The city of Portage is easing some regulations on contractors and businesses. An ordinance adopted by the city council last week removes the requirement for contractors to take a written test and for some smaller projects to be overseen by a general contractor.
Director of Planning and Community Development Tom Cherry said it levels the playing field with the rest of Porter County. "We've lost businesses because some small, startup businesses can't afford to hire a licensed contractor to paint walls and do trim, when they can do that themselves," Cherry told council members.
He told council members that Portage was the only Porter County community requiring contractors to take a written test, although there were still a handful in Lake County.
The changes were recommended last year by the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce. Executive Director Jerry Czarnecki said the goal is to help businesses move forward.
"The standards are still there, just easier to get to those processes so that things happen faster," Czarnecki said.
Mayor Austin Bonta was confident that the city could remove roadblocks for small businesses, while maintaining safety. "The strength of any city code is the inspectors," Bonta said. "Now we have three, in my opinion, of the best inspectors in Northwest Indiana, and I think that our code is strong. It can be enforced."
The city council also passed an ordinance clarifying that new residential driveways should be made of concrete, after a developer reportedly tried to find a loophole allowing for asphalt driveways. The requirement doesn't apply to commercial properties or existing driveways. Homeowners who want to install an asphalt driveway can ask the board of zoning appeals for permission.
