The Gary Common Council, on Tuesday, approved a gift from Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana that will help the city’s police department.
The council approved a $1 million donation from the Northwest Indiana casino for 2025, with the city of Gary putting forth $500,000 in matching funds. The money will go towards the Gary Police Department for new vehicles.
The Gary Police Department, on Thursday, was unable to immediately comment on Hard Rock’s gift.
A spokesperson from Hard Rock said in an email to the Post-Tribune Thursday that there was nothing to report on the donation at this time.
Councilwoman Mary Brown, D-3rd, said Tuesday that the donation from Hard Rock and match from the city will help buy 23 vehicles for the police department.
In years 2026-2029, Hard Rock plans to donate $500,000 with an equal match from the city to buy 15 vehicles annually, Brown said Tuesday.
The Gary Common Council unanimously accepted the gift Tuesday in a 7-0 vote. Councilmen Dwight Williams, D-6th, and Myles Tolliver, D-at large, were both absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
“I am grateful for the Hard Rock for being such a good corporate partner to our city and for the donation of $1 million,” said President Lori Latham, D-1st.
Hard Rock and the city of Gary have regularly partnered since the casino’s opening in May 2021.
On Wednesday, the casino and city received approval from the Lake County Board of Commissioners for a proposal for the Lake County Convention Center. If the convention center is built, Hard Rock will operate it.
Gary and Hard Rock plan to build a 145,000-square-foot convention center and Hard Rock Hotel near the casino, according to Post-Tribune archives. The plan is for the property to also have space for two additional hotels, including one REVERB by Hard Rock Hotel, and two restaurants and retail spaces.
In January, Hard Rock and Gary Community Schools Corp. announced that the casino gave a $500,000 donation to the district, which will be used for “significant upgrades and equipment purchases to improve basic needs.”
Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said the donation will fund gymnasium improvements, a library/media center and security upgrades with staff training, according to Post-Tribune archives.
In March 2024, Hard Rock and Gary Mayor Eddie Melton also announced a $3 million donation to help revitalize downtown Gary, which was directly put towards blight elimination in the Metro Transit Development District in the Broadway corridor.
“This catalytic donation from Hard Rock marks a new chapter in Gary’s story, one where we begin to turn the page on blight and write our future,” Melton previously said in a statement.