Mayor Joe Hogsett presented his proposed $1.9 billion budget for 2027 to the City-County Council on August 10. The budget is a nearly 11% increase over last year, despite expected constraints caused by state property tax cuts and the need to find $50 million in new revenue to match state road funding.

Department Budgets

The Department of Public Works will see the biggest budget increase of any department, with a new roundabout at 46th Street and Mitthoeffer Road, improvements to the Pleasant Run Greenway, and converting one-way streets to two-way streets downtown. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is slated to fund 1,743 positions, despite being short roughly 350 officers.

The city will continue funding the Assessment & Intervention Center, which assesses people for mental health and substance use disorders and refers them to treatment. The city will also spend $72 million on housing initiatives, including the city’s Streets to Home and Eviction Diversion programs.

Budget Deliberations

The council had previously passed increases to wheel and excise taxes to raise the required funds, but Hogsett vetoed the measure. The council voted 17-7 to override Hogsett’s veto, which may impact the 2027 budget. The council will hold a public hearing on the full budget on October 5 and will hold a vote on October 19.

Original reporting: Mirror Indy — read the source article.