Council approves utility fee and ethics updates; votes to carry alley vacation to next meeting

The Valparaiso Common Council on July 28 approved two ordinances on second reading and took initial action on a third after a public hearing.

Ordinance 14-20-25 (capacity fee — Damon Run area): The council approved increasing the capacity fee for new connections in the Damon Run service area from $2,700 to $4,909. During presentation, City Utilities staff (Steve Pulos) said the increase splits $4,000 to the City of Portage with the balance to Valparaiso City Utilities. The measure passed on a roll call vote of 7–0; the council clarified the fee applies only to new connections and does not affect existing customers in the Damon Run area.

Ordinance 15-20-25 (ethics code housekeeping): The council unanimously adopted an amendment to update the municipal ethics code so that five state statutes listed in the city’s 2006 ordinance are reflected correctly in the published municipal code. Council members described the change as restorative: the statutes referenced pertain to official misconduct, bribery, ghost employment, conflicts of interest and profiteering from public services. The ordinance passed 7–0 on roll call.

Ordinance 16-20-25 (vacation of platted alley between Erie and Chestnut streets): The council held the required public hearing on a petition to vacate a platted alley adjacent to 254–256 Erie Street. Planning staff reported no record of a prior vacation in city archives or the Porter County Auditor’s records and that utility locates show no utilities running in the alley; City Utilities reported the water and gas service lines present serve only 256 Erie Street. The planning commission recommended vacating the alley (vote recorded at its July 22 special meeting) and the Board of Public Works recommended vacating (3–0) at its July 25 meeting. The council voted to carry Ordinance 16 over to the next meeting by voice vote (7–0) to allow staff and property owners to complete required steps; the council noted that an encroachment agreement has been the historical remedy in similar cases and that vacating would split the 16.5-foot right-of-way between adjacent property owners if ultimately approved.

All three items were handled during the ordinances portion of the meeting; the council recorded the roll-call tallies for Ordinances 14 and 15 as unanimous and carried Ordinance 16 for final consideration at a future meeting.