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Hammond mayor issues hiring freeze as city awaits impact of Indiana Senate Bill 1
Summary
Mayor announced an executive order pausing most job postings and new hires while Hammond awaits state calculations on revenue losses from Senate Bill 1; the city estimates a possible $8 million shortfall and will continue to fill already-committed police and firefighter positions.
Mayor (name not specified in transcript) issued an executive order pausing most new job postings and hiring in Hammond as city officials wait for state calculations of the fiscal impact of Indiana’s Senate Bill 1.
The order, discussed during the mayor’s report at the Aug. 11 Hammond City Council meeting, instructs the personnel office not to process new job openings except on a case-by-case basis. The mayor said the city will honor commitments already made for officers and firefighters currently in the pipeline.
“We have about 8 to 10 police officers going through the pipeline right now. We’re not gonna turn our backs on those officers that we’ve committed to,” the mayor said. He added the same for firefighters, saying about eight have been committed and will be brought in, but that the freeze will apply afterward.
The mayor tied the order to Senate Bill 1, which he said “freezes our growth levies going forward.” He said state officials have not yet provided the city with precise loss estimates or revenue replacement figures. “They have no idea the impact it's gonna have on our budget,” he said. “The thumb rule we're being told is $8,000,000 we're gonna lose out of our already tight budget.”
The mayor said the state has suggested a municipal income tax option as a local revenue replacement but that the city has not received numbers outlining how much such a tax would generate. He said adopting a municipal income tax would require approval by both the council and the mayor and that state estimates for how much revenue such a tax would bring to Hammond are not yet available.
The executive order instructs staff to evaluate hiring requests individually. The mayor gave the example that if an office has a single person who performs a unique function, that vacancy would be posted; by contrast, he said, positions in departments with many interchangeable employees might not be filled immediately.
The mayor also apologized to council members for not circulating the executive order in advance, saying he typically consults the council first but approved and filed the order the morning of the meeting.
During his report the mayor also described recent public-safety and recreation issues that helped inform the decision. He said the city has seen an increase in fights at the Sportsplex basketball leagues and has held meetings with park and Sportsplex leadership to address the problem.
No formal council vote on the hiring freeze was recorded in the meeting minutes; the order was presented by the mayor as an administrative action.
Ending: The mayor said the city will continue to monitor state guidance and that the budget effects will become clearer as the city prepares next year’s budget. He invited council members to raise suggestions and said he would share further information as it becomes available.
