The Calumet City Council accepted several grant-funded purchases and recruitment incentives for the police department and engineering close-out items for recently completed roadway projects.

Mayor (unnamed) summarized items from a police email tied to Chief Kolash: federal asset forfeiture funds will cover emergency equipment installation and license-plate readers; organized retail crime grant funds will purchase additional plate readers; and a lateral-hire incentive will be paid from recruitment and retention grant funds in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement. The mayor stressed no city general funds will be used for those purchases.

Engineering items were described as construction close-outs awaiting IDOT approval and follow-up items related to motor-fuel-tax expenditures and previously passed resolutions. Staff said close-out paperwork for earlier resurfacing and construction projects has been submitted and the city awaits final IDOT confirmation.

Council action: the council approved amended financial items (items 2 through 54 as amended) after removing item 1 and item 9 from the agenda and correcting an invoice amount on item 48. The amended package included the law enforcement grant-funded purchases and the lateral-hire incentive.

Why it matters: accepting grant-funded equipment and recruitment incentives affects department capabilities (emergency equipment and license-plate readers) without using city general funds; IDOT close-outs release previously encumbered federal/state funds and clear projects for final accounting.

What happens next: staff will proceed with the grant-funded purchases and process IDOT close-outs; finance staff will implement the lateral-hire incentive consistent with grant and collective-bargaining rules.