The Gary Common Council is the nine-member elected legislature of Gary, Indiana. It writes the city’s ordinances, adopts the annual budget, sets property tax levies, and acts as a check on the Mayor. Six members represent geographic districts and three are elected at-large by voters across the whole city.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 36-4-6-2 – Common Council; Election; Eligibility; Term of Office
Who Serves on the Council
Members serve four-year terms that begin at noon on January 1 after the election.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 36-4-6-2 – Common Council; Election; Eligibility; Term of Office Because Gary is a second class city under Indiana law, the council picks a President and Vice President from its own membership at its first meeting and again every January.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 36 Local Government 36-4-6-8
As of 2025, the members are:
- District 1: Lori Latham
- District 2: Dwayne Halliburton
- District 3: Mary Brown
- District 4: Marian Ivey
- District 5: Linda Barnes-Caldwell, Council President
- District 6: Dwight A. Williams
- At-Large: Myles Tolliver
- At-Large: Kenneth Whisenton
- At-Large: Darren Washington, Vice President
A seat is forfeited automatically if a member moves out of the city or, for district members, out of the district they represent.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 36-4-6-2 – Common Council; Election; Eligibility; Term of Office
What the Council Does
Indiana Code 36-4-6-18 authorizes the council to pass ordinances, resolutions, orders, and motions covering city governance, city property and finances, and the use of public money.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 36-4-6-18 – Purposes of Ordinance, Order An ordinance is a permanent local law. A resolution usually handles a one-time decision or a formal statement of the council’s position.
After the council passes a measure by simple majority, it goes to the Mayor, who has ten days to sign or veto it. The council can override a veto at its next regular or special meeting after that ten-day window by a two-thirds vote. One point worth knowing: if the Mayor does nothing and lets the ten days expire, the measure is treated as vetoed, not approved. The Mayor can also line-item veto individual spending or tax provisions inside an appropriations ordinance.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 36-4-6-16 – Ordinance, Order, or Resolution; Power
The council is also Gary’s fiscal body. It alone adopts the annual budget, levies property taxes, and approves transfers of money between departments during the year.6Gary Common Council. About the GCC Departments that need to shift funds mid-year have to come back for authorization. Bonds for large capital projects need council approval too.
When and Where the Council Meets
The council holds regular sessions in the council chambers, typically twice a month. Indiana’s Open Door Law requires that meetings of public governing bodies stay open to the public, and anyone attending may observe and record the proceedings.7Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. IC 5-14-1.5 – Public Meetings (Open Door Law) Secret ballot votes are prohibited. The council may meet in closed executive session for a limited set of purposes such as litigation strategy, but any final action has to happen in a public meeting.
Meeting notices have to be posted at least forty-eight hours in advance, and Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays do not count toward that forty-eight hours.8Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-5 – Public Notice of Meetings A Friday afternoon posting for a Monday meeting would likely fall short. The City Clerk prepares the agenda and keeps the official minutes.
How to Speak at a Meeting
Residents can address the council during the scheduled public comment period at regular meetings, usually with a three- to five-minute limit per speaker. For bigger decisions, like rezoning proposals or significant budget changes, the council holds formal public hearings where affected residents can testify before the vote. Testimony at a formal hearing becomes part of the official record of the decision.
How to Request Public Records
Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act lets anyone inspect and copy public records during regular business hours, and you do not have to say why you want them. Agencies have twenty-four hours to respond to in-person, phone, or electronic requests, and seven days for requests made by mail or fax. Missing those deadlines counts as a denial, which opens the door to a formal complaint.
Copying fees are capped at ten cents per page for black-and-white and twenty-five cents for color. Certifying a document costs no more than five dollars.
To file a records request with the City of Gary, use the online Public Information Request Form through the city’s Law Department at 401 Broadway, Suite 101, Gary, IN 46402. The department can also be reached at (219) 881-1400 or law@gary.gov.9City of Gary. Law Department