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Council approves up to $6M public‑safety bond to replace aging radios and buy a fire engine
Summary
The Hammond Common Council gave final passage to Ordinance 26‑10 authorizing up to $6,000,000 in bonds (estimated closer to $5.2M) to fund replacement police and fire radios and a new fire engine; the mayor said repayment will come from water sales revenues and estimated a five‑year term with ~6% interest.
On final passage the council approved Ordinance 26‑10, authorizing the issuance and sale of bonds not to exceed $6,000,000 to finance public‑safety equipment. The mayor told the chamber the likely cost will be closer to $5,200,000 and that the funds would replace police and fire radios that the city considers obsolete. "There's a public safety bond in the amount of not to exceed $6,000,000. We think it's gonna be closer to 5,200,000," the mayor said.
Officials said the current radios are beyond their rated service life, parts are no longer available, and the new radios will include GPS and Wi‑Fi capability and carry a five‑year warranty. The mayor estimated interest around 6% on a five‑year term and that the first annual payment of about $1,200,000 would begin in 2027, with repayment coming from water‑sales revenue freed up when station‑2 debt falls off. The ordinance passed on a roll‑call vote 9–0.
