The Muncie City Hall Auditorium was full Monday night as city council members approved the resolution endorsing the Muncie Action Plan.
The council voted 6-2 on resolution, after Mayor Sharon McShurley and council members praised the efforts of the community and volunteers for their participation.
Muncie Action Plan's main purpose is to gather input from Muncie residents to help the community in its development. The project works with grants from the United States Department of Housing and Development and the Ball Brothers Foundation.
"I firmly believe that the success of anything depends on the level of enthusiasm brought to the table and to get anything done you have to be proactive," co-chair of the Muncie Action Plan George Branam said. "My involvement in this has proven me that in Muncie there is a lot of people who believe we have a lot going for us, and we are going to get there if we cooperate and solve our problems."
Ginny Nilles, co-chair of the Muncie Action Plan, told the council no one from the committee knew what to expect about the participation from the community, but were pleased to see many came out to discuss the issues.
"None of us had any idea, when we first started, how meaningful this process would be for the participants. But it's been huge," she said. "It is at its heart the dreams we have for Muncie."
McShurley said she was glad to have had the opportunity to work close with Muncie residents to talk about what they wanted to see changed in their city.
"We should be very proud about what we've been able to accomplish for the community," she said.
Council member Brad Polk thanked the committee for their efforts in bringing the community together and working to collect and review the proposals.
But not all council members embraced the proposals. Council member Mary Jo Barton told the Muncie Action Plan committee she had seen not anything from the committee prior to the meeting and refused to vote.
"I'm not a mean person, but I'm a council member and given the fact that I had just received this, I think that's pretty sad," Barton said. "This is 51 pages, and I am completely for this but I can't vote for it because I haven't seen it."
Council member Sam Marshall proposed to table the resolution until Barter and him had more time to look into the plan. But the attendants showed their disappointment by shaking their heads and saying the plan was open to the public.
The council then voted to not table the resolution and went on to vote for its approval.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
