Date of meeting: Monday, Nov. 3
The Crown Point City Council voted to approve an ordinance creating a “riverfront development project area” stretching from from 101st Avenue to 113th Avenue between Madison Street and Mississippi Street. The move will allow up to 15 restaurants operating in the area to receive liquor licenses without regard to existing quotas.
The council also gave final approval to the final of a series of annexations that would allow the Point 65 Business Park to expand to the south.
The body approved a first reading of an ordinance that would restructure the city’s commercial stormwater fees. If the new rules are finalized, the city would begin billing commercial properties based on their total acreage, rather than charging a flat rate.
In another new item, the council voted to advance an ordinance that would move next year’s city council meetings from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Watch the video on the city’s YouTube channel.
Cedar Lake Town Council
Date of meeting: Monday Nov. 3
The Cedar Lake Town Council voted unanimously to approve the creation of a tree board, a new body that will guide the town’s forestry practices. Similar boards are already in place in communities across Northwest Indiana.
The council’s members also voted unanimously to raise rates for emergency medical services charged by the Cedar Lake Fire Department in the face of rising costs. The body’s members voted to suspend the rules, allowing the item to be passed on both first and second readings in a single meeting.
Watch the video on the Town’s YouTube channel.
Munster Town Council
Date of meeting: Monday, Nov. 3
The Munster Town Council gave final approval to an ordinance expected to bring in $106,000 in additional fee and fine revenue next year. Contractor and business registrations will be more expensive, and false alarms reported to the Munster Police Department will incur steeper penalties.
The council also approved a planned unit development that will pave the way for a new 81-acre technology park south of the intersection of Timrick Drive and Fisher Street.
Watch the video on the town’s YouTube channel.
Michigan City Common Council
Date of meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 4
The Michigan City Common Council unanimously approved a resolution in opposition to mid-decade redistricting efforts set to kick off in Indianapolis at the start of December. Republican lawmakers in Indianapolis, facing pressure from the White House, hope to net two additional seats in 2026 U.S. House elections by breaking up Democratic-leaning districts.
The body was set to consider a second reading of an ordinance that would ban smoking within 20 feet of government building entrances in the city, but council members elected to delay action on the item until Dec. 2.
Watch the video on the Access LaPorte County Media YouTube channel.
Portage City Council
Date of meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 4
The Portage City Council voted to approve a proposal to restructure the city’s trash pickup fees. Under the new rules, property owners will be billed based on the number of trash cans they use.
The council also voted to approve a zoning change that could pave the way for future residential development roughly 6.5 acres directly south of the city’s Breckenridge Apartments complex.
Watch the video on the city’s YouTube channel.
Hobart City Council and Plan Commission
Date of meetings: Wednesday, Nov. 5 and Thursday, Nov. 6
The Hobart City Council voted on Wednesday to advance an ordinance that would establish a municipal rainy day fund as a hedge against future financial hardship. It also approved a first reading of another ordinance aimed at simplifying the city’s formula for calculating building permit fees.
Much of the meeting, however, was taken up by a lengthy public comment period in which a series of residents spoke against two proposed planned data center developments on 61st Avenue. The grassroots campaign against the projects has gained momentum in the months since the city council approved a pair of zoning changes sought by developers.
The following evening, following more remonstrations from residents, the Hobart Plan Commission voted to grant Hobart Devco, one of the prospective developers, a fill permit for its project. A fill permit allows a developer to add soil, gravel, or other landscaping fill to a property.