Town of Cedar Lake
Board of Safety
Special Public Meeting Minutes

Pledge of Allegiance

Mr. Stick called the meeting to order and led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a brief moment of silence.

Roll Call

Public Comment — Opening

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

Police Department

Hiring Process Summary

At Mr. Stick's request, Chief Gruszka provided a recap of the police officer hiring process conducted over the preceding weeks:

• 34 applications received
• 18 candidates appeared for the physical agility test
• 16 candidates proceeded to the written examination
• 14 candidates passed the written examination
• An interview committee narrowed the 14 candidates to 6 finalists
• Chief Gruszka and the Board of Safety personally interviewed all 6 finalists

Chief Gruszka reported the process yielded three candidates recommended for immediate hire and three additional candidates recommended for an eligibility list, pending Town Council approval and successful background checks.

1. Conditional Offers of Employment — Three Candidates — Favorable Recommendation

Mr. Stick read the motion: a favorable recommendation to the Town Council to proceed with hiring — providing a Conditional Offer of Employment — to three applicants to fill current vacancies, contingent upon completion of background checks without findings:

• Justin Salas
• Jack Miedema
• Tatiana Tondreau

Motion to send a favorable recommendation to the Town Council to proceed with hiring (Conditional Offer of Employment) of Justin Salas, Jack Miedema, and Tatiana Tondreau, contingent upon successful completion of background checks without findings, made by Mr. Nagy; seconded by Ms. Littles.

Motion carries, 5–0.

2. Police Eligibility List — One Year — Approved

Mr. Stick read the motion to form a one-year eligibility list, in the following order:

• 1. Erin Healy
• 2. Adam Holechko
• 3. Nathan Young

Motion to form a Police Department Eligibility List, valid for one year, in the order of Erin Healy, Adam Holechko, and Nathan Young, made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Fire Department

1. Discontinue Current Hiring Process — Approved

Chief Mager reported that the current Fire Department hiring process is being discontinued, due to incompletion of the applicants. We have no one left for our testing or interviews.

Motion to discontinue the current Fire Department hiring process made by Mr. Villalobos; seconded by Mr. Kaper.

Motion carries, 5–0.

2. Policy 1000 — Recruitment and Selection — Adopted

Chief Mager presented proposed revisions to Policy 1000 (Recruitment and Selection), previously circulated by email and reviewed in executive session. Summary of changes:

• One paragraph deleted; one new bullet point added in its place
• Federal code citation under section 1000.7.1 updated to align with the corresponding Indiana Code reference; remaining paragraphs below it deleted as redundant
• Section 1000.10 retitled from its prior heading to "Applicant Requirements and Procedures," with prior bullet points replaced by a reference to an attached, updated June 2026 Applicant Requirements and Procedures document
• Within the attached procedures document, Item E (application review) was revised
• A new provision was added under the scoring criteria allowing two additional points to be awarded to applicants currently enrolled in a paramedic training program

Mr. Stick confirmed the presented changes are verbatim to what was discussed in the prior executive session.

Motion to adopt Policy 1000 (Recruitment and Selection) as revised, including the attached updated Applicant Requirements and Procedures document, made by Mr. Nagy; seconded by Ms. Littles.

Motion carries, 5–0.

3. Training Reimbursement Agreement and Resolution — Favorable Recommendation

Chief Mager presented proposed changes to the Fire Department Training Reimbursement Agreement and accompanying resolution, previously discussed in executive session and reviewed with the Town Attorney and Clerk-Treasurer, both of whom approved the revisions. Key changes:

• Section 3 of the agreement edited; new Section 4 added
• Reference to "paramedic" training terminology corrected; replaced with "basic" (EMT-Basic) terminology where applicable
• Reimbursement obligation period: reduced from 60 months to 36 months
• Reimbursement amount: reduced from $10,000 to $7,500

Mr. Stick noted the changes are intended to make the Fire Department's training reimbursement terms more attractive and competitive with comparable departments. Because this item involves a resolution and an employee agreement, Town Council approval is required; the Board's action constitutes a favorable recommendation.

Motion to send a favorable recommendation to the Town Council for adoption of the revised Training Reimbursement Agreement and Resolution made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy.

Motion carries, 5–0.

4. Agenda Amendment — Fire Department Advertising for New Hiring Cycle

Mr. Stick and Chief Mager discussed, by prior phone conversation, beginning a new Fire Department hiring cycle — at minimum to establish an eligibility list. Chief Mager confirmed three current openings. The Board agreed to amend the agenda to add an item authorizing advertisement for the position.

Motion to amend the agenda to add an item authorizing the Fire Department to begin advertising for open positions made by Mr. Kaper; seconded by Ms. Littles.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Authorization to Advertise — Firefighter/EMT or Firefighter/Paramedic — Open-Ended Timeline

Chief Mager confirmed the position will be advertised consistent with the format used in the four prior Fire Department hiring cycles: Firefighter/EMT or Firefighter/Paramedic. Applicants enrolled in or holding paramedic certification receive additional scoring points per the newly adopted Policy 1000. A qualified lateral transfer candidate with paramedic certification would not need to complete the full hiring process.

The Board agreed to authorize advertising with an open-ended timeline rather than a fixed closing date, allowing Chief Mager flexibility on when to formally open the process through the Clerk-Treasurer's office. Once advertising begins, Chief Mager will set a defined testing schedule.

Motion to authorize the Fire Department to advertise for Firefighter/EMT or Firefighter/Paramedic positions with an open-ended advertising period made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Other

E-Bike Concerns — Town Hall Grounds and Parks

Ms. Littles raised a concern about electric bikes (e-bikes) traveling at high speed through the Town Hall grounds and parking area, including riders coming from the direction of the fire station. She suggested the Town consider posting speed limit signage and asked what steps would be needed and who has authority to initiate that action.

Deputy Chief Brittingham described a recent personal enforcement encounter: he stopped a juvenile e-bike rider who had ridden through the area on multiple occasions performing wheelies; the bike itself was found to be an illegally modified e-bike. He directed the rider not to operate the e-bike on park property (grass and similar areas), though this did not necessarily restrict use of paved parking lot areas where bicycle traffic is otherwise permitted. He noted parental notification did not resolve the underlying behavior.

Deputy Chief Brittingham recommended that, rather than attempting to regulate by e-bike classification (which leads to repeated disputes over which type of e-bike is or is not compliant), the Town consider adopting an ordinance fully banning e-bikes from park properties, consistent with similar ordinances adopted by other municipalities facing the same enforcement challenges. Discussion points:

• Whether a park property ban would also extend to parking lot areas was raised; Deputy Chief Brittingham indicated this distinction would likely need to be worked out with the Town Attorney, but recommended starting with park grounds generally.
• Potential penalty structure: if codified as an ordinance infraction, fines could range from a minimum of approximately $25 up to a statutory maximum of $2,500, with the specific amount set by the ordinance itself.
• Juvenile liability: citations may be issued to either the juvenile or a parent/guardian depending on the juvenile's age, consistent with standard practice.

Ms. Littles asked that Greg Wiesemann (Parks and Recreation) be contacted to assist in drafting proposed ordinance verbiage, which would then be forwarded to the Town Attorney for formal drafting and review.

Former Chief Barry Waroff — Funeral

Chief Gruszka reported he attended the funeral of former Police Chief Barry Waroff earlier that day. The service was well attended, including a number of current officers and several retired officers. Chief Gruszka described it as a very good service with a meaningful message.

Town Council Liaison(s) Report

No formal report from the Town Council liaisons.

Other

Mr. Stick confirmed with Chief Gruszka that the Police Department will formally notify the three conditional hire candidates of their offers, and separately notify the three eligibility list candidates of their status.

Public Comment

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

Adjournment

There being no further business, Mr. Stick declared the meeting adjourned at 6:18 p.m.