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Residents press US Steel to modernize emissions; one resident challenges legality of stormwater fee
Summary
Public commenters urged US Steel to adopt cleaner steelmaking technology to reduce pollution, while a resident alleged Gary's stormwater management fee is an unconstitutional tax; city staff responded that the charge is a utility fee enacted in 2011 and used for drainage and compliance projects.
At the start of public comment at the Feb. 17 meeting, a representative of Gary Advocates read a statement urging US Steel (Gary Works) to commit to greener steelmaking technology and clearer sustainability plans.
"We call on US Steel to produce a clear positioning...to clean and greener steelmaking," the commenter read, asking the company to address particulate and other emissions from the mill's antiquated blast-furnace technology. The council received the comment; no company representative was present to respond.
A subsequent public commenter, Jim Zawack of the 1st District, said he believed the Gary stormwater management fee was being collected as an unconstitutional tax because it appears on property tax bills. "Do not pass this unconstitutional and illegal fraud upon our citizens," he said, urging the council to protect residents.
Brenda Scott Henry, director of the Office of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, responded to questions from the council: she said the stormwater charge is a utility fee, not a tax, and that it was implemented in 2011 by prior council action. She described the fee's purposes—program compliance, drainage and flood mitigation, and capital projects—and cited specific planned work, including a Black Oak drainage project and a broader prioritized list of capital needs.
The council proceeded to adopt the stormwater-fee ordinance (CPO 2025-55) the same evening by a roll-call vote of 8–0. No further administrative or legal finding about the constitutional claim was recorded during the meeting; the exchange in the meeting left the citizen's allegation unresolved and the administration's characterization of the fee (utility fee) affirmed in the council's action.
The public comment segment also included remarks from Daria Collins of Delta Sigma Theta, who thanked the council for collaboration on community events and invited continued partnership between the sorority and city leadership.
The council's decisions and the scheduling of hearings and follow-up (including a re-noticed bond item and committee hearings) mean additional public opportunities to raise related legal and policy questions in late February and early March.
