Latest news with #GoshenCommonCouncil
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Goshen follows state ban for off-road vehicles on highways
GOSHEN — Council was forced to scale back a law allowing golf carts and off-road vehicles on city streets after learning that state highways are still off-limits. Goshen Common Council on Monday voted to update the rules enacted last summer that allow the use of carts and off-road vehicles within city limits. They originally passed laws in July giving carts and ORVs use of the roads, following similar action by county officials. The rules that went into effect Nov. 1 allow carts on streets with a speed limit of 30 mph or less while spelling out specific segments of state roads that ORVs could or couldn't use. Drivers must be 16 or older and must have a valid license and insurance. Goshen legal counsel Bodie Stegelmann said Monday that state law does not allow the use of any part of state highways, even if they're within city limits. 'Basically what happened is, it came to our attention that we may have exceeded the city's authority by allowing off-road vehicles on state highways,' he told council. 'The statute that allows the city to adopt an ordinance like this talks about allowing off-road vehicles on streets under the city's jurisdiction. Going beyond that and allowing vehicles on the state highway system would exceed our authority under that statute.' He said for example that Plymouth Avenue is part of the state highway system because it's also S.R. 119, so it's not under the city's jurisdiction. The city legal department introduced an amended version of the law that includes a blanket ban on using off-road vehicles on S.R. 119, S.R. 15 and U.S. 33. Councilman Brett Weddell said efforts were made last year to get state lawmakers to change the rules, but those fizzled out. He said it's unfortunate because off-road vehicles will be forced to go through neighborhoods instead of sticking to the main roads. 'Everything that Bodie said absolutely is true, unfortunately,' Weddell said. 'It was written the way it was written because we felt like we had jurisdiction on those state highways within the corporate city limits to allow it, but as Bodie has said, it doesn't sound like that.' He suggested entirely removing the section of the city law that addresses the use of state highways. Other board members agreed to the amendment before passing the replacement ordinance on first and second reading. Golf carts and off-road vehicles are still able to cross state highways. Goshen resident Kyle Richardson encouraged council to look for ways they could improve the connectivity of the routes that off-road vehicles are able to use. 'Any transportation system, whether it's off-road vehicles or bicycles or trains, are only as valuable as the connectivity of the system,' he said. 'I know the streets that are legal for off-road vehicles already struggle with some connectivity issues. This will increase those.' Mayor Gina Leichty later gave a reminder that the city is hosting a golf cart registration and inspection day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 31 at Central Fire Station, 209 N. 3rd St. City officials will inspect carts and issue permits to those that pass. There is a $50 registration fee.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Goshen advances $14M bond for pool despite uncertainty
GOSHEN — City officials are moving toward a $14 million bond issue to overhaul Shanklin Pool despite angst over the amount of uncertainty coming out of Indianapolis. Goshen Common Council on Monday passed the bond issue on second reading after weighing the chances the pool project may have to be paused. The city's revenue may suffer if Gov. Mike Braun prevails in his insistence on strict tax cuts, council heard. 'We're in a heartbreaking situation. I mean, we never anticipated to be in this spot,' said Redevelopment Director Becky Hutsell. 'We have moved forward with best efforts, we talked with council on several occasions. We've done all of the proper steps. It's just, this is unexpected. And it's whether or not there's a comfort level to take the risk.' Councilman Doug Nisley put it more bluntly. He said he's interested in keeping the project moving forward but has doubts that state lawmakers won't rob the city of revenue with any tax reforms that eventually pass. 'I don't know if I want to say I have confidence in our legislators that they're not going to screw us over too bad,' he said. 'Can you say it louder for the people in the back,' Mayor Gina Leichty said. Goshen stood to lose more than $9.5 million in revenue over three years – out of a countywide loss of over $140 million – in fiscal impact analyses of tax overhaul bills introduced this year. The legislature scaled back the cuts in amended versions of the bills, but Braun threatened to veto those if passed. The city started looking at options for overhauling the pool in Shanklin Park in 2023. Council was given the option of spending more than $4 million to help the 50-year-old pool limp along for a few more years, or investing over $12 million to build a larger, more modern facility. The original hope was to open the new pool in time for Memorial Day 2026, according to Hutsell. The pool will have to stay closed this year regardless of whether the renovation plan moves forward, due to costly and dangerous mechanical issues, council heard. A number of steps have already been taken which wouldn't have to be repeated if the city is forced to shelve the project for a year, Hutsell said. She said the risk lies in whether or not the city has the money available to repay the bond. 'If it's a $14 million bond, there's a tax rate that's associated with it for the debt payment,' she said. 'But then that also results in a circuit breaker loss for us that's around $400,000 a year that we would lose from our general operating.' Actually selling the bonds would mark the point of no return, which is a risk council members agreed they had no stomach for at this point. The city likely won't know if it's safe to pull the trigger until April. 'That's $300,000 to $400,000 we'd have to find within the budget,' Councilman Brett Weddell said. 'Which probably could be done, unless we're losing half a million, $1 million, $3 million out of our budget each year, and then that becomes really dicey.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tax reform proposals to cost municipalities, schools hundreds of millions in revenue
GOSHEN — Local elected leaders expressed fears of potentially losing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue under tax reforms introduced by the state legislature this year. The organization that advocates for local governments in the state, Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, raised the alarm about the potential impact of Senate Bill 1 and other bills that would starve them of revenue without replacing it. Local governments, schools and libraries in Elkhart County stood to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue under the bill as introduced – a countywide total of over $140 million between 2026 and 2028. 'If it passes as proposed, the projected loss of revenue to Goshen City alone is in the range of over $9.5 million over the next three fiscal years, which would be devastating for city operations,' Goshen Councilwoman Linda Gerber said Monday. 'I know Mayor (Gina) Leichty has been participating in meetings in Indianapolis to advocate on behalf of the city, and I think we as counsellors have a responsibility to do so as well.' An amended version of Senate Bill 1 that moved out of committee Tuesday morning scales back tax cuts for homeowners to $1.1 billion over three years. It's expected to cost local units of government just under $300 million in the first year, according to Sen. Travis Holdman, who authored the bill and introduced the amended version. As introduced, the annual impact on property tax collection would have grown from an initial $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion. The Indiana Office of Fiscal and Management Analysis had not released a revised fiscal impact statement that reflects the amended bill as of Tuesday morning. Gerber suggested passing a resolution expressing the city's opposition to tax cuts without a plan for revenue replacement. She drafted a resolution along with council members Brett Weddell and Megan Peel, which they said they would introduce at the Feb. 24 meeting after gathering input from others on Goshen Common Council. 'It seems kind of irresponsible of the governor to propose such a tax reduction across the entire state without offering up possible options to replace it,' Peel said. Similar resolutions were passed by Accelerate Indiana Municipalities, the Indiana Library Federation and the cities of Bluffton, Boonville and Cumberland. As originally proposed, the property tax reforms in SB1 would have caused revenue losses to township governments ranging from roughly $50,000 in Locke to $2.1 million in Cleveland, according to the state's projections. The impact on school corporation budgets included a total loss of around $16 million for Elkhart, $14 million for Goshen and $11 million for Middlebury. 'It would mean the only possibility is to cut personnel,' Councilman Phil Lederach said. 'There's no other way to replace that,' Losses for Fairfield, Baugo, Concord and Wa-Nee school districts ranged from $1.1 million to $2.7 million per year between 2026 and 2028. Libraries stood to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue as well, with Elkhart Public Library alone projected to see a total shortfall of close to $3 million. Elkhart County government would have lost a total of $27.2 million in revenue over three years. Commissioner Suzie Weirick said the revenue cuts as introduced posed a catastrophic risk to public safety as well as roads and infrastructure, which are facing a 40 percent increase in costs. 'Elkhart County is very concerned about the implications of the tax cuts proposed by the governor and the state legislature,' she said. 'While I hate paying taxes and do not want to pay more, I understand I want to use certain things like public services and infrastructure. ... If it is a matter of simply cutting services to cut cost, the state needs to give all local municipalities, cities and counties, the ability to cut services by reducing mandates. There is an increasing effort by the state legislature to demand the locals provide services without increases in revenue.' The office of Gov. Mike Braun issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying the governor 'remains committed to delivering meaningful property tax reform that puts taxpayers first by providing immediate relief, capping future growth, and simplifying the process through reform and transparency.' The Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy has taken steps in the right direction, he said, 'by proposing strong caps on future bill growth, reforms to the referendum process, and targeted relief for veterans, retirees and first-time homebuyers, but Hoosier homeowners need a solution that includes broad and immediate reductions in their tax bills.' 'The Governor will carefully review the changes to his plan and looks forward to working with the House and Senate to strengthen the amended bill to include broad based and immediate property tax cuts for Hoosier homeowners who have been hit the hardest by skyrocketing home value inflation,' the statement said.
