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Mayor Sharon Tucker previews 2026 priorities: bridge funding, homelessness proposals and state law impacts
Summary
Mayor Sharon Tucker told the Fort Wayne City Council she will bring proposals this year to revisit funding for the Puffer Valley/Van Family bridge and to address the city's growing homeless population, and she warned the administration is preparing for changes linked to recent state legislation (referred to in the meeting as SB 1).
Mayor Sharon Tucker addressed the newly seated council and previewed several priorities the administration will bring forward in 2026.
Tucker said she will continue scheduled council office hours (Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m.) and that the administration's State of the City address is set for February. She said the city will bring a request to the council to consider completing the Puffer Valley connecting bridge (referred to in the meeting as the Van Family Bridge). That project had been cut from an earlier budget; the mayor said the council will be asked to decide whether to proceed with the work or return a family donation that had been provided for the bridge.
"You will see us bring down the request for the completion of the Puffer Valley connecting bridge, the Van Family Bridge, of which was cut from the budget earlier," Tucker said. "We do need to bring that down to make a final decision as to whether or not we'll be able to move forward with the bridge or return the donation back to the family that had granted those dollars to us."
Tucker also flagged homelessness as an urgent local concern and said the administration will seek a building and bring legislation to address the "growing homeless population in the city of Fort Wayne." "We will continue to move forward on working to locate a building and create the opportunity to answer the cry of the unhoused right now in our community," she said.
The mayor framed these local initiatives as part of preparation for changes stemming from state action, which she referenced in the meeting as SB 1 ("senate enrolled act 1"). Tucker said the administration would present proposals to help grow the tax base, expand housing, and attract tourism as part of broader preparation for that state-level change.
Tucker closed by inviting council members to make use of her office hours and expressing optimism about collaboration with the council in 2026. The transcript does not record specific ordinance or funding numbers tied to the bridge request or the homelessness legislation; Tucker indicated those items will be brought to the council for formal consideration in the coming weeks.
