Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.’s 2015 State of the City Address for Hammond was one of realistic optimism, highlighting all the strides the city had made over the past year, yet reminding attendees of the work involved in keeping the city moving forward.
One of the key accomplishments the Mayor touched on was that of Hammond’s continued to commitment to its parks and green spaces, and turning “the Rust Belt into a Green Belt,” as McDermott put it. Particularly, in the growth of the Lackawanna Trail, and the construction of a 200-foot bridge across the Little Calumet River that now connects Hammond’s trails with the trails of Munster.
“These improvements allow our cyclists; our daughters; our walkers; and our disabled residents to travel to and from adjoining communities safely,” McDermott said.
In addition to parks, McDermott spoke of Hammond’s continued dedication to building on the tradition of youth sports in the city, and making sure that every kid has the opportunity, and a place to play, their particular sport.
“As the largest city in Lake County we have a huge pool of talent,” McDermott noted. “And we are committed to giving our kids the opportunity to nurture that talent.”
McDermott stated that 2015 will mark the opening of the Hammond-Purdue Calumet Outdoor Athletics Complex; a partnership between the city and Purdue University Calumet. The outdoor, state-of-the-art facility will feature a 2-mile walking track in addition to baseball, soccer, and softball fields.
Additionally, when it came to the supporting the city’s youth, McDermott highlighted the “College Bound” program which gives $10,000 towards college tuition assistance to kids who have lived in Hammond for at least four years, and donated at least 40 hours of their time to serving the community.
“It’s really helpful,” College Bound recipient, and now IUN Student, Lauren Salley told NWIndiana Life. “And it also helps in getting yourself involved with the community.”
But with all these improvements comes cost, McDermott told the hundreds of attendees in the packed lobby of Hammond City Hall. Thankfully, due to partnerships and money from the Regional Development Authority, which gave Hammond $31 million to help fund the parks and natural beauty of the city, Hammond has been able to thrive.
But McDermott urged the city, and those in attendance, that Hammond needs to be always looking towards the future in order to remain economically stable. Especially after the 2010 Indiana property tax caps put into law that limited the amount of money cities could collect from homeowners in the state.
“Reduced property tax revenue is the most pressing issue facing Hammond, and all cities across Indiana,” McDermott said.
The result of these laws, as McDermott puts it, forces Hammond to get creative in generating the revenue necessary for maintaining all of the city services the city has come to expect, while still remaining in the black.
“Public safety consumes over 75% of our entire city budget,” McDermott said.
So far, gaming revenue has been able to cover the costs of maintaining and even improving city services despite the property tax revenue decreases. But McDermott stressed that with increased competition among other states when it comes to gambling revenue, that new ideas are needed.
“This is why I have been working the Hammond City Council in finding new revenue sources,” McDermott said in response to the property tax decreases. “But looking for new revenue sources is only one part of the equation. The other is decreasing the cost of government.”
And McDermott plans to do that by consolidating and privatizing government agencies, rather than cutting jobs or resources for the public. And the expected result is saving Hammond money, while still providing the same quality government services that Hammond residents have come to expect.
Looking forward, McDermott plans to build on the success of 2014 by always staying open to what the public has to say about how Hammond can get better, being open to hear their ideas on how the city can improve, and always working towards the future of Hammond.