Michiana Shores council approves routine vouchers, sets enforcement timeline for Groveland property

At its Feb. 10, 2026 meeting, the Michiana Shores Town Council approved the evening’s agenda and a slate of routine financial items while setting a short timeline for code enforcement action on a troubled property on Groveland.

Council members voted by voice on a series of motions that included adopting the meeting agenda (with a new item labeled “tax revenues”), approving corrected minutes from prior meetings, and authorizing payroll and vouchers for multiple periods. Most voice votes were recorded as unanimous (five ayes) during the meeting.

The council directed its code-enforcement officer to draft a formal compliance letter for the property at 424 Groveland after recent partial cleanup. Council members agreed the letter should define what “done” looks like, be reviewed by a council designee, and be sent this week; if the property is not brought into compliance by Feb. 28, fines the council previously discussed will begin to accumulate. The next steps—draft, internal review, and a Feb. 28 compliance deadline—were described by the council as administrative instructions rather than a new formal ordinance.

The meeting included several routine committee and staff reports. Police Chief Mark Slustick reported 306 calls for service in January, down from 350 the previous year, with 17 incident reports and 12 arrests. “For the month of January, the district department responded to 306 calls for service when compared to 350 in the previous year,” Slustick said, and he told the council officers completed recertification on less‑lethal options and that the department has converted certain shotguns to deploy beanbag rounds as a less‑lethal alternative.

Building/code-enforcement staff reported four building permits issued in the period cited, a short‑term rental approval at 5 Shadow Trail, and ongoing enforcement steps that prompted the Groveland action plan. The enforcement discussion noted prior council direction about fines and emphasized the need for clear written expectations in the compliance letter.

Samantha, who handles website and technology duties, said town website traffic is up and that “how to apply for a short term rental permit” is currently one of the site’s most viewed pages; she outlined plans to migrate the town site to a state/local platform and explore online payment options for municipal services.

Council members also discussed unfinished business including community crossing grants, a review of fines and fees, updates to the golf‑cart ordinance and staggered council terms. In the golf‑cart conversation they compared Michiana Shores’ rules with Long Beach’s, discussed moving to a two‑year permit cycle, incremental fines for repeat offenders and sticker expiration dates, and asked staff to draft proposed ordinance updates.

A resident donation of a single lot at the northeast corner of Pokagon and Oakdale was reported to the council; members discussed potential liability from trees on the parcel and possible future disposition or sale of isolated town‑owned lots. No formal vote on acceptance or disposition was recorded during the meeting.

No members of the public offered comments during the meeting. The council closed with routine announcements and adjourned after a final voice vote.