Statement from State Sen. Mike Bohacek on pulling SB 436

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

State Senator Mike Bohacek (R-Michiana Shores) made a statement on Tuesday about legislation he submitted during this session and has decided to pull.

"Earlier this session, I filed a bill that would have changed the status of a second-class city to that of a third-class city if it met specific criteria. I highly value the opinions of those in Senate District 8, and after conversations with many local community leaders, including several from one of the cities that would have been affected by Senate Bill 436, I have decided to pull the bill from any hearings and will not move it forward this session."

Senate Bill 436 states that if two consecutive federal censuses report the population of a second-class city as having a population of less than 31,500, the city becomes a third-class city on January 1 of the calendar year following the next municipal election held after the most recent census. The bill would also change the classification of the calendar year following the second municipal election held after the most recent census if the effective date of the most recent census and the municipal election are in the same calendar year.

The bill provides that if a city's population is less than 31,500 in the 2010 and 2020 censuses, it becomes a third-class city on January 1, 2027. Bill 346 also provides that the population of a second-class city is calculated by subtracting the portion of the city's population consisting of prison inmates from the population reported by the federal decennial census.

Senate District 8 includes all of Marshall County except German Township.