Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee Meeting Summary - September 23, 2025
Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee Meeting Summary - September 23, 2025
The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee of the City-County Council met on September 23, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the Public Assembly Room of the City-County Building. The committee considered two main items: Proposal No. 239, which amends various codes related to Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (BNS) fees, penalties, and policies, and a review of the 2026 budget (Proposal No. 259) for the Metropolitan and Development portion. An amendment to Proposal No. 239 regarding non-consensual towing fees was debated and failed, while a separate amendment from BNS was adopted, and the main proposal was subsequently passed. The budget portion was recommended for approval to the full council.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Kissel (Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis, representing 550 member companies) opposed the fee increases in Proposal No. 239, stating that for a 2,500-square-foot house, fees would increase from $434 to approximately $1,050 (a 142% increase). He argued that each $1,000 increase in home price prices out 550 working families, and that this proposal would result in approximately 350 working families in Marion County losing the ability to buy a home. He noted that regulatory requirements already add ~25% to the price of a new single-family home and that the increases send the wrong message regarding housing affordability.
- J.R. Cook (Cook's Towing Service) spoke in favor of the proposed amendment to increase non-consensual towing fees, citing rising costs of equipment, insurance, and labor over the past 14 years. He stated that the non-consensual towing side of his business is “the losing part” without an increase.
- Cindy King (Indy Towing Service Inc., DBA Pro Tow, 47 years in business) supported the amendment, noting that 95% of her business is non-consensual towing and that increased costs for trucks, insurance, and gas have made it difficult. She stated the amendment would directly impact her 30 employees.
- Amber (JR Services and Recovery) supported the amendment, pointing out that state requirements for sending letters to vehicle owners have increased costs for postage and records.
- James (Last Chance Wrecker) supported the amendment, noting that a $30 increase is modest and would help offset rising costs.
- Tony (Hannah's Record Service, scrap recycling) responded to a councilor’s question about salvage vehicles, stating that the average car after auction is worth around $400.
Discussion Items
- Proposal No. 239 – Fee and Policy Changes for BNS
- Director Abby Brands (BNS) introduced the proposal, noting that the BNS board had unanimously passed its portion on August 28, 2025, but that amendments were needed following ongoing conversations with councilors and board members.
- Amendment by Councilor Hart (failed): Councilor Hart moved to amend Proposal No. 239 to tie non-consensual towing fees to the IMPD police-ordered towing contract (raising the maximum towing fee from $150 to $180 and storage fee from $30 to $40, with automatic future adjustments tied to the contract). He argued that fees had not been raised in 14 years and that tying them to the city’s contract would remove the need for future council action. Councilor Gibson opposed, stating that increasing fees on already distressed citizens was inappropriate and that the fees benefit private companies, not the public. Councilor Delaney expressed concern that the amendment’s language might not effectively tie to the IMPD contract. Councilor Mowray supported the amendment, citing parity with IMPD. After public testimony from tow operators, the amendment failed on a voice vote.
- Amendment by Director Brands (passed): Director Brands presented a second amendment to:
- Strike the accelerated plan review fee for Class 1 structures ($2,000 per hour) to allow development of a comprehensive policy.
- Modify accelerated inspection fees for Class 1 structures to include hourly rates (e.g., same-day inspection: $750 for the first 2 hours, $250 for each additional hour).
- Add a new section allowing the Director to reduce or waive building permit fees for local non-profit affordable housing projects (e.g., Community Development Corporations).
- Change the effective date to January 1, 2026.
- Councilor Jones moved to adopt the amendment; it was seconded and passed on a voice vote.
- The main proposal, as amended, was then moved by Councilor Lewis and seconded. After public comment from John Kissel, the proposal passed on a voice vote.
- Budget Review and Analysis – Proposal No. 259 (2026 Budget)
- The deputy controller presented the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee’s portion of the 2026 budget. Councilor Gibson stated that the budget is reasonable and encouraged support. No further questions or public comments were received.
- Councilor Roberts moved to send Proposal No. 259 to the full council with a do-pass recommendation; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote.
Key Outcomes
- Proposal No. 239 amendment (non-consensual towing fees) failed on a voice vote.
- Proposal No. 239 amendment (BNS fee changes) passed on a voice vote.
- Proposal No. 239, as amended, passed on a voice vote, with an effective date of January 1, 2026.
- Proposal No. 259 (2026 budget – Metropolitan and Development portion) was recommended for approval to the full council on a voice vote.
Meeting Transcript
Hey, I'm doing well. How are you? I will now call to order the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee to order for Tuesday, September 23rd. We'll begin with introductions of my colleagues on the first row. Thank you, Madam Leader. Derek Cahill, District 23. Thank you, Madam Leader. Michael Paul Hart, District 20. Thank you, Madam Leader. Brian Mowray, District 25. Thank you, Madam Leader Brienne Delaney, District 2. Ron Gibson, District 8. Thank you, Madam Leader. Kristen Jones, District 18. Thank you, Madam Leader Nick Roberts, is your four. Thank you, Madam Leader LeWar Robinson, District 1. Thank you, Counselors. My name is Maggie Lewis, District 5. The first item on our agenda this evening is proposal number 239. Madam Director. Hi, uh Abby Brands, Director of BNS. Um, so we brought this proposal before the body um, I want to say August 18th, whenever we introduced our budget proposal and we talked through it a bit and provided detail on that day. We mentioned um that because we had to provide the information so early, there were still ongoing conversations with counselors and board members. Um our board did unanimously pass um their portion of it on August 28th, but there were a few amendment items that um we'll be introducing this evening. Thank you, Madam Director. Other questions uh regarding the uh proposal, proposal two thirty-nine. Counselor Delaney. Could you clarify what you meant by you're gonna be showing us different fees? Like where I'm I'm a little confused at what you're doing. So um if you'll recall, there was kind of three groups about how the fees shook out, right? So zoning was specific to ordinance, that was just for the counselor's purview. Um drainage fees, stormwater fees, flood, uh right-of-way fees. I know I'm missing something. Uh those were specific to the board, and so they're not codified in ordinance, and then the third group were the predominantly building permit fees, and there was overlap where the board has jurisdiction over it, but at some time those were codified in ordinance as well, and so they had to be approved by both bodies. So you guys are approving zoning and what the board has codified. The board has approved their own kind of set of the other fees that aren't codified in ordinance and then has approved those building permit fees. So I'm not there's uh we're bringing forward an amendment, which I'll discuss in greater detail. Um, but not speaking to any other specific changes. I just want to follow. I don't want to start like jump the gun and start talking about and so what you're speaking to right now is the pro is just the portion of it. Okay, thank you. Yes, do you want either counselor Hart? Yep, go ahead. Take a seat. All right, Madam Chair, members of the this committee. I've got uh a motion to amend in front of you, um, not to supersede anything that uh director brands has, but uh just to add in addition to uh you've got that and you've got a letter uh in front of you as well from TEGs go. And I just want to give you a little bit of context of why I'm bringing this amendment in front of you this evening. So I I had the pleasure of working with Director Brands for a long time when I found out that the new tow facility uh for the police impound was coming to District 20 uh earlier this year. So uh she and I worked together on that project, and um ultimately um I let her know that I'd like to meet with the organization who was gonna be operating there. That way I could build a relationship with them.
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