As we welcome the New Year, I want to take a moment to reflect on what was truly a strong and positive year for the Town of Merrillville.
2025 was a very good year for our community. We experienced continued commercial and residential growth, maintained balanced budgets across all town departments, and achieved lower crime rates for the third consecutive year. These outcomes don’t happen by accident—they are the result of thoughtful planning, responsible fiscal management, and the dedication of our town employees, public safety personnel, and community partners.
Looking ahead, we do face challenges. Indiana Senate Bill 1, which places new caps on the amount of property tax revenue towns may receive, will impact Merrillville’s finances. However, I remain confident that we will meet this challenge head-on. By tightening our belts and finding creative, responsible solutions, we will continue to properly fund our police, fire, and town departments—without increasing costs to taxpayers.
I am deeply honored to once again serve as Chairperson of the Merrillville Town Council Board, and I remain committed to keeping residents informed about what is happening in our town and how decisions are being made.
As we move into 2026, I feel optimistic about Merrillville’s future. Our town continues to embrace diversity, strengthen community, and manage development in ways that make sense for our residents and long-term needs.
One of my personal goals has been to increase the size of our police department. While these have been measured steps, I’m proud that we successfully added four new police officers by creatively using allocation areas, also known as TIF districts, bringing our total sworn officer count to 65. In addition, effective today, our police officers received an across-the-board 10% pay raise.
In the coming months, we will also closely review compensation for our Street Department, Town Hall staff, and all other departments, once we fully understand the impact of recent state lawmaker changes on our 2026 budget.
Merrillville has a long history of resilience. We will prevail, as we always do, ensuring that we continue to deliver high-quality services to our residents and remain an attractive place for business investment. I look forward to working with my fellow council members to keeping Merrillville, the Heart of the Region, moving forward.
Thank you for your trust and engagement. I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year, and I look forward to all that lies ahead for Merrillville.