Gary council approves Hard Rock police vehicle donation agreement and finance staffing change

The Gary Common Council unanimously approved two ordinances on June 2: CPO 2026-17, which accepts a donation arrangement with Hard Rock Casino to help replace police vehicles, and CPO 2026-18, a finance-department salary reclassification.

CPO 2026-17: Police fleet donation

A council member moved for passage of CPO 2026-17, and the motion was seconded; the ordinance passed on roll call, 8–0. Administration described the arrangement as an initial $1,000,000 contribution from Hard Rock in the first year, with the city providing a $500,000 match that year. Going forward, the administration said the agreement contemplates matching Hard Rock dollar-for-dollar (a $500,000 match to Hard Rock’s $500,000 per year) to replace roughly 15 police vehicles annually.

Deputy Chief (speaking for the police department) told the council the donated vehicles will be fully equipped with modern enforcement and officer-safety technology: front-facing license-plate readers, in-car camera systems that can double as plate readers, body-worn cameras, an in-vehicle high-bandwidth connection ("cradle point"), e-ticket readers and front- and rear-facing radar or lidar. He said the equipment turns vehicles into a “mobile office” and gives officers access to real-time camera feeds across the city’s network. The deputy chief also said the department has found stationary cameras and license-plate readers more effective than ShotSpotter-type acoustic systems for producing convictions.

Council discussion included a question about whether Hard Rock had paid property taxes. Councilman Washington said he had heard that Hard Rock had not paid taxes while appealing assessments; City Attorney Morgan replied that Hard Rock has been appealing its assessment since construction and that city administration is working with the Lake County assessor to resolve the valuation. Council members also asked whether a government-owned convention center would be taxable; Attorney Morgan said the convention center would be owned by an authority and therefore not taxable, though surrounding property values could rise.

CPO 2026-18: Finance department salary reclassification

The council also considered CPF 2026-18, a budget and position change in the finance department. Administration said the ordinance converts an existing "financial coordinator" position to an executive administrative assistant, aligning duties and lowering the salary band so the new position will not be paid more than existing staff. The item was moved, seconded and passed on roll call, 8–0.

Votes at a glance

- CPO 2026-17 (Hard Rock donation / police vehicles): Passed, roll-call vote 8–0. Motion moved (speaker with transcript label 6) and seconded (speaker with transcript label 8). - CPO 2026-18 (Finance salary budget amendment): Passed, roll-call vote 8–0.

Why it matters: The vehicle donation accelerates replacement of the police fleet and brings in updated in-vehicle and identification technology that police officials say improves investigative capability. Council members raised tax-assessment and TIF questions tied to casino and convention-center development; Attorney Morgan said appeals and ownership structure influence tax status and are under active review.

Next steps: The ordinances passed and implementation will be handled by city administration and the police department; council or administration did not set additional public hearings for these ordinances during the meeting.