GARY | Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson on Tuesday asked City Council members to keep an open mind when considering pending budget requests.
“My team and I understand that the final budget decisions rest with the council,” Freeman-Wilson said. “We understood the budget deficit that came along with the transition in taking over for Mayor Rudy Clay. When we arrived, we found all issues as expected, but I’m not sharing this information with you to list the things that were not taken care of, but to see what we have accomplished since in office.”
The council considered 11 proposed ordinances Tuesday pertaining to salaries and appropriations. Of those, only one received the council's approval.
The council is expected to vote on the other 10 at its next meeting.
Freeman-Wilson checked off her administration's accomplishments since January. By the end of this month, street sweepers will begin cleaning Gary's roads for the first time in three years, she said.
“There is always room for improvement, such as our responsiveness to our city’s problems,” Freeman-Wilson said. “We have to bridge the gap between planning and implementing action.
"We will not apologize for requiring people to follow basic procedures when it comes to city ordinances," she said. "We are simply asking that you look towards the appropriations and that you not look at the context of everything, but you look at the progress we are making and will be able to make with the approval of these ordinances."
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