Council approves Damon Run capacity fee increase, updates ethics code; votes to continue alley-vacation hearing

The Valparaiso Common Council took three procedural actions on second readings and hearings: it approved Ordinance 14-20-25 to increase the capacity fee for new connections in the Damon Run service area, approved Ordinance 15-20-25 to update the municipal ethics code with references to five state statutes, and held a public hearing on Ordinance 16-20-25 (a petition to vacate a platted alley) and voted to carry that item to the next council meeting.

Ordinance 14-20-25: Capacity fee increase - The council approved an amendment to the capacity fee for all new connections in the Damon Run area. The fee will increase from $2,700 to $4,909 for new connections; the City of Portage will receive $4,000 of that fee and the remainder will go to Valparaiso City Utilities, according to the ordinance summary presented at the meeting. City staff and the City Utilities Board of Directors provided notice and recommended the change. Council members clarified the increase applies only to new connections, not existing customers. The ordinance passed on final vote, recorded as 7-0.

Ordinance 15-20-25: Ethics code housekeeping - Council members described Ordinance 15-20-25 as a housekeeping amendment to the city's ethics code. Councilwoman Hunt said the measure restores five state statute references that were included in the original 2006 ethics ordinance but did not appear in the published municipal code. The five code subjects noted in the meeting were: official misconduct, bribery, ghost employment, conflicts of interest, and profiteering from public services. The council voted 7-0 to adopt the ordinance on final reading.

Ordinance 16-20-25: Alley vacation first hearing; item continued - The council held a public hearing on a petition to vacate a platted alley between Erie and Chestnut streets near 254–256 Erie Street (Ordinance 16-20-25). Staff said they reviewed historical records back to about 1900 and found no evidence that the alley had been formally vacated; they also reported no utilities were located in the alley after inquiries with Valparaiso City Utilities and NIPSCO. The planning commission held a public hearing on July 22 and forwarded a recommendation to the Board of Public Works; the Board of Public Works voted 3-0 to recommend vacating the alley and forwarded the matter to the council. Several neighbors spoke at the council public hearing; commenters said the alley is unimproved, that one former house encroached roughly 1.5 feet into the alley, and that some property owners support the vacation. The council voted to carry the ordinance over to the next meeting by voice vote (recorded as 7-0) to allow further processing under the unified development ordinance and follow-up with required steps.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 14-20-25 (Damon Run capacity fee): approved, roll call 7-0. - Ordinance 15-20-25 (ethics code statutory references): approved, roll call 7-0. - Ordinance 16-20-25 (vacation of platted alley between Erie and Chestnut): public hearing held; item continued/carryover to next meeting by voice vote 7-0.

Background and next steps - Ordinance 14 affects only new utility connections in the Damon Run area; utility staff said notices were published and the City Utilities Board supports the fee change. For the alley vacation, staff noted the Unified Development Ordinance requires hearings before planning commission and Board of Public Works before a council ordinance vacating a public way can be adopted; the council's carryover preserves those procedural steps and allows time for any additional public comment or follow-up investigations.