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Hammond council introduces $15 million food-and-beverage bond for downtown rail station and Sportsplex upgrades
Summary
On March 24 the Hammond Common Council moved to introduce ordinances authorizing up to $15 million in bonds backed by the city's food-and-beverage tax to fund a downtown commuter rail station ($10 million) and $5 million toward Hammond Sportsplex upgrades; a public hearing is set for April 14.
On March 24 the Hammond Common Council introduced an ordinance to authorize up to $15 million in bonds backed by the city's food-and-beverage tax to pay for two projects: about $10 million for a downtown commuter rail station and $5 million toward upgrades at the Hammond Sportsplex and Community Center.
The measure, introduced as ordinance 25-06, was described by the mayor during his address to the council and moved at the meeting. The mayor said, "We anticipate that costing around $10,000,000," referring to the commuter rail station, and added that the remaining Sportsplex cost would be supplemented by a Section 108 loan guaranteed through the Community Development Block Grant program.
The nut of the proposal is to use proceeds from the food-and-beverage tax the council previously approved to back bond sales. "As everybody remember, we passed the food and beverage tax," the mayor said, and he estimated the tax should be able to support roughly $20 million in bonds while the council is authorizing $15 million now. The ordinance was set for a public hearing on April 14 and referred to council-as-a-whole at 5:15 p.m.
Councilman Salinas, who moved the reading, explained the allocation in plain terms during the introduction: $10 million for the downtown commuter rail station and $5 million for improvements to the Sportsplex. Council members voiced no recorded opposition during the introductions and the motion to give the ordinance first and second reading carried on the council's voice vote.
The mayor also said federal CDBG Section 108 financing would cover approximately half of the Sportsplex expansion. No final bond sale or adoption vote was recorded at this meeting; the ordinance remains at the introduction stage and awaits the scheduled public hearing and subsequent council action.
Pending steps include the April 14 public hearing and any follow-up committee or council votes on final bond authorization and sale. The mayor said city staff will provide details to the council as the process moves toward sale and implementation.
