LA PORTE, Ind. — One vote stands between La Porte County and a new ambulance tax.
County Council members voted unanimously Wednesday to put the tax on the agenda at their regular meeting Monday, Oct. 26, Hometown News Now reported. Fewer than a dozen residents came to the hearing beforehand.
Ordinance #2026-09 would add a 0.20% Emergency Medical Services local income tax. The county's other local income tax rates would stay the same.
Key facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday's action | Unanimous vote to take up the tax Oct. 26 | Hometown News Now |
| Rate | EMS local income tax from 0.00% to 0.20% | Ordinance #2026-09 |
| Estimated cost | About $140 a year for the average wage earner | Trista Hudson, via Hometown News Now |
| Estimated revenue | Close to $7 million a year, only for the county-owned ambulance service | Hudson, via Hometown News Now |
| Next step | Regular council meeting Mon., Oct. 26, 6 p.m., Meeting Room 3, County Government Complex | Auditor's public notice |
What residents and the adviser said
Kingsbury-area resident Bob Garrelts, who collects Social Security, told the council his costs are going up and another tax won't make things any easier.
"There's got to be a better way," he said, according to Hometown News Now.
Trista Hudson, a financial adviser under contract with the county, estimated the average wage earner would pay about $140 a year if the tax is adopted. She said it would raise close to $7 million a year, all for the ambulance service the county owns.
The county is weighing the tax to replace revenue lost to statewide property tax cuts. At an Oct. 8 board session, Auditor Mike Rosenbaum said the new tax would help recover lost property-tax money and free general-fund dollars for major repairs, Citizen Portal reported.
What changes, and what doesn't
| Local income tax category | Now | Proposed |
|---|---|---|
| CAGIT, residents | 0.50% | 0.50% |
| CAGIT, non-residents | 0.25% | 0.25% |
| CEDIT (economic development) | 0.45% | 0.45% |
| Public Safety LIT | 0.50% | 0.50% |
| Emergency Medical Services LIT | 0.00% | 0.20% |
The seven-member council is led by President Adam Koronka. The other members listed on the ordinance are Jennifer Heath, Brett Kessler, Justin Kiel, Mike Mollenhauer, Jimmy Pressel III and Mark Yagelski.
Wednesday's agenda also included public hearings and first votes on the 2027 LaPorte County government budget and the 2027 Solid Waste Management budget. The outcome of those budget votes had not been reported in open sources as of Thursday afternoon.
Under the auditor's published notice, 10 or more taxpayers may file an objection petition on a budget, tax rate or levy within seven days after the Oct. 14 hearing. The notice says there is no remonstrance process for the income tax ordinance itself.
What's next
The council is set to vote on the EMS income tax and adopt 2027 budgets at its Oct. 26 meeting. Region N3 will report the result.
Photo credit
¹ Aerial view of La Porte (lead photo) — photo by Pi.1415926535, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for web; this copy is shared under the same license.
² LaPorte County Courthouse — photo by MrHarman, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Resized for web.
³ East view of the LaPorte County Courthouse — photo by Chris Light, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for web; this copy is shared under the same license.
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