Porter and LaPorte County state legislators shared their relief that mid-census redistricting didn’t pass in Indiana, discussed the impacts of the state’s property tax law that passed earlier this year, and looked ahead to the 2026 legislative session during a Saturday town hall meeting.
State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesterton, said as the Senate talked about mid-census redistricting, there was “a lot of outside influence that I think really backfired.” President Donald Trump and his administration have been pressuring Republican-led states, including Indiana, to redraw Congressional maps so that Republicans could maintain a majority in 2026.
“There are a lot of people that are in those positions that still are small government-minded. They still are constituent-minded,” Pol said. “When people feel like, well, you’re not voting for me, you’re picking who you vote for, I think at their core they knew that was wrong. To see that play out on a national stage … I never thought I would see something like that.”
Pol said he was proud of Indiana for saying no to redistricting, and particularly that Northwest Indiana will remain in one Congressional district because it will give the region “a unified voice.”
State Rep. Randy Novak, D-Michigan City, said most House Republicans didn’t want to vote for mid-census redistricting, but they voted in favor of the bill because they were under immense pressure.
State Rep. Randy Novak, D-Michigan City, speaks about his utility bills during a democratic town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Novak, who was caucused in to replace former State Rep. Pat Boy, said he has served in his role for eight weeks, so addressing mid-census redistricting at the start of the 2026 session was a whirlwind.
State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, said he “found hope” in the Indiana State Legislature when it defeated the mid-census redistricting bill.
“I saw hope and courage last week in the Indiana Senate,” Moseley said. “It took a lot of courage for a lot of Republican senators to stand strong and do the right thing.”
Hoosiers contacted their legislators and showed up at the statehouse to voice their opposition as the House and Senate discussed proposed Congressional maps, which split Porter County between the First and Second congressional districts, and to allow for mid-census redistricting, Moseley said.
“We have only you to thank for that. You were the reason that we don’t have new maps in Indiana today. We were just the messenger, you were the people that went out that did the work and made it happen, and that’s fantastic,” Moseley said. “Indiana shouted the loudest no that we’ve heard in this country for a very, very long time.”
State Rep. Chuck Moseley, D-Portage, speaks during a town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
SEA 1
Senate Enrolled Act 1 established a new property tax system by saving two-thirds of taxpayers up to $300 on their 2025 property tax bill, while local governments will lose $1.4 billion through 2028.
As the bill moved through the legislature, county, city and municipal leaders came to the legislature to testify about its financial impacts. Legislatures told the local leaders that they could lean on local income tax to make up any budgetary shortfalls.
State legislators used Carmel as an example of local governments having too much money because the city built many roundabouts and other infrastructure projects, Pol said.
“To use that as the example was really, really a disservice to the rest of local governments,” Pol said. “The smallest towns will be the ones that will be hurt the most. These really small towns … were already on shoestring budgets that are getting their budgets slashed by 30% to 40% in some cases.”
Porter County will lose approximately $13 million in 2026, approximately $14.6 million in 2027 and approximately $21.50 million in 2028 as a result of SEA 1, Pol said. The Duneland School Corporation is projected to receive $8.25 million less in property tax revenue over the next three years as a result of SEA 1, he said.
Porter resident Judy Chemma asks about rising utility and internet prices during a town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Through 2026-2028, Burns Harbor will lose approximately $264,600, Chesterton will lose approximately $1.6 million, Dunes Acres will lose approximately $57,800 and Porter will lose approximately $569,300, Pol said.
The Westchester Public Library will lose approximately $146,400 in 2026, approximately $138,700 in 2027 and $250,700 in 2028, Pol said.
Democratic and Republican legislators alike have filed many bills to address some of the cuts SEA 1 made, he said, like homestead property tax freezes for low-income seniors and property tax deductions for disabled veterans.
“SEA 1, what we do know is this: that was a permanent solution for a temporary problem. These were permanent cuts that were made in the law that would impact us going forward, even when the housing market goes back down,” Pol said.
Novak, who previously served on the LaPorte County Council, said he and LaPorte County officials met privately with Gov. Mike Braun after SEA 1 passed. Novak said he told the governor that because of SEA 1, LaPorte County will lose out on $6 million through 2028.
Porter resident Eugene Chemma asks voices concerns about data centers in the region during a Democratic town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Braun asked him where he got those figures, Novak said. The calculation came from the statehouse, Novak said.
“He goes, ‘First time I’ve heard that,’” Novak said.
While state legislators told local officials they could utilize local income tax, Novak said the legislature also changed the law to require voter approval for increases in local income tax after 2028.
“The state doesn’t keep a dime of your property taxes. So all they did was cut local government,” Novak said.
2026 session
During the upcoming 2026 session, Pol said the Senate Democrats will focus on child care, housing, health care and utilities.
Chesterton resident Rich Hardin asks about solar energy net metering, a process which allows a homeowner to sell electricity back to the grid when generating solar power, during a Democratic town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
To address childcare, Senate Democrats will file bills to restore funding for On My Way Pre-K and Child Care and Development Fund and to create statewide paid family leave, Pol said.
After the legislature funded the CCDF vouchers, which partially pay for On My Way Pre-K, the Braun administration slashed the funding over the summer, Pol said.
The goal of the childcare bills, Pol said, is to ensure that parents can keep their jobs while their children receive early child education and care.
“People can’t afford to go to work, a lot of times, because you’re taking essentially a paycheck and you’re handing it to your childcare provider,” Pol said.
As it relates to housing, Senate Democrats will file bills to establish a $3,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, expand renter tax deductions, allow homeowners to build rental units and turn empty buildings into housing, prevent landlords from conducting hard credit checks and cut red tape that blocks affordable developments, Pol said.
For healthcare, Senate Democrats will file bills to cap insulin at $35 per month, require insurers to pass cost savings to patients, reform Medicaid redetermination and access to prevent wrongful coverage loss and address medical debt, Pol said.
Visitors applaud during a town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
For utilities, Senate Democrats will file bills to repeal the 7% sales tax on utility bills, cap utility payments at 6% of household income, freeze rate hikes for 3 years, create stronger accountability for rate-setting processes, prohibit summer shutoffs for low-income residents and eliminate reconnection fees, Pol said.
“Affordability is now becoming much more part of the lexicon that you’re hearing in American politics because it’s a real thing. It’s not a hoax. You know what your wallets are telling you, you know what the grocery store prices are telling you, you know what the healthcare costs are telling you, you know what your NIPSCO bill is telling you,” Pol said.
When it comes to affordability, Moseley said what also has to be talked about is affordability in government. The 2025 session ended with the state sending the message that Indiana is fiscally conservative and that it can’t afford to fund things like Medicaid or child care, he said.
At the end of the 2025 session, the state had a $2.5 billion surplus, Moseley said. The Indiana Budget Committee announced Thursday that the state will have a projected surplus of about $5 billion in 2027, Moseley said.
“What I’ve struggled with is, they say it’s their money. It’s not their money, it’s our money. Why can’t we have a conversation that they’ll be willing to listen to about government affordability versus personal affordability? We’re going to start to shout loud about that in the coming weeks and months,” Moseley said.
To address affordability for utilities, Moseley said he will file House Bill 1068, which would call for the members of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to be placed on ballots so that voters could decide which members should remain on the commission.
A visitor holds a paper detailing Indiana Senate Democrats plans for 2026 during a town hall in Chesterton on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Moseley said he will also file a bill to change the way Indiana determines workers’ compensation.
“If you lose an arm in the state of Indiana, it’s worth about half as much as an arm in Illinois. I don’t think that’s a good thing. I think we need to keep working to see if we can fix that problem,” Moseley said.
House members are allowed to file five bills in the 2026 session, Novak said, so his five bills will focus on public safety, he said. Novak, who worked for the Michigan City Fire Department, said he will file a bill to increase from $100 to $250 the clothing and vehicle allowance that Indiana volunteer firefighters receive.
The 2026 session reconvenes Jan. 5, 2026.
akukulka@post-trib.com
