Thanks for ongoing support from Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette. For tickets and details on all the shows and events, go to longpac.org.
NEW LOCAL INCOME TAX, AIMED FOR JUVENILE CENTER, ONE VOTE WAY
A proposed 0.1% increase in Tippecanoe County’s local income tax – one that would raise roughly $6.3 million a year, starting in 2027 – will be up for a final Tippecanoe County Council vote Tuesday morning.
The local income tax would cost $50 for a resident making $50,000 a year would fall under a correctional facilities category recently authorized by the General Assembly, designated by the county council for stalled plans for a juvenile detention center and maintenance or future expansion of the Tippecanoe County Jail.
The tax, given initial unanimous approval by the county council in August, would show up on local paychecks as soon as Jan. 1, 2027.
“This is part of what we need to plan for the future,” Ben Murray, a county council member, said during a public hearing Wednesday evening. “Putting money aside now so it’s not a huge hit to the taxpayers later down the road.”
Tippecanoe County has a 1.28% rate in current local income taxes.
A primary driver for the additional 0.1% is a juvenile detention center concept that the county set aside in 2025 under uncertainty about revenues coming under the state’s property tax reforms.
County commissioners initially had considered building a juvenile detention center next to Cary Home for Children along South 18th Street, scrapping that idea in 2024 because designs for a 24-bed facility wouldn’t fit there. They then looked at county-owned land off Cor-Dale Court, northwest of the intersection of North Ninth Street and Duncan Road, near the county jail.
The county spends between $170 and $350 a day to place a juvenile in facilities in other counties across Indiana, Rebecca Humphrey, the county’s youth services director, told the county council. In previous debates, the number indicated that an average stay is 30 days. The county’s youth services officials said placements had become more difficult after a 2022 law that required anyone under 18 being charged with adult offenses to be placed in juvenile detention, instead of in county jails meant for adults, which meant fewer centers in the state had available beds.
“Trying to find a facility is really difficult,” Humphrey said. “We only detain youth who are a danger to our community or at risk of appearing for court for accountability. So it’s not locking up a shoplifter, not locking up kids who have minor offenses. We have other ways to hold them safely in our community and still accountable. It’s really the kids that scare us, and trying to find places for them and support their needs and their family needs at the same time.”
Before stopping plans in 2024, commissioners said the aim was to break even on operating costs on a new juvenile center, between savings on not sending kids to out-of-county facilities and revenue from housing juveniles from other counties. County officials have said having a local juvenile detention center would keep kids closer to schools, their families and services, as well as cut down on time for transport by sheriff’s deputies.
What’s next: The Tippecanoe County Council will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the County Office Building, 20 N. Third St. in Lafayette.
TIPPECANOE LATINO FESTIVAL CANCELED AMID ICE ACTIVITY REPORTED ACROSS THE STATE
Reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations this week in and around Indianapolis had the community on edge, leading to protests and politicians lining up on either side of the ICE enforcement.
In Lafayette, organizers canceled the annual Tippecanoe Latino Festival that had been planned for Saturday at Columbian Park.
The extent of the ICE operations in recent days weren’t clear, though Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita posted warnings Thursday that his office was “monitoring whether any local government officials attempt to obstruct or impede these ICE operations and will not hesitate to enforce Indiana’s prohibition on such obstructions.”
Indianapolis media tracked the situation, including this via reporters at the Indianapolis Star: “As ICE sightings piled across Indianapolis, the stories behind them started to come into focus even as officials remained mum – or unaware – of what the federal government’s controversial immigration officers were up to in the state’s capital. Officers have been captured in video and photos stopping work trucks and motorists at gas stations, detaining outdoor workers, scouring apartment communities, converging on businesses owned by and catering to immigrants, and walking away with people in handcuffs. Cars empty. Tools left behind. People gone.” Read more here: “Empty cars. Left behind tools. A shattered door. ICE mobilization spreads through Indy.”
WFYI reported that U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, an Indianapolis Democrat, was asking for explanations from federal officials: “Reports of ICE surge in Indianapolis prompt congressional inquiry.”
“I don’t know of ICE working in the area,” Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said Friday afternoon. “We have not been involved in anything or contacted by them to help with anything.”
West Lafayette Police Chief Adam Ferguson said his department had received no calls about ICE activity. The same went for Lafayette Police Department, Sgt. Matt Santerre said.
Organizers of United Tippecanoe Rapid Response Network, a Greater Lafayette group that lend mutual aid and community resources for immigrant residents, reported what they called a confirmed ICE stop Thursday morning along northbound I-65, a mile south of the Indiana 38/Dayton exit. According to the report on its social media pages, one person was detained in a stop that included eight agents with face coverings and green vests.
Additional information about that stop was not immediately available.
Friday morning, the Latino Center for Wellness and Education announced on social media that the board of directors “made the difficult decision to cancel the 2026 Tippecanoe Latino Festival.” The annual festival was set to feature live entertainment, food and family activities at Columbian Park. From the group’s announcement:
“The Tippecanoe Latino Festival has long been a celebration of Latino culture, community, and togetherness. We know how much this event means to our community, and this decision was not made lightly. In recent days we have been closely monitoring developments affecting Latino communities and families across Indiana. These circumstances have led us to carefully consider what is best for our community and everyone who helps make this event possible.
“We are deeply saddened that we will not be able to gather with our community this year. However, the safety and well-being of our community, participating partners, volunteers, and attendees must remain our priority.”
Thanks, again, for ongoing support from Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette. For tickets and details on all the shows and events, go to longpac.org.
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