With the start of a new year comes the predictions of what to expect over the next 12 months. Here are the City-County Observer predictions for 2025:
- New restaurants are coming to town.
If there’s anything that Evansville residents love, it’s a new restaurant. The culinary scene in the Tristate had 92 new entries in 2024, according to Fingers, Fork, Knife & Spoon. New eateries in 2025 are expected to include Chuy’s Tex Mex, S&J Caribbean Bakery & Restaurant, Kfire Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, Swagat Indian Café, and over 20 others. - The city will continue to borrow. Look for another parks bond in 2025.
In spite of a debt load of well over a billion dollars, the City of Evansville is likely to. take on even more debt in 2025. After the parks board stripped the $11 million giraffe breeding barn from the $24 million parks bond in 2024, representatives of the Parks and Recreation Department and Mesker Park Zoo indicated that they would continue to pursue the giraffe barn and may introduce another bond in 2025 to fund it. - Vanderburgh County GOP will replace their chairman, and local Democrats will face legal challenges
On March 1, both of the major Vanderburgh County political parties will meet to elect their party leaders. After the turmoil of that past year the Republicans will struggle to find unity in a party that is divided into multiple fragments. It is unlikely that current GOP chair Mike Duckworth will remain as party chair. While Democrat chair Cheryl Schultz is probably safe for another term heading the party, the democrats are likely to face legal challenges in the aftermath of the selection of a replacement for 4th Ward City Councilman Alexander Burton. - Braun will lower property taxes and local income tax will increase to offset the revenues
One of the issues that Mike Braun campaigned on was giving Hoosiers tax relief. Braun’s plan is to reduce property taxes. Some local officials have speculated that, because of local reliance on property taxes, they would have to offset the loss of income by increasing local income taxes. The issue of tax reforms will be a hot discussion in this legislative session.
