Common Council - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call the City of La Porte Common Council meeting to order. April 13th, it is 6:03 p.m. We will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilwoman Huffman. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. May I say, no matter what side of the aisle you're on, issues, that was great to hear all as one together for our country. So, thank you. Roll call. Clerk-Treasurer Parthun. Councilman Frankie.

Here. Councilwoman Huffman. Here. Councilwoman Fife. Present. Councilman Galloway. Here. Councilwoman Kneshni. Present. Councilman Buchanan. Here. Councilwoman West.

Here. All present. Approval of the March 16th, 2026 meeting minutes. I'd like to make a motion to approve the meet minutes as presented. Second. Motion and a second, discussion. Hearing none, all in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion passes. Mr. Otis, position, petitions and comments of citizens. There'll be two opportunities for public comment tonight. The first one is the general public comment regarding any any topics, and then under item eight, the annexation introduction of the annexation ordinance and public hearing, there'll be an opportunity to comment specifically on the annexation. And so, if you have there's quite a few people signed in tonight for public comment. If you have an item unrelated to the annexation petition, now is the time for that public comment if you may or if you want to call um one of the people registered. Absolutely. Paul Skiath. Paul, I liked how you just pushed Mr. Caronca aside there like you were in charge.

we're all friends here. Tom, I Mayor, excuse me. I was presented Please state your name and address.

Paul Skiath, 3196 North Briar Leaf Court. Mayor, I was presented with a copy of an invoice from Waste Management from a professional colleague. It's not local, but friend of a resident, and it showed a pretty significant surcharge on her waste bill. And the question was asked of me, how does the city handle that? I just are we going to be subject in La Porte to surcharges because of the current international situation or you know, something to that effect. Just a concern as to those surcharges. Well, we've talked about that just from a fuel perspective, and we do have a contract with Waste Management, and we expect everyone to hold to that. So, they are up for contract renewal potential or open bid at the end of this year. And some of the things we as we talk about Waste Management, some of the people still want spring clean-up. They want to go back to having a spring clean-up. At the last round that we did when we put it out for bid, people didn't want to pay that extra Waste Management cost for a spring clean-up. That's why Mr. Bachelor, are you here? Came up with I think the fantastic opportunity with the um dumpster program. But, I think we're going to have to relook at that, but as of right now, and I'll confirm it, we've not seen a surcharge. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Spencer Summers. Spencer Summers. Spencer Summers. I'm in the hallway. That's what Okay. I don't see anybody else that's filled out a comment card not related to data centers. Is that correct? We do not see anything else. Perfect. Standing committee reports. President Frankie.

Councilwoman Huffman. The Sustainability Commission met on March 24th, 2026 in Council Chambers. The city and the Sustainability Commission have been partnering to upgrade the four existing electric vehicle chargers, and are also looking to add four new charging stations. The suggested locations for the new EV chargers are downtown, Fox Park, and near city parks. If any La Porte resident has a suggestion as to where any EV charger will be most beneficial within city limits, please reach out to the Sustainability Commission or to Tucker King. For those interested in learning about wellhead protection, there is a public meeting on April 15th at 1:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The Sustainability Commission will meet next on Tuesday, April 28th, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. Thank you. Councilwoman Fife. Traffic Commission will be meeting tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. at the police station, and then park board will be meeting this Wednesday, April 15th, 4:00 p.m. at the park office. And there was a request, so I might as well just say it now, that during the construction on Indiana Ave, somebody asked if Fox Street could go to one-side parking versus two-sided parking during the construction. That was a request to be reviewed if you could. Mr. Hofer. Who made that request? Yes. Councilman Galloway. Mayor's Veterans Committee is meeting right now. And tomorrow morning at 8:00 at the Police Department's Police Merit Commission. Councilwoman West. The UEA approved the financial statements for March, and also received an agreement from the Data Bank to digitize all the UEA files. Grant applications were approved for Break Free LLC and TKA Investments. And the board also approved the transfer of ownership of a parking lot at the southeast corner of State Street and

Monroe Street to the City of La Porte. They also approved to purchase a vacant lot at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Jackson for a future donation to the city as a Ready Grant Affordable Housing Project. And additional partners in this project are the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte and the Office of Community Development and Planning. The board also approved a $25,000 grant to engage with RVI as consultants in the development of the Monroe Street Development streetscape. Also, Mary Ann presented a project timeline spreadsheet to track progress on administrative activities and projects. And their next meeting will be Wednesday, April 15th at 4:00 p.m. in City Chambers. Don't forget to mark your calendars to support our local fire department on May 2nd for their pancake breakfast at Fire Station 3 at 710 Daytona Street from 8:00 to 11:00. Tickets are $10 with children under the age of four get to eat for free. There will be raffles and community funds served up by our local firefighters. And the next Fire Merit Commission meeting will be held Wednesday, May 6th at 6:30 at the fire station number one on 18th Street. And the Bid Board is rescheduling their April Bid Board meeting due to our Council meeting tonight. End of report. Mr. Otis just whispered, are you sure Daytona Street is for the pancake breakfast? Cuz it's usually at 18th Street. No, yeah, I know I'm positive. That's what it said. That's what, yeah. There you go. I thought maybe it wasn't Daytona Street. Councilman Buchanan. The City Planning Commission is scheduled to meet tomorrow, 4:14 at 6:00 p.m. here in Council Chambers. That's all I have. Councilwoman Kneshni. Nothing to report this evening, Your Honor. Quite a few large jets, by the way, over the last couple weeks at the airport when you go to your next airport meeting. Okay, we will now move to the public

hearing for East Annexation. And this will also include a public hearing, but before then, we would like to have a presentation for the council members. The public is here, and the public will also have an opportunity to speak. Mr. Cook, would you like to come forward and at least make a brief introduction. Good evening, Mayor, City Council. Bert Cook, Executive Director of the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership. So, tonight we have our first public hearing for the East annexation. Um as a reminder, this is nine parcel owners that are asking to be annexed into the city. It's what we call a super voluntary annexation. Um the parcels would become part of an expansion of the Microsoft uh site in LaPorte. Want to try and be as transparent as we can with that. And um and so here in just a moment, I'm going to turn the floor over to the mayor. Uh he has an announcement to make. And then after that, we have a short presentation uh that we have used in a number of different settings regarding some uh information that hopefully people find interesting and and informative on this particular topic. Um so, I'll be quiet there. And uh Mayor, the floor is yours. Thank you. Uh Mr. Cook, and I'll tell you when there's uh future-changing projects, it's nice when uh all local government can work together. And I think you've seen that happen when the school system and our first uh announcement with Microsoft is working together. The school system is going to change the future of our children and the families here. And when we have in the state of Indiana a competitive environment for education, yet funding has been reduced. Uh things

can be difficult. And this is why we are so excited to partner, supply 15% as we've announced to the school system. We have a leader that's going to take our school system forward like LaPorte has never seen. And uh that's a great partnership. Secondarily, uh we've had ups and downs with the county. And uh it's not always been fun on either side. We can talk about blame. Everyone is to blame, both sides. But let's also talk about when things go right. And I think a couple weeks now, uh we had a meeting with the county. And I want to specifically call out Matt Reardon, the economic development director, uh Adam Koronka, the council president, who's also the RDA president, um Brett Kessler, and Jimmy Pressel, and said, "Hey, let's all sit down. Let's talk about the future. We know what what what it means for jobs in LaPorte in construction. We know what it means for permanent long-term jobs. And we know from the perspective of everybody when I took over and I think our council took over, people ask every day, 'When are we ever going to bring tech jobs here?' Today is that day. And I am so excited to announce that we now have a partnership with the county council that we're going to move forward together hopefully with this annexation opportunity that is in front of us. And with that, I would like to call forward Matt Reardon, economic development director, and Adam Koronka, uh county council president, and our uh I believe it's RDA versus RDC. RDC.

I'm sorry, RDC president, Mr. Reardon. And please state both Do you state your name and address for the record?

Matt Reardon, 555 Michigan Department of Economic Development Finance for LaPorte County. And I'm smart enough to defer to the president of the Redevelopment Commission and the council president to go ahead and say a few things. So, Adam Koronka Adam Koronka, president of the LaPorte County Redevelopment Commission and county council president, uh 2202 Mustang Drive, LaPorte. Uh on behalf of the Redevelopment Commission, I'm pleased to uh say that we've come to a very sound agreement with the city in order to have a uh revenue-sharing opportunity for development within LaPorte County as well as the city of LaPorte to where we uh continue to move forward as a as an overall community. It's good for the county, it's good for the city, and and vice versa. So, thank you very much. Well, we're excited. Uh this is an opportunity again that will change the future. Matt, anything you'd like to add? Just a couple of items. One, when there's collaboration and cooperation across the board, and and I know um that the county commissioners had concern about the project and annexation. But you know, when clarity is provided that it's super voluntary annexation, that all the property owners are interested in being annexed, you know, it's still America. People have property rights. They make a decision. They work in cooperation with governmental entities. There's a couple of things that we talked about in partnership. And that has to do with a few things. One, transportation networks, drainage activity, and and growth patterns that will result inevitably with this along with hundreds of millions of labor jobs. And it's the job of the elected officials here and in the county to ensure that people from here are the people doing the work. I think that's why this room looks like it does right now. Um another part of that discussion also had to do with

identifying opportunities with revenue to come in a meaningful way that reduces debt, that reduces capital projects, that creates collaboration like the mayor talked about and the council agreed with, not only with the the school city, but also the county. So, you know, on behalf of the economic development group and the redevelopment group, we're looking forward to continued cooperation with the project. We know who your point man is, Bert. I can walk down the street and and and get him when I need to. So, we're looking forward to that. And I know that, you know, everybody's watching with a hopeful eye on this project. So, thanks, Mayor, for your time and council. Thank you to both of you. And I'm just excited that they are supportive of the project. They know what it means financially. So, it'd be easy just to not support the project knowing you're going to receive those funding. But the county council has stood up with us. And that means something to all of us, I think. So, thank you all. Also would like to recognize our officers, the chief, assistant chief. His day never ends, Mr. Ferguson, assistant chief. I know we've had uh issue today. So, thank you. And thank you for keeping us safe. Okay. So, Mr. Cook and I, we thought it's important to make sure the community, if they have questions, talk about this issue, face people in small presentation settings so people can ask questions, feel comfortable uh addressing um concerns, thoughts, uh and we have a presentation we'd like to share. And I'd like just to remind the public, we've had many meetings, whether they're housing up on 39 North, where the majority of the crowd was in opposition.

They didn't jeer. They didn't cheer. They were very professional. Obviously today, we have a more supportive uh group of data center supporters. And we're going to ask the same thing. Do not jeer. Do not cheer. Be respectful to everybody. Uh uh we want to hear everybody's voice. So, with that, I'll begin the I think I'm just going to do it from here if that's okay, Mr. Cook. But as the presentation goes, transforming tech and our future. So, the first question, and we need to change this a little bit, but who does not use data centers? And anybody in the crowd, please raise your hand. Is there anybody that does not use data centers? We don't have one currently. Mr. LaFever, but do you use And again, cell phones, Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Amazon deliveries, which we should probably change that. Uh Outlook, Gmail, Zoom, banking apps, anything. If you are using any of these, you are using a data center because that's where the information flows. Data centers, the first data centers were not produced last week, last year, 5 years ago. The first data center was produced in 1945 at the state at the University of Pennsylvania. And was used to house the US military's um computer. But you see making headlines, misinformation. And Northwest Indiana is in the uh I guess the power bed here of things

going on uh that people are concerned about. You know, I know we had somebody say this is going to dry up Pine Lake. We're going to have power outages, brownouts. Uh noise levels will be ridiculous. That's why we sat every day and tried to have special meetings with the public, businesses, whoever that will listen and actually have conversation with us uh so we can address some of the sensationalized headlines and clickbait that you may see. And you will continue to see tonight. There will be individuals that will come out and say provide misinformation that aren't here tonight. So, with that, we've put together myth busters. And I'd ask Mr. Cook uh to address some of the main myth busters that we've heard about, that all of you have heard about in our community. Yeah, thank you, Mayor. And again, Bert Cook, executive director of LEAP. I have just a handful of slides that I think are tied to most closely to the information that we often hear out in the public that is either, again as Mayor mentioned, misinformation, misunderstood, or just plain myths. And so, want to go through those opportunities and tell you a little bit about each one of those. And then I'm going to turn it over to our colleagues at Microsoft. Specifically, Mike Stockwell. He's going to tell you a little more about the project in particular here in LaPorte and some of the commitments that Microsoft has made. Meredith Liza will will also with community affairs will tell you a little bit more about some of those commitments. And then, of course, we will move on with our public hearing. But, I want to start with the first slide that was just up there, which is surrounds water because I think that is the myth that we hear most often. The myth being data centers will drain our lakes and wells dry. In fact, most modern data centers, including

Microsoft's project here in LaPorte, use closed-loop systems. So, Microsoft will be utilizing city of LaPorte water for restrooms, kitchens, coffee. That is the water they use. By any standard, they are a small water user in the city of LaPorte. They will truck in the water that they use for their closed-loop system and and then truck that out and dispose of it via EPA guidelines. And we have many companies in LaPorte that already use this technology as we sit here today. And I'll let Mike Stockwell can speak a little more to that later on in the presentation. The the next myth area surrounds electricity and the myth being data centers will put a strain on the grid, will cause brownouts, my power bill will go up. Think we've we've had long conversation here recently about NIPSCO and I think you're all familiar with the GenCo model, which is how they are segregating large load users like data centers and making sure that those costs don't spill over into current rate payers. On top of that, probably all have seen the massive investments that data centers make in getting generation and transmission of that power to the site itself. And those investments we all benefit for. That is what results in a more reliable system for all of us. Low-frequency noise will be constant and disruptive. In fact, noise from modern facilities is well below EPA recommendations. At the property line, it's typically 55 decibels, which is similar to that of a household refrigerator. And I've told the story in some of the other meetings that the mayor and I have spoken, went to on a tour and I think I've toured more data centers than than the majority of the population. But, I went on one tour in particular, had an elected official who was convinced that the noise at the property line was going to be incredibly significant. And when we got to these sites, we got out, her first question is, "Why don't I hear anything? Why why

don't I hear any of this noise?" And so, just stress that again, the experience sometimes differs dramatically from the reality of that situation. Myth, diesel generators will pollute our air, data centers will have a negative impact on the environment and area wildlife. In fact, most data centers use diesel generators solely for backup power in the event that power is is knocked out. And the majority of the time, about 15 hours per year or less than 1% of the total operating time is during their testing phases to make sure that that equipment is functioning appropriately. And again, I refer back to this is a common methodology that many of our local manufacturers already use in the city of LaPorte. We hear data centers will be detrimental to our property values. The fact is, often times data centers actually increase property values. I would encourage you don't don't believe me. You can all of this information is readily available in a host of different places and and I would suggest that you take a look at some of those communities that have located one or more data center campuses in the community. And what you'll notice is property values typically increase dramatically. You have a huge amount of new resources that can be put into local infrastructure. And that's roads, that's water and waste water infrastructure. And ultimately, that benefits property values overall. And again, I go back to the same thing. Don't listen to me or anyone else. You can easily look this information up and determine that for yourself. This is the slide that probably gets under my skin the most and it's something that I hear over and over again and it's just not tied to any type of reality. So, I'm going to I'm going to address this in two ways. First is the myth being these facilities don't employ that many people. So, first when we talk about full-time employee employment once the facility is built,

you know, Microsoft's project here in LaPorte, it will create a minimum of 200 high-wage jobs. And we would tell you that that number is likely higher than that, but appreciate that Microsoft is being conservative in their estimates. Those jobs are significant and as the mayor mentioned early on in his comments, these are the tech jobs that we talked about for years and years and years. The second part of this and the part that probably is the the part that really gets under my skin is the construction phase of this project has the potential to change dramatically change many people's lives. So, we're talking about a 5-to-7-year window for construction and we will have thousands of local union tradespeople on the site for the entire time. These are people in our community that live here, that will utilize our grocery stores and our gas stations, put kids in our schools. Um And and I think that the impact of that can't be overlooked. In many of those visits in other communities, that is something that gets highlighted over and over again from experiences elsewhere is that effect on the local community just during that construction phase is so transformative. Just a couple weeks ago, Mayor and I were with Microsoft and our building trades as Microsoft shared with them some of the timelines and things that were going on. I was so appreciative of being able to sit in the room during that conversation. Got to hear just how impactful that is. Had a number of people tell me, you know, often times we're looking at the next 6 months. How do we program work for the next 6 months? When you're looking down the barrel of 5 to 7 years, I think we can all get a clear picture of what that means for many many families in our community. Big corporations are secretive, they hide information, and they don't care about our community. The fact being data centers follow the exact same public planning and permitting process as any other project or company in our community. Microsoft

has been a good partner from the beginning of time. We've worked with them for over 3 years at this point. And at every opportunity, they've shown just the type of partner they are. They address information openly and honestly, have answered questions. Both Mayor and I have referred people who had good questions to them and they've addressed those in in in an efficient way with with fact-based information. And we're incredibly appreciative of that as well. So, my final slide and then I will turn it over to Microsoft here for for their comments. Whether you like it or not, data centers are a part of the technological world that we live in. So much of of what we use relies on cloud storage technology and and data centers. You may have heard President Trump recently talk about how this is a matter of national security. The Midwest is positioned very well to attract this type of development. So, it is going to happen. It is going to be on our national power grid. The only question is if we get the auxiliary benefits that occur with these type of projects. And those are significant when we look at the investments they're making. Coupled with the fact that, as you probably are aware, Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, recently announced that Microsoft would be utilizing no incentives on any of their projects, which is an incredible boon for our community and a huge win for LaPorte, LaPorte County, and and the city of LaPorte as well. So, I will stop there. I'm going to introduce Mike Stockwell. Mike's the land development and permitting project manager. Mike will tell you a little bit about the the specific project here in LaPorte and some of the information that we have at this point. And and then he will turn things over to Meredith and she can tell you a little more from there. Appreciate it. And Meredith, Mike, before we do also want to add and support the carpenters as well who are here. So.

Thank you, Bert. Mayor Germany, council members, and staff for the opportunity to speak here today. Okay, I'll work. So, once again, Mike Stockwell, land development permitting program manager for Microsoft covering this region. I'm also going to introduce Meredith Liza with our community affairs group to to speak a little bit more about our community first initiative. But first, we'd like to kind of go through a little bit about where we're at today and then share some high-level site plans. So, next slide. So, just as we get into discussions today and as we bring up the site plans, this is our general timeline. So, we are here today to talk about the expansion. So, we're on the land acquisition side of things, but in total, we are more looking at the project as a large development going through the local planning permitting process and design. Eventually, we will get to vertical construction. Many of you have seen that early on in our first phase of construction, we have started early land development work, tree clearing, and really prep for the vertical build, which is scheduled to happen later this fall. Uh next slide. So, uh a little bit cut off here on the image, but this is a general rendering of what the total expansion will look like. Uh really bound by US 35 to the west, East 250 to the south, 200 East to the east, and Stevens Road immediately adjacent. Um next slide, please. So, just getting back to this exhibit, really calling out what's first phase versus the expansion. We have the first phase, which is already owned by Microsoft. It's under construction currently, and as we set our sights onto the future to start building that pipeline for future growth for the city, uh what we have here is a general rendering of what could be an additional 11 total data center buildings. We've got six total shown in the first phase with an additional cab building that's a campus amenities building. Uh we have various substations just loosely on here right now. All of this is subject to change as we get into

detailed design, but right now, as we work through the due diligence process, we've been able to kind of narrow some things down. A lot of site constraints as we've seen, so really of the just under 1,300 acre expansion, you know, a lot of it is going to be unusable space. We're dealing with wetlands, a lot of which we are not planning to impact, so we want to work with city and all local review agencies to make sure that that is true. Um we I'll go back, please. Um So, a lot of a lot of concern we've held locally and and dealing you know, and working with the city and the county locally, a lot of concern about Travis Ditch and Shurz Ditch. Uh as we get into design, we fully expect to be working with all the permitting agencies on what is best for the community. Uh we do and will share more information about a future wetland uh installation project, ecosystem remediation project that will help uh with future drainage uh concerns regarding Shurz Ditch and Travis Ditch. Um in general right now, we are working actively with the state, the city, and the county on uh traffic coordination items. As part of our commitment to the expansion, we'll be doing a full traffic impact study in coordination with the city, the county, and uh the state of any recommendations to allow for a project of this magnitude to move forward. At the same time, we're also going to be working with city staff and their various consulting agencies on a plan for uh water and wastewater expansion. Any identified items that will need to be constructed will be paid for 100% by Microsoft. Um a lot of planning to be done yet, so once we get through uh the initial due diligence, we've closed successfully on the property, we'll start design. Future timelines for development will be based on the timelines that we identify for future improvements. Uh additionally to that, we are making a commitment that the land uh state is farmed today will continue to be farmed until we're ready to develop. Um next slide, please.

So, we have a couple conceptual renderings of what the berming and screening may look like. In general, we have a 6 to 8 foot berm generally proposed, filled in with a landscape screening, and then we would have our security fence um and a patrol road. So, that would generally be surrounded by the property uh to provide as much screening as possible. Microsoft would like to be quiet uh neighbors, and that is what we would propose to do here. Uh fully wish would be reviewed and approved by city support staff. Um next slide. And then a general rendering of what the main entrance off of Boyd Boulevard would look like with the screening and the lighter outline of what the data center building would be behind that. At this time, I'd like to introduce Meredith Eliza um from our community affairs to talk further about the infrastructure initiative, and be happy to answer any questions later. Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for your time this this evening. Um my name is Meredith Eliza. I'm the community affairs manager for Microsoft for Indiana. Um just wanted to take a couple moments of uh your time today. Uh Bert had mentioned earlier just briefly an announcement from our president, Brad Smith, that happened back in January. And that announcement essentially set forth Microsoft's promises and commitments to uh communities that it will be building and operating data centers in. And I think it really speaks to some of the most important topics that we've heard not only in this community, but also in the other communities that we've operated or have begun building data center data centers in. So, I'll just kind of go through this pretty swiftly. But, the first one there, I think is in the that position for a good reason. Um what we've heard most often the community is concerned about how data centers might affect electricity prices. And so, as a company, Microsoft has made the commitment that our data centers

will not increase electricity prices. And we're doing that in a couple of different ways. Ensuring that we are paying for the infrastructure that is necessary to um provide the energy. I could If we could please uh be respectful out there with the noise. Thank you. Meredith. Yeah, no, thank you. So, ensuring that we're paying for the infrastructure that's needed to provide that energy um and generation to our development. Working closely with our utility partners to ramp up that capacity and make sure that's available when we need it. And then finally, I think what we also look to do as a company is really just innovate to ensure that we are efficiency um continues to be cutting edge so that we minimize our electricity uses. Oh, sorry, not quite done yet. Thanks. No, that's okay. So, um that second one there is also we've touched on it really briefly today, too, is talking about minimizing our our water use. So, looking at that, that's our promise to um implement that closed-loop water system. So, ensuring that uh we are utilizing water from the utility for our domestic uses and trucking in our water um for outside for that closed-loop system. But, more than that, we also like to invest to replenish or support water sources outside of our project. So, that means investing in uh watershed restoration or wetland projects. Um as I am my colleague, Michael, said, we'll we look forward to sharing more information about our Travis Ditch project and what that restoration looks like. And then, working to create jobs for our resident for your residents, um that's very simply ensuring that we're working with the local unions to provide those um support the jobs for our projects.

We also look to support um via our data center academy. So, that's a project that we find partners with like Ivy Tech, uh the local community school corporation, uh that supports our hiring pipeline by teaching digital skilling needs that then, when we have an operational data center, they can be hired directly from the community to operate in our data center. And then, adding to the local tax base, Microsoft as a company has made the commitment that it would not ask municipalities to reduce their taxes for our for our projects. So, you may remember and we talked about it a little earlier, we initially had a tax agreement, but then um once this commitment was made, we worked very closely with the city to look at how that can be renegotiated to um best support the city at in its needs right now. And then finally, investing in your community through AI training and nonprofits, that's one of the best parts about my role. I get to work with a lot of local nonprofits to that support um uh initiatives that have positive impacts. So, um whether that be United Way or Habitat for Humanity, Microsoft makes a commitment to support um hyper-local needs um through our community investments. And then, and then very briefly, I just wanted to make sure that this was available to everyone, not just you all, but also everyone who's kind of listening or watching. Um part of my role is ensuring that there's someone directly in the community that everyone here can reach out to. So, questions about the project, questions about construction, these are the types of of inquiries or concerns that my role is to really understand those and help respond to those. So, please um feel free to reach out to me with any

questions. The that indianadc@microsoft.com, that goes directly to me. Um and so does that that uh voicemail. So, I'm here as a representative to be in the community and answer those questions, and that's your direct line to me. I would also ask that you visit that um aka.ms/indiana. That how has a lot of information that can be really useful just for data center 101 questions. You can watch a video that um helps walk you through the servers and different equipment that is in a data center. And also has some of our additional information on how we minimize noise, lighting, etc. So, it can be a really useful resource. But, um I wanted to thank you again for your time this evening. Happy to answer questions. Council members, any questions? Thank you, Meredith. Okay, we will begin with the uh public hearing. I will open the public hearing. The public hearing uh is open. We do have comment cards. We will call you up individually. Mr. Otis, rules, regulations. Thank you. First, there's affidavit of publication March 17th, 2026 in the LaPorte County Herald-Dispatch for tonight's public hearing. The Obviously, there are a lot of people here tonight, a lot of people that that wish to make a comment. You'll have 3 minutes to comment. This is not generally a question and answer. Please only speak from the podium. And as the mayor indicated earlier, regardless of what side you're on or how you feel about this, don't cheer or jeer any speakers. So. And as well, language. We I mean, I see by comment card, please be respectful of your language to others that are also in

the room. So, we'll begin that. And please state your name and address for the record. James Baum. James Baum. Welcome. Hey. I am totally 100% against this. I don't like it. You're taking country land from people that have dreams there. You're taking it away and you're putting a Frankenstein box around. And it's just totally crazy and ludicrous. And it's not fair. So, how many people around here really want a data center? I want to see the hands of how many people want a data center. Well, there's more people that don't want a data center. And it's like I put 30 years in here and bought our properties and stuff. And I I didn't buy them to be around a data center. And I got 11-year-old daughter that I got to raise. And it's like this area is going to be polluted and people who have lung problems and stuff and the asthma are going to pay the price. And then other people are going to step on that bridge and have it, too. And plus, this is God's land and we're destroying it. And I would not want to face the end and be a part of destroying a part of this land that we're supposed to preserve and take care of and pass it on from generation to generation until the end of time. So, you know where I'm coming from. You see me many times. I'm not afraid of nothing. And I talk like it is. Thank you.

Mr. Baum, could you state your name and address for the record, please? James Baum, 402 Monroe Street. Thank you. LaPorte, Indiana, 46350. 30 years. Yes. Alicia Foranich. And again, state your name and address for the record. Alicia. Alicia Here she comes. Welcome. Hi there. My name's Alicia Foranich and I live at 1306 Carriage Court in I B Homes. In 2023, Republican State Representative Chris May published an article on the Indiana General Assembly

Alicia, I'm sorry. Could you lower the mic? Thank you. Sure thing. In 2023, Republican State Representative Chris May published an article on the Indiana General Assembly website stating that nearly 100 years ago, 25% of Hoosiers lived on farms and estimated that by 2023, we had already lost more than 800,000 acres in just the last 40 years. In 2022, the American Farmland Trust ranked Indiana 44th in the United States for efficient land use planning and farmland protection. They also cited an analysis that predicts global food demand to increase by 35 to 56% by 2050. Annexing and rezoning agricultural land is giving up our independence and ability to self-sustain and feed our communities and our country. Data prepared by the Community Development and Investment Group at the Northern Trust Company out of Chicago for the Healthcare Foundation of LaPorte indicates that people living below poverty are concentrated in South LaPorte City and Michigan City with approximately 30% of all people living in poverty in the entire county live in the LaPorte area. It should shock no one that the ultra-rich are predatory in nature and choose here to try and exploit us further, hoping that we will be underrepresented, uneducated, or too poor to stand up for ourselves. The American Lung Association says Hoosiers already breathe in some of the most polluted air in the nation. And likewise, the Environmental Integrity Project reports Indiana has the most polluted rivers and streams of any state. Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute did a population health study and in 2019 released data showing that 34 Indiana counties,

including LaPorte County, Stark County, and Lake County had higher cancer death rates than the state's average. Overall, Indiana ranks 11th nationally in cancer deaths. The Midwest region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin holds some of the richest and most productive agricultural lands in the country. These six states are part of the 12 Midwest states in the United States that generate over 10 billion dollars each in agricultural cash receipts. Yet, these six states are among the the most threatened for conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural uses. I have sat in front of this body in these very chambers and watched a man get denied a privacy fence for being too tall for your liking after annexing that same territory in which he lives. I have also witnessed disregard of keeping zoning from light industrial and heavy industrial separate and clearly defined. Alicia, your three three minutes are um Thank you.

Thank you. I just want to wrap up with a a state that labels themselves conservative. I do not see much conserving of our lands, our health, or our livelihoods. And I would like to remind everybody that abortion and the gender-affirming care are super voluntary as well and we still deny those. that. Thank you.

much. Heather Ennis. Please state your name and address for the record. Good evening. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council. Thank you to the LEAP team for their hard work. And most importantly, thank you to Microsoft for their interest in investing in our communities. I'm Heather Ennis. I'm President and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum located at 6100 Southport Road in Portage. These projects bring infrastructure. They bring jobs and they bring future economy to our region and to our communities. We're so very fortunate to have these types of investments that want to come here. As we look at the global economy and the ways that we can remain competitive, these types of investments are critical to driving that future economy. They build out our infrastructure. They support our schools and our communities. They bring well-paying jobs as well as great construction jobs. I strongly support this annexation, super voluntary annexation bid. And really appreciate the fact of the consideration that you're giving. I know that there have been several meetings that have happened with the community. I appreciate Microsoft's willingness to sit down and listen to folks. We, too, have been trying to dispel some of the myth that are out there with NWI Data Facts and that website trying to get the information out there to the public of what's what real water usage, what real energy usage. So, these types of products are going to continue to change the landscape of our region and we appreciate the community's consideration for it. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Dr. Sandra Wood. Good evening. My name is Sandra Wood. I serve as the superintendent of the LaPorte Community School Corporation at 1000 Harrison Street here in LaPorte. I want to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the mayor and city council for the partnership that has they have already made possible for our school district. What has been established will be a true game-changer for the LaPorte Community Schools and for our students. While I'm deeply appreciative of that impact, my comments tonight are focused more broadly on what this moment represents for our entire community. For the better part of the last two decades, our school district has been responding to a pattern of decline. We have seen students and families leave our community in search of opportunities that simply did not exist here. As educators, we have worked hard to meet the needs of those who remain, but we have largely been reacting to the trend rather than and it. This project represents the first real opportunity to shift that trajectory. It signals a willingness to embrace thoughtful growth, to move forward, and to position LaPorte for long-term success. More importantly, it creates the kind of workforce opportunities that have been missing from our community for years. Opportunities that allow our students not only to be educated here, but to envision a future here. When students and families can see a pathway to meaningful, high-quality careers in their own community, it changes decisions. It changes whether they stay. It changes whether families choose to come here to LaPorte in the first place. For the first time in a long time, we have the potential to move from a pattern of losing families to one to attracting them, because we have something to offer that sets LaPorte apart. From a school perspective, that matters deeply. It allows us to build a system here that is more competitive and more desirable, one that reflects the

expectations of a modern workforce and a growing community. Strong schools and strong communities are deeply connected, and this project strengthens both. Progress can bring questions, and those are important, but we have to also consider what it means to continue on the same path we have been on, and whether that serves the future we want for our students. I believe this development allows us to move forward in a meaningful and responsible way. I appreciate you taking into consideration an opportunity that has the potential to truly change the future of LaPorte for generations to come. Thank you. Thank you. Dan Jeffers. And again, please state your name and address for the record. Good evening. Dan Jeffers, 3203 Smith Field Lane, LaPorte. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you guys tonight. I'm a lifelong resident of LaPorte, LaPorte High School graduate, class of 1997, parent of two LaPorte High School graduates recently, a homeowner, taxpayer, and I've had the pleasure of teaching at LaPorte High School for 25 years, and coaching many of those years along the way. And I've served as a negotiating team member on the LaPorte Federation of Teachers for many of those years as well. I'd like to express express my appreciation to the council, the school corporation, and Microsoft for the agreement that they made recently, and share how this is going to be able to help our corporation on many levels. For over 150 years, LaPorte Community School Corporation has functioned with nothing more than the funds allocated to them via local property taxes and tuition support from the state. No referendums, no extra funding. We get what we get. The result of that, however, has been our school corporation doing its best to get by. Minimal facility upgrades for academics or athletics, patching things up that should have been replaced, but we don't have any other option. Add to this the increase in operating costs, negligible increases in tuition

support, Senate Bill 1's property tax reduction that was passed last year, and LaPorte court LaPorte was essentially presented with an insurmountable task of educating our youth without the necessary funds to do so. Our students have been expected to learn at the same pace as their peers from other districts with fewer resources. Quite frankly, the only outcome going forward would have been to continue reducing staff, increasing the burden of those remaining, because we had no other option. In terms of athletic facilities, they pale in comparison to a lot of the other competitors in the Duneland Athletic Conference, if you're familiar. While many of these uh facilities we have may be deemed historic, they're in desperate need of repair, need renovations to allow our students to have an adequate and safe place to compete. Regardless of the sport, there needs that have gone unfulfilled because there just wasn't enough money to do anything about it. And our student athletes are continuously asked to do more than less than any other team, yes, even Michigan City. Unfortunately, in each of these scenarios, it's an unsustainable approach, and it would have continued to cause the kids in our community to lose in the end. While I understand that there are some reservations regarding data centers and annexation, including that as well, this historic and unprecedented agreement is going to provide a shot of adrenaline to LaPorte Community School Corporation, as well as our city, and has the potential to offset any of those losses and then some. It has the power to free up educational funds for the sake of educating our kids, and not paying for operation costs, which have gone up each and every year. It will allow us to open up opportunities never thought possible for our community students, and have access to resources only available here, at LaPorte, potentially. Regardless of whether they're in the classroom, the court, field, or facility, and also have the best teachers and coaches available to instruct them.

Schools are the lifeblood of any community, and LaPorte is no exception. This agreement makes that outcome more possible than ever. I would also like to say that I trust the leadership of our superintendent and our central administration to do right by these funds, and create a school corporation that's second to none in the process. Mr. Jeffers, your 3 minutes is up.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ryan Seaburg. Welcome. Thank you. Uh good evening. My name is Ryan Seaburg. Uh I live at 118 Edgewood Court, and I serve as the president of the LaPorte Community School Board of Trustees. I want to start by thanking Mayor Dermody, the City Council, Bert Cook, the Redevelopment Commission, Microsoft, and everyone involved making this Microsoft project possible. I also want to say this very clearly, the the LaPorte Community Schools are extremely fortunate to have the leadership in the city that we do. There are four other TIF districts in LaPorte, and schools receive little to no funding from them. What makes this situation different is that you chose, not because you had to, but because you believed that it was the right thing to do, to partner with the schools at the highest level allowed by the state. This decision reflects real leadership, and we are truly grateful. Because of this partnership, we now have an opportunity in front of us that met most school districts only dream about. We are committed to using these resources strategically and responsibly to become the best school district in the state of Indiana, with outstanding programs, highly compensated teachers, smaller class sizes, and excellent facilities. Our board, our superintendent, and her leadership team are fully aligned on that mission, and we are ready to do the work to make it happen. I want to briefly address two important points. First, there's been some misinformation regarding the expanded TIF district and the annexed property. To be clear, the school district will benefit from that expansion as part of the agreement with the RDC. This project will have a significant and positive impact on our schools. Second, prior to this project, we were moving

towards a referendum in November to raise property taxes. The state reduced our funding by approximately $1.9 million a year through Senate Bill 1, and without another solution, a referendum would have been necessary to maintain current services. In fact, I recently attended a regional school board meeting, and nearly every district in the area is now considering a referendum. Because of your leadership and this project, LaPorte will not need to go down that path. We will not need to ask our residents for a property tax increase. Instead, this project provides a better solution, one that strengthens our schools without placing additional tax burden on our community. On behalf of the LaPorte Community School Board of Trustees, I want to thank you again, and strongly encourage you to move forward with the proposed annexation. This is a meaningful opportunity for our schools, our city, and most importantly, the children of LaPorte. Thank you. Thank you. Tom Logwood. Tom Logwood. I prefer Goote, but how are you doing? Please state your name and address for the record. Goote Logwood, for all intents and purposes, uh 715 East Jefferson Avenue, LaPorte, Indiana. For this event. Um My central issue is in watching what we've seen up on the screen today. Um it's basic level information. We still have not yet seen anything released outside of the NDA that would make citizens in I know in the first district and and

pleasant happy. Um not even a rendering of the campus. You know, we still, you know, I've asked for the drainage board document. Can't get that, and you know, we're talking about massive level dewatering to start this project. Um waste water treatment plant within less than what, 10th of a mile, that we have to be very delicate with, either with overflows of water or reduction of water. Um last process in waste water treatment is you chlorinate it. That chlorination, this parts per billion build up, and all of a sudden flow to the river, you'll have fish kills. Likewise, it's a real crappy week if you back it up, literally. So, you know, these are things that I would like to know answers to. These are things, and we keep having, I think next Tuesday I got the postcard where we're going to see some more stuff. We can't even get an SDS on what enhanced water is. We know it's going to be glycol. Is it going to be ethylene glycol? Is it going to be propylene glycol? You know, what's the disposal process look like? How often do you have to change it? I've never seen a closed-loop system that doesn't leak, whether it be air or water. What happens if that leaks? Where does it go? What is the watershed? We we don't know any of this. And that's the problem is that there is so little information flowing from this body and Microsoft that how can anybody be in favor of something that looks like where we're rushing in where angels fear to tread. And so and likewise with the taxation, which I will get into and I know there is a memorandum of cooperation in the works. It's the equivalent of a legal pinky swear when it comes to the taxation on these. I was the one banging the drum that it was going to rob school systems. Thank you for listening. Thank you for giving 15% back to the schools

where it belongs. I haven't heard that I have not heard that on the second annexation yet. I haven't heard that commitment from you on this 1,400 acres. But you know, the taxation in my opinion, all due respect Mr. Dermody, you have not been a good partner with the county the last 500,000 that you got for Park Street was questionable at best and you haven't come to the table on this. I believe that the county should gift this property before annex to keep leverage to keep the city at the table and to make sure there's fair distribution of tax taxation on this and to ensure that all members of LaPorte County benefit from it and not just the finite few. Thank you. Thank you. And just to confirm this is your address 715 East Jefferson. I rent a I rent an aspect of my mother's house. Thank you. And I could change my Thank you.

change my registration or anything like that. Jim LaFeaver. How's it going? Welcome. Jim LaFeaver, 1285 East 400 South. Thanks for taking the time and having this. Really appreciate it. You guys answered pretty much everything I had to ask up on the screen. Um pretty informational, no doubt about it. There's a couple questions that I had, but I'm going to call the phone number and see if I can get the answers for that. Um it's like a 1,911 acre campus, give or take a couple acres or so. That's huge. And to have just 200 employees on it, that doesn't sound right. That's 0.1 person per acre. I think a farmer employs more than that per acre, you know. And that should be considered. I mean, is it actually 200 acres for the five? I'm sorry, 200 employees for the 500 the first time or 200 for the whole 1,900 acres? Like I said, you pretty much answered everything else I had. Oh, yeah, the um there's two blocks on that one thing that you had up on there. There's two blocked out parcels. What happens with those people? There's two blocked out parcels. What happens with those people there? And this pretty much only affects like a handful of people that are actually in this building today. I mean, as in a a true neighbor for sure. They're a mile and a half from me. They're a half mile from Casey over here. It's going to be life-changing for a lot of people here for sure, you know. I hope they are truly going to be good neighbors. I mean, that's all I can hope for. Thank you for the time. I appreciate it. Thank you, Jim. Spencer Summers. Good evening. Spencer Summers, 206 Walker Street. Um thank you so much for taking public comment um in the work

that you're doing every day to move our city forward in a positive way. I'm here tonight to express strong support for this investment. This is the kind of opportunities that communities compete for that bring long-term reliable tax revenue and support essential services, grow our city. Creates high-wage job opportunities for residents. It increases activity uh to our local small businesses and helps strengthen our local economy uh during construction when there are thousands of of folks that have jobs there and after. Um it strongly supports the funding and growth of our school district, creating schools that that I would be proud to send my kids to. But just as important, it sets a direction. It continues to signal that our city is open to growth, open to innovation, and serious about creating opportunity for the next generation. Investments like this don't just add value today, they build momentum for our future. I believe this is a smart and forward-thinking investment and I encourage you to support it. Thank you. Thank you. Sharon Nash. Welcome. Sharon Nash, 3003 Monroe Street. Um I just want to follow up on a couple things that were mentioned maybe in more depth. Um for example, the clearing of the land began mid-March. So, at this point um I'm guessing you have exact locations of where the data centers will be placed. There was a brief map up there and I guess to uh diminish fearmongering, I would hope that you would publish uh more of those maps so everyone, city and county, can see them and exactly where everything's going to be. Uh for example, how far off of Highway 35 will they be? How far off of 250 South will they be? Um and so that will be that. Also, uh

during the construction phase, will the equipment, all of the construction equipment, be coming from Highway 35, coming in off of Boyd, coming in off of 250 South? That's something that would be nice to know. And also, again with the uh some of that factual stuff, uh when's the target date for construction to begin on any of the data centers, the first one or the second one under the uh voluntary annex? The last item I would hope that you would address in uh formal publications. It has to do with the um surrounding homes, the property values. Uh they kind of go together with the noise. Um if you go out there and you Google uh the data center noise levels, most of them are way over the 50 decibel level. And he mentioned that they're going to be uh having putting in burns and planting mature trees. And I'm asking you if the decibel level is over 50, will you be putting in acoustical walls to lessen the noise? Because whether it be people on Monroe Street, 250 South, you've got Glendale subdivision, you've got a lot of homes on the highway, um their way of life and their home values should not be diminished or just disregarded um in for progress. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Dave Fagan. David Fagan, 2193

West 84th Place. Uh I happen to serve as one of the five constitutional officers of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. I've had that honor for approximately 20 years. Um I would like to thank the mayor, the council for an opportunity to speak here this evening. I will tell you the first thing I'd like to address, what's it mean to the operating engineers? As you can see, there's a tremendous interest by members of Local 150 who operate heavy equipment. It's about good paying jobs. It's about businesses. It's about supporting their family. It's about having medical care. A medical medical care. This project will allow that to continue for me. But it's not just about the current members. It's about the future members. Last year, just in Indiana, Local 150 brought in over 200 apprentices. Young people who are now going to have good wages, good benefits, and a bright future for various reasons including project such as this. In fact, because of this project, we have opened up our apprenticeship program here in a couple weeks to start taking more applications to bring in more apprentices. And based on projects like this, Local 150 has budgeted over $30 million this year for training. So, we are ready and prepared to do the work the private and the public sector needs at the time of again paying good wages, good benefits our members have, and quite frankly, getting the young people started. But it's not just about the operating engineers. It's about the other trades. It's also about small businesses. You've heard that here tonight. It's going to be a tremendous benefit to small businesses, short-term and long-term.

And as far as I know, it's very this project is very transformational to this city. It's going to be probably one of the biggest projects this city has ever seen and will add tremendous value to the residents. And I might add one final point. What I heard here tonight um meant a lot to me. The fact that the mayor and leadership here in the city are working with our educators and the school system to make sure they have a bright future by having the education they need for jobs such as this that are here and will continue to be here. On behalf of all those reasons I would appreciate and respectfully request that the council support this annexation. Thank you very much for your time. Appreciate it. Thank you, David. Sue Anetsky Please with the cheering. Thank you. She's coming.

[snorts]

Please state your name and address for the record. My name is Sue Anetsky. I live at 101 Belden in here in La Porte. Um first, I find it funny that we're talking about a Microsoft data center when everything on the agenda is talking about annexation. Why are we talking about a data center if you don't even have the the land yet? Um I am here strongly to oppose the east annexation and I want to be absolutely clear from the start moving forward with this proposal while prior annexation commitments remain unfulfilled is not a responsible governance, it is a failure of accountability. Annexation is not just a map change, it's a binding public promise. The city extends its boundaries before and it made commitments tied to infrastructure, services, and and improvements that residents were told they could rely on. Those obligations have not been fully met. And yet tonight instead of correcting that failure, this city or this body is considering expanding those same obligations further for a data center development that brings limited long-term public benefit while placing significant demands on infrastructure, utilities, and land use. This raises a serious question of public trust. How can the city demonstrate that it will fulfill new obligation when it has not fulfilled existing ones? Residents already inside city boundaries are still waiting, waiting on promises, waiting on improvements, waiting on accountability. Those residents didn't agree to become second priority when the city continues to chase new annexation new annexation revenue and development deals. For that matter, residents in the city original city boundary lines didn't

agree to become second priority to the 39 north annex. We're still waiting on city infrastructure and services that are below par. And let's [snorts] be real. Data centers are not traditional job creators. They are infrastructure intensive facilities that are limited that have limited permanent employment and substantial consumption of power and water resources. The long-term public return is often overstated while the burden on utilities is real, immediate, and significant. There is no legal and procedural issue at stake here. When a municipality fails to fulfill prior annexation commitments, it undermines the basis on which future annexations are justified. The public record begins to reflect a pattern, promises made without completion and expansion without accountability. That pattern matters in any rational land use decision. So, I'm asking the council to exercise restraint and responsibility. Do not expand the city's boundaries while you're still in default functionally or practically on prior commitments. Do not approve new development agreements when existing residents are still waiting on benefits they were promised as part of earlier annexations. If the city wants to regain trust, the path the path is simple, finish what you started. Three minutes are up, miss. Thank you. To close, I want to say I am pro-union but against you guys destroying my hometown. Christine Christine Cable Christine Cable

Christine Cable We will move now to Rick Kolinsky. Again, please state your name and address for the record. Good evening, Mayor.

Council, Rick Kolinsky, uh director of public affairs and economic development with NIPSCO. Uh address is 801 86th East Street in Merrillville. Uh first of all, I want to start off by saying I appreciate the vision and um all the work that the city and uh the school city have put in together. Uh the announcement a few weeks ago is just one strong example of good local government collaboration that helps make a community stronger and I applaud you for that. Want to talk a little bit about energy today. There was some good conversation from our folks at Microsoft and also from Bert. But there's a lot of mistruths out there about uh large load and data centers and what that means to NIPSCO customers. When NIPSCO started being approached about three or four years ago uh from data center developers, leadership said that if we're going to serve data centers, we're going to make sure that we do not compromise our reliability and we do not put any of the cost burden on the backs of our customers. That's why we created NIPSCO Generation LLC, commonly known as GenCo. This was created to ensure that power needs of data centers do not impact what everyday customers pay for energy. As electricity demands grow GenCo guarantees that large load users fund full cost of new power and transmission that they require to be served. With GenCo in place, families, small businesses are shielded from the cost increases tied to data center growth. There is no cost shifting, no hidden burden on current customers. Instead, the businesses who drive the new energy demand pay for it. GenCo does does not GenCo doesn't just protect customers, it will deliver real savings. As we serve large load customers, existing NIPSCO customers are expected to receive over a billion dollars in direct credits for the length of service

of the contract. As we build new data center opportunities, that number will increase. This will turn rising demand into real customer benefit. The new capacity built for data centers doesn't just serve those facilities. It strengthens the entire grid making it more reliable, more resilient, and better prepared for the region's long-term energy needs. GenCo will help drive economic growth in northern Indiana. That means thousands of new jobs, millions in tax revenue, and long-term economic momentum all while assuring again you kind of understand the theme here, right? Customers are protected from the utility cost expansion to serve data centers. This is a model where growth will pay for future growth. Large load customers will pay for their use of NIPSCO's existing system reducing costs for current customers and as more large load demand is added, cost savings continue to grow. Bottom line is GenCo is NIPSCO's blueprint for responsible growth in northern Indiana. Protecting customers, strength strengthening the grid, and delivering savings to customers. It ensures that large businesses drive new demand when they drive new demand, they pay for it while homes and businesses will share from those benefits. Growth pays for growth and existing NIPSCO customers win with investments like this. Thank you. Thank you. We do have one other one. I believe it's Joan Moreska John, I'm sorry. John, I apologize. Welcome. Good evening. My name is John Moreska, 0469 East 10th Drive in La Porte, Indiana. And I applaud you all for being here tonight. That proves that uh

excuse me, I'll address you. That proves that everybody is has a bona fide interest in the circumstances that uh are going on here. If I may, I know very little about Indiana law and what I've what I have heard and that is that uh this annexation is pretty much a done deal. And by that I mean that if the land owners uh request being annexed, there's little recourse. I could be all wet on that but uh I feel compelled to state that, okay? Um everybody, as I said, is interested in this, okay? Uh and everything that has been said here tonight, I pretty much agree with because everybody has a valid comment. They're concerned about the circumstances that are going on. Uh schools good schools, funding good schools, funding good jobs, uh well-paid jobs, jobs with uh a future to them, okay? Um a lot of that, I believe, uh old school, a lot of that falls back on government, I think. I think government is obliged to look out for their constituency. Uh I I see uh a lot recently to where maybe that's not ex- exactly true. But, you do have a responsibility. I live in the south southern part of uh well, just off of Highway 35 south of La Porte and 400 south. So, all the information that uh myself and my neighbors have gleaned has been word of mouth about data centers. Okay, there has not been, in my opinion, a true forthcoming about what is actually happening. And a lot of people, I understand, have signed uh intents to sell. Um

I think that if there was an educated populace, and I think an educated populace is very important. Okay? A dumb populace, you can control all you want. Educated populace, that's a different story. Okay? An educated populace, if they knew, let's say, that a big corporation was coming in, maybe they could reap a little bit more benefits on the sale of their property. Okay? I think that's just being forthcoming with the population. Good jobs are important. I'm a retired union electrician, and every day I count my blessings. Those kinds of jobs are going away all the time. Okay? Uh the the folks out front here are organized people, and they understand the value of a good job. I hope that you folks are being forthcoming with us as far as how many jobs will be out there once once the project is up and running, okay? And I hope that you do do not give these folks tax abatements to to put a further burden on the taxpayers that are existing. I think that you folks have a big responsibility to the people that you represent. Okay? And I think that you and I ask, let's say, that you be forthcoming because there are a lot of rumors going on about annexation from 250 down to 500. Okay? Rumors. Now, all the rumors that I've heard so far have come to fruition. Okay? So, if those circumstances are out there, please be forthcoming with the taxpayers, if you would. Thank you very much.

Thank you. I think Miss Annette, that was the last Okay, thank you. So, I'm going to close. I've got a few points that I've written and from some of the statements, obviously this is a new day in La Porte, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community, my hometown, as well. Change is never never easy. We live in a time as a community that if we do not choose to evolve and grow, we will wither on the vine and miss the chance for the opportunity to do what everybody asks when I took this job over, to have an opportunity to bring our children and our grandchildren home. The just say no mantra is easy. [snorts] It's easy to support, and we've seen it here work plenty of times. We have individuals here tonight that have led that charge. But, even back to the casino revenues, La Porte said no. Can we imagine if we would have said yes to a project that was happening, all the daily phone calls to myself, to mayors before, for road reconstruction, sidewalk reconstruction could have and would have been done. We heard again from those same individuals that say no, that we're not doing or don't care about the mental health of individuals or the physical disability individuals

that need help. Yet, when we worked with the school system to turn over the Coke building to provide 16 apartments plus wrap-around services on site, those same individuals that were here tonight and spoke in opposition came to the Coke building and shared opposition. Affordable housing, we all need affordable housing and the mayor, Tom Dermody, doesn't care. So, Craig Phillips leads the charge for Scott Park, or I mean Scott Field, where all we've had and our police officer, our chief is here right now, where half of Scott Field has been nothing but a drug-infested situation that our police have had to deal with. And Craig Phillips turned that around to provide affordable housing in that area, in Washington School, and at Park Street. Yet, the same individuals that are here tonight saying no came to this and said no. Clear Lake, New Port Landing, Fox Park. I sat in the meeting for the school system where those individuals went to the school system public meeting and said, "You can't close Lincoln School." What happened? Lincoln School was closed, and all is well, and I hear so many parents come to us and say that's a good thing. La Porte is better because this council, the school district, have said yes.

All these projects where those individuals just said no, this council said yes, and look at the improvements in our community because of it. We've also heard concerns that farmland south and north will be annexed to data centers. The city, the mayor wants to rule the world. Bert Cook, the top economic development person anywhere, has received calls on a weekly basis from every global tech company around, and we have continued to say no. 39 north south of the airport, we said no. Not the county, the city said no. Despite outright lies by individuals that are running for office right now, that said we're going south of 250, we said no. We as the city said no. Instead, we're focused on multiple partnerships. First, the La Porte school system, providing 15% of revenue for our school system to prepare our children for historic new opportunity for education.

[clears throat]

La Porte County Council, the council recognizes the dollars that will be provided to improve infrastructure maybe without raising a wheel tax. And wait, a government entity not looking to raise tax? Yes, and I give the County Council credit for standing up and supporting that. And Microsoft, a global leader that has shown care and support here in our hometown while asking what they can do to help make La Porte a better place. They're bringing a data center academy to our school system. Plans to improve Travis Ditch, and it was my first tour with the County Drainage Board to learn about the Travis Ditch and that it hasn't been addressed or repaired or improved. I know they said 70 years, but I'm going to go with 50 years. Not to take over, but to help be a good partner and fix all the trees that are still growing in the Travis Ditch and take those out and improve it. And it's not even their problem, but they want to be a part of the solution. And then partnering with nonprofits with all of us as community members to teach tech to improve the computer skills that Mr. Ferguson lacks so he can learn to be a better tech person. I just want to see if he was still paying attention. We do what we say we're going to do. You can't lie to get elected. 39 north infrastructure which was promised by September

of 2027 is still on schedule. It's still happening. As a community, let's not look back where we've said no in the past and say what if. Let's continue the momentum we have. Say yes and be responsible to our residents and improve the lives of our community moving forward. With that, we'll be glad to take questions for Mr. Cook, myself, or Microsoft. Council. Uh Bert, could you clarify there were some follow-up questions regarding jobs and stuff and I know it's not uh 100% it's they're they're estimates right now, but the estimates were phase one that was given and then possibly phase two and it's per buildings. Can you just kind of clarify that since it was questioned? It's a good question and and Jim brought brought up a a fair point. So, um the the effort tonight and it was brought up by a number of people that we're considering the or you all are considering the annexation of this parcel. Uh credit to the mayor and to the Microsoft representatives, their goal is to be as transparent as possible. Frankly, I think attorney Otis would tell you we could come here and just address it as an annexation with no other information, but that doesn't seem right or fair on how to address this and be transparent. So, we asked them to do their best to put as much information as we have today in front of us, you all as a council, and everyone in the public as well. And so they did exactly that. The the number of jobs that are represented are solely for the first phase phase of the project. That is uh the 489 acres that Microsoft currently owns that is under construction as we speak. And uh rough estimate is 50 jobs per building. That's kind of what they've used. Um that number will be refined as if this

annexation moves forward and and the site plan develops as it was shown on the screen, that will number will grow and obviously Microsoft can address that at that point. We just don't have the information right now. So, the last thing that I want to do that they want to do is give some you know give the public a piece of information that we don't have any confidence in as of yet. Um but that will be vetted uh and as the project moves forward. So, is easy answer is the number will grow dramatically if the site plan that you see on the screen for the full build out both parcels uh comes to fruition. And also just to add, the residents deserve because I know this was strictly supposed to be about annexation, but Mr. Cook, all of us have had conversation. The public deserve to hear we knew what the interest was and the request was, so why hide it? This was supposed to be just about annexation, but we believe our resident [snorts] residents deserve to know the facts and the truth. Other comments? Yeah, I have a comment, no question. Bert, you can relax, but um and I I haven't prepared a statement like the mayor, but what I what I do know is that it's clear for school funding and municipal funding, the state is already in the process of cutting what we as a city are getting, what you as a school corporation are getting, and uh doesn't seem to be any help on the way from the state or the federal. So, it's it's pretty clear that it's up to us to carve out our own future and I strongly believe that we will never have an opportunity in front of us like this again. We have an opportunity to change the future of La Porte and the future of our schools. Maybe it's because I have three kids in the school system, but I truly care about the school system. It seems like that has

kind of dwindled away from the state and federal level and I don't get it, but um we're here to help and partner and we're not going to have another shot to better our future like this. I I one more comment. I just want to thank I've had as all of us I think have had numerous conversations with neighbors and interested people asking questions and and uh for against it and by and large everybody has been very uh professional and courteous and uh that's very appreciative from me. I I I've tried to do all of the homework that we can visiting sites and going to all of the the informational meetings and um e- everybody has has had an opinion, but has been uh very uh supportive or uh at least uh professional about it. So, I I appreciate that that we can have these tough discussions uh and make it meaningful. Well, if I may share, the one thing we didn't add is Mr. Cook and I also because we've said no to projects south of 250, it doesn't go unnoticed that we don't share publicly, but we receive calls from individuals south of 250 that we don't know, but who has agreements and tell us how dumb we are, why don't we want to have uh more economic development in the city of La Porte, annex it because we're costing many families uh the sale of their home. Obviously, they're going to make a lot of profit. We individually receive those calls all the time to say we must be the dumbest people around. It's off-putting. I've had some days over the last few weeks where back-to-back meetings, the first group is

uh upset about, you know, potential annexation and what that means for their property. And Jim La Porte, we've had numerous conversations and Jim's been very respectful. I understand his position. But we've had those people and followed up with a family who's in tears because the city is unwilling to annex or complete a project. Um and it's tough to deal with, right? I mean, there's there's no getting around that. Those are difficult discussions and I feel for uh for those people as well. That's just the reality of the situation, but I think I heard numerous times, you know, the comment or question about um you know, transparency or how how can the city better communicate? Think as the city itself, it's it's our job to look at all opportunities and then evaluate those on the the the principles that each and every opportunity brings to the table and in many cases it goes nowhere and as the mayor mentioned, the city may look at it and say this isn't the right opportunity for growth and that happens very very often, but there are implications on all sides when that occurs and um sensitive to that and I understand that uh that that's that's a difficult thing to deal with. We have enough on our plate to do it correctly and we told the residents that. Um the other part of that is I think the reduction in revenue that we receive. In fact, every uh representative Jim Pressel confirmed it with me on the phone, every resident. Now, it may be less of an increase or it may be a reduction, but every homeowner is receiving a $300 on their property tax bill. So, further reductions are happening, yet I will tell you the residents and I think we've set a high standard and a high expectation, but residents mayors before [clears throat] me, the one thing they talk about, sidewalks, roads, get more of them done, get more of them done, and those calls have continued forward and our clerk treasurer, who I call Courtney Partlow and clerk treasurer for life, has just stretched

every penny of road funding that she can and I think we receive a million dollars every other year from the state or We receive a million We have a local match of a million dollars a year. A million and how often do we Microphone, Courtney. How often do we match that? It just depends on what the CCMG grant is. So, for instance, this year the CCMG grant was 1.5 million, so you're pulling into the new year uh our local match funding. And the average road, and I was just working with the contractor today, for a mile costs $150,000. And that's all we receive for

You're way off there. 150,000? For a mile of road construction. I think it's quite a bit more. like a million. yeah. Well, I think It's not 6 million.

I'm I'm sorry. Yeah, but for a yes, I apologize for a mile. I had all my numbers because we were out looking at Boyd Boulevard because people want Boyd Boulevard and Lawrence going to help pay for that from INDOT, but people want Boyd Boulevard and I apologize. Yes, million, but um it's difficult and this we can't to move forward to meet all our residents' needs, we can't rely on government and the taxpayers. And think if we were able to reduce our uh wheel tax and other things because of this revenue. So, Mayor, if I Mr. Otis. Comment. As as um Councilman Buchanan mentioned working with the the Microsoft team, we Bert and I, the whole team, we deal with not just Microsoft, but there's a lot of different entities that have reached out to us. Um there's co-locators, there's big all these different types of of entities, and I'm not naive enough to think that I'm looking here, Microsoft's the 11th largest pop Fortune 500 company in the world. They're they are a for-profit entity, but they have the bandwidth to do this the right way, and like I'm constantly impressed with the follow-up they have about legal questions, about doing things the right way. It always seems like there's a new person emailing me about how do we do this here locally, how do we get before the county for this, how do we get before the city boards for this. Uh you know, you saw the the setbacks that they're proposing, the building of the berms, they've got the financial wherewithal to to do that that I think some of the entities that have reached out to the city may not have. And Bert, I don't know if you want to address that at all, but Yeah, I mean, I think it's a constant evaluation as we went through this process. First of all, we have to we have to learn what it is that we don't know. I think that's the start, but you know, there are a few like

pillars of things that we look at that to me made Microsoft stand alone and above all the other potential projects. Um first and foremost, that is their commitment to being good stewards of our natural resources, specifically our water. I think that's, you know, from my slide deck, that's the first thing we hear most often. So, I mean, I think we checked that box right away. Fact that they're committed uh to uh not utilizing incentives to better benefit uh the our community, that's that's huge. Um I appreciated one of the things that they, you know, were very clear about at the very start of the project was that they there would be a full project labor agreement in place for this deal, meaning we were going to have local union tradespeople on the site from start to finish. That is a incredible uh opportunity for us, and that's something that sets their project apart. And then finally, the the fact that um uh you know, communication is important, and and you've seen them, I know you all have seen them numerous times. They've been here for some of those more difficult conversations. Not every company's that way. We've dealt with others who were unwilling to do that, and so that is something that's unique that sets them apart. So, when you look at all of those things, it becomes very easy very quickly to to choose where we put our resources and what project we want to move forward. And that's the evaluation that the mayor and Nick are referencing, and uh I think we've we've used that and brought the best project forward. Mr. Otis, can you share the process Yes.

that's left? So, tonight uh it we're in the public hearing part uh portion of the meeting. Uh last month, before the uh the council was the the introduction or the the filing of the petition, and that was done on Monday uh March 16th at the council meeting. Uh the the notice was published the following day for tonight's meeting, uh and then uh later will be tonight the introduction of the annexation ordinance. And this is a super voluntary annexation. I think uh one of the one of the commenters asked about the the process. This is all uh owners that are agreeing to be annexed uh as a part of this, and addressing one of the commenters about why we are referencing the end user again. I think that was a decision that was made internally here to be uh forthcoming about the end use. We did not have to do that. Uh the the individual landowners could have just petitioned, uh and then I think you would have been left with why is there's uh 1,300 acres that are being proposed to come into the city without an explanation. I think collectively, the city made a decision that didn't make uh that didn't make sense. So, uh the next meeting will be the um plan commission meeting regarding zoning. Zoning has to be established for each of these parcels when it comes into the city. That will be done on Tuesday, May 12th, plan commission, that will be here uh in these chambers. Uh and then after that will be uh Monday, May 18th, 2026, uh for the second reading of this annexation ordinance and the fiscal plan for this annexation, which is required by statute. Uh after that, then uh this will be published one more time, and then um it it if approved by the council, and it would become effective 30 days after that. Further comments? Also, just uh Microsoft or Bert, if you

want to share the public meeting, public community meeting next week, I believe. I will defer to Meredith

Meredith. Thank you, Mayor. Yes, we are um asking the community to come join us for an open house uh next Tuesday, April 21st. It'll be at the Civic Auditorium from 4:00 p.m. Central to 7:30 p.m. So, we'll have um additional subject matter experts from the Microsoft team be able to answer some more in-depth questions for those who want to know about noise mitigation. We'll have the um site designs that we showed uh here today as well available for closer inspection. We'll also make those available online following the open house. And this will be not a

[snorts]

Q&A, but tables will be set up all different departments. Correct. We'll have different stations again with those Microsoft subject matter experts um who can answer questions about the closed loop system. I'll be there to talk about our community investments, what we've done in other communities. But yeah, residents will be able to visit all of those stations or just the ones that interest them and have one-on-one conversations. That's the key, one-on-one. Yeah. Okay, thank you. Further comments? J- just a comment in closing. I appreciate what everybody said. Whether you're for or against it, the public comment to come up and express your concerns is certainly huge and definitely well appreciated. Um with Council President Frankie said, the mayor, collectively Bert, the effort and community engagement and support from Microsoft, I think is uh something to be commended and again, once-in-a-lifetime. Out of respect for everybody's time, I'll keep this brief, but I just want to reiterate one thing that uh school board president Siebert brought up, a referendum. I can tell you I have conversations with folks all the time in regards to taxes and then a proposed referendums. Um you hear all the time, "Well, my kids are out of school, I don't care about that." They don't necessarily see the big picture or they lived that part of life already, and that's gone. So, the fact that the school corporation doesn't have to put something on the ballot, that we're getting support from a true community partner, um so, I I don't know if it's shame on me for blindly believing in the mission and what Microsoft says they're going to do, and I truly believe that they will do. This is just a huge opportunity not to pit the community against one another yet one more time. I just am very appreciative of the opportunity and how potentially how well how this will shape the port. So, I appreciate everybody coming out tonight, whether in support or just to voice your opinion. Thank you. I do I want to address one other thing, not that I think it necessarily matters, but let's do it anyway. Um I've seen it online,

and I heard a couple of our citizens against virtually everything mention it tonight, NDAs. Um I have not signed one. I'm not going to speak for the rest of the council, but um my guess is they have not either. There's no uh secrecy here. If you want to ask me something, ask me. I'll probably tell you no when we get into the finer I don't know when we get into the finer details because I don't. But um I'll try to find answers if I don't know it, and sometimes there might not be an answer because it's early at in the project, and um you know, you figure out things as you go, but um we are not hiding behind secrecy. Further? What we'll do is we will take a 5-minute intermission if we can. Uh allow the public, anybody that would not like to have to stick around for the remaining portion of the meeting, we encourage. If you'd like to leave, uh please welcome. Uh you're welcome to do so, and uh just appreciate everybody's time uh this evening, and have a great night. Thank you.

Mhm.

We will now move on to item number nine, introduction of an ordinance amending ordinance. We sought to introduce the Now, Oh, I'm sorry. I missed that. Number eight. Introduction of an ordinance of the common council. Your honor, I President Frankie. Your honor, I move to introduce an ordinance read for its first time in entirety minus the legal description of the land. Second. A motion and a second, discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Council President Frankie. There's literally 30 pages of legal description, so let's not read that. An ordinance of the common council of the city of La Porte, Indiana, annexing to and bringing within the city limits of La Porte, Indiana, and amending the zoning ordinance for property located in Pleasant Township contiguous herewith. Name of petition, East Annexation. Annexation area, the land is generally generally located in the western half of Pleasant Township east of US 35 south of East State Road 4 and north of East 300 South, more accurately identified by parcel in the table below and more particularly described in Section 1. Statement of purpose and intent, a petition for voluntary annexation and for the zoning of a total of 1,280.845 plus or minus acres located in Pleasant Township, La Porte County has been filed by all owners of the land in the territory sought to be annexed and zoned. It is the intent and purpose of this ordinance to annex this territory to the city of La Porte, Indiana and to establish a zoning district for this territory. Now, therefore, be it ordained by the common council of the city of La Porte,

Indiana, as follows. Section 1, the parcel of real estate described in Exhibit A, situated in La Porte County, Indiana, being contiguous by more than 1/8 of its aggregate external boundaries with the present boundaries of the city of La Porte, Indiana, shall be and hereby are annexed to and brought within the city of La Porte. Section 2, that the boundaries of the city of La Porte, Indiana, shall be and are hereby declared to be extended so as to include the real estate of the parcels described in Exhibit A as a part of the city of La Porte, Indiana. Section 3, Ordinance number 13-2017 as amended, which ordinance is commonly known as the zoning ordinance of the city of La Porte, Indiana be and the same hereby is amended in order that the zoning classification of the real estate described in Exhibit B, with the exception of all adjacent right-of-way in the city of La Porte, La Porte County, State of Indiana, be and the same is hereby established as M1 light industrial with the exception of the following parcels, parcel ID 46-11-07-400-011.00-057, parcel ID 46-11-08-200-001.000-057. Provided, however, that the required, established, and stated procedures for reviewing for review of such zoning classification by the area plan commission have been fully satisfied. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect 30 days from and after its passage by the common council, approval by the mayor, and legal publication. End of ordinance. Mr. Cook or Mr. Otis, anything you'd like to add?

Uh again, uh the next steps after tonight's meeting are the plan commission meeting on May 12th. Uh anytime there's an annexation of property into the city, zoning has to be established for those parcels. That plan commission uh is the first step in that process. The request is that uh the land come in uh and be established as a zoning M1 light industrial district except for portions of the two parcels identified, which would remain uh agricultural. Comments? This will now move to the

May 18th. May 18th meeting. Yep. And again, there'll be a fiscal plan that will be presented at that meeting. Uh Baker Tilly has been retained by What? Uh sorry, on May 4th uh that will be presented. Thank you, Mr. Phillips. Other comments? Hearing none, item nine, introduction of an ordinance. Your honor,

Councilwoman Ficus. Your honor, I move to introduce an ordinance read for the first time in its entirety. Second. Motion and a second, discussion. All in favor? Aye. Councilwoman Ficus. An ordinance amending Ordinance number 16-2025 and Ordinance number 23-2025 fixing salaries of appointed officers and employees of the city of La Porte, Indiana for the year 2026 for the engineering and code enforcement departments. Now, therefore, be it and it is hereby ordained by the common council of the city of La Porte, Indiana, that Section 1, Ordinance number 16-2025 and Ordinance number 23-2025 of the city of La Porte, Indiana, adopted by the common council on October 20th, 2025 and December 15th, 2025 is hereby amended to remove the following positions. Engineering Department, building inspector. $60,639 annually. Housing and building code enforcement, part-time building inspector, $20 an hour. Section 2, Ordinance number 16-2025 and Ordinance number 23-2025 of the city of La Porte, Indiana, adopted by the common council on October 20th, 2025 and December 15th, 2025 is hereby amended to add the following position. Housing and building code enforcement, part-time building inspector, $25 an hour. Section 3, in all other regards, Ordinance number 16-2025 and Ordinance number 23-2025 shall be unchanged. Section 4, this ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon its passage, approval by the mayor, and publication as required by law. End of ordinance. Clerk-Treasurer, anything you'd like to add?

It's just changing the building inspector from engineering to code. Um it's just staffing changes, so cleaning up the salary ordinance. Comments? Hearing none, this will follow up next Monday, April 20th. You can read the next one by title only. Introduction of a resolution. [laughter]

Councilman Buchanan, I think he prefers to read the entire thing. I do not. Uh I make a motion to read a resolution by title only for the first and only time. Second. Motion and a second, discussion. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Councilman Buchanan. Resolution of the common council of La Porte, Indiana, approving application for a municipal riverfront beer, wine, and liquor alcohol permit filed by 910 Entertainment LLC. This is the uh firehouse uh old firehouse property that And this is something that can pass this evening, uh Mr. Otis? Uh Mr. Cook is going to be

I'm sorry, Mr. Cook, too. Uh, I say my name again if you forgot. Uh, Bert Cook, executive director of the LaPorte Economic Advancement Partnership. Uh, so want to start by saying uh, Dudley Bieler's with me. I'm going to be quiet in a minute and he'll come up here. I appreciate Dudley was here for the entirety of the meeting and so uh, he is a saint and I appreciate his his patience. As Councilman Buchanan um, represented, uh, this is the firehouse property 910 State Street. Um, I don't know, I think most of you probably have had the opportunity to uh, to uh, enter that space and see the uh, tremendous redevelopment that's occurred there. Uh, Dudley and his team did a great job of taking a building that was frankly a liability. Uh, they bid on it through our processes and ultimately made it into a really cool co-working space on the second floor and then they have an event space on the first floor. We were we had a we were able to host an event over there not too long ago for final four and it was just so cool to see people in there and what he's done with it. It really is a great asset and in following in that vision, um, the next step is to secure the liquor license so they can, you know, formally use it in that in sort of the way that that I've described and um, and so as as you all know cuz we've done these before, goes in front of the uh, riverfront um, committee uh, and they make a recommendation to the council, you all react to that and and then if uh, favorable it goes on to the ATC for uh, you know, that final approval and uh, Dudley has has done all of those steps and so we were in front of the riverfront um, committee just a few weeks ago and now uh, obviously here with you at the council. So I'll stop and he can tell you a little bit more about what he's done with the building and then why the liquor license is important and uh, we can go from there. Mr. Bieler and thank you for your invest- investment and your commitment because if any of you when you started your term walked into that fire station building

uh, before it went to Mr. Bieler, boy, you'd have been nervous. So thank you. Thank you. Some surprised everybody left. I thought they were here for this part of it. State your name and address for the record. [clears throat]

Dudley Bieler, 910 State Street, uh, the old firehouse. Uh, thank you for the time. Um, as Bert uh, it it mentioned, uh, I've taken that space, the second floor, uh, we've converted to what we're calling business suites. Uh, right now we have tenants ranging anywhere from um, psychologists, photographers, um, uh, software consultants, real estate investors. So we kind of have a broad mix and it's very intentional why we call them suites to be more appealing across the different uh, different types of tenants we have. On the first floor space, uh, we have an event [clears throat] space that can be rented out privately. Um, we uh, we had the LEAP business social uh, there uh, couple months ago. Uh, Bert had mentioned we had a March Madness open house. Um, we've had interest everywhere from uh, wedding showers to birthday parties to retirement parties to nonprofits. Uh, and we are booking in that space out uh, for that. Uh, we also intend to hold uh, live events there whether that be entertainment. We some of you have seen in the back on the patio, we built a stage on a vintage 1950s fire truck um, where we'll be able [clears throat] to host uh, bands or or comedy and a kind of an assortment of things and the application for the liquor license why I'm here in front of you is just to maximize you know, better maximize the space and and uh, to recoup the significant investment that that I've made in it. But the you know, the liquor is is part of the story. It's not the whole story here. Uh, as you mentioned with um, the office spaces and then the event space being used for private and and and public use. Comments? Questions? I'm I'm disappointed your shirt doesn't say truck, yeah. Um, you know, you missed an opportunity there. But I mentioned the fire truck. Come on, it's been a long night. Um, anyway,

I I sit on that uh, riverfront board along with Chief Dragmiser and Brian Chalik who were here. I think they left. Um, but we we did vote and pass it unanimously. You all have the packet Mr. uh, Bieler submitted and uh, I thought it was very thorough and thoughtful and um, seems like a great plan to me. Motion to approve. Second. Motion and a second. I'd also like to say the March Madness event was great to show everything off and it was just saddened that uh, IU basketball game for March Madness couldn't have been played at the same time we were all there. So I do have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Opposed, motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. Third amendment to development agreement. Councilwoman West.

Your Honor, I move to Your Honor, I move to present a third amendment to the development agreement that was approved with the City of LaPorte and Park Street Community LLC, I believe back in 2023. Second. Motion and a second. Discussion? All in favor? Aye. Opposed, Councilwoman West. Third amendment to development agreement. This third amend- amendment to the development agreement is made and entered into as of the 13th day of April of 2026 by and between the City of LaPorte and the Park Street Community LLC. City and developer may here and after be referred to individually as a party or collectively as the parties. Whereas city and developer previously entered into that certain development agreement which was effective as of December 5th of 2023 and whereas on April 4th, 2024 city and developer thereafter entered into that certain first agreement or amendment to develop agreement whereby the parties agreed to amend certain provisions of the development agreement. And whereas on May 7th of 2025 city and developer thereafter entered into that certain second amendment to development agreement whereby the parties agreed to amend certain provisions of the development agreement. And whereas during the course of the development and construction of the project, city and developer have agreed to a certain additional amendment to the development agreement as previously amended. And whereas pursuant to section 15.8 of the development agreement, the development agreement may only be amended in the right in writing executed by city and developer. And whereas city and developer desire to amend the development agreement as set forth herein. Now therefore in consideration of the promises and covenants set forth herein and other good consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby

acknowledged, the parties hereto agree that the development agreement shall be amended as follows. One, section 3.0 as amended is further amended to include the clarification and agreement that the definition of a unit shall mean a single townhome, a single family home and or two single family apartments. All other terms and conditions of the development agreement as previously amended shall remain unchanged and in effect. This third amendment is hereby incorporated into the development agreement as previously amended as if fully and completely set forth therein. In witness whereof the parties hereto have caused this third amendment to development agreement to be duly executed under the seal the day and year first written above. End of proposed amendment. Mr. Cook. This this is my last item. I promise I will not come back up to the microphone. Uh, this one's fairly simple. Uh, so it is an third amendment to this development agreement. Really all we're referring to is section 3.0. When we started this project, if you remember back that far, uh, they only contemplated building single family homes and townhomes and so we defined those as units. They've since amended that site plan. You have a couple apartment buildings that are getting ready to be finished and and opened. And so they have certain requirements or performance items that they have to meet in terms of um, what they build, how many units they build per year. And so we have to define what a unit is when it comes to the apartment buildings um, because uh, that was went undefined in the original agreement and so that's what we're doing. So two apartments equals one unit as that pertains to a single family home or a townhome. So that's the amendment that you are looking at today. Can this be passed this evening? Yep. Do I have a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Comments? I just out of curiosity, what is a a

single town single townhome? Like a collection of four? One of the yeah, one of the units within a collection. Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Mhm. I answered your question right? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Questions? Truck, yeah. [laughter] I apologize. All in favor? Comment.

Aye. Aye. Opposed, motion passes. Thank you. Introduction of a resolution. Councilman Galloway. Your Honor, I'd like to introduce a resolution and read it for the one and only time. Second. Motion and a second. Discussion? All in favor? Aye. Opposed, Councilman Galloway. Resolution to transfer funds within the 2026 budgets. Whereas there are additional monies needed in certain line items in the 2026 budgets in order to pay for essential services and obligations. Now therefore be it and it is hereby resolved by the common council of City of LaPorte, Indiana that the following transfers be made within the following budgets for the year 2026. MVH restricted 2203-524 from 451.015 CCMG paving local match to 2431-524-431 local road and bridge 123,000. Surtax fund 2249-524 from 421 CCMG paving local match to 2431-524-431 road and bridge. Matching grant fund for paving $138,000. That's it. This is a resolution that can pass this evening. Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Comments. Clerk-treasurer. It's just moving local match dollars to the um CCMG fund. Is all it's doing. Further comments? All in favor? I.

I. Opposed? Motion passes. One- and two-year-old checks, it's that time of year. We just need council approval for the list that's in front of you. I don't think I need to read them. We have um several We've really dwindled this down quite a bit. So, we have several uh depending on who the payee is, we either have to the state statute requires us to um present a list of these checks to council. Once approved, um some of them will go on unclaimed property. Um others will go right back into the fund. Motion to approve. I We need a motion, yes. Motion and a second. Comments. Thanks, Courtney. Yeah, you bet. What I I just have one question. What's blanket vendor? That's our um we are self-insured, so that's probably insurance claims that have gone out that haven't been cashed. So, we've either probably already replaced the check or um gotten a new bill or it just was never cashed. So, we don't put names on there cuz it We don't know the names. It comes in as a just an insurance claim. Thanks. All in favor? I.

I. Opposed? Motion passes. 2025 TIF management report that uh you'll have an opportunity to read at your own leisure. Mr. Phillips, great job on this. Thank you. Good evening. I'll be brief. Um you have the report in your packet. I'm not going to go through all these numbers uh and it lists the individuals on the commission as required. So, we're required to present to you the annual report uh every year before April 15th, which is uploaded to Gateway. So, for those in the public, they have the ac- they have the right to access the uh report through the Gateway system, the transparency portal available to them. Uh I just wanted to highlight redevelopment commission has again been very busy within the last year. Um just a few highlights. So, in in TIF 1, um we welcomed several new developments within the Newport Landing area including Chipotle. Work continues on the uh Grand Heritage Credit Union, and we are currently um anticipating the breaking ground of the Pin Fusion project soon. So, work had been done in 2025 to make it possible to do that. In TIF 2, the biggest thing we worked on the and we're very excited about is uh going to be breaking ground very soon within the next month um on the uh $5 million stormwater um improvement project along Boyd Boulevard to greatly uh enhance and increase the size of the regional stormwater facility alongside uh Boyd Boulevard um serving several of the businesses in that area and allowing the expansion of some of our um employers including uh American Railcar. We're excited about that. And then um TIF 3 and 4, not a lot of activity um in those two TIFs uh in the past year. In 39 North uh TIF 5 as it's referred to, um contrary to statements that were made, work continues very diligently on the preparations for meeting the goals that we have set for the infrastructure improvements in 39 North. Um we're

Which is September of 2027.

with our financial advisors to determine the final steps necessary to carry out the um funding necessary for that project as we speak, and that'll be We'll be executing on that very soon. Um so, we are honoring our our commitments as we did also with our with our partners at Arco Properties to open that facility recently for the Bella Largo uh assisted living. So, we do honor our our commitments. Um in TIF 6, uh obviously based on tonight's meeting, it's pretty clear that we've been pretty actively involved in negotiations and the preparations for the Microsoft project. So, that kind of wraps it up. I'm happy to answer any questions that you have. Um we're busy. We continue to be busy, so Comments. Thanks for all your work, Craig. Yes, thank you. Yeah. I think since we're honoring our commitments, we might take on more and make you more busy. I think you'd probably argue that point.

so Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Phillips.

Thank you. Other business. Uh today was opening day for road paving, and uh Tucker King uh as well as Jamie Novak and previously to Nick Minnick. Uh as you saw, I think one of the biggest areas, Wellauer Ave, back at uh Second Street is finally being done, and you've got some other projects that are happening right away. So, I think people will be pleased about that. Number two, I think you've all received calls like I have about trains blocking crossings. We've had a uh a flurry of trains blocking, and again, we don't have the authority to do anything. We don't have the authority to fine. We contact Norfolk Southern, let them know. We've encouraged and expect hopefully that they would, when they're blocking, and it could be several things. It could be uh adding more cars to the trains, so they're saving trying to save funding. Whatever it might be, we've just ask asked them if they're going to stop break the train. Break the train at at least one crossing, and uh so, we don't want to wait till something uh bad happens um where uh 911 officer, fire can't get across. Did they agree to that? They're trying. And again, we're talking to Indianapolis for trains that could be coming so, they have to track down from wherever why they're down, and I had another one today. And so, it just seems of a flurry over the last 2 weeks. And when we have as much infrastructure work going on at Orchard, I think it's Orchard, you know, by Lions Field or the other side, people can't maneuver and have an option. So, um

with that Motion to adjourn. Second. All in favor? I. I. Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you to everybody for to-