LAPORTE — Feeling taken advantage of by developers, the city of LaPorte has moved to restrict new hook-ups for water and sewer outside the city limits.
The city council this week voted 5 to 2 in favor of an ordinance that puts a partial freeze on additional taps not within the corporate boundaries, despite requests from developers and customers outside the city to reach a middle ground.
Opponents associated with the 39 North Conservancy District called the ordinance 'anti-development,' saying potential job creators will now look elsewhere.
The move is in response to developers choosing to build where they have access to water and sewer but don't have to pay higher city property taxes.
Mayor Blair Milo said such practices create a potential financial burden for the city from having to serve developments that don't contribute tax dollars toward system maintenance.
She said one of the ideas is to encourage new investment in the city due to changes in state law that make it almost impossible to annex growing areas and build the city's tax base in order to recover the expense of extending water and sewer.
Milo is also hoping the ban on more outside connections will persuade the state legislature to loosen the annexation restrictions tightened after services to outside areas were extended with the intent of someday bringing them into the city.
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