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Gary finance committee reviews plan to create community development supplemental fund, boost code-enforcement budget
Summary
The Gary City Finance Committee discussed CPO 2025-26, which would rename dormant funds into a Community Development Supplemental fund with $100,000 for code enforcement operating costs and $800,000 for consolidated-plan/HUD-related work; discussion included current staff levels and a council goal to expand enforcement capacity.
Councilman Kenneth Whitson, at-large, opened discussion of CPO 2025-26, an ordinance proposing changes to the city’s 2025 operating budget that would establish a Community Development Supplemental fund to support code enforcement and other community development activities. City Controller Salida Green told the committee the ordinance would rename dormant funds and a coding center fund to the Community Development Supplemental fund and assign two line items: $100,000 for the code-enforcement fund and $800,000 for the community development miscellaneous department.
The ordinance, Green said, would let the code-enforcement fund cover supplies, uniforms and other operating expenses for the code-enforcement division. "The code enforcement department in this fund will pay for supplies, uniforms, and other code enforcement operating expenses," Green said. Green also said the community development miscellaneous department allocation would pay for the Consolidated Plan and Action Plan, the CAPER (the HUD annual performance report), and other related expenses not covered by HUD grants.
Councilman Darren Washington, at-large, asked for and received a staffing tally: City Controller Green said the code-enforcement unit currently has eight officers. Washington said he intends to pursue additional hiring in the next budget cycle and described a long-term goal for enforcement staffing: "I would ideally like to have at least five code enforcement officers for each of the six districts eventually," Washington said, adding that current officers are overworked and that additional staff would help address illegal dumping and related complaints.
No formal vote on CPO 2025-26 was recorded in the committee transcript. Adrian and Latria were identified by staff as available to answer follow-up questions, but neither offered substantive remarks on the record. The ordinance was presented by Controller Green and sponsored on the agenda by Mayor Eddie Melton; the transcript records discussion but does not show a committee decision or roll-call vote.
The discussion clarified what the two new budget lines would cover and where the city expects HUD-related reporting and plan costs to be paid when grants do not cover them. Green and the councilmembers signaled an interest in returning with additional staffing and budget detail during the next budget cycle.
