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Council revives drainage project after overturning mayor’s veto for Alida/Monastery area
Summary
Following extensive public testimony about recurring home flooding, the Hammond City Council reconsidered and overrode the mayor’s line‑item veto on a $348,000 drainage project for Alida Drive, restoring funds moved up from FY‑27 to FY‑26. Several other vetoed sidewalk and park add‑ons were discussed and some were withdrawn for later action.
The Hammond City Council voted to reconsider and override the mayor’s veto on a drainage project affecting Alida Drive and nearby Monastery Lane, restoring roughly $348,000 to the FY‑26 capital budget for drainage work after residents testified that repeated flooding has damaged homes and public infrastructure. Residents said problems date back decades and worsened after Hurricane Ida; several told the council they have had sewage or water intrusion into their houses and pleaded for the project to proceed this fiscal year.
Council members opened the public hearing on the mayor’s line‑item vetoes, which also included sidewalk projects and small park improvements that the mayor had removed to keep the budget more conservative. Administration officials told the council the vetoes were driven by a desire to preserve a prudent cushion against revenue uncertainty: the council had previously budgeted on a less‑conservative projection of $30.0–30.5 million in receipts, while administration cited a more conservative $29.5 million baseline and a 60‑day lag for recognizing new garbage, water and sewer fees.
During public comment, multiple residents from the Monastery/Alida area — including Kent Hawkins and several neighbors — described repeated flooding events (2016 and Ida were mentioned), failing septic/lift systems and a pattern of projects repeatedly pushed from year to year on capital lists. Speakers argued that sewer and drainage must be prioritized over lower‑priority add‑ons such as new sidewalks. Council members repeatedly framed drainage and sewer as first‑priority capital work because roads cannot be repaved until drainage is fixed.
After initial override attempts on several items fell short of the four‑vote threshold required to overturn a mayoral veto, the council moved to reconsider item 30 (the Alida/Bridal drainage project). The clerk recorded multiple ‘Aye’ votes during the reconsideration motion, and the council ultimately passed the motion to restore the drainage appropriation. Following the vote, council members thanked colleagues for supporting what they described as an urgent public‑safety and habitability need for dozens of households in the affected area.
Administration said crews will first perform diagnostic work (camera inspection of sewer mains and assessment of tributary drainage) to determine whether targeted repairs or a larger reconstruction are required. Council members asked administration to track project timing and to clarify which projects will be deferred in exchange for funding the Alida drainage work.
What happens next: the council restored the drainage funding during the meeting. Several other vetoed items (sidewalks and smaller park add‑ons) remain under discussion or have been withdrawn from override consideration; administration and council members agreed to revisit prioritization if revenues come in stronger than conservative projections.
