donation drive on social media. The collection box at Town Hall accepts non-perishable short-term essentials — toiletries and everyday items — but not clothing or perishables. Clerk-Treasurer Jennifer Sandberg confirmed the box is in place. The American Legion is also coordinating collection, with a first delivery truck scheduled for Friday morning. Both the Deputy Chief and Fire Chief Mager noted the tornado tracked approximately 131 miles and was a severe event. Residents and agencies were encouraged to donate through organized channels rather than traveling directly to the affected area.

Finances — Purchase Orders, Expenditure Reports & Grants

General Finances:

Expenditure and purchase order reports were included in the meeting packet. Items of note include new annual subscription renewals (including DataMaster toxicology subscription) and ongoing vehicle repair costs.

Grants:

• Crown Point Community Foundation: Awarded $2,345. Funds designated for EVOC training traffic cones and other training uses. A letter of appreciation to the Foundation was requested by Mr. Kaper; Mr. Stick directed Ms. Hajduk to prepare the letter.
• Frank Mrvan Community Fund (2027): Application submitted requesting funds for radio upgrades. Many Lake County agencies applied for similar grants as departments across the county are facing simultaneous radio obsolescence — all agencies transitioned to the 800 MHz central dispatch system at approximately the same time. Cedar Lake plans to purchase Kenwood radios rather than Motorola due to cost; Kenwood units provide equivalent functionality for the department’s needs without the cellular GPS features included in Motorola portables.
• Safe Coalition Grant: Application to be submitted next month. Designated for K9 call-out overtime. Not a matching grant; past awards have been approximately $5,000.

Staffing

The police officer application process is currently open through the end of April. Applications are posted on the department webpage and social media; law enforcement academies are sharing the posting. Competition for certified officers remains intense countywide, with most agencies conducting lateral transfers.

Anticipated personnel losses:

• One officer confirmed retiring in early June (name withheld from public record at this time).
• One to two additional officers may depart to other agencies as early as summer, pending hiring decisions by those agencies.

A new hire from a lateral transfer (certified officer familiar with county systems) requires approximately three months to be fully operational. A new recruit from the academy requires approximately one year before being of full practical use to the scheduling rotation.

Training Report

Training report included in the meeting packet. Activities included: a leadership class (two officers attended, hosted locally); a drone workshop in Indianapolis (both drone operators attended); and SWAT training at the MAC Center in Valparaiso (one SWAT operator attended).

Equipment

Electric Vehicle (Tesla):

The administrative electric vehicle order is in process — approved but subject to significant paperwork and availability constraints. The vehicle is a smaller Tesla model designated for administrative use only. The cost is approximately $57,037.45; a roughly 50/50 matching grant is in place, with grant reimbursement typically processed within a few weeks. The specific model has since been discontinued by Tesla but was available at time of order. Battery warranty is approximately 150,000 miles. Mr. Carnahan noted that a projected resale value of approximately $19,000 was cited previously by Mr. Machalk.

Fleet Vehicles:

Three new police vehicles have been approved, but purchase is on hold pending confirmation of available capital funds.

Monthly Activity Report — February 2026

February figures:

• Calls for Service: 793 (February); 1,560 year-to-date.
• Traffic Stops: 347.
• Warnings Issued: 355.
• Citations Issued: 104.
• Law Incidents: 409.
• Arrests (February 19): 19 arrests; 29 arrest offenses.
• Town Ordinance Warnings: 43.
• Town Ordinance Citations: 29.

Lexipol Policy Update

No updates at this time. All policies are current following the most recent update cycle.

Fire Department

Communications

Car Seat Safety Event:

Fire Chief Mager commented that the Cedar Lake Fire Department hosted the March 6 car seat inspection event and that staff cleaned and prepared the new fire station for the event. Firefighter/Paramedic Beyer was specifically recognized as a certified car seat technician who played a key role in organizing and executing the event alongside Ms. Sarah Moore.

Storm Response — Newton County Tornado (March 10, 2026):

Cedar Lake Fire monitored the storm through the night of March 10, maintaining communication with surrounding Indiana and Illinois departments. Newton County lost its radio system during the event; contact was maintained by phone. Chief Mager and ambulance crews covered locally for approximately four hours overnight. An ambulance strike team was reactivated the following morning (March 11) and deployed to the Lake Township area for approximately eight hours. All personnel returned home safely.

Finances — Purchase Orders, Expenditure Reports & Grants

Total purchase order amount for February: $10,552.64. Expenditure report included in the packet.

Motion to accept the Fire Department expenditure report made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Villalobos.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Staffing

All staff are healthy and safe. A recent recruitment process drew six applicants. Two of six passed the written exam and aerial climb, and will proceed to the physical agility test scheduled for Monday, March 16, 2026. This will be the first time the agility test is hosted at the Cedar Lake Fire Department facility, which has been set up and marked for the event.

Training Report

Training report distributed at the meeting (not included in the original packet). Total training hours for February: 626 hours across 15 full-time personnel and 3 paid on-call personnel. Mr. Villalobos asked whether 626 hours was at an appropriate level; Chief Mager confirmed this is a strong figure and noted winter months typically yield higher classroom and EMS training hours. Recent training emphasis included driver/operator certification for the new Engine 1211 and Fire Officer sessions related to Chief Mager’s attendance at the Fire Chiefs Academy in February. Hours will drop off in coming months as classroom intensity decreases.

Mr. Villalobos noted he had received a letter from a concerned citizen questioning the adequacy of firefighter training hours. Chief Mager responded that 626 hours across the current staffing level is a sound figure, and that call volume and daily operational demands naturally constrain available training time.

Equipment

Apparatus Inspections:

All fire apparatus has received service and DOT inspections within the past two months. Minor repairs identified during inspections are being addressed proactively. Warranty work on the hybrid Ford Explorer was completed at no cost to the Town.

Engine 1211 (New Engine):

Training continues on the new engine. Full release to service is pending; Chief Mager indicated he hoped to have it in service within approximately one month. Release timing is weather- and call-volume-dependent.

Monthly Activity Report — February 2026

February incident summary:

• Total Incidents: 183.
• EMS-Related: 157.
• Fire-Related: 22.
• Vehicle Accidents: 4.

Mr. Villalobos asked how the Fire Department’s internal monthly activity report differs from the union’s monthly social media posts. Chief Mager explained that the department’s report is significantly more detailed, using ImageTrend’s preset reporting to generate breakdowns by call type, time of day, overlapping calls, and other metrics. The union’s posts provide a basic summary. Once ImageTrend resolves the coding issues, the full detailed report will again be available.

Lexipol Policy Updates

No updates at this time.

Public Comment — Closing

Barbara Littles — Board Member

Ms. Littles publicly thanked Officer King for his response to a home alarm activation over the weekend. What appeared to be a potential break-in turned out to be a battery failure in a basement alarm. Ms. Littles commended Officer King for his thoroughness and professionalism.

Adjournment

There being no further business, Mr. Stick adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 6:00 p.m., Cedar Lake Town Hall.