The Gary Common Council on Tuesday approved the city’s public transportation budget, which stayed the same compared to 2024.
The council also postponed multiple budget items, including for the Gary-Chicago Airport Authority, stressing that more discussions are needed before they sign off on them.
The Gary Public Transportation Corporation’s 2025 budget is $15,327,703. Council members unanimously approved the budget.
Councilwoman Mary Brown, D-3rd, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
The bulk of the transportation budget will go toward personal services, with about $8 million. Full-time salaries are estimated to cost about $4.9 million, and the department isn’t expected to pay part-time wages, which cost more than $81,000 in 2024.
Full-time salaries will cost more than $500,000 less than the previous year, and personal services will cost about $1.9 million less than 2024, according to the ordinance.
“We cut our payroll expenses now so that we can move those funds toward our capital projects because we’re trying to rebuild our fleet and rebuild our facility,” said Freddy McMillon, finance director for the Gary Public Transportation Corporation. “We are trying to move diligently. … We’re having a good year, and we expect a really great year next year.”
The transportation department is allocating more than $4.5 million toward capital expenses, including land, building improvements and machinery. The amount is about $1.8 million more than the 2024 budget amount, which was about $2.7 million.
The department is expected to spend about $134,000 more on supplies, including gasoline and diesel, garage and motor supplies, and chemical supplies.
According to its budget, the transportation department’s maximum estimated funds to be raised is $3,970,309, which is the amount of the current tax levy. Cutting payroll expenses helps save taxpayers money, McMillon said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Denise Comer Dillard, interim general manager for the Gary Public Transportation Corporation, said the department has successfully expanded partnerships and expects to continue in 2025.
Comer Dillard highlighted the city’s partnership with Greyhound Lines, which has begun routing more buses to Gary. Buses are routing to the metro center, and Greyhound has about 25 arrivals and 30 departures.
The transportation department started with about 10 buses in its fleet at the beginning of 2024, Comer Dillard said, and now it’s up to 18 and is requesting more.
“Not only is it an economic recovery situation, but we’re seeing that as the workforce has started to get back into movement, they are using more surface transit,” Comer Dillard said.
President Tai Adkins, D-4th, said the council will talk about multiple budget items at the upcoming Oct. 15 meeting.
The council is also expected to talk about two ordinances regarding American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will go toward an employee incentive program and incentive pay.
“I want to deter the narrative that there is any tension between the council or issues that we’re not going to work through,” Adkins said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We just want to make sure we have discussions.”
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton thanked council members for their collaboration with his office and city employees on next year’s budget.
“We’re working out minor details in every ordinance that was pushed back,” he said.