The Gary Common Council will look at creating funds for parking meters in the city and for green urbanism.
The council’s Ways and Means committee will look at the two ordinances at its 5 p.m. meeting on May 29. Both ordinances were introduced at the council’s Tuesday meeting.
Before both funds can be created, the Gary Common Council must first approve the respective ordinances.
The parking meter fund is sponsored by Gary Mayor Eddie Melton and will make changes to the municipal code, according to the ordinance. Metered parking is “in the best interest of health, safety and welfare of the citizens,” according to the ordinance.
The Gary Board of Public Works will be in charge of the parking meter fund, if passed by the council.
If the council passes the ordinance, funds will be collected to create metered parking throughout the city. Indiana Code allows municipalities to enact metered parking, and the city will create regulations and fees. Gary police will be in charge of issuing citations and imposing fines.
If the ordinance is passed, metered parking areas will be designated by the Gary Board of Public Works, according to council documents. Parking meters can be on any land owned, leased and controlled by the city, its board of park commissioners, redevelopment commission and sanitary district.
Parking meter fees will be established by a separate ordinance, which the city is required to periodically adjust.
Charging stations for electric vehicles might also be located near parking meters if the ordinance is passed.
The council will also look at accepting a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to create a green urbanism fund. The $317,840 grant comes with a $79,460 cash match.
“(The) grant project aims to establish a comprehensive residential waste management program in Gary, Indiana, with a focus on promoting sustainable household waste practices, reducing landfill waste, and fostering community engagement…” the ordinance said.
If passed, the ordinance will create the Sustainable Homes: Food Waste Composting Training and Demonstration Project, which will have a team made up of representatives from the city’s environmental affairs team, Farmers 202 Collaborative, Gary Food Council and Baby Greens Family Farm.
The green urbanism project aims to actively participate in waste reduction efforts, increase recycling rates, reduce landfill waste, improve soil health through composting and create a heightened sense of environmental responsibility, according to the ordinance.
The Ways and Means committee will first look at the ordinances before they are moved back to the council as a whole. The next Gary council meeting will take place at 5 p.m. June 3.
