Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Council Votes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Gary Common Council passes two home-daycare permits, suspends rules to adopt salary amendment
Summary
At the Feb. 18 meeting the Gary Common Council approved two special-use permits for home daycares, sent two items back to committee, and approved an ordinance raising the council chief of staff salary to $65,000; all recorded votes were unanimous.
The Gary Common Council recorded several formal actions on Feb. 18, adopting two special-use permits for home daycares, returning two items to committee for further review, and passing an ordinance that raised the council chief-of-staff salary range.
Nut graf: Most roll-call votes were unanimous (8–0) and several items were administrative or technical; the council required petitioners to meet residency and other standard special-use conditions.
Key votes and outcomes
- CPO 2025-02 (special-use permit, 2424 Malcolm X Boulevard; petitioner Deborah Cooper): Passed on third reading, vote 8–0. Attorney Renzo Molina told the council the Board of Zoning Appeals had unanimously recommended approval; the ordinance includes the condition that the petitioner must reside at the property and provide annual proof of residency.
- CPO 2025-03 (special-use permit, 1239 East 30th Avenue; petitioner Florentina Bonilla): Amended by substitution to correct a typographical error in the address, then passed; vote on amendment and final passage recorded as 8–0. The Board of Zoning Appeals had recommended approval without remonstrators; the ordinance requires annual proof that the petitioner resides at the property.
- CPO 2025-04 (special-use permit, 4954 Massachusetts Street; petitioner Kenya Shelton) and CPO 2025-05 (short-term rental, 8424 Pine Avenue; petitioner Mark Maroney): The council voted to send both items back to the Planning and Development Committee for further review; vote 8–0. The committee hearing was scheduled for Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
- CPO 2025-11 (ordinance amending city ordinances 9723 and 9724 to adjust council salaries/operating budget): The council suspended the rules and passed the ordinance on all three readings in the same meeting. The ordinance increases the chief-of-staff salary range from $55,000 to $65,000 to help the council recruit a candidate the president said could “hit the ground running.” Vote 8–0.
Supporting detail: Attorney Renzo Molina outlined the seven legal factors the Board of Zoning Appeals evaluates for special-use permits; for the two approved permits he reported the board found the petitions met those criteria and that there were no remonstrators at the hearings.
Ending: The administration will monitor residency requirements for the approved home daycares annually as required by the ordinances; the two items sent back to committee will be considered at the Planning and Development Committee meeting on Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
