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Michigan City finance committee approves $582,666 in riverboat claims, hears encumbrance update
Summary
The Michigan City Common Council Finance Committee on Feb. 4 approved $582,666.13 in riverboat-related claims, discussed outstanding encumbrances from 2024 and directed staff to provide collections and budget encumbrance figures for 2023–2025.
The Michigan City Common Council Finance Committee approved $582,666.13 in riverboat-related claims and accepted minutes from the Jan. 21, 2025 meeting during its Feb. 4, 2025 session.
The committee heard a summary of the riverboat claims docket and a staff update on encumbrances tied to prior-year purchase orders. The docket included a Riverboat Fund (no. 2235) claim for $95,288.51 and an EFT amount listed as $487,377.62; the claims named vendors including La Porte Chrysler Inc., La Porte Scribe La Porte County project, and Reethon Riley Constructions. Controller Wall, the city controller, described one recurring payment as tied to a lease-purchase arrangement connected with the city’s ESG contract: “Each January, of every year, we we make our payment to our lease purchase agreement that we entered into a number of years ago. So this is this is the payment that we make every January to, satisfy our ESG contract.”
Committee members discussed how encumbrances appear in the cash statement. The meeting record shows an outstanding encumbrance balance reading $4,273,819.11 on the cash position that staff said will decline as payments are applied against previously encumbered purchase orders. Tracy Tillman, a finance committee member, noted the scheduled payment timeline and said the payments “will go on till 2029,” referring to the payment schedule for that lease agreement.
Committee members asked staff to provide additional figures by email: the controller agreed to send the riverboat collections for 2023 and 2024 and to supply the 2025 budgeted riverboat encumbrance amounts so members can assess remaining commitments for the year. The committee chair opened the meeting for public comment and recorded none.
Votes at a glance - Motion to accept minutes from the Jan. 21, 2025 finance committee meeting — mover: Dr. Cora; second: Committee chair (name not specified). Outcome: approved (ayes recorded; no opposition). - Motion to approve claims totaling $582,666.13 (Riverboat claims docket dated 02/04/2025) — mover: Dr. Cora; second: Tracy Tillman. Outcome: approved (ayes recorded; no opposition).
The meeting closed after the votes; the committee noted a resolution for encumbrances related to purchase orders ending Dec. 31, 2024, would be presented at the upcoming council meeting.
