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Council adopts amended film fund ordinance; administration removes salaries, adds $20,000 professional services budget
Summary
Council amended CPO 2025-19 to remove proposed salaries for film-service positions, add $20,000 for professional services, and rely on production companies to pay security and fees. Council voted to pass the ordinance in order after an amendment; council members asked for stronger ordinance language on invoicing and permit vetting.
The Gary Common Council on April 15 amended and passed CPO 2025-19, which adjusts the city's filming fund and operating budget for 2025, removing previously proposed salary lines and adding a $20,000 professional-services allocation.
Comptroller Salida (Salida) Green and media department staff explained the change: after reviewing how production companies pay for public-safety officers and liaison services, the administration removed references to city-paid salaries and instead proposed that production companies pay security as contract/1099 workers and that the film fund cover professional services. "What has been added was a budget of $20,000 for professional service expenses," the city's media representative told the council.
Council members asked how the fund is financed and how collections and invoicing are enforced. The administration said the film fund currently carries about $529,000 in revenue from prior fees and that new productions are invoiced under the film-fee schedule recently adopted by council. The media representative said production companies currently being processed are being invoiced and that staff will work with the legal team to add language into the governing ordinance to address timely payment of invoices.
Council members also raised concerns about vetting of production companies and the potential for misleading or sensational material; staff said the film-permit application and the ordinance are intended to govern filming on city property and in public rights of way and that private-property filming is primarily governed by private contracts. Attorney Molina said the administration asked to table and then to rework CPO 2025-18 (a separate graffiti ordinance); CPO 2025-19 was amended and passed on this night.
On final roll call for passage the ordinance was recorded as passed (so-ordered) after amendment; roll-call tallies for the final action show an 8-0 vote on passage after the amendment was adopted earlier by roll call.
