Amy Drake

Democratic St. Joseph County Council President Bryan Tanner worries a data center ban could trigger lawsuits from developers that will increase the county's legal costs. But Republican Council Member Amy Drake says he's being too cautious on the issue.

Democratic St. Joseph County Council President Bryan Tanner says he sees how unpopular data centers are with his constituents but he says council members' first priority should be to follow Indiana laws.

Republicans on the St. Joseph County Council are calling for a two-year data center moratorium, while Democrats and the business community say that would jeopardize local control on major land use projects and close the door to future economic growth.

St. Joseph County Council Republicans are asking Amazon to give back some property tax breaks but a leading Democrat accuses them of political posturing.

Four Republican St. Joseph County Council members are asking Amazon Web Services to voluntarily pay into a fund that would give homeowners property tax relief, despite the council granting the tech giant an abatement in August 2024.

Critics say they worry about burdening heirs with liens but Republican St. Joseph County Council members say they're more worried about making it easier for middle-aged and senior homeowners who've paid off their mortgages to stay in their homes despite rising property tax bills.

St. Joseph County prosecutors say Gloria Niedbalski committed felony identity deception Dec. 9 when she pretended to be County Council member Amy Drake's elderly neighbor in a call to the Department of Child Services. Niedbalski has bonded out of jail and on Monday she resigned from the county's Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.

A St. Joseph County Superior Court magistrate Tuesday agreed with prosecutors to set a higher-than-standard bond for Republican appraiser Gloria Niedbalski, citing the seriousness of her alleged crime.

St. Joseph County Council member Amy Drake says the county gave Amazon too many incentives and tax breaks for its data center near New Carlisle, so she's glad Microsoft won't seek a property tax abatement when it starts building a data center near Granger this year.