Dave Woerpel

Starting in 2026, residents will have to pay an annual tax of $25 per passenger vehicle and $40 per larger vehicle, under an ordinance adopted Tuesday by the city council.

"We've gotten to the point in Hammond now where the amount of maintenance we're doing on our roads is abysmal," Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. told the city council Monday.

Swanel Beverage is getting a tax abatement to expand its operations in Hammond. The company plans to spend about $7 million on a new building at the former Carpenter's Hall site on Highland Street, adding five new jobs in the process.

The city of Hammond has set a goal of zero traffic deaths, but it's still unclear exactly how the city will try to achieve it.