Plans to Progress: Elkhart Mayor gives 6th State of the City address

ELKHART, Ind. -- Elkhart Mayor Rob Roberson gave his 6th State of the City address to about 300 residents and city leaders Tues. evening at the Lerner Theatre.

Mayor Roberson spoke about the accomplishments of 2024 and what’s on the horizon from here, laying out four main themes for his address: infrastructure, public safety, quality of life, and neighborhoods.

“Tomorrow’s Elkhart, starting today. Today’s State of the City will be framed around those four pillars of Aspire,” said Mayor Roberson.

One of those big talking points: neighborhoods need housing, “In the last 10 years, Elkhart County as a whole have only built 800 multi-family housing units. By the end of 2025, we will have added an additional 450 multi-family housing units with several hundred more coming in 2026,” explained Mayor Roberson.

When speaking in a one-on-one interview, Mayor Roberson elaborated on the housing plan, saying it’s part of a larger goal for the city.

“60 to 70 thousand people come into Elkhart every day and work and go somewhere else to live. It’s important for you as well as anyone else to live close to where you work and we know we want to create a city that people are attracted to,” said Mayor Roberson.

There were several major milestones achieved for Elkhart over the last year, including finishing a $35 million upgrade to the storm and wastewater plant, increasing their processing ability by over 50 percent.

Crime statistics also came down by at least 10 percent in six major categories, including homicide, and a multi-million-dollar grant was received, allowing over 2000 tree to be planted over last year and 2025.

Mayor Roberson said all of that progress is paving the way for what’s next in the Hart City.

“The orange cones of construction out there today, will lead to the safe travel to the amenities of tomorrow. This is Aspire. Elkhart’s future, starting today. From plans to progress, tomorrow’s Elkhart is gaining ground,” said Mayor Roberson.

To view the full State of the City, click here.