First order of business Monday night at the March 24th Valpo City Council meeting was Resolution No. 3 2025, a resolution recommending issuance of a downtown liquor license to Cafe Farina. The husband and wife owners were there to speak about their other locations and to answer questions from council members. The resolution passed unanimously with enthusiasm for the new restaurant downtown. They will be moving into 55 S. Franklin, where MixTape and Ricochet Tacos had been. They expect 30 employees and to be open by June, operating seven days a week.
Next on the agenda was Robert Cotton’s Ordinance No. 6, an ordinance establishing responsible business practice requirements for projects seeking economic tax incentives from the city of Valparaiso. Councilman Cotton (D) has been pushing for such an ordinance going back several years and finally had his work come to fruition with a 4 to 2 vote establishing this as a Valparaiso City ordinance. There was still pushback from Mayor Costas (R) and several council members to this ordinance but there were some amendments presented with the final version to council that got it ready to vote on.
The most significant changes to this ordinance were amendments raising the value threshold for a project to qualify from 150,000$ to 350,000$ along with a front end exemption option addressing concerns from smaller local contractors. Mayor Costas (R) said he would veto the ordinance if it were passed in its original form, and while it passed with amendments and wasn’t immediately vetoed the Mayor still has ten days to do so if he chooses.
Mayor Costas did say it was a better ordinance than when it started but still expressed concerns that Valpo is the largest community that an ordinance like this is being tested in, citing only three other communities with such an ordinance, saying “That’s the concern, it’s not so much of what we want, we all want the same things, we all want lots of jobs, we want those jobs to be local. But again we don’t know how investors will respond to this, it’s a bold move, it’s a new move, it’s untested at this point. And our concern is those that have been involved with investors for many many years is that it could very well discourage them from taking on projects here. And if that happens everybody loses, okay. So it’s really not a matter of what we want, it’s a matter of what we think will happen because of this, and that is the crux of the matter, because we all want the same thing”
Under other business the Planning and Engineering Departments presented Valpo’s ADA transition plan. This is a federally required plan to make sure our city is making progress in accessibility requirements to government buildings and on all public sidewalks and crosswalks. The engineering department is in the process of collecting data on all of Valparaiso’s sidewalks and crosswalks by having staff walk and note the conditions of all sidewalks and crosswalks in Valpo. They have collected data on nearly half of our city’s sidewalks so far, rating them and noting where improvements are needed. All of this data is available on our city’s webpage.
MORE RELATED ARTICLES . . .
Las Mamacitas To Provide Catering During the Holidays in Northwest Indiana
Las Mamacitas Food Truck is always on the move! We specialize in providing the most delicious and authentic homemade, award winning, Mexican food in the Porter County Area. Las Mamacitas services Porter and Lake Counties as well as Laporte and Michigan City, Chicago and Michigan. Their food truck, affectionately named “Esmeralda,”…
Valparaiso City Council meeting attended by NWI Activist protesters
There was a full house Monday September 8th at the city council chambers where dozens of people showed up largely in response to an online Post-Tribune article shared by the Chicago Tribune. The article titled, “Tensions heating up at Valparaiso protests; NWI Activists seek ‘separate but equal’ spaces,” which goes on to explain,…
Valparaiso Democratic Council Seeks Control Over Human Rights Council
The July 14th, 2025 Valparaiso city council began with recognition for the 2025 city Government Academy graduates. Valpo city government academy is a free seven week, once weekly course the city offers to residents. The meetings take place at various places around town like the police station, fire department, and waste water management…
Valparaiso Painters Excel as Finishers with Strong Family Values
The Finishers of Valpo is a trusted and established painting company proudly serving Northwest Indiana for over 10 years. With a decade of experience under their belt, they have built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality interior and exterior painting services, cabinet refinishing, drywall repair, and more. Their work stands out for its attention to…
Get Your Fixes at the “Fix It Fair” Valpo Library, June 14th
Get stuff repaired at the next FIX IT FAIR to be held at Valparaiso Public Library on Saturday June 14th, 2025. If you’ve got an odd or an end around the house in need of repair—a small appliance, say, or a cherished piece of jewelry—plan on attending the next Fix-It Fair, from 10 a.m. to…
Public Discussion On Porter County Data Centers Has Been “Delayed”
See below a recent Press Release was just submitted regarding the Porter County Data Centers, that was supposed to have been on the agenda of the March 26th Planning Commission meeting, but has been “delayed.” The Porter County Planning Department (PCPD) had considered having a Data Center developer who has recently…
Data Center Opposition Dominates Valpo City Council & Data Center Pulls Out
Valpo City council chambers were at capacity last night March 10th, 2025 with citizens standing along walls and filling the hallway viewing area out to the main entrance. The doors to City Halls were locked until just after a quarter till, the posted time of chambers opening before meetings. People lined the sidewalks…
City of Valparaiso Makes Statement About the Controversial Data Center Development
There is a significant amount of misinformation being shared over the last few days as to the potential construction of a data center in Valparaiso. The City issued this statement to provide accurate information and dispel some of the more egregious rumors being circulated. To start, there is…
Valpo’s Democratic Council & Republican Mayor Clash
There was above average attendance at the council meeting Monday night, February 24th, 2025. The resolutions and ordinances were taken out of order due to there being two competing pieces of municipal legislation that were presented last, together for comment. The first order of business was an ordinance brought by the…
Valparaiso City Council “Schooled” by School Board President
What started out as a normal first month of the year city council meeting where three ordinances were passed appropriating different funds for the new year quickly turned into a continuation of the debate about residency of the school board president. This all began at the most recent school board meeting,…
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
