Residents will be able to comment and question Winfield’s 2026 budget at a public hearing on Oct. 7.
The Winfield Town Council at its meeting last Tuesday introduced the proposed $13.1 million budget, with hopes that two levy appeals will help lessen the impact of Senate Enrolled Act 1, passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun this spring. The law provides up to $300 in property tax credit for homeowners by axing budgets for counties, municipalities, school districts, libraries, and other taxing units.
“It’s almost like fast-growing communities, like Winfield, are being penalized,” Town Manager Nick Bellar said.
The public hearing on the 2026 budget will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Winfield Town Complex, located at 10645 Randolph St.
Winfield Clerk-Treasurer Michael Lambert called the proposed budget “relatively unchanged except for employee raises.”
Across-the-board raises for town employees will be 4.5% for 2026, Lambert said.
The council at its Oct. 20 meeting will vote on the budget for its final approval before it goes on to the Department of Local Government Finance for its approval, Bellar said.
In conjunction with the proposed 2026 budget, the town council also approved filing a three-year $216,271 levy appeal and a $1.1 million services levy appeal.
Bellar said this is the last year municipalities can file the three-year tax levy appeal because of changes to the law by SEA1.
Winfield, due to its excessive amount of growth, has sought the levy appeal for relief, he said.
The levy in past years has been allowed for communities, like Winfield, that average more than 4% growth.
In Winfield’s case, that growth has averaged 14%, he said.
“Our levy appeal is for 10%,” he said.
The other levy the town is seeking is $1.1 million, which would be used for public safety. The levy is important to Winfield as it’s trying to grow its law enforcement capacity, he said.
Both Lambert and Bellar were equally critical of the new law passed downstate and hopeful that legislators will make changes.
“It (SB1) will make it more difficult to operate and keep up with growth,” Bellar said.
For instance, the estimated revenue impacts for the town of Winfield, due to SEA 1, or SB1, are as follows: $668,400 in 2026; $834,500 to $864,000 in 2027; and $952,700 to $1.014,100 in 2028.
“Next year it’s bad and the next year worse and the third year the worst,” Bellar said.
In other business, Winfield Town Marshal Robert Byrd said there had been an arrest of a juvenile believed to be responsible for breaking into a number of cars and stealing items from them including purses.
Byrd said it’s believed the juvenile, who is being held in Lake County Juvenile Detention Center, is responsible for ransacking cars in two Winfield subdivisions and inside the Lakes of the Four Seasons.
Byrd reminds those leaving their cars outside their homes to always remove valuables and to keep them locked. Those with information about items stolen from their cars should contact the Winfield Police Department.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
