Gary City finance committee reviews special‑revenue budgets; Marquette Park cuts and media fund draw scrutiny

The Gary City finance committee on Tuesday reviewed a wide range of special‑revenue budgets and asked administration officials for more detailed revenue estimates and contingency plans.

Kiana Grant, director of the mayor’s office of constituent services, told the committee her office will be split out of the city’s unified media fund to create a distinct constituent‑services budget. Grant said the city reconfigured its Gary 311 system in February, reducing request types from 430 to 35 to simplify resident reporting and adding prompts and ordinance text so callers know what they are selecting. She described a 24–48 hour response policy for staff handling 311 requests and listed planned investments including social‑media management tools, online ticketing, graphic‑design and email‑marketing software, and roughly $18,000 a year for public‑access streaming software.

An unidentified communications presenter earlier told the committee that the administration proposes $20,000 for advertising and $10,000 for sponsorships in the media fund; "previously our advertising budget was 0," the presenter said, arguing digital ad spend will expand the city’s reach in a community of about 65,000 residents.

Controller Solita Green cautioned the committee that the media fund’s apparent increase reflects an internal loan repayment schedule: the general fund owed the media fund $1 million, of which $300,000 was repaid this year and scheduled repayments of $300,000 and $400,000 are planned over the next two years. Green said the city must be careful on operating spending when those repayments end because the media fund’s ongoing revenue is split with the general fund and is largely restricted to media‑related expenses.

Marquette Park drew sustained questioning from council members. Camisha Jackson, executive director of Marquette Park Pavilion, said pavilion events remain robust but reported that revenue from parking and the boat launch declined from $137,617 last year to about $86,002.93 this year after the boat launch was inoperable and Lake Street Beach was closed for much of the summer. Chief of Staff Dumas said an outstanding balance of roughly $75,000 with the contractor who digs out the boat launch contributed to the decision to pause operations and that the administration is evaluating more permanent options such as a floating ramp. Council members pressed for a maintenance plan to avoid future seasonal closures and requested that parks and administration staff revisit subsidies and staffing support for Marquette.

Budget reviews of public‑safety and court accounts included brief presentations from Judge Monroe, who said the public‑defender fund had $23,500 in revenue this year with a $40,000 projection for next year and that the Public Defender Fund would not likely spend its full $71,000 available in 2025. Judge Monroe described modest changes across probation, mediation and drug‑court funds and emphasized preserving reserves for lean years.

Fire Chief Larry Tillman reported converting an EMT position to paramedic after a team member completed certification, increasing the salary line for that position by $17,447.32 and producing a 1.2% operating increase overall. Tillman said the Firewatch Fund — which had been difficult to access because of payroll system issues — should be available again as the city integrates back into RDS, allowing the department to bill contractors properly.

Health‑department staff reviewed nine budgets, including a $1.6 million local health maintenance account that adds positions (case manager, disease‑intervention specialists, STI program manager and other roles) funded by grant dollars. Health staff said opioid‑settlement funds will buy Narcan vending machines and provide $25,000 grants to community organizations serving affected populations; the department also noted immunization billing revenue (Medicaid) supports clinic operations.

Recycling director Mattie Fitzgerald Williams said the recycling program receives a $450,824 annual grant from the Lake County Solid Waste Management District that covers salaries, events and operations; she reported raises for two CDL drivers and two helpers and reduced repair and supplies line items after purchasing new vehicles.

Throughout the meeting, council members asked the administration to correct revenue estimates on department worksheets, coordinate communications to reduce public confusion at front desks, and consider moving some salaries from the general fund to revenue funds where permitted. No formal votes or motions were recorded during the finance committee presentation; the chair adjourned at about 8:10 p.m. and indicated the committee would proceed to Ways and Means.