City Council Meeting Brief

By Tess Bell

This week’s Evansville City Council meeting was held on February 9 at 5:30 p.m., with all nine members present: Ben Trockman, Rita Taylor, Zac Heronemus, Kendra Hatfield, Angela Koehler Lindsey, Jim Brinkmeyer, Mary Allen, Paul Green, and Courtney Johnson. Every ordinance on the consent agenda was approved for the next meeting.

All eight items on the regular agenda were adopted with little disagreement. Some of the most significant ordinances were:

 Monthly Trash Pickup Fee Increase: ORDINANCE G-2026-02

Evansville residents can now expect an increase in their trash pickup fees. The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board has been fighting the rising economy, and claims this fee raise has been a long time coming. Board Executive Director, Vic Kelson, told the council “if we don’t do something between now and the end of 2027, we’ll have no trash service in ‘28.” The fee has gone from $13.30 to $15.30. Although the council tried to explore many ways around this rise, they agreed it was necessary to keep the services from stopping. Lindsey was the only no vote, saying “I’m not comfortable approving a fee increase for residents in Evansville at this time.”

Kelson was also confronted with concerns about an unreliable call center and large pickups often being ignored. “The cost of doing nothing is simply too high,” says Hatfield.

More Income-Based Housing: ORDINANCE R-2025-32

Habitat for Humanity is rezoning two plots on W Missouri St. to turn the space into a single family affordable home. A family is already in place to live here.

New Business on N. Fulton: ORDINANCE R-2025-33:

Plots of land were rezoned on N. Fulton Ave. to turn the current vacant space into a rebuilding, bodywork, processing and service use shop.

New Salt Building for INDOT: ORDINANCE R-2025-34

An area of land on N. Burkhardt Rd. was rezoned in order to add a storage yard for Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The Department will use the space as a unit and salt building.

New Veterinary Clinic in Evansville: ORDINANCE R-2025-35

An old medical office building was rezoned in order to turn the space into a veterinary clinic. The clinic will be at 1120 Professional Blvd.

There were seven resolutions heard at the meeting, six were unanimously adopted and one was tabled. Some of the most significant ones included:

Funding for Low-Income Housing: RESOLUTION C-2026-04

Allows affordable housing funds to provide a grant of no more than $250,000 to Advantix Development Corporation for the development of 44 housing units on vacant properties. The lots were donated by the Land Bank specifically for the benefit of affordable housing.

Funding for Transitional Housing: RESOLUTION C-2026-06

Allows affordable housing funds to provide a grant of no more than $200,000 to JD Sheth Foundation for the purchase and rehabilitation of 806 Line St. This is where they will establish ‘Meena’s Place,’ a transitional home for women exiting emergency shelters.

Tax Break for LG Chem: RESOLUTION C-2026-09

This resolution gives LG Chem Uniseal a tax break to support their warehouse expansion. The tax phase-in is expected to take approximately eight years.

Declaration of Support for House Bill 1250: RESOLUTION C-2026-10

The city council officially announced their endorsement of House Bill 1250. The bill would require a seven days’ notice to local law enforcement, the prosecuting attorney, the chief of police, and the victim when a violent offender is released from prison. State Representative Tim O’Brien authored this bill after the murder of Evansville realtor, Susan Haynie, whose killer was released from prison just six months prior.

The next City Council meeting is February 23, 2026, at 5:30pm.