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South Bend signs onto coalition support for bill to return fish-landing revenue to cities
Summary
Council unanimously approved a letter of coalition support for House Bill 18-06, the bill’s fish-landing tax component would direct a portion of landing taxes back to cities where the product is landed rather than into the state general fund, council members said.
The South Bend City Council voted unanimously to sign onto coalition support for House Bill 18-06, a bill discussed as returning a share of fish-landing tax revenue to cities where the fish are landed.
One council member summarized the measure: "This bill proposes to earmark 50% of that fish landing tax to appropriate back to the communities in which the fish product was landed rather than going back into the general fund," noting that the distribution would be to cities rather than counties. Council members said that eligible uses discussed included streets, road maintenance and other essential infrastructure, although some details were not recalled on the floor.
The council moved, seconded and recorded the vote as unanimous. Council members said the support letter would be the city’s formal expression of backing for that component of the bill; staff did not identify any binding strings attached to the endorsement at the meeting.
Why it matters: If enacted as described to the council, the bill would redirect local revenue to cities that host seafood-processing activities, with potential implications for municipal street and infrastructure funding.
