Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said an ordinance would help bring more quality contractors to the city, and the Gary Common Council agreed at its Tuesday meeting.
The council approved an ordinance amending part of the city’s municipal code regarding contractor licenses. The change aims to streamline operations, allowing contractors from outside the city to forgo an examination if they have a license from another city or county.
Currently, the city’s municipal code requires contractors to pass a Gary-focused examination before starting work, even if they have a license from another city or county.
The council passed the ordinance in a 7-1 vote. Parliamentarian Linda Barnes Caldwell, D-5th voted no, and Councilwoman Mary Brown, D-3rd, was absent.
Florzell Hawkins, commissioner of the city’s building department, said the ordinance was designed to present Gary as a welcoming community for businesses.
“Most of your national developers and contractors don’t have issues normally with taking the exam,” Hawkins said. “It’s the time that is required to go through this process.”
Barnes Caldwell told Hawkins she didn’t care for the changes, and she believes stricter rules benefit the city.
“I don’t think it’s really doing justice for the people here,” Barnes Caldwell said. “We have that reputation of having a hard test for a reason. It means something if you pass it.”
The city is asking for reciprocity with the changes, Melton said, adding that license tests in other communities are similar.
The changes aren’t meant to downgrade qualifications, he said, and he believes the changes will bring more quality contractors to Gary.
Melton said the city has an issue with people who aren’t qualified working on projects throughout Gary, doing projects such as fixing roofs or gutting a home. That makes way for illegal dumping, which city officials want to crack down on, Melton said.
“We’re trying to bring in more qualified contractors to help build new homes and also build retail, commercial and industrial spaces,” he said.
Council members Dwight Williams, D-6th, and Darren Washington, D-At Large, agreed that reciprocity is long overdue.
If a person or business is well-equipped in their trade, they shouldn’t have an issue passing the test, Washington said. However, he believes requiring the test opens up other issues in Gary.
Without competition from other contractors, some businesses in Gary are “holding residents hostage,” Washington said.
“When they don’t see competition coming, they decide to increase their prices significantly,” he added, “and it causes complications with homeowners trying to enhance their property value.”
