Good evening.

I'll now call to order the City County Council meeting for Monday, August the 11th, 2025.

And we will begin our meeting with a prayer and pledge of allegiance led by Councillor Paul and A.

Thank you very much, Mr.

President.

Mr.

President, it's an honor to have Father Tim Witches Scala with us here this evening to call to mind the many ways that God has blessed us in our lives as we continue to seek his intercession with opening our meeting in prayer.

Father Tim was ordained in the priesthood on June 7th of 2014.

His ministry history includes serving as associate pastors at St.

Malachi, Saints Francis and Claire of Assisi, head pastor at St.

Mark Catholic Church on the South Side of Indianapolis, as well as chaplain coordinator for Ron Collie High School, as well as a part-time Metropolitan Tribunal Defender of the Bond.

Father Tim's current assignment is pastor of St.

John the Evangelist here in downtown Indianapolis, the oldest Catholic church in our city.

He serves as chaplain of the Indiana University Indianapolis, as well as Purdue University, Indianapolis, while remaining the vicar for clergy, religious and parish life coordinator, vice chancellor, and adjunct judicial vicar in the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Mr.

President, we're so grateful to have Father Tim with us here this evening to share in a moment of prayer.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for this opportunity for our elected officials to come together to discern how best to serve the people of the city of Indianapolis.

We ask you to guide these leaders in their deliberations, to enlighten them by your grace and to protect them from all evil as they fulfill their duty.

May our city benefit from the work begun here this evening, and may the goals of prosperity, justice, and safety for all people be ever before their minds.

In all things, we are reminded that we are but instruments of your divine providence.

Therefore, we ask you to bless those here gathered, bless their endeavors, bless this city which they serve, and can and bless the United States of America.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns forever and ever.

Amen.

Please join me.

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag, the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation about liberty and justice for our all.

Thank you very much.

Please select your green button to indicate your attendance.

So with that, this first item on our agenda is official communications.

And as our first order, we will hear from our mayor, the honorable Joseph H.

Hogsett, to make his presentation of the city's proposed 2026 budget.

Please welcome the Honorable Mayor Joseph H.

Hogsett.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

President Oselie, Vice President Brown, Leaders Lewis and Maori, members of this distinguished council.

First, I'd like to start by thanking all of you for your involvement in this year's budget preparation.

The financial proposal for 2026 that I present to you this evening has been developed by this administration after close communication about council priorities.

And of course, it also reflects a longstanding priority of this administration, strong fiscal discipline.

Since 2016, we together have passed a total of eight consecutive fully funded and fully balanced budgets, all without a tax increase at all, not a single tax increase on the residents of our city.

And this financial acuity has earned our city a triple A bond rating, ensuring that our taxpayer dollars go farther and that we are able to invest more and cut less.

This year, that is more important than ever.

We had to ask our agencies to do more with less.

But thanks to our strong fiscal discipline over the past 10 years, the City of Indianapolis will not falter.

This year's budget reflects the need for operational efficiency while still protecting key investments in our city and its people.

And due to the collective efforts of every city county, every city county department and agency, along with this council, we are able to present to you today, yet again, another fully balanced budget that will not dip in to fiscal reserves.

And we've seen how important it is to protect those reserves.

Our city needs to be prepared for the unexpected.

Fiscally sustainable initiatives in key areas, including public safety, infrastructure, housing, and parks, arts, and culture that make our great city a vibrant and exciting place to live and visit.

So let me begin by focusing on our public safety efforts.

This administration implemented our gun violence reduction strategy at the beginning of 2023 or 2022.

And now, three years later, we continue to see a real difference in our city.

Violent crime in Indianapolis has declined in every one of the past three years and is on track to do the same in 2025.

And if we compare this point in time to 2021, criminal homicides in Indianapolis have been reduced by roughly 50 percent.

Public safety must continue to be a priority for our city because there is still much to be done.

This proposed budget directly supports our first responders and fulfills all of our union contract commitments with IMPD, IFD, and the Marion County's Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Increased salaries, bonuses, and promotion paths have proved especially vital to the recruitment and retention of IMPD officers.

I am pleased to report that this administration has now hired more than 900 police officers.