Residents raise concerns about Gary Sanitary District payment access as city explains collections under consent decree
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Summary
Residents and council members raised accessibility and billing concerns after GSD moved a payment location; city staff said payments can be made at City Hall, a drop box will be installed, and that GSD is pursuing delinquent accounts under a federal consent decree and may bill property owners for up to three years of unpaid service.
Residents and council members raised concerns at the June 17 meeting about the relocation of a Gary Sanitary District (GSD) payment office and the potential for landlords to be billed for past unpaid utility accounts. City staff responded with immediate and policy explanations.
Councilwoman Brown said the GSD payment location was moved from Broadway to a location she described as difficult for customers to reach by public transportation and said many residents could not access the new site.
Ellis Dumas, the city's chief of staff, told the council that GSD payments "are able to be made at City Hall" in the finance department and that the city will install a drop box in front of City Hall to receive payments. "So they'll have the drop box as well as still, in person real life person you can see right in City Hall," Dumas said.
Attorney Morgan provided legal and program context about GSD's collection practices, telling the council GSD is under a federal consent decree updated in 2016 and 2018 and that the district had historically carried "up to $19,000,000 in uncollected delinquent bills." Morgan said the district is moving to a property-owner billing model used by neighboring sanitary districts and added, "The law lets GSD go back 3 years for the uncollected bills, and so they're doing that." He said that improved collections will make the district eligible for funding from the Indiana Finance Authority and reduce penalties previously paid for noncompliance.
Why it matters: the change in billing and collection practice affects property owners and tenants differently, and residents expressed concern about accessibility to payment locations and retroactive billing. City staff said payments can still be made at City Hall and that the drop box installation and in-person options aim to maintain access while GSD pursues delinquent accounts as required by the consent decree.
What's next: staff said they will continue outreach and encouraged residents to report unpermitted uses and to follow up with planning or code enforcement when they see possible violations; the planning and finance departments and GSD will continue implementing collection changes under federal oversight.