Berne IN – Berne city officials are reworking rules on how residential nuisances are reported and investigated across the community.
During their Monday, July 27, 2026 meeting, members of the Berne City Council voted unanimously to send proposed revisions to the city nuisance ordinance back for additional drafting. The proposed changes would require citizens filing nuisance complaints to have direct line of sight to the property from their residence or place of business, while continuing to allow city staff, police officers, council members, and nuisance review board members to report potential violations for investigation. Council members also expressed support for limiting photography during property inspections to the city’s designated enforcement officer rather than private citizens.
The council also gave unanimous approval for the city attorney to draft an ordinance prohibiting the commercial use of public records. The request came after the clerk-treasurer reported receiving multiple commercial records requests—including requests for all vendor purchases from 2025 to the present and speed limit listings for every street in Berne—asking for electronic delivery to avoid copying fees while requiring significant staff time.
In other financial business, the council voted unanimously to maintain its existing allocation for incoming Financial Institution Tax and Commercial Vehicle Excise Tax revenues following state legislative changes that grant cities broader flexibility. Berne will continue directing 76% of those tax funds into the general fund, 20% into the street fund, and 4% into the cumulative capital development fund.
Mayor Gregg Sprunger commended city workers and the South Adams football team, including their head coach and players, for their setup and cleanup work during Swiss Days, noting that downtown cleaning concluded around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. He also shared that stormwater construction began in the field west of Van Buren as part of the city’s ongoing sewer project.