Public Safety Committee Meeting: Budget & Elevation Grant Report - Sept 10, 2025
Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee Meeting
The meeting of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on September 10, 2025, included a presentation on Proposal 276-2025 regarding the Elevation Grant Program, followed by budget hearings for the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD). The meeting featured detailed discussions on violence prevention metrics, staffing, fleet management, and community concerns.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Shannon Whitley, President of Local 416, expressed support for IFD's 2026 budget, emphasizing officer wellness initiatives, new recruit hiring, and the collective bargaining agreement.
- Audrey Jones (Black Church Coalition) urged the committee to demand more transparency on how the 1,743-officer staffing goal was determined, noting decisions were made by the mayor and FOP without committee input.
- Anthony Harvey (Black Church Coalition) opposed proposals to disempower the General Orders Board, arguing it undermines trust and transparency.
- Carolyn Higginbotham (Indy Action Coalition) called the budget "financial malpractice," urging investment in non-police crisis response and realistic staffing numbers.
- Chris Dorsey (Disciples Home Missions) argued that an unattainable officer count sets the city up for failure and called for a broader public safety ecosystem.
- Noah Lenninger (Indianapolis Party for Socialism and Liberation) criticized IMPD's effectiveness, citing low clearance rates for violent crimes, and questioned officer residency and take-home car policies.
- Johnny Osman expressed frustration with downtown crime, advocating for more policing, harsher sentencing, and criticizing the revolving door of justice.
Discussion Items
- Proposal 276-2025 (Elevation Grant Program): Josette Robinson and Andrew Merkley presented a shift to a two-year grant cycle (2025-2027) with $7 million in city-only funds for up to 35 organizations, focusing on capacity building, data-driven outcomes, and grassroots support (77% of $40.4M in prior rounds went to organizations with budgets ≤$750,000). Councilors questioned the lack of outcome data from previous rounds, the 15% administrative fee to the Indianapolis Foundation, and the correlation between funding and crime reduction. Councilor Boots and others emphasized the need for measurable metrics, as correlation does not imply causation. Councilor Perkins noted that data exists but hasn't been shared with council. The item was informational; no vote was taken.
- IFD 2026 Budget (Chief Ernest Malone, CFO Don Sykes Randall): The proposed budget is $283.3 million, a 4.5% increase over the 2025 revised budget. Key points include: 94% of firefighters in field operations, ongoing station replacements (e.g., Station 33 on the northwest side), a pending SAFER grant for 50 new firefighters (due in 2026), and over $57 million in grants secured over 10 years. Councilors discussed technology investments, station coverage, ambulance placement, and the need to maintain the 20-year station replacement plan.
- IMPD 2026 Budget (Chief Chris Bailey, CFO Deb Hall): The proposed budget is $358.6 million, representing an 81% personnel cost increase. Violent crime has dropped 23% and property crime 17% year-to-date in 2025, with murders down 50% since 2021. Staffing stands at 1,409 sworn officers (334 short of the authorized 1,743), with 120 recruits planned for 2026. The budget does not include funding for the vehicle replacement plan (annual need: 300 vehicles); the chief requested $2 million for the loan payment, which was not included. Councilors expressed strong concern about the fleet shortfall, linking it to officer retention and safety. Public comment and councilors also criticized the staffing goal as unattainable and called for reinvestment in alternative response models. Councilor Brown raised concerns about Flock camera data sharing with federal agencies; Chief Bailey stated IMPD does not share data with ICE or DHS and offered direct contact with Flock leadership.
Key Outcomes
- No vote on Proposal 276-2025: Presentation only; committee took no action.
- IFD Budget: Received committee presentation; no vote taken at this meeting.
- IMPD Budget: Received committee presentation. Councilors indicated potential amendments to restore $2 million for the vehicle replacement loan. Public comment included calls to reject the current staffing MOU and redirect funds to crisis response. The committee did not vote tonight.
- Next Steps: Further budget hearings and possible amendments are anticipated before final council action.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. It is 5 30 p.m. Welcome to the public safety committee of the city county council. We're in the public assembly room of the city county building, and we will start our meeting this evening with introductions on our first role, Council Hart. Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Michael Paul Hart, representing District 20. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Josh Bain, District 21. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Paul Lenet, District 22. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Brian Mowery, District 25. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Dan Boots, District 3, Northeast Side. Thank you, Chairman Jessica McCormick, District 16, West Side. Thank you, Chairman Brienne Delini, District 2. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Frank Mascarry, District 19, Southeast Side. Thank you, Council. We do have a guest member of the committee this evening, one of our counselors, Council Brown. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Council Jesse Brown, District 13, Dairy Standardside. Thank you, Councillors. We do have two presentations this evening regarding the 2026 budget of IFD and of IMPD. Before that, we have a presentation on proposal 276-2025, which directs the Office of Public Safety, Health and Safety to provide a report. City County Council regarding the appropriations of the round three elevation grant program to the Indianapolis Foundation. Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. This evening we're I'm joined by leadership from the Indianapolis Foundation, specifically Josette Robinson and Rachel McIntosh. We're here to present to you information about the elevate historic elevation grant uh rounds as well as the future of the program. As part of the proposal during the spring fiscal, uh which appropriated an additional two million dollars to the 2025 elevation grant program. Uh we were we were asked to provide you all with an updated scope of work as well as a round three report. Uh those are in your packets that you have in front of you. This evening, Josette and Rachel will provide you with the more detailed um more detailed information about data, past um groups that have received this funding, but uh just at a high level, uh we are changing the uh program just a little bit to better fit the needs of the program and to better align with what we've of the feedback that we've received from you and from members of the community. Um the new scope of work will move from a one-year grant cycle to a two-year grant cycle, combining funds from both 2025 and 2026. Um we're doing that to ensure that grantees have enough time to implement their programs and that they can demonstrate efficacy. Um we're also going to be focused on identifying grantees this year and getting them uh providing them with capacity building up front as well as identifying the outcomes that they're hoping to see through their programming so that they um they have everything that they need up front and can more effectively uh implement their programs. And so uh with that, I will turn it over to Joe Sett to tell you more detail. Thank you, Director Director. Uh Ms. Joseph, you want to sit there, you want to sit in your chair with you at the podium. It's up to you. Um the podium is fine, thank you. Okay, thank you.
openpublica.com