HAMMOND, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Illinois drivers will still be able to buy cheaper gas in Hammond, Indiana late at night after the city delayed a vote.
The City Council chose last night to postpone a decision on whether to force stations to close from midnight to 5 a.m. after hearing from several business owners and residents.
Mayor Thomas McDermott Junior is spearheading the ordinance as a way to reduce crime such as the fatal shooting of a Chicago man last month.
"You feel like you failed your city when somebody gets killed at a gas station," he said. "I feel like I failed. We have power to regulate things like that."
He called the proposal a no-brainer after the city tracked 650 calls for police or paramedics to Hammond gas stations in the last four years during those overnight hours.
Tammy Aboul-Hosn said during public comments that she understands the push for public safety, but she and other small business owners have the right to run their companies as they see fit.
Gas station owner Jim Witham told the council the proposal will lead to more break-ins without employees there to stop them and will not eliminate crime.
"You're gonna cause other problems for yourselves and our employees."
Councilman Barry Tyler Jr. is sympathetic to overnight workers, saying he could only work those hours at a gas station while he was going to college.
The council plans to discuss the issue further on July 20.
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