Hammond City board approves routine permits, personnel transfers and waives two late-license fees

The Hammond City Board of Public Works and Safety on March 12 approved a series of routine administrative items and heard late-license appeals from two local business owners.

The board approved personnel changes requested by the police department: Lieutenant Carl Itom will move from the patrol division to community affairs and Sergeant Walter Peterson will move from the detective bureau back to patrol, a transfer that includes relinquishing detective specialty pay. The personnel moves were described in correspondence from Chief Jeffrey Long and were approved by the board; the transfers are effective March 17, 2026.

The board also approved the retirement of Captain Brian Howerton, who the correspondence says has served Hammond for more than 35 years; his retirement is effective May 18, 2026.

On procurement matters, staff reported a single quote from Hawk for the Dan Raven Plaza lighting project at $135,353.32. The board moved to forward that quote to engineering for review, tabulation and any consultant recommendation.

Officials approved several temporary closures and permits. Reeth Riley Construction and the Tollway were granted a sidewalk closure at Kennedy Avenue for bridge-slope repairs from March 23 through April 10, 2026; Dyer Construction was granted a road closure at Highland and Noble avenues on or about March 13 to tie in a water main for the Memorial Park redevelopment project. Engineering also presented two right-of-way permits (one related to retiring gas services and one for a ground-mounted Comcast device described as a signal booster), and the board approved both.

The board approved a $16,425 allocation from 4th District gaming funds to pay NICE Engineering for construction observation services on the decorative lighting project on Lawndale. The board noted Hawk holds the construction contract for Lawndale and that the funding request covered the supervision/inspection services.

The controller's office asked the board to approve a wellness-services contract for city employees on May 7, 2026, with a vendor referenced in the transcript as 'Healthy Me' (the transcript phrasing is not fully unambiguous). The board approved the request.

Two business owners attended late-license hearings and asked for leniency. Rigo Martinez, owner of Pinnacle Concrete, said he winters in Mexico and believed his contractor-license renewal satisfied requirements; he told the board he was unaware a separate business license was required. After staff review, the board voted to waive the late fee for Pinnacle Concrete. Raymond Rudolph, owner of Midwest Limited LLC, said he had held a contractor license for 15 years but had been notified in 2024 that a business license was required; he described missed communications while completing a background check and asked for leniency. The board waived the late fee for Midwest Limited LLC as well.

On property enforcement, staff discussed the long-running case at 1933 Maiden Lane. The board set a status hearing for April 16, 2026, and amended its action to keep the status date and issue another order to appear if the owner does not attend.

Several other routine items were approved without substantial discussion, including renewal of an amusement-device license for Sportsman's Tap and disposal authorizations from the police department. The meeting was opened for public comment and none were present; no further actions were recorded before the meeting closed.

Next steps: the board scheduled the 1933 Maiden Lane status hearing for April 16, 2026; other items will proceed through engineering or standard administrative follow-up as noted by staff.