Lake County Council adopts ordinance requiring project labor agreements for county construction and incentive projects

The Lake County Council voted to adopt an ordinance requiring project labor agreements for county government construction projects and for private projects that receive county economic incentives.

Supporters told the council the ordinance sets expectations for local hiring, project timelines and quality standards. Randy Palmatier, business manager of the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, urged adoption and described provisions he said were added to support veterans and minority-outreach programs: “We have a veteran program that we put together, and we included that in this document,” Palmatier said, adding that the ordinance contains an Indiana-plan minority outreach conduit and a no‑strike clause once parties sign on to a project labor agreement.

Council members said they worked with legal staff and stakeholders to consolidate and replace several older ordinances on the books. The ordinance text rescinds four previous ordinances (listed in the motion) and was described by a council sponsor as protecting both local labor and local business by ensuring projects funded with public incentives meet hiring and performance standards.

After debate and public remarks of support from union representatives and a member of a neighboring city council, the Lake County Council approved the ordinance on second reading by roll-call vote (motion recorded as passed with six yes votes and one absent). The ordinance’s formal number was not assigned at the time of the meeting.

The measure takes effect as prescribed in the ordinance text; council members said implementation details would be coordinated with county departments and legal counsel.