Residents press council on crime, data-center dispute and development priorities during public comment
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Summary
Public comment focused on rising violent incidents, police overtime, an ongoing dispute tied to a private data-center site and concerns about development favoring out-of-town interests; callers urged more services for children and reviewed budget and oversight questions.
A large group of residents used the Nov. 18 public-comment period to press the Michigan City Common Council on public safety, budgeting and development.
Several speakers described gunfire and recent shootings near homes and said the city’s police and fire overtime is driven by increased public-safety demand. "We hear the police sirens. We hear the fire trucks…There was just a shooting by my house where my kids play basketball," Joshua Spears said, linking heightened emergency response to overtime costs the council is now being asked to cover.
Other commenters raised a separate dispute involving Phoenix Investors and a private data-center site, alleging multiple police responses and contested assertions about who owns portions of Royal Road. One commenter said arrests of union members followed city outreach to the investor; speakers urged the council to review city outreach and private-party conduct. Several residents also criticized development that they said prioritizes nonresidents and affordable-housing needs, and urged more youth programming and local amenities.
Council members acknowledged the severity of public-safety concerns and said they would continue working with the mayor and department leaders. The public comment period closed before votes on the pending first-reading ordinances, which will return for public hearings on Dec. 2.
