City of Gary

What City of Gary does

The City of Gary is a municipal government in Lake County, Indiana, founded in 1906 by U.S. Steel as a planned industrial city and incorporated in 1909. It serves its resident population and local businesses through departments including Police, Fire, Public Works, Health, Parks, and administrative offices, with a stated workforce of 241 employees. Since December 30, 2023, the city has been led by Mayor Eddie Melton, the 22nd mayor, whose administration has prioritized blight elimination, downtown revitalization, public safety improvement, and economic diversification beyond the city's historic steel industry base. Major affiliated entities include Gary Public Transportation Corp, Gary Housing Authority, Gary Sanitary District, Gary/Chicago International Airport, and the City of Gary Redevelopment Commission.

The city's primary digital product is Gary 311, a multi-channel citizen services platform built on QSCEND technology and available via a native iOS/Android app, web portal, and phone-based call center (219-881-1311). The platform enables residents to report non-emergency issues (illegal dumping, yard debris, housing complaints, streetlight concerns, demolition inquiries), pay utility bills for integrated partners (American Water, NIPSCO, Gary Sanitary District), and track service requests. A complementary Business Portal, built on the OpenGov government management platform, provides commercial permit and license management. Emergency notifications operate on Everbridge. There is no public API, SDK, or developer-facing integration layer disclosed.

Gary's revenue model is municipal rather than commercial: property taxes form the primary recurring stream, supplemented by federal/state grants (EDA, HUD, DOT, EPA, DOE, DOJ, FAA, IEDC), fees and licenses for permits and services, and revenue-sharing from the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana partnership. The city has secured substantial external capital commitments since 2023, including a $60M FedEx distribution center groundbreaking, a $15M READI 2.0 grant, a $10M FAA grant for a new air traffic control tower, a $5M Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation investment at Tolleston Opportunity Campus, and a pending $1B Nippon Steel investment contingent on the US Steel deal. Strategic positioning at the southern tip of Lake Michigan — with deep-water port access, Class I railroads, and three major interstates — is the foundational economic development asset.

Name

City of Gary

Legal name

City of Gary, Indiana

Website

https://gary.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The City of Gary is a municipal government in Lake County, Indiana, providing public safety, infrastructure, sanitation, health, parks, and digital citizen services (Gary 311) to its residents and businesses under Mayor Eddie Melton's administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Urban Transit Systems (48511), Special Needs Transportation (485991), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Sanitary Services (4950), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public safety administration
• Citizen service platform
• Economic development programs
• Urban infrastructure management

Headquarters

HQ city

Gary

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Primary municipal revenue stream from residential and commercial property taxes within city limits
2. State and Federal Grants: Grant funding from federal agencies (EDA, HUD, DOT, EPA, DOE, DOJ), state of Indiana, and regional agencies for infrastructure, public safety, and economic development
3. Fees and Licenses: Service fees, business licenses, permits, utility payments, and user fees for city services
4. Hard Rock Casino Partnership: Revenue-sharing and economic benefits from Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana partnership including convention center development

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The City of Gary provides core municipal services to its residents and businesses, including public safety (police and fire), public works, parks and recreation, health and human services, permitting and licensing, and economic development. Digital services are delivered through the Gary 311 platform, City Services Mobile App, and an online Business Portal for permits and licensing.

Product overview

The City of Gary operates a unified citizen services ecosystem anchored by Gary 311, a multi-channel service platform that allows residents to submit non-emergency service requests, pay utility bills, and access city services. The Gary 311 platform is available via a native mobile app (iOS/Android) and web portal, and integrates with external payment processors for American Water, NIPSCO, and Gary Sanitary District. The Business Portal (OpenGov) complements these services for commercial customers, providing permit and license management. Together, these products form a connected service delivery network accessible to residents and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gary 311: Non-emergency service request system for reporting issues, paying bills, and accessing city services
• MOCS Volunteer
• Relight the City
• Citywide Blight Blitz
• Love Your Block

Products and services

• Gary 311 Citizen Service Platform A non-emergency service request platform allowing Gary residents to submit and track municipal service requests (e.g., potholes, streetlight outages, trash pickup) via phone, web, or mobile app.
• City Services Mobile App
• Business Portal (Permits and Licensing)
• Public Safety Services
• Parks and Recreation Services
• Public Works Services
• Health and Human Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Historic 23-year contract with Fire Fighters' Union resolved
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• FedExmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025$60 million FedEx distribution center groundbreaking. Major economic development project creating jobs and investment in the city.
• Shirley Heinze Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2025Major upgrades unveiled at Ivanhoe South Nature Preserve with environmental restoration and conservation support.
• Ecorealm LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 6 March 2025Prescribed burn program at Brunswick Park for native habitat restoration and prairie management.
• Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2024Mayor Melton endorsed historic Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Economic Transformation Action Plan (ETAP). Regional collaboration for water protection, leadership, investment, and job creation across member communities.
• Hard Rock Casino Northern IndianacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2024Partnership for Lake County Convention Center bid, $3 million donation for downtown revitalization, $3 million multi-year partnership to upgrade Gary Police Department squad car fleet. Hard Rock sponsoring K9 officer and animal care facility. Matt Schuffert, President of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, serves as private partner.
• University of Notre Dame School of ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2024Partnership to create master plan for Greater Downtown Gary revitalization. Joint Vision and Action Plan developed with Notre Dame's Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative. Mayor joined regional leaders at Notre Dame to advance downtown regeneration plans.
• GeminusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2024Partnership for 3rd Annual Back-to-School Fest 2026 event sponsorship and community support programs.
• Indiana Sugars, Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2024101-year-old family-owned company completed acquisition of 55+22 acres at Buffington Harbor for new headquarters. Mayor Melton worked to keep company in Gary. Phase 1 operational by early 2025 with headquarters building completed in 2025.
• AARPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2024Next phase partnership creating Age Friendly Advisory Council to address needs of residents over 50. Part of global age-friendly communities network.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission: Regional economic-development and infrastructure planning body covering Gary and Lake County. Comparable as an ecosystem partner for grant capture, transit planning, and regional economic strategy.
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation: State-level economic-development authority that administers the READI program funding Gary received. Comparable as the institutional counterparty for the city's primary state economic-development capital.

Direct peers

• City of Birmingham, Alabama: Mid-sized Southeastern municipal government that has executed a multi-decade downtown-revitalization strategy with strong public-private partnerships and economic-development focus — a comparable template for Gary's downtown regeneration program.
• City of Detroit: Large legacy-industrial Great Lakes municipal government with comparable post-industrial decline trajectory, federal-grant-funded revitalization, public-private partnerships, and an active 311-style digital service platform. Closest structural analogue among U.S. cities.
• City of Cleveland: Larger Great Lakes municipal government with a comparable industrial heritage, public-transit corporation, regional airport, and active downtown-revitalization agenda; useful as a scaled-up comparator for Gary's transit and infrastructure initiatives.
• City of Akron: Mid-size legacy-industrial Ohio municipal government with similar demographic and budget pressures, public-safety trajectory, and ongoing downtown and neighborhood-revitalization programming.
• City of Flint: Post-industrial Rust-Belt municipal government of similar size in Michigan, dependent on legacy manufacturing, federal and state grants, and revitalization partnerships — providing direct comparability for tax-base, blight-elimination, and grant-driven programs.
• City of Youngstown: Mid-size former-steel municipal government in Youngstown, OH, executing post-industrial economic redevelopment with comparable population scale and a similar mix of state grants and private partnership programs.
• City of Hammond, Indiana: Adjacent Northwest Indiana municipality in Lake County, sharing the same media market, regional workforce, and tax-base dynamics — operating with similar small-city municipal-services structure and digital services.

Broad incumbents

• Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY): Included as the city's own primary aviation asset; comparable regional / reliever airports (e.g., Cleveland Hopkins, Detroit Metro satellite facilities) frame the scale of FAA-funded capital programs and cargo-handling opportunity relevant to Gary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CityofGary_IN
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityofgaryin
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofgary_in
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/city-of-gary

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Gary