The council chambers were full to capacity at the August 10th 2026 city council meeting. There were even some family members watching from the hallway as the meeting began with the swearing-in ceremony for the Mayor’s Youth Council. There was one resolution and 6 ordinances on the agenda for the evening so the meeting went for just under three hours.
The Mayor’s Youth Council began in 2021 under Mayor Murphy and is an opportunity for Valpo eleventh graders to develop their knowledge of local government and their leadership skills. 21 students participated this year and swore to “Use this opportunity to learn and listen, to become a better citizen and role model…”. This was the largest youth council swearing in ceremony to date.
Next was city engineer Max Rehlander presenting the newly adopted Safety Action Plan for Valparaiso. The city along with a consulting group developed a plan that would “increase safety amongst the city streets.” Several workshops and public input sessions went into this plan’s development. The plan is not a construction plan for road improvements but a resource that will be consulted whenever a road area is being worked on for ways of improvement. This plan is in alignment with Vision Zero, a movement to end traffic fatalities on our streets.
The only resolution and first two ordinances on the agenda dealt with annexation and rezoning of 72 acres located at the southeast corner of C.R. 250 West and C.R. 500 North. This was Resolution No. 8, 2026 and Ordinance No. 17 & 18, 2026 and will be for residential development. The resolution dealt with the fiscal plan for the annexation, basically showing investing in the infrastructure would pay off once development was through and passed 6-0. Ordinance 17 was the annexation and 18 was the rezoning. Both of these were carried to the next meeting for second reading and final vote.
Next was city engineering with Ordinance No. 14, 2026 to amend the Unified Development Ordinance concerning floodplains. Engineering had been working on this for several years and was brought about by a change in federal regulations. The changes add building requirements for anyone working within a floodplain. This ordinance was carried to the next meeting for second reading and final vote. City engineering was up again with Ordinance No. 15, 2026 up for second reading and final vote. This ordinance appropriates extra funds from the state into our road budget. The ordinance passed 6-0.
Finally the data center moratorium, Ordinance No.19, 2026 was up for second reading and final vote. There was some discussion over the first draft of this ordinance being published on the agenda link which had an end date for the ordinance. The revised ordinance did not have an end date and would terminate once the city redoes its Unified Development Ordinance to include restrictions on data centers. The city attorney said this mistake would not exclude the council voting this evening on the ordinance. It passed 6-0 with bipartisan support.
The final item on the agenda was Ordinance No. 19, 2026. This ordinance prepared by council members Robert Cotton and Barb Domer amends the municipal code concerning prevention of certain contractor fraud. This ordinance was tabled by Cotton as he works out some of the legal aspects to its details. Mayor Costas gave some pushback on the ordinance saying it oversteps the role of council as an investigative body. Enforcement of municipal code is carried out by the executive branch.
From Council Liaison reports First Responder Appreciation Day will be held at the MAC Center campus September 19th from 9am to 1pm with demonstrations from police and fire along with food vendors and activities for the family. School is back in session August 12th so slow down in those school zones. There were multiple public comments during the public comment section of the council meeting. One gentleman expressed concerns about the Valpo HRC being more of an activist organization than an advisory body. A woman expressed concerns about open burning of yard waste in Valparaiso stating there are codes which prohibit this and suggesting public education about fire safety and municipal codes would be beneficial. A gentleman expressed concerns about the new interfaith institute being built by the university, quoting a Chicago Tribune article saying it will be a place for Muslims to pray with a 75 foot tower calling them to prayer 5 times a day. Finally a gentleman spoke about the antisemitism he is experiencing in conjunction with his family’s lawsuit against the Valpo School Department.
In other council new Councilman Peter Anderson will step down as councilman of Valparaiso’s 5th District. Anderson said he will no longer be able to serve his constituents fairly and give his family and business the attention required. This is Councilman Anderson’s second term on council. The next city council meeting is August 24th 2026 at City Hall 6pm.
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