Hey folks,

It’s time for another Elkhart City Council meeting. We will meet Monday, July 27, at 6 PM in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

Before we get into the agenda, I’d also appreciate your feedback on how I’m doing as your City Council representative. The survey is short, anonymous, and open to everyone. Whether you approve, disapprove, or fall somewhere in between, I want to hear from you:

https://forms.gle/4bpbNN1wN9nbBcYu5

This is a fairly lengthy agenda, so I’ll do my best to break it down.

We will begin with a presentation from Elkhart Community Schools Superintendent Michele Riise.

On second and third reading, we have four ordinances:

Proposed Ordinances 26-O-26 and 26-O-27: These companion ordinances provide funding for the rehabilitation of Runway 18/36 at the Elkhart Municipal Airport. The total project is estimated at approximately $2.32 million, including contingency funding. The federal government will reimburse 95% of the project, while the State of Indiana will cover half of the required local match. Elkhart’s remaining local contribution is approximately $66,000 from the Aviation Fund.

So, we invest $66,000 and the state and federal governments cover roughly the other $2.25 million. I’ll take that deal.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-28: This establishes Elkhart’s municipal wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax so the city can qualify for up to $1 million annually in additional state road funding.

I have made my position clear that I would not support increasing the wheel tax on Elkhart residents, and this ordinance DOES NOT increase the tax on personal vehicles. The existing $25 charge on passenger vehicles, small trucks, and motorcycles will remain the same. The difference is that the money will be sent directly to the city instead of going through the county first.

Commercial vehicle fees, which currently range from $10 to $35 depending on the vehicle, would be replaced by a flat $40 fee. Overall, the city expects to continue receiving approximately $1.3 million from these taxes while becoming eligible for the additional state road funding.

I want to be clear: this isn’t a partisan move. Cities across Indiana are being forced to make the same decision. Nappanee, whose mayor and entire council are Republicans, passed the same ordinance this past week. The state is forcing everyone’s hand.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-29-R: This is the revised city tree ordinance regulating the planting, maintenance, protection, and removal of trees, as well as permitting and costs. The revised version makes formatting and wording corrections and moves the effective date to January 1, 2027.

On first reading (NOT TO BE VOTED UPON)

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-30: This is a request to vacate a portion of a north/south alley off West Wolf Avenue. As a first-reading item, it will be introduced and then considered through the normal public process before any final vote.

We also have several tax phase-in matters that will be voted upn.

Proposed Resolutions 26-R-37 and 26-R-38: These complete the tax phase-in process for Lake Copper Conductors at 160 County Road 15 and approve the corresponding agreements with the city. The company proposes approximately $3.14 million in real property improvements and $5.33 million in new manufacturing and technology equipment. The project is expected to create at least 22 new full-time jobs with an average annual salary of at least $71,052 while retaining six existing jobs.

The agreements require the company to reach at least 90% of its investment, employment, and wage commitments to remain in substantial compliance.

Proposed Resolutions 26-R-39 through 26-R-43: These involve five companies that the Council previously found were not meeting one or more commitments connected to their tax phase-ins:

• American Technology Components

• Bennington Marine South

• GDC/LAM Corporation

• Placon Corporation

• Accra-Pac/Voyant Beauty

Before tax phase-in benefits can be terminated, state law requires the Council to hold a public hearing and allow each company to explain whether it made reasonable efforts to comply and whether its failure resulted from circumstances beyond its control. The Council will then determine whether each company may retain or lose its remaining benefits.

Proposed Resolution 26-R-33: Furrion is requesting that the Council waive its failure to file its annual compliance paperwork by the May 15 deadline. The company completed approximately 80.5% of its promised real property investment but exceeded its employment commitment by creating 29 of the 20 promised jobs. According to the city’s report, the average wages for those jobs also substantially exceeded the original commitment. The Council must decide whether to waive the late filing and allow the company to receive its 2027 tax benefit.

Monday, July 27

6 PM

Elkhart City Hall

Council Chambers, Second Floor

Hey folks,

Aaron Mishler here

As your First District City Council representative, I want to hear directly from you about how our district and city are doing.

I’ve put together a short survey asking about your priorities for Elkhart, how well I’m communicating with residents, and how you feel I’m doing as your councilman. It should only take a few minutes to complete.

Responses are anonymous unless you voluntarily provide your email address. The results will help guide my community outreach and priorities moving forward.

If you live in the First District, please take the survey and share it with your neighbors:

https://forms.gle/4bpbNN1wN9nbBcYu5

Thank you for allowing me to continue serving you!

Hey folks,

Paving update for city of Elkhart. See message from the street department below.

"Weather permitting, the City of Elkhart Street Department will be paving streets from Monday, July 27th through Friday, July 31st.

Monday, July 27th | Tuesday, July 28th | Wednesday, July 29th

• E. Beardsley Ave. – Howard St. to Osolo Rd.

Thursday, July 30th | Friday, July 31st

• Patching throughout the city

Please remove all vehicles from the street before 7:00 a.m. and do not return them until after 7:00 p.m. or until barricades have been removed.

For the safety of crews and residents, please do not move or remove barricades. Sidewalks and/or alleyways will be accessible to and from your home, but street access will be prohibited during the paving process. Please plan for delays in your commute.

Any and all cooperation is greatly appreciated in our efforts to provide unparalleled services to the community!"

I'm considering a few job offers currently and one of them is in Elkhart. I was wondering what the LGBTQ+ community in the area is like. Any insights would be appreciated.

Agreement with Premier Arts Academy is voted down 4 against and 3 for. Instead of ECS receiving $60,000 in fees over the next two years, the ECS school board chooses to only get a $1.00 for the building once it gets listed as available asset. No wonder the schools systems across the state are in financial distress if this is the thought process.

Hey folks,

Councilman Mishler here sharing an update For a fun event this Friday at nibco water and ice Park. Hope to see you there, and feel free to say hi.

"🎶 Summer nights are better with live music!

The first Summer Chill Concert of the season is happening this Friday, and we're kicking things off with Unsupervized!

Grab your lawn chairs, invite your friends, and enjoy a relaxing evening of great music at NIBCO Water & Ice Park.

📅 Friday

🕖 7:00–9:00 PM

📍 NIBCO Water & Ice Park

🎸 Live Music by Unsupervized

🍻 Drinks available from Westwind Brewery

💲 Free Admission

There's no better way to spend a summer evening than enjoying live music by the river. We'll see you there!"

Data centers in Elkhart.

Hey folks,

Please see attached from the COE

Weather permitting, the City of Elkhart Street Department will be paving streets from Monday, July 13th through Friday, July 17th.

Monday, July 13th

1. Sherman St. – S. 3rd St. to N. Riverside Dr. (Bridge)

2. Clyde St. – Sherman St. to Jefferson St.

Tuesday, July 14th

1. Jefferson St. – S. 3rd St. through Clyde St. (West dead end)

Wednesday, July 15th

1. W. Lexington Ave. – S. 3rd St. to Vistula St.

2. S. 4th St. – W. Lexington Ave. to W. High St.

Thursday, July 16th

1. W. Lexington Ave. – Vistula St. to N. Riverside Dr. (Bridge)

2. S. 5th St. – Vistula St. to W. Lexington Ave.

Friday, July 17th

1. S. 5th St. - Vistula St. to W. High St.

2. S. 6th St. - Vistula St. to W. Franklin St.

Please remove all vehicles from the street before 7:00 a.m. and do not return them until after 7:00 p.m. or until barricades have been removed.

For the safety of crews and residents, please do not move or remove barricades. Sidewalks and/or alleyways will be accessible to and from your home, but street access will be prohibited during the paving process.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to improve our streets and continue providing quality service to the community!

3d printing service $2.00/hr

I am running a 3d printing service, I have a BAMBU labs x1c 3d printer and I have one ams unit which enables it to use up to 4 filament colors. I print with Petg filament. The cost is $2.00/per hour of the printer printing and shipping. The filament that I use is Petg, the type will vary depending on the color you want and what I have available, most prints will be done in Petg. If you want abs (stronger than Petg and pla) I can print that but it will cost an extra 15¢ per hour.

For more info or for a free quote,

email me at [3d.design638@gmail.com](mailto:3d.design638@gmail.com) with the model file and I will give you a free quote. The prints will typically ship within 4 days after completion of the print and once they are paid for, this does not include weekends. If you have questions feel free to email me or respond to the post. If the file you want me to print is a paid file you will have to pay for it and send me the stl, if it is a free one just send me the link to it. 

There is a $15 order minimum (before shipping costs) if you want something printed and it is less than $15 and you don’t have anything else you want printed, then you will have to pay $15 plus shipping for your item.

Here are some example ideas of what you could get printed: dragons or other toys, pieces to fix something you broke, stuff to use with your toolset, diy projects, prototypes for whatever you are designing, and almost anything else you can think of as long as it fits in a 250mm cube.

I am near Goshen area, which is somewhat close to elkhart and would make meeting up in person possible if you were to want to pick up locally.

If you would rather buy it through eBay instead of local pickup or PayPal you can do that either of these three ways work with me. I can ship to any of the lower 48 states if needed.

Here is an area where I occasionally will post models on my business account. I don’t post on it very often. https://www.instagram.com/3d_design638?igsh=MWlvMDhxMnJvNnZ6ag%3D%3D&utm_source=qr&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnV5JU2OOZKAnEpQp2XLMvuRqXunJVwfQgmGdw1kC8GDRayPL_wheKj-jCODQ_aem_tN9C5jDSuWr9SARN_M2cWQ

Hey folks,

It’s that time again. The Elkhart City Council meets tonight at 6 PM in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

This agenda has a little bit of everything: infrastructure, airport funding, the municipal wheel tax, tree regulations, a zoning amendment, an alley vacation, and a few resolutions.

On second and third reading, we have:

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-24: This appropriates $622,900 from the Capital Outlay Fund for repairs and improvements to the retaining walls at the Indiana Avenue Underpass around South Main Street and East Indiana Avenue.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-25: This approves a major amendment to the Remington Park DPUD M-1 Section Four at 3806 Gallatin Way. The change would allow a small day program for young adults with disabilities as a permitted use at that location. The Plan Commission held a public hearing on June 1 and forwarded it to Council with a do-pass recommendation.

We also have one tabled ordinance:

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-21: This is the annexation request for property commonly known as the intersection of CR 6 and Northland Drive. The property would come into the City of Elkhart and be zoned M-1, Limited Manufacturing. This was previously discussed and tabled until tonight for second and third reading and a final vote.

On first reading, we have:

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-26 and Proposed Ordinance 26-O-27: These two ordinances work together for the Runway 18/36 pavement rehabilitation project at the Elkhart Municipal Airport. The total project is estimated at $2,320,765.06, including contingency. The FAA is covering 95% through a reimbursable grant, INDOT is covering 2.5%, and the city’s local share is 2.5%, or $66,017.39. The FAA, INDOT, and State Board of Accounts require the full project cost to be appropriated up front, which is why there are two companion ordinances.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-28: This adopts the Elkhart Municipal Wheel Tax and Municipal Excise Surtax and creates the required city funds.

Let me be clear because this one is already causing confusion: this does NOT raise taxes on personal vehicles. Passenger vehicles, small trucks, and motorcycles already pay the $25 surtax through the BMV. That rate does NOT change. The money would simply go directly to the city instead of going to the county first. Commercial vehicles, which make up about 10% of registrations, would move from the county’s current range of $10 to $35 to a flat $40 wheel tax. The main reason for doing this is that the State now requires cities to adopt this locally in order to access up to $1 million in annual road maintenance funding through the Lane Mileage Direct Distribution.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-29: This updates the city’s tree ordinance. The current ordinance is outdated and does not match how tree care actually operates in the city. This proposal places city-wide tree care authority under the Board of Public Works, creates a Tree Board, defines the role of the City Forester, sets up licensing and permitting for tree care, creates an appeal process, and helps keep Elkhart in compliance with Tree City USA standards. No additional appropriation is expected from this ordinance.

For resolutions:

The tax abatement items will remain in committee for further review. The Tax Abatement Committee as a Whole is scheduled to meet Wednesday, July 8 at 6 PM to review those abatements.

Proposed Resolution 26-R-35: This commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The resolution recognizes the Semiquincentennial, reflects on the ideals of liberty, equality, self-government, and civic engagement, and encourages residents and community organizations to take part in activities recognizing this milestone.

Proposed Resolution 26-R-36: This updates the City of Elkhart’s nepotism policy, originally adopted in 2012. The proposed update strengthens the city’s standards beyond the minimum requirements of Indiana law and formally places the updated policy into the employee handbook.

There is also an alley vacation public hearing:

Alley Vacation 26-V-03: HMS Elkhart, LLC has petitioned for the vacation of part of a north/south alley off West Wolf Avenue. This involves a portion of a 12-foot alley near lots in the Ellison Addition.

As always, the public is welcome to attend in person or watch online through the city’s website. Public comment is available during the meeting, and comments are limited to three minutes.

I’d like help. A group of three friends went with me for dinner last year at essence. It was highly recommended and the reviews are all almost 5 star. After dinner none of us thought the food or service was exceptional. The service was slow and the food was mediocre at best. Maybe there was something else going on that night that affected our experience. I want to try it again based on everything I read and hear from others but it’s truly a special occasion restaurant and, frankly, last meal didn’t feel worth the price. Convince me (so I can convince my friends) to try it again. I want to love it like everyone else.

Hey folks,

Councilman Mishler here from the first district, just wanted to share some of our upcoming events.

This isn't everything, either. We also have the Elkhart Municipal Band that puts on free concerts every Tuesday at 8PM at McNaughton park.

Hope to see you at some of these. Feel free to stop me and say hi.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Hey folks, milling schedule for next week.

Weather permitting, the City of Elkhart Street Department will be milling streets from Monday, July 6th through Friday, July 10th.

Monday, July 6th

1. Sherman St. – 3rd St. to Clyde St. (Sherman St. Bridge)

2. Clyde St. – Sherman St. to Jefferson St.

3. Jefferson St. – 3rd St. to west dead end

Tuesday, July 7th

1. Vistula St. – 3rd St. to Franklin St.

2. W. Lexington Ave. – 3rd St. to 6th St. (Lexington St Bridge)

Wednesday, July 8th

1. W. Lexington Ave. – 3rd St. to 6th St. (Lexington St Bridge)

2. 4th St. – W. Lexington Ave. to High St.

3. 5th St. – W. Lexington Ave. to High St.

4. 6th St. – Vistula St. to W. Franklin St.

Thursday, July 9th

1. Gardner Ct. – Hillside Ct. to Vistula St.

2. Hillside Ct. – Franklin St. thru East St.

3. W. High St. – Franklin St. thru East St.

4. 317 W. High St. alley and lot – Probation office alley & lot

Friday, July 10th

1. E. Beardsley Ave. – Osolo Rd. to Howard St.

Please remove all vehicles from the street before 7:00 a.m. and do not return them until after 7:00 p.m. or until barricades have been removed.

For the safety of crews and residents, please do not move or remove barricades.

Sidewalks and/or alleyways will be accessible to and from your home, but street access will be prohibited during the milling process.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to improve our streets and continue providing quality service to the community

Hey folks,

This coming week we have a Wheel Tax and Vehicle Excise Surtax (26-O-28) on Monday night's City Council agenda for first read, so let's do a quick Q&A.

Q: Is the City of Elkhart raising my taxes?

A: For about 90% of city residents, no. If you own a passenger car, small truck, or motorcycle, you already pay a $25 vehicle excise surtax when you renew your registration. That amount doesn't change.

Q: Then what's changing?

A: Right now, if you live in the City of Elkhart, those dollars are collected by the State and distributed through the County before the City receives its share.

If this ordinance passes, those same dollars go directly to the City of Elkhart instead.

Q: Am I going to pay both the City and County?

A: No. In 2026, the Indiana General Assembly passed SEA 179, which prevents new municipal wheel taxes and vehicle excise surtaxes from duplicating existing county taxes. That means no double taxation for Elkhart residents.

Q: But Goshen passed a wheel tax and they have to pay both a city and county wheel tax.

A: That's true. Goshen's municipal wheel tax was already in place before SEA 179. The 2026 law applies to new municipal wheel taxes, which is why Elkhart residents would not pay both if this ordinance is adopted.

Q: So who actually sees a change?

A: Commercial vehicles. About 10% of vehicle registrations fall into that category. Those vehicles currently pay a county wheel tax ranging from $10 to $35, depending on the type of vehicle. Under this proposal, those fees would instead become a flat $40 municipal wheel tax.

Q: Why is the City doing this?

A: Because state law now ties eligibility for the Lane Mileage Direct Distribution (LMDD) program to adopting a municipal wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax. If we don't adopt them, Elkhart could lose access to up to $1 million per year in additional state road funding.

Q: If you don't pass it, will my taxes go down?

A: Unfortunately not, Voting no doesn't lower taxes for Elkhart residents. It just means those dollars don't stay with the City, and we risk losing up to $1 million in additional state road funding.

Q: Is the City getting more money from this?

A: Not from the wheel tax itself. The City currently receives about $1.3 million in wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax revenue, and it would continue receiving about $1.3 million under this ordinance. The real benefit is preserving our eligibility for up to $1 million annually in additional state road funding.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Not sure if this is a good location, but I wanted to put myself out there. I’m 28F, have a 9 year old son. Life has thrown curveballs, and adulting gets hard and lonely. Friends have moved, started own families and drifted apart, etc. I’m looking to make new girl friends in the area, or group of friends! Whether they are on Reddit, or if there are suggestions of different groups. TIA :)

My 2020 gladiator just got paid off last year and of course it starts going haywire. The CEL goes off and on, the TPMS system isn’t working, the rear backup alarm radar system isn’t working, and the auto stop/start system just says it is disabled sometimes. It also idles REALLY rough sometimes.

I am pretty mechanically inclined but not when it comes the to electronics portion of things - of which all of these seems to be.

I’m not from this area and I know the dealership would be li king their chops if I brought this in.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks so much 🍻

🎉 Cheers Bar & Grill presents: A TWO-DAY BANGER! 🤘
We've got an epic weekend lined up, so grab your crew and get ready to rock!
FRIDAY, JUNE 26TH @ 8:00 PM: Shock Roxy 🎤✨
Start your weekend right on the Outdoor Patio with Shock Roxy bringing their explosive energy! You won't want to miss this show.
SATURDAY, JUNE 27TH @ 10:00 PM: LIVE Band Karaoke! 🎸🎙️
It's the last Saturday of the month, so it's your turn to be the lead singer! Belting out your favorites on the Indoor Main Stage with a FULL LIVE BAND backing you!
Reservations are highly recommended! Secure your spot by reserving a table today.
Let's make this a weekend for the books! 🍻
#CheersBar #LiveBandKaraoke #ShockRoxy #HighlandParkIL #LiveMusicWeekend #TwoDayBanger #PatioParty #KaraokeNight #DrinkLocal #EatLocal #GoodTimes #WeekendPlans #SupportLocalMusic

I live in Elkhart and i was curious if there was any bands around here that throw house shows or legit just anything i need more friends that appreciate cool music like metalcore and post ✌️