Saint Joseph County Council passes bond for new park

“There’s always going to be something that’s out there that’s gonna say now’s not the right time, there’s some kind of new law coming along… some kind of new federal mandate… some new state mandate… so I think… the longer we postpone this or push this down the road, the more it’s going to cost the county someday when we finally do develop it. So now is the time, the things are in place, the bond space is there right now to be able to do it,” said Steve Slauson, the executive director for the St. Joseph County Parks Department.

Jennifer Shabazz, Mark Catanzarite, Amy Drake, Diana Hess, Bryan Tanner, and Dan Schaetzle all voted yes, while Andy Rutten, Randall Figg, and Joe Thomas voted no.

“As a mother of seven children, I use the parks all the time… so if I have to choose one way or another tonight, I am going to go with the park. I would have liked to see the money used differently but I also don’t want to deny… people in my district, even my own family, the opportunity to use that park,” said councilwoman Amy Drake.

The bond still needs a vote from the county commissioners, but during public comment, president of the commissioners, Carl Baxmeyer, said all three of them seem to be in support.

Baxmeyer also gave his 2025 State of the County address. You can view the full address, once posted, here, and the full council meeting here.