Mike Brickner

How big of a renovation the Memorial Opera House ends up getting remains up in the air. The majority of the Porter County Council supports a larger project that would rehabilitate the historic building and connect it to the former sheriff's residence. But the majority of the county commissioners want to look at lower-cost options, like renting out the sheriff's residence.

The Porter County Council is holding off on approving the county's ARPA spending plan. The county commissioners approved a plan for much of the county's $33 million share of federal American Rescue Plan money in early August, but it wasn't placed on last week's county council agenda.

Porter County officials say they're making progress on code enforcement, but county council members say they aren't moving quickly enough.