Full City-County Council Meeting

Indianapolis City-County Council

Development

Education

Environment

Health

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Utilities

Finance

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Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
7:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m. EDT

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200 East Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46204 (Directions)

City-County Building, Public Assembly Room (PAR)

Indianapolis City-County Council public hearing for the 2025 budget.

Questions? Email us at documenters@mirrorindy.org

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Indianapolis - IN Documenters Team

Note-taking by Dawn Charbonneau

The Indianapolis City-County Council reviewed proposals regarding illegal street racing, board appointments and heard public comment about the 2025 budget.

View notes

Live reporting by Randy Wyrick

The Indianapolis City-County Council reviewed proposals regarding illegal street racing, board appointments and heard public comment about the 2025 budget.

randy51722 @randyrecoil

I'm Randy Wyrick and I'll be live-tweeting tonight's Indianapolis City-County Council meeting. @mirrorindy @indydocumenters

05:57 PM Sep 23, 2024 CDT

randy51722 @randyrecoil 2/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters It's a big crowd of sign wavers at tonight's budget extravaganza. It's a little like the Buffalo Springfield song, "For What It's Worth," in which Stephen Stills sings that that crowd is "singin' songs and carryin signs, mostly say hoo-ray for our side."

randy51722 @randyrecoil 3/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters We have urban forester advocates, parks advocates, signs that counsel "budgets for the people, not the rich," although the rich seem to be people.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 4/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters And of course, we have people decrying violence in the Middle East, mostly by Israel. Several keffiyehs, but so far no Stars of David.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 5/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters It seems important to them that the Indianapolis City-County Council pass a cease-fire resolution, even though Gaza is 6,223 miles from the City County Building.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 6/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office are also here, resplendent in olive green uniforms with coordinating black tactical vests and boots.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 7/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Council President Vop Osili called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 8/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Before diving into budget items, the council made several appointments.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 9/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Reappointed Wendy Tucker to the Early Intervention Planning Council Committee.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 10/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Reappointed Brandon Fishburn to the Woodruff Place Economic Improvement District Board.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 11/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Confirmed the Marion County Public Defender Board's nomination of Raymond Casanova as the Marion County Chief Public Defender.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 12/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The Marion County Local Income Tax Council proposed that the City-County Council:

randy51722 @randyrecoil 13/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters 1) modify the local income tax rate, 2) modify the allocation of the previously imposed expenditure rate 3) determine how the revenue from the property tax relief rate shall be applied to provide property tax credits in subsequent years.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 14/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee proposed the Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County to add a new Division 9 pertaining to illegal street activity.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 15/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters It's in response to people spinning cars in local parking lots, and the activity spilling onto the street.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 16/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters When IMPD officers show up, it has been alleged that the officers are accosted and abused. That being the case, the city is cracking down on the practice.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 17/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council considered tax rates for: Police Special Service District, Fire Special Service District, Solid Waste Collection.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 18/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Then public comments began.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 19/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters One woman praised the council for paying for more urban forests, but said we could do more. "If we can buy a soccer stadium, we can buy forests!" she said.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 20/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters

randy51722 @randyrecoil 21/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters That guy is multitasking by advocating for Palestine and trees.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 22/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters "Once our forests are handed into the hands of the developers, it's too late! The time is now!" said an advocate for more urban forests. It's a matter to preserve habitat for humans and wildlife, she said.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 23/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Cecilia passionately said the city is spending $12.5 million on Israel. She also said IMPD will get 40 percent of the budget.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 24/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Bridgette said 2 percent of the budget could house Indy's more-than 1,000 homeless people.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 25/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Bridgette also called out the Mayor Hogsett administration for its alleged disregard for women's welfare, something she said is reflected in the budget.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 26/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Just for perspective, the city's proposed 2025 $1.65 billion.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 27/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The arts need more money, many said.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 28/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Noah said the budget defunds working people, but increases funds for IMPD. The budget funds "our killers and deepens repression."

randy51722 @randyrecoil 29/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Answer Indiana speakers claimed the budget supports an apartheid regime.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 30/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Brian Sellers congratulated the council for stopping a warehouse and preserve an urban forest, some of which is on his property. "That forest was here before the city," he said.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 31/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Brian thanked the council, especially his councilor Dan Boots, for spending $6 million on urban forest. His 10 year old daughter is with him. Future generations will only benefit by preserving forests.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 32/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Forests should not be supplanted by concrete, including things like strip malls that will be around for a few decades. Forests are forever.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 33/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Barb Smith asked the council to appropriate more money for preserving and expanding urban forests.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 34/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Riley Park had three demands: Fund the citizens and not IMPD, Mayor Hogsett should resign, the city should divest its businesses with Israel.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 35/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Most of the urban forest advocates rallied to speak on behalf of the Indiana Forest Alliance.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 36/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters A local minister exhorted the council to preserve trees as part of God's creation.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 37/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The Indiana Forest Alliance praised the city for its initial steps in forest preservation.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 38/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters 65 percent of Indy residents do not live within a 10 minute walk of a local park. The IFA has identified three forests that, they say, the city could purchase at, or below market value.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 39/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Upon further review, the city has earmarked $1 million for forest acquisition, not the $6 million I previously tweeted. The Indiana Forest Alliance is asking for $6 million, money it said could buy at least four parcels of urban forest.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 40/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council was encouraged by CURV, Congregations United to Reduce Violence, to continue funding gun reduction programs. Indy's murder rate and violent crime rate are down in the last few years.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 41/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Average cities Indy's size boast 15 percent of their overall size to parks. Indy's parks cover 5 percent.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 42/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters "Developers (who clear forest to construction warehouses and apartment buildings) are morally bankrupt," said one urban forest advocate.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 43/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters When they finally ran out of public commenters, the council got down to the business of passing agency budgets.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 44/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Some of those budgets go like this:

randy51722 @randyrecoil 45/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Indianapolis International Airport: $534,262,000 Capital Improvement Total Budget: $235 million. Health and Hospital: $599 million Public Library District: $85.9 million IndyGo (Public Transportation): $412,069,025

randy51722 @randyrecoil 46/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council approved spending $1.2 million on debt service for the new animal shelter. A woman spoke passionately on behalf of spaying and neutering animals, efforts to curtail dog fighting and backyard breeding.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 47/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Animal safety has received increasing attention, especially backyard breeders dumping and abandoning animals. mirrorindy.org/indy-group-urg…

mirrorindy.org/indy-group-urg…

randy51722 @randyrecoil 48/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council approved 16 Tech Community Corporation to install, construct, maintain, repair, and operate underground fiber infrastructure

randy51722 @randyrecoil 49/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council considered approving itself and other elected officials a raise, a raise councilors have not had for the last 15 years.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 50/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council voted 18-6 to approve it.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 51/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Currently, councilors are paid $31,075 a year.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 52/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Joshua Bain introduced proposal 306 to fully fund the capital improvements.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 53/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Jesse Brown pointed out that the council put $6 million into purchasing urban forest lands in 2025, adding that Mayor Hogsett arbitrarily cut it to $1 million.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 54/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Jared Evans said people are "fed up," with quality of life issues being short changed compared to other things like building soccer stadium.

randy51722 @randyrecoil 55/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Evans said $1 million is not enough, nor is the $6 million the council earmarked. "We should be spending much more to preserve our city for future generations," he said

randy51722 @randyrecoil 56/56

@mirrorindy @indydocumenters And with that, Councilor Brian Mowrey asked for a moment of tribute to Judy Ann Doan and Alan Gosnell, Council President Vop Osili adjourned the meeting.

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Attachments

City-County Meeting

By Randy Wyrick 9/23/2024

Agency Information

Indianapolis City-County Council

See meeting notes for details

www.indy.gov

See Documenters reporting

The Indianapolis City-County Council is the legislative branch of our local government. In addition to adopting budgets, levying taxes, and authorizing financial appropriations to fund city and county operations, the council is responsible for enacting, repealing, and amending local laws. The Council appoints members to boards and commissions that serve the community, and all meetings are open to the public.

Council members