Residents press board on employee bonuses and NIPSCO ties; city schedules NIPSCO public session

A La Porte resident used the public‑comment period on Feb. 18 to press the Board of Public Works and Safety about transparency for a $141,861.19 employee bonus approved at the prior meeting and to ask whether a NIPSCO interconnection agreement is related to a 10‑year NIPSCO abatement reported in June 2023.

"Do(es) the public have the right to the employee bonuses there?" asked Alicia Franek, who said she represents Nivey Homes and asked whether the payout would be spread across roughly 384 employees or concentrated among department staff (SEG 037–048). Mayor Dermody and Clerk Treasurer Parthen said compensation will appear on the city’s annual Form 100 and described the decision as a fiscally cautious, one‑time bonus rather than an ongoing salary increase; department heads were given discretion to allocate amounts within teams (SEG 072–105).

Franek also raised concerns about a NIPSCO interconnection agreement. Staff clarified the item in question is the city’s interconnection agreement for solar panels installed for the water department and is not the same as any separate NIPSCO contracts or abatements that residents have discussed (SEG 115–121; SEG 116–121). The board announced a NIPSCO public session at the Civic Auditorium Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. so residents can bring specific rate concerns and questions to NIPSCO staff (SEG 1220–1226).

Separately, city staff clarified questions about Microsoft’s data‑center activity in La Porte: Bert Cook said Microsoft trucks in process water for cooling and that city water is not used for that purpose; staff estimated Microsoft’s annual net water use equated to about four swimming pools—cited as context for concerns about data‑center water demand (SEG 1271–1288).

The board did not change the prior bonus approval during the meeting. Officials said residents can review the Form 100 after 2026 and may raise additional questions at the upcoming NIPSCO session.