Valparaiso’s July 13th 2026 city council meeting Monday night began with recognizing the 2026 City Government Academy graduates. This program runs every year and is usually 8 weeks long, meeting every Wednesday for two hours. Each week a different department of our local government is explored and explained. Since its beginning over 200 residents have completed the educational class and this year’s class was full. There was one resolution and two ordinances before council on the agenda and the meeting went for just over an hour and a half.
Resolution No. 7, 2026 was first up and concerned transferring funds within the general fund to cover the new city attorney. Valpo’s new Attorney Svetanoff, instead of filling the old salaried position, is billing the city hourly for work done. Because of this, money must be moved from salary to professional services. Council Members Hunt and Domer discussed with Clerk Treasurer Taylor and Mayor Costas their concern that we are paying more now with attorney
Svetanoff’s invoices averaging 13,000$ a month which equals more than the previous attorney’s salary. Treasurer Taylor explained that the city’s budgeted salary for legal services was for an attorney and a paralegal, who both resigned, and when you combine their salaries we are paying out less now. This resolution passed 7 – 0.
Back after being tabled several council meetings ago was Ordinance No. 11, 2026. This ordinance lays out regulations for electric bicycles and motorized electric devices within city limits with specific regulations for the downtown area. The initial reading, according to Councilman Anderson, was to initiate a conversation on the subject rather than introduce a finished ordinance. There have been conversations with Valpo Police, the Parks Department and over 250 submissions on an online survey that went into redrafting this ordinance. There were still some discussion points around defining the area called downtown, enforcement, and bike classification.
The main push behind this ordinance is to keep Valparaiso’s sidewalks safe for walking pedestrians while electric bicycles become more prevalent. It seems that enforcement will mainly focus on behavior and unsafe speed around others rather than bike classification. E-bikes are put into three classifications in the ordinance based on top speed. Class 1 and 2 are allowed everywhere, class 3 is prohibited on sidewalks and shared use pathways and allowed on roadways. Electric personal mobility devices, which include scooters, mobility assistance devices, and everything not a bike are allowed everywhere but roadways. E-moto bikes, basically an electric dirt bike, are prohibited everywhere. Councilman Cotton was the only council member who voiced concern with whether this ordinance is necessary. The ordinance
can be read on the council’s city webpage by clicking the link on the agenda. There will be a public hearing and second reading of this ordinance at the next city council meeting.
Council President Ellen Kapitan introduced the final ordinance of the evening. Ordinance No. 16, 2026 establishes a temporary moratorium on new data center development. The council already has a request to the Planning Commission to look into implementing development regulations for data centers. So this ban on data centers is proposed to stay in effect until the development regulations are adopted. Initially it was to stay in effect until data center regulations were adopted by the city or for two years, but there was a 6 – 1 vote to remove the expiration date from the legislation.
The council voted 7 – 0 to recommend this ordinance to the Planning Commission. Since it deals with zoning and development regulations it must go before the Planning Commission for public hearing and discussion. Then with a recommendation to adopt will come back to council for second reading and another public hearing.
Some highlights from council liaison reports; Dr Brian Smith is the new Superintendent of Valparaiso schools, Valparaiso market is running downtown every Tue & Sat from 9 to 1, Lakewood Summerfest is Aug 22 2 to 8, draft report of the Park 30 East Plan is available on the city’s RDC website and will be presented at the next RDC meeting.
There were three public comments made, two in support of the council’s actions on data centers and one by the father of an injured Valpo High School football player expressing their families frustration with the school system.
Next Valparaiso city council meeting is July 27, 2026 at City Hall 6:00pm.
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