Gary City officials outline tougher graffiti enforcement, public works to buy abatement equipment

Gary City officials and residents discussed a proposed graffiti ordinance, enforcement procedures and a new cleanup plan at a council meeting. Public Works Director Carla said the city is buying graffiti-abatement equipment and will use contractors until the equipment arrives; police described the legal standard required to arrest or charge alleged taggers, and a resident criticized a past public-art policy that invited artists to paint city property.

The discussion matters to downtown merchants and property owners because the ordinance would add local penalties and enforcement tools and because city staff said cleanup will prioritize publicly owned corridors first. Public comment and council questions focused on how fines were set, whether merchants or building owners would be responsible for removal, and how the police would develop evidence to pursue criminal charges.

City staff defended the proposed fines as comparable to those used in other Indiana cities and said repeat offenders would face higher penalties. "I researched other cities' fines…