Hammond council approves stormwater fee; sanitary district pledges $1M to capital projects

The Hammond City Council voted unanimously Oct. 28 to enact amendments to the stormwater user fee (Ordinance 25-29), a change Mayor McDermott and sanitary district officials said is designed to fund repairs and increase system capacity.

Councilwoman Venez moved for final passage and introduced the ordinance. Mylan Krasinski, identified at the meeting as the Hammond Sanitary District manager, told the council the fee is expected to produce $1,000,000 in the first year and that the sanitary district pledged that $1,000,000 to the Capital Improvement Board.

Krasinski said the stormwater budget is roughly $4.5to5.0 million a year and described a limited funding picture for major replacements across about 200 miles of infrastructure. Mayor McDermott emphasized the need for available repair funds and noted prior large repairs (he cited an almost $3 million Kennedy project that closed the street for months).

Council members asked how the fee affects residents and where the money would go. Krasinski said first-year revenue will be directed to the CIB, with the majority of ongoing collections supporting CIB projects and stormwater improvements across the city. The first-year increase was described in committee as about $1.25 per month (roughly $15 per year), which administration estimates will contribute materially to flood mitigation work.

Why it matters: The fee provides a predictable revenue stream to address repeated flood events and to support repairs to aging stormwater infrastructure that officials say need substantial investment.

What happens next: The ordinance passed by roll call 9-0 and the administration and sanitary district will coordinate on permitting, prioritization and CIB spending.