It was a packed house for the Monday night Valparaiso City Council meeting. There were eleventh graders and their families there for the Mayor’s Youth Council swearing in ceremony along with supporters and opponents to ordinance No. 8 2025. Ordinance 8 was vetoed by the mayor late last week with his refusal to sign it into municipal law.
The Mayor’s Youth Council for the City of Valparaiso, 2025-2026 includes: Lyla Adams; Kuo Bloom; Samantha Braggs; Owen Cheuk; Abby Chien; Emma Cochran; Sloane Connors; Eavan Daly; Isabel Ecklund-Baker; Amber Johnson; Glori Liu; Lorelei Murphy; Naia Nikitaras; Caroline Patton; Bryce Rafferty; Dionne Ralph; Brenda Maria SanJuan; Avary Schwarzkopf; Allison Shikany’ Opal Smith’ Elizabeth Szevery; Alexis Tharp; Lauren Wallace; and Aidan Wyatt.
First on the agenda was an ordinance vacating a public alley on Erie street. The alley is unpaved and part of the lawns for the adjacent houses. It was said this unused alley harkened back to a house there from the nineteenth century that used to have a horse stable on the back of the property. The alley was split between the two bordering properties.
Next was a council vote regarding the mayoral veto of ordinance No. 8 2025 for the newly formed Human Relations Council (HRC). The city council with a 5 to 2 majority vote voted to override the mayor’s veto. This was only the second time the Mayor exorcised his right to veto an ordinance in his sixteen plus years as mayor. The first being earlier this year with the council’s resolution passed to show opposition to governor Braun’s cuts to property taxes. Public comment was allowed before council discussion and vote, with 10 citizens speaking, equally split between for and against adoption of ordinance by an override council vote. The Mayor and council members basically said the same things as the last three times this ordinance has been on the agenda.
The Mayor and Republican council members opposed the HRC and the Democrat majority approved to override the mayor’s veto. Attorney Lyp, who resigned earlier last month for a new job was again acting as city attorney, moonlighting, till the city finds an appropriate replacement, described the veto process the mayor exorcised and the procedure the council must take to override a veto. Attorney Patrick Lyp will be hard to replace.
Mayor Costas stressed, speaking of the Human Relation Ccouncil “how effective this group has been to me in my duty as executive of the city.” Also saying “The functioning of the HRC in its current form will be lost. And I think that’s a great disservice to the citizens because I don’t think you can replace that by making it as you call forward facing.” Ordinance No. 8 2025 takes the Advisory Human Relations Ccouncil, formed to advise the mayor, and puts it under the control of the city council, “acting as a resource to the council” to “improve the community’s acceptance of diversity” of “protected classes.”
Councilman Pupillo said again “This is just driving culture wars into our city government and I think that doesn’t belong there at all. I think the city needs to focus on core objectives. I don’t know how many times I need to say that.”
Council motioned to take a vote and overrode the Mayor’s veto with a 5 to 2 vote, split down party lines.
The Valparaiso City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
Meeting Time: The meetings begin at 6:00 PM.
Location: The meetings are held in the City Council chambers at City Hall.
Public Access: The meetings are open to the public, and citizens can attend in person.
Meetings are Recorded: Watch City Council Meetings Online here
Recent Meeting Highlights:
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- A recent meeting included discussions about opioid grant recipients and the impact of the funds.
- Another meeting focused on a resolution recommending a downtown liquor license for Cafe Farina.
- One meeting in 2025 regarding a proposed Data Center meeting saw a large public turnout regarding a specific issue, leading to a crowded chamber and locked doors.
Public Participation: Citizens can address the council during designated periods, often with time limits and specific protocols.
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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.
