St. Joseph County Council

Republicans Griffin Nate and Jackie Horvath, the St. Joseph County party chair, petitioned the county Election Board to keep Republican County Council member Dan Schaetzle off the May primary election ballot because the district and state GOP have ruled he's not in good standing with the party.

St. Joseph County Council President Bryan Tanner says since the county is creating nearly half of the animal control work for the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, its funding to the nonprofit should increase accordingly.

St. Joseph County Council President Bryan Tanner says county commissioners never told the council that the Humane Society of St. Joseph County had requested twice their 2025 funding for 2026. The Humane Society has agreed to continue providing animal control through March, but after that, animal control would fall to county police if a deal can't be reached.

The St. Joseph County Council voted to delay by at least a month a vote on creating a land bank program to more quickly redevelop long-vacant lots.

St. Joseph County Public Library Board Executive Director Stephanie Murphy fears Mishawaka Republican Sen. Ryan Mishler's bill would bring too much partisan politics into library operations.

The St. Joseph County Council's four Democrats will maintain their governing coalition with Republican Dan Schaetzle but he'll no longer serve as president in 2026.

St. Joseph County Council Democratic President Pro Tem Bryan Tanner says Democrats' coalition with Republican Dan Schaetzle worked well, including tapping cash reserves to shore up police pensions and double road repair spending.

A St. Joseph County Council committee will consider new restrictions on low-frequency sound, the kind we feel rather than hear, that's emitted by industrially zoned operations like data centers.

Republican County Council member Amy Drake says someone sent Department of Child Services investigators and several county police officers to her Granger home at 2 a.m. for a welfare check. She wants DCS and police to investigate and prosecute the caller.