Board waives late fees for multiple rental properties, requires standard registration payment

The Hammond City Board of Works waived late-fee penalties for a series of rental-registration violations after owners explained each case during a hearing on late registrations.

Owners cited reasons ranging from family emergencies and funding delays to ownership transitions and misplaced receipts. The board consistently waived the late penalty but required payment of the regular registration fee (typically $5 per property) before concluding each matter.

Examples included Frank and Mary Morales (4120 A Grover and 842 Wilcox), who said the lapse was an oversight related to family matters; Adjua Pardon (7028 Kennedy Ave.), who said a recent ownership transition caused confusion; and Alvaro Casanova (1659 Indianapolis Blvd.), who said he could not find a receipt for a cash payment and staff had no record of 2025 registration for that unit. In the case of 4747 Baltimore (separate agenda item), the board set a status date due to funding delays for removal work.

Board members repeatedly invited owners to remain after the meeting to pay the outstanding registration fees and receive a copy of the board’s record.