# 10/26/26 - Hammond City Council Meeting

At the October 26, 2026 Hammond Common Council meeting, members approved the city’s 2027 budget (Ordinance 26-27), along with the 2027 redevelopment and sanitary district budgets and city employee and public-safety wage ordinances (26-28 through 26-31). The mayor described a $1.7 million increase in the general-fund budget, 3% raises for most employees and a contractually negotiated 3.5% raise for police. The council also approved $5,625,248.34 in claims. Members approved an initial resolution for an economic revitalization area tied to a proposed Midwest Prairie Builders development at 1719–1733 Indy Boulevard, advancing a potential 10-year tax abatement, and a related resolution for the former Hammond Distillery property at 5009 Calumet Avenue, where USCO/USCO Crane plans a reported $25 million investment and about 100 jobs. These resolutions advance incentive processes; the meeting did not approve final abatements or a construction contract. The mayor also discussed the potential cost of up to $7 million to demolish Gavit High School, but no funding arrangement or demolition award was approved.

The council introduced and approved first and second readings of an ordinance creating funds 2496–2498 for the FY2027 Comprehensive Highway Injury Reduction Program (CHIRP) grants, with final passage expected at the next meeting. The acting Hammond Public Library director previewed a forthcoming request for approval to use library reserves—$700,000 from its rainy-day fund and approximately $1.5 million from its operating reserve—for basement remediation and improvements; no council approval was taken at this meeting. The mayor also said a regional working group would develop consistent e-bike trail regulations. No procurement award or vendor selection was identified.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Transportation
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 26, 2026

### Sources
- [10/26/26 - Hammond City Council Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pcp8i76x5Ic) - City of Hammond, Indiana