Indianapolis Passes $1.9 Billion 2027 Budget: More for Roads and Police, Cuts for Education Programs
The Indianapolis City-County Council on October 19 approved Mayor Joe Hogsett's $1.9 billion budget for 2027. Council Democrats voted in favor and Republicans unanimously against, with two Democrats, Crista Lee Wells and Jesse Brown, also voting no.
Roads and police are the budget's biggest winners. The Department of Public Works will get $100 million more for road repairs, $50 million from new tax revenue and $50 million from a state matching-grant program created by House Enrolled Act 1461, lifting its budget about 30% to $335 million. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's budget rises about 11% to just under $400 million, continuing to fund 1,743 officers under its union contract and investing in body-worn and license-plate cameras; an amendment to shift $25 million away from the department failed. The Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency gains $3.6 million to hire 15 new 911 telecommunicators.
On housing, the budget includes $2.8 million for the first time to staff the Housing Hub, a low-barrier shelter set to open on the 1000 block of East Georgia Street, plus more than $70 million for housing programs aimed at 1,200 new affordable rental units. Programs losing out include the jail release lobby (cut by $260,000, moving from round-the-clock to weekday-only service), ankle-monitoring fee subsidies ($1.5 million not funded), the Circle City Readers literacy tutoring program (funding ends after the spring semester) and the Indy Achieves college scholarship program (cut 25% to $1.5 million). Nearly 50 activists protested outside the council building, calling for more spending on reentry and violence prevention. (GSM, from IndyStar, October 20)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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