This and that: A midweek edition
Some notes on candidate forums, a hearing on a proposed American Suburban rate increase, West Lafayette’s prep for a renewed property tax referendum and LSC’s likely pick for a school board vacancy.
Support for this edition comes from Rat Pak Venue in downtown Lafayette, presenting Afroman at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. The OG Afroman returns to Lafayette performing his hits like “Because I Got High”, “Crazy Rap (Colt 45)” and “Lemon Pound Cake.” And he’s bringing along his friends Graet Daeg and Bank Boi Money. Pre-sale tickets are available for $40. Limited table reservations available for purchase, also. Get tickets here. Discount code: thanks.
Some notes at midweek …
TORNADO IN NORTHWEST INDIANA: A tornado Tuesday night followed by Wednesday morning storms killed two people and damaged homes across northern Newton County, officials said. Hardest hit was Lake Village, which is nearly 70 miles north of Lafayette. The Associated Press had details here of the storms in Northwest Indiana and just across the Illinois border: “Tornadoes kill 2 in northwestern Indiana and raze buildings in Kankakee, Illinois.”
WEST LAFAYETTE SCHOOL BOARD CONTINUES PREP FOR EARLY RENEWAL OF REFERENDUM: The West Lafayette school board would spend the spring and summer finalizing details about putting a renewed property tax referendum on the November 2026 ballot, based on a schedule provided to the school board Monday by Ice Miller, a law firm hired to be the school district’s bond counsel to help guide the process.
According to the schedule, the school board would consider the details of the public question during its May 11 meeting. The process laid out for the school board Monday included a series of stops with the county auditor, the state Department of Local Government Finance and with the board itself before getting ballot approval in August.
The school board has been leaning closer in recent months to going back to voters in 2026 to rework the district’s referendum rate last approved in 2023. Before bringing on Ice Miller as bond counsel Monday, the board unanimously agreed in February to hire Dehler PR to guide a marketing campaign. Both firms played roles in the 2023 campaign.
A financial consultant told the school board in late 2025 that changes to the tax base due to the property tax reforms of Senate Bill 1, deeper homestead credits on residential property and inflation mean it would take a property tax referendum between 51.15 cents and 52.8 cents per $100 in assessed value – up from the current 37-cent rate – to keep pace with the roughly $8 million in annual revenues coming to the school district via the referendum by the end of the current eight-year term passed in 2023.
The current referendum raises roughly 18% of the district’s operating budget, according to district figures, stating its purpose as “retaining and attracting teachers and staff and funding academic programming and operating expenditures.”
Part of the schedule laid out Monday included time for the school board to consider how the ballot question would describe any changes in the purposes for the money raised and how much the tax would increase annual tax bills for a median residence.
The current, eight-year referendum passed with 80.4% approval rate in the November 2023 municipal election.
On Monday, West Lafayette Superintendent Shawn Greiner also told the board the administration was working with marketing firm Morris Leatherman Co. to line up a community opinion survey about a potential referendum. The school board used the same firm ahead of the 2023 ballot question.
Greiner said the survey would include a questionnaire for approximately 400 residents, starting May 18. Those results would be ready for the board’s discussions at its June 8 meeting. (In 2023, a similar survey showed that three of four voters supported renewing a referendum first approved in 2010.)
Board member Yue Yin asked whether the survey could be recycled in some way from 2023, rather than spending $28,000 on a new one. She also asked whether that work could be done in-house.
Greiner said Jeff Dehler, of Dehler PR, had recommended the community survey. He said it would be up to the board to pull back on the survey.
“He used it last time and helped guide the board on whether or not they would move forward with the referendum and on things that we would need to understand as an administration and a board regarding concerns related to the district that might be considered as we work to promote the referendum,” Greiner said.
Here’s more on the stakes of a possible referendum:
And in case you missed it, here’s where the West Lafayette school board landed in a 6-1 vote Monday on a new student transfer policy:
LSC NARROWS SEARCH TO FILL SCHOOL BOARD VACANCY: The Lafayette school board is expected to vote April 8, after one of two candidates to fill a vacancy on the board withdrew ahead of a Monday night meeting.
That left the lone candidate under consideration as Oscar Trujillo, a Lafayette Jeff grad who taught math and coached the wrestling team at Tecumseh Junior High. He now is regional coordinator for the Indiana Migrant Education Program, where he supports families working in agriculture.
Dewayne Moffitt, a Lafayette Jefferson High School graduate who spent six years working at Tecumseh Junior High School, withdrew from consideration.
“Very excited to move forward with Mr. Oscar Trujillo,” Julie Peretin, LSC school board president, said after interviewing him during Monday’s session. “He captured a collaborative vision for education in the Lafayette School Corp. He has deep roots with LSC and a broad reach throughout the area in his personal and professional life.”
LSC board member Chuck Hockema stepped down in January with a year remaining on his term. The LSC school board, according to state law, is designated to select a replacement to fill a term that finishes at the end of 2026. The replacement needs to come from LSC school board’s District D, where Hockema was elected and which includes parts of the district’s east, north and central areas.
CANDIDATE FORUMS THIS WEEK: With primary elections coming May 5, here are a couple of candidate forums set this week:
We The People town hall, Thursday: Several candidates running for Indiana House seats in districts that include parts of Tippecanoe County are expected to participate in a town hall sponsored by We the People Indiana Revival from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at Gathering Acres Event Center, 5074 E. County Road 550 South, Lafayette. Among those We the People says have committed to be there:
District 13: Brenna Geswein, a West Lafayette Democrat. She faces Ed Moyer Jr. in the Democratic primary. The incumbent is Republican state Rep. Matt Commons.
District 26: State Rep. Chris Campbell, a Democrat, and Maggie Davis, a West Lafayette Republican.
District 27: State Rep. Sheila Klinker, a Lafayette Democrat. Klinker will face the winner of a GOP primary between Tracy Brown and Oscar Alvarez.
District 38: Nate Stout, a Democrat. Stout would face the winner of a Republican primary between incumbent state Rep. Heath VanNatter and Mark Hufford.
District 41: Jackson Hayes, a Democrat. Hayes is challenging Republican incumbent state Rep. Mark Genda.
The discussion will be moderated by David Sanders, a West Lafayette City Council member who is running as a Democrat in Indiana Senate District 23.
Heartland Democracy Project forum, Saturday: Four Democratic candidates running for Tippecanoe County commissioner are scheduled to meet for a forum hosted by the Heartland Democracy Project from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the McAllister Center, 2351 N. 20th St. in Lafayette. The candidates running for the District 1 seat – voted on by everyone in the county: Andrea Burniske, Travis Dowell, Justin Kendall and AR Lane. The Democratic nominee elected May 5 would face the winner of a Republican primary between Julie Roush and James Waters.
FOR MORE ON THE PRIMARY …
Candidates on the ballots: For a look at who is on Tippecanoe County primary ballots, here are links to Democratic candidates and Republican candidates.
Voter registration deadline: … is April 8 to be eligible to vote in the May 5 primary. To register or for more details, go to the Secretary of State’s voter portal at indianavoters.in.gov or to the county’s voter registration page.
Vote centers and early polling sites: Early voting ahead of the May 5 primary will start April 7 and run through May 4. For a list of sites and dates, if you’re really into planning, here’s a link.
FIELD HEARING SET THURSDAY ON AMERICAN SUBURBAN’S NEXT SET OF REQUESTED RATE INCREASES: American Suburban Utilities, a wastewater utility that covers roughly 3,770 residential and commercial customers west of West Lafayette, will faces a public hearing Thursday, as it asks for a rate increase.
American Suburban has proposed a two-stage rate increase that would take monthly residential service from $65.57 to $82.85 – a 26% increase – in the first phase, according to an application with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. The second phase would come in 2028, though no amount has been estimated by American Suburban.
The increase request came after the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission ruled in 2023 that American Suburban could increase rates, adding $7.45 per monthly bill, up 12.6%. American Suburban initially had asked for an increase of $40.58 – a nearly 69% hike – that would have pushed residential sewer bills on a flat monthly rate to $99.66. That rate increase fight met with pushback from customers who called out what they considered poor management and customer service and seemingly perpetual requests for increases by American Suburban on top of some of the most expensive sewer rates in the state.
In a petition filed in October 2025, American Suburban officials argued that current rates weren’t enough to keep with maintenance, operating costs and a proposed expansion of its wastewater treatment plant.
The IURC will hold a field hearing to take public comment on the American Suburban request at 5:45 p.m. March 12 at the West Lafayette Public Library, 208 W. Columbia St.
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor also is taking public comments through April 14 via email at uccinfo@oucc.in.gov; or by mail at 115 W. Washington St, Suite 1500 South, Indianapolis, IN 46204. For more details, here’s a link.
Thanks, again, for support for this edition from Rat Pak Venue in downtown Lafayette, presenting Afroman at 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. Get tickets here. Discount code: thanks.
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
Isn't it great that property tax payers within the boundaries of the West Lafayette Community School Corporation have the privilege of subsidizing the cost of transfer students? Makes one feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Thanks, Dave. The We The People town hall was a great event. Pictures to follow.