Indy Mayor to Detail Budget Proposal
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard will unveil his 2015 budget tonight to the city-county council. Much of this year's expenditures will be geared toward public safety initiatives, including a five-year, $25 million expanded preschool program, which Ballard announced last month as part of a long term crime plan. The Capital Improvement Board, the group that controls the city's major entertainment and convention venues, is slated to vote on a preliminary budget today. It will then head next month to a council committee.
August 18, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Mayor Ballard will present the seventh budget of his administration to the Indianapolis City/County Council Monday evening. His presentation will begin the process of crafting the next year’s budget and City/County Councillors look forward to an active collaboration. “The Council’s aim is to ensure that the final budget is based on significant public input and strong collaboration between the legislative and administrative branch of the city's government,” stated Lewis. “As the 2015 budget deliberations begin in earnest, it is important for the Mayor and City/County Council to be transparent and open about all spending plans and make their priorities clear,” she added.
Looking ahead to address the needs of the city in 2015 and beyond, the Council will listen to constituents and will craft a budget that aligns spending with the critical needs of residents living all across Indianapolis while working to protect the Indianapolis taxpayer.
As the proposed budget is reviewed, both line by line and as a whole, the Council's priorities for 2015 include:
Solve the Public Safety Crisis:
-The Council will continue to make identifying needed financial resources to add new IMPD officers our top priority. Public safety is the number one quality of life issue for our community. We are pleased that the mayor now agrees with the results of the bipartisan IMPD Staffing Study Commission that more officers are needed to keep our streets safe. Our goal is to identify the resources necessary to fund additional officers without creating a potential financial hardship for our residents.
-In order to ensure that funds for public safety are being used in a way to benefit the taxpayer, the Council will review the $12 million dollars in consulting contracts for the proposed justice center recently let by the mayor, without Council approval or identified funding, during the Administration and Finance Committee set for August 19, 2014 at 5:30.
Make Neighborhood Development and Services a Priority:
-The Council will work to ensure all of our neighborhoods have the financial resources necessary to serve as a positive place for families to live and work. Every neighborhood in our city matters and we must ensure there is a fair and equitable allocation of funds for necessary road repairs, snow removal and economic development.
Education, Advancing Pre-K:
-Strong schools and access to educational opportunities are the keys to Indianapolis' future. During the budget process, the Council will work to advance the cause of Pre-K in Indianapolis, while working to ensure that current school districts, IndyGo, and the Indianapolis Library do not lose funding. It is important that any funding for a new school initiative does not pick winner and losers, but instead works to support all of Indianapolis.
“As we move to advance the 2015 budget, the Indianapolis City-County Council will focus on these priorities – public safety, neighborhoods, and education,” said President Lewis. “We also look forward to a thoughtful, open, and reasoned debate with Mayor Ballard about his priorities in the coming weeks.”
Sources: The Office of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, The Office of Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie Lewis, Inside INdiana Business