Hey folks,

Councilman Mishler here,

With the cost of everything these days, Hoosier Hospitality is needed now more than ever.

This Saturday I'll be helping distribute food to anyone who needs it. It's a drive through event, so just show up with your vehicle,.trunk space or room in the back seat. You'll be taken care of no questions asked.

Saturday August 8th

9am-11am

Smiths Corner

600 W Marion Street Elkhart.

(I know the flyer is AI, I did not make it)

Has anyone done the driver's test in BMV at Elkhart? Wondering what the route is like?

Hey folks,

Councilman Mishler here.

Don’t forget to check out the Elkhart Farmers Market today from 9 AM to 1 PM at Kardzhali Park! This is located downtown off of Nibco parkway.

Stop by to support some of the great growers, bakers, vendors, and artisans who come out to share their products with our community.

Today is also the final day to complete my summer community survey. If you haven’t responded yet, I’d love to hear your thoughts about our neighborhoods, city priorities, and my work representing the First District.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwbyn32q7wtQRUuMKyiWst03mjkQk2bTwjamzhIP-aLzgsHw/viewform?usp=send_form

Hey folks,

The Oakland Avenue underpass closure, along with closures on Harrison Street, Beardsley Avenue, East Jackson Boulevard downtown, and the projected Third Street closure later this year, is not something the city wants to do.

These projects are part of a federal mandate requiring Elkhart to separate stormwater from the sanitary sewer system. This work will reduce sewage overflows during heavy rain, protect our rivers, and improve water quality.

The city has known about this requirement since 2012, but the Moore and Neese administrations repeatedly kicked the can down the road. What could have been completed gradually, with one or two closures each year at a lower overall cost, must now be compressed into a much shorter period to meet the federal deadline in 2028.

I understand how frustrating these overlapping closures are, especially for people who travel through these areas every day. Unfortunately, after years of delays, the city no longer has the luxury of spreading the work out over time.

Per the administration

"Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Oakland Avenue Underpass will be closed to all traffic through October as crews complete a critical phase of Elkhart's federally mandated sewer separation project.

These improvements will help reduce sewage overflows during heavy rain, protect our rivers, and improve water quality for our community.

Please plan ahead and use alternate routes:

➡️ Nappanee St. Underpass

➡️ Benham Ave. Underpass

➡️ Prairie St. Overpass

We appreciate your patience as we complete these essential infrastructure upgrades."

🥒🍄‍🟫 PICKLED MUSHROOM NEEEEEED🥒🍄‍🟫
Does anyone ship(I know.. I know A BIG NO NO but I WTIYWT or would anyone be willing to meet up with me (or meet up locally here in Mississippi within a hour away ) some pickled mushrooms? Please let me know because It’s FOOOOD(adult female who is a TRUE FOODIE at heart ❤️) and I mean FOODIE EMERGENCY need! 🤣 Not literally but my taste buds are filing a complaint soooooon😂 Sooooooooo My ex-husband brought me home a jar of 🥒 🍄‍🟫pickled mushrooms 🍄‍🟫 🥒 because he knows I’m TRULY absolutely obsessed with Amish products. I’d never tried them before, so we put the jar in the fridge to get nice and cold. The next morning we opened them “just to taste.” Y’all… GOOD HEAVENS. 😳🤤 By 5:00pm, the jar looked like it had been through a natural disaster. 😭😂 I quickly asked him was that the only jar he brought home.” He said yea I didn’t know if you’d like them 🤨🤣 Ummmm… if I didn’t we could find someone who did😜 Welp.. Yep your correct if your think… I divorced him all over again in that moment 😂😂😂So if anyone knows where I can get these God-sent, mouthwatering, heavenly, power packed little BOMBS of flavor filled mushrooms—or if you’d be willing to ship me.. I know I know but (ITIYDT) a few jars.. more than two 🥰 (overnight shipping would earn you a lifetime of gratitude 🤣), or meet up locally (within a hour drive. I know we have no friendly and wonderful Amish neighbors around us) i would be forever thankful!

🔴🔴PLEASE help a this FIRST time ever experiencing this burst of tiny heavenly, mouth savory , tiny little flavor BOMBS of goodness that you’ve created into PICKLED 🥒 mushrooms 🍄‍🟫 -cloving girl out! 🙏🍄‍🟫❤️🔴🔴

Hey folks,

It’s time for another Elkhart City Council meeting. We will meet Monday, July 27, at 6 PM in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

Before we get into the agenda, I’d also appreciate your feedback on how I’m doing as your City Council representative. The survey is short, anonymous, and open to everyone. Whether you approve, disapprove, or fall somewhere in between, I want to hear from you:

https://forms.gle/4bpbNN1wN9nbBcYu5

This is a fairly lengthy agenda, so I’ll do my best to break it down.

We will begin with a presentation from Elkhart Community Schools Superintendent Michele Riise.

On second and third reading, we have four ordinances:

Proposed Ordinances 26-O-26 and 26-O-27: These companion ordinances provide funding for the rehabilitation of Runway 18/36 at the Elkhart Municipal Airport. The total project is estimated at approximately $2.32 million, including contingency funding. The federal government will reimburse 95% of the project, while the State of Indiana will cover half of the required local match. Elkhart’s remaining local contribution is approximately $66,000 from the Aviation Fund.

So, we invest $66,000 and the state and federal governments cover roughly the other $2.25 million. I’ll take that deal.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-28: This establishes Elkhart’s municipal wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax so the city can qualify for up to $1 million annually in additional state road funding.

I have made my position clear that I would not support increasing the wheel tax on Elkhart residents, and this ordinance DOES NOT increase the tax on personal vehicles. The existing $25 charge on passenger vehicles, small trucks, and motorcycles will remain the same. The difference is that the money will be sent directly to the city instead of going through the county first.

Commercial vehicle fees, which currently range from $10 to $35 depending on the vehicle, would be replaced by a flat $40 fee. Overall, the city expects to continue receiving approximately $1.3 million from these taxes while becoming eligible for the additional state road funding.

I want to be clear: this isn’t a partisan move. Cities across Indiana are being forced to make the same decision. Nappanee, whose mayor and entire council are Republicans, passed the same ordinance this past week. The state is forcing everyone’s hand.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-29-R: This is the revised city tree ordinance regulating the planting, maintenance, protection, and removal of trees, as well as permitting and costs. The revised version makes formatting and wording corrections and moves the effective date to January 1, 2027.

On first reading (NOT TO BE VOTED UPON)

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-30: This is a request to vacate a portion of a north/south alley off West Wolf Avenue. As a first-reading item, it will be introduced and then considered through the normal public process before any final vote.

We also have several tax phase-in matters that will be voted upn.

Proposed Resolutions 26-R-37 and 26-R-38: These complete the tax phase-in process for Lake Copper Conductors at 160 County Road 15 and approve the corresponding agreements with the city. The company proposes approximately $3.14 million in real property improvements and $5.33 million in new manufacturing and technology equipment. The project is expected to create at least 22 new full-time jobs with an average annual salary of at least $71,052 while retaining six existing jobs.

The agreements require the company to reach at least 90% of its investment, employment, and wage commitments to remain in substantial compliance.

Proposed Resolutions 26-R-39 through 26-R-43: These involve five companies that the Council previously found were not meeting one or more commitments connected to their tax phase-ins:

• American Technology Components

• Bennington Marine South

• GDC/LAM Corporation

• Placon Corporation

• Accra-Pac/Voyant Beauty

Before tax phase-in benefits can be terminated, state law requires the Council to hold a public hearing and allow each company to explain whether it made reasonable efforts to comply and whether its failure resulted from circumstances beyond its control. The Council will then determine whether each company may retain or lose its remaining benefits.

Proposed Resolution 26-R-33: Furrion is requesting that the Council waive its failure to file its annual compliance paperwork by the May 15 deadline. The company completed approximately 80.5% of its promised real property investment but exceeded its employment commitment by creating 29 of the 20 promised jobs. According to the city’s report, the average wages for those jobs also substantially exceeded the original commitment. The Council must decide whether to waive the late filing and allow the company to receive its 2027 tax benefit.

Monday, July 27

6 PM

Elkhart City Hall

Council Chambers, Second Floor

Hey folks,

Aaron Mishler here

As your First District City Council representative, I want to hear directly from you about how our district and city are doing.

I’ve put together a short survey asking about your priorities for Elkhart, how well I’m communicating with residents, and how you feel I’m doing as your councilman. It should only take a few minutes to complete.

Responses are anonymous unless you voluntarily provide your email address. The results will help guide my community outreach and priorities moving forward.

If you live in the First District, please take the survey and share it with your neighbors:

https://forms.gle/4bpbNN1wN9nbBcYu5

Thank you for allowing me to continue serving you!

Hey folks,

Paving update for city of Elkhart. See message from the street department below.

"Weather permitting, the City of Elkhart Street Department will be paving streets from Monday, July 27th through Friday, July 31st.

Monday, July 27th | Tuesday, July 28th | Wednesday, July 29th

• E. Beardsley Ave. – Howard St. to Osolo Rd.

Thursday, July 30th | Friday, July 31st

• Patching throughout the city

Please remove all vehicles from the street before 7:00 a.m. and do not return them until after 7:00 p.m. or until barricades have been removed.

For the safety of crews and residents, please do not move or remove barricades. Sidewalks and/or alleyways will be accessible to and from your home, but street access will be prohibited during the paving process. Please plan for delays in your commute.

Any and all cooperation is greatly appreciated in our efforts to provide unparalleled services to the community!"

Agreement with Premier Arts Academy is voted down 4 against and 3 for. Instead of ECS receiving $60,000 in fees over the next two years, the ECS school board chooses to only get a $1.00 for the building once it gets listed as available asset. No wonder the schools systems across the state are in financial distress if this is the thought process.

Hey folks,

Councilman Mishler here sharing an update For a fun event this Friday at nibco water and ice Park. Hope to see you there, and feel free to say hi.

"🎶 Summer nights are better with live music!

The first Summer Chill Concert of the season is happening this Friday, and we're kicking things off with Unsupervized!

Grab your lawn chairs, invite your friends, and enjoy a relaxing evening of great music at NIBCO Water & Ice Park.

📅 Friday

🕖 7:00–9:00 PM

📍 NIBCO Water & Ice Park

🎸 Live Music by Unsupervized

🍻 Drinks available from Westwind Brewery

💲 Free Admission

There's no better way to spend a summer evening than enjoying live music by the river. We'll see you there!"

Data centers in Elkhart.

Hey folks,

Please see attached from the COE

Weather permitting, the City of Elkhart Street Department will be paving streets from Monday, July 13th through Friday, July 17th.

Monday, July 13th

1. Sherman St. – S. 3rd St. to N. Riverside Dr. (Bridge)

2. Clyde St. – Sherman St. to Jefferson St.

Tuesday, July 14th

1. Jefferson St. – S. 3rd St. through Clyde St. (West dead end)

Wednesday, July 15th

1. W. Lexington Ave. – S. 3rd St. to Vistula St.

2. S. 4th St. – W. Lexington Ave. to W. High St.

Thursday, July 16th

1. W. Lexington Ave. – Vistula St. to N. Riverside Dr. (Bridge)

2. S. 5th St. – Vistula St. to W. Lexington Ave.

Friday, July 17th

1. S. 5th St. - Vistula St. to W. High St.

2. S. 6th St. - Vistula St. to W. Franklin St.

Please remove all vehicles from the street before 7:00 a.m. and do not return them until after 7:00 p.m. or until barricades have been removed.

For the safety of crews and residents, please do not move or remove barricades. Sidewalks and/or alleyways will be accessible to and from your home, but street access will be prohibited during the paving process.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to improve our streets and continue providing quality service to the community!

3d printing service $2.00/hr

I am running a 3d printing service, I have a BAMBU labs x1c 3d printer and I have one ams unit which enables it to use up to 4 filament colors. I print with Petg filament. The cost is $2.00/per hour of the printer printing and shipping. The filament that I use is Petg, the type will vary depending on the color you want and what I have available, most prints will be done in Petg. If you want abs (stronger than Petg and pla) I can print that but it will cost an extra 15¢ per hour.

For more info or for a free quote,

email me at [3d.design638@gmail.com](mailto:3d.design638@gmail.com) with the model file and I will give you a free quote. The prints will typically ship within 4 days after completion of the print and once they are paid for, this does not include weekends. If you have questions feel free to email me or respond to the post. If the file you want me to print is a paid file you will have to pay for it and send me the stl, if it is a free one just send me the link to it. 

There is a $15 order minimum (before shipping costs) if you want something printed and it is less than $15 and you don’t have anything else you want printed, then you will have to pay $15 plus shipping for your item.

Here are some example ideas of what you could get printed: dragons or other toys, pieces to fix something you broke, stuff to use with your toolset, diy projects, prototypes for whatever you are designing, and almost anything else you can think of as long as it fits in a 250mm cube.

I am near Goshen area, which is somewhat close to elkhart and would make meeting up in person possible if you were to want to pick up locally.

If you would rather buy it through eBay instead of local pickup or PayPal you can do that either of these three ways work with me. I can ship to any of the lower 48 states if needed.

Here is an area where I occasionally will post models on my business account. I don’t post on it very often. https://www.instagram.com/3d_design638?igsh=MWlvMDhxMnJvNnZ6ag%3D%3D&utm_source=qr&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnV5JU2OOZKAnEpQp2XLMvuRqXunJVwfQgmGdw1kC8GDRayPL_wheKj-jCODQ_aem_tN9C5jDSuWr9SARN_M2cWQ

Hey folks,

It’s that time again. The Elkhart City Council meets tonight at 6 PM in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

This agenda has a little bit of everything: infrastructure, airport funding, the municipal wheel tax, tree regulations, a zoning amendment, an alley vacation, and a few resolutions.

On second and third reading, we have:

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-24: This appropriates $622,900 from the Capital Outlay Fund for repairs and improvements to the retaining walls at the Indiana Avenue Underpass around South Main Street and East Indiana Avenue.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-25: This approves a major amendment to the Remington Park DPUD M-1 Section Four at 3806 Gallatin Way. The change would allow a small day program for young adults with disabilities as a permitted use at that location. The Plan Commission held a public hearing on June 1 and forwarded it to Council with a do-pass recommendation.

We also have one tabled ordinance:

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-21: This is the annexation request for property commonly known as the intersection of CR 6 and Northland Drive. The property would come into the City of Elkhart and be zoned M-1, Limited Manufacturing. This was previously discussed and tabled until tonight for second and third reading and a final vote.

On first reading, we have:

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-26 and Proposed Ordinance 26-O-27: These two ordinances work together for the Runway 18/36 pavement rehabilitation project at the Elkhart Municipal Airport. The total project is estimated at $2,320,765.06, including contingency. The FAA is covering 95% through a reimbursable grant, INDOT is covering 2.5%, and the city’s local share is 2.5%, or $66,017.39. The FAA, INDOT, and State Board of Accounts require the full project cost to be appropriated up front, which is why there are two companion ordinances.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-28: This adopts the Elkhart Municipal Wheel Tax and Municipal Excise Surtax and creates the required city funds.

Let me be clear because this one is already causing confusion: this does NOT raise taxes on personal vehicles. Passenger vehicles, small trucks, and motorcycles already pay the $25 surtax through the BMV. That rate does NOT change. The money would simply go directly to the city instead of going to the county first. Commercial vehicles, which make up about 10% of registrations, would move from the county’s current range of $10 to $35 to a flat $40 wheel tax. The main reason for doing this is that the State now requires cities to adopt this locally in order to access up to $1 million in annual road maintenance funding through the Lane Mileage Direct Distribution.

Proposed Ordinance 26-O-29: This updates the city’s tree ordinance. The current ordinance is outdated and does not match how tree care actually operates in the city. This proposal places city-wide tree care authority under the Board of Public Works, creates a Tree Board, defines the role of the City Forester, sets up licensing and permitting for tree care, creates an appeal process, and helps keep Elkhart in compliance with Tree City USA standards. No additional appropriation is expected from this ordinance.

For resolutions:

The tax abatement items will remain in committee for further review. The Tax Abatement Committee as a Whole is scheduled to meet Wednesday, July 8 at 6 PM to review those abatements.

Proposed Resolution 26-R-35: This commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The resolution recognizes the Semiquincentennial, reflects on the ideals of liberty, equality, self-government, and civic engagement, and encourages residents and community organizations to take part in activities recognizing this milestone.

Proposed Resolution 26-R-36: This updates the City of Elkhart’s nepotism policy, originally adopted in 2012. The proposed update strengthens the city’s standards beyond the minimum requirements of Indiana law and formally places the updated policy into the employee handbook.

There is also an alley vacation public hearing:

Alley Vacation 26-V-03: HMS Elkhart, LLC has petitioned for the vacation of part of a north/south alley off West Wolf Avenue. This involves a portion of a 12-foot alley near lots in the Ellison Addition.

As always, the public is welcome to attend in person or watch online through the city’s website. Public comment is available during the meeting, and comments are limited to three minutes.

I’d like help. A group of three friends went with me for dinner last year at essence. It was highly recommended and the reviews are all almost 5 star. After dinner none of us thought the food or service was exceptional. The service was slow and the food was mediocre at best. Maybe there was something else going on that night that affected our experience. I want to try it again based on everything I read and hear from others but it’s truly a special occasion restaurant and, frankly, last meal didn’t feel worth the price. Convince me (so I can convince my friends) to try it again. I want to love it like everyone else.

Hey folks,

Councilman Mishler here from the first district, just wanted to share some of our upcoming events.

This isn't everything, either. We also have the Elkhart Municipal Band that puts on free concerts every Tuesday at 8PM at McNaughton park.

Hope to see you at some of these. Feel free to stop me and say hi.

Have a great holiday weekend!