(Indianapolis, IN) - A proposal that would have downgraded Michigan City from a second- to third-class city is now dead.

 

State Senator Mike Bohacek of Michiana Shores has removed his bill from a committee that was scheduled to give it consideration later this week. The decision by Bohacek was in response to public concerns.

 

“I highly value the opinions of those in Senate District 8, and after conversations with many local community leaders, including several from one of the cities that would have been affected by Senate Bill 436, I have decided to pull the bill,” he said.

His measure would have downgraded Michigan City, East Chicago, and Marion to third-class city status because of populations noticeably lower from when they were classified generations ago.

 

In Michigan City, adoption of the bill would have meant the city council going from nine to seven members and the city controller’s office being eliminated. Bohacek said that would have saved Michigan City about $400,000 a year at a time when the state wants to reduce property taxes.

 

Among the opponents was Jack Arnett, Executive Director of the La Porte County Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Despite population loss, Arnett said the government structure now in place is needed to accommodate the thousands of more visitors flocking to what’s become a regional destination city.

 

“Our infrastructure gets a lot more pressure not from just the folks that live here,” he said.

 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population has dropped from nearly 40,000 in 1970 to just over 32,000 in 2020. There’s also been a slight increase in Michigan City’s population in recent years, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.