Public Works Committee Meeting on 2025-09-25: Solid Waste Levy and DPW Budget
Public Works Committee Meeting – September 25, 2025
The Public Works Committee of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council met on September 25, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. to consider two proposals: Proposal No. 258, 2025, approving the tax levy and rate for the Solid Waste Collection Special Service District for 2026, and Proposal No. 259, 2025, adopting the 2026 budget for the Department of Public Works (DPW). After presentations, discussion, and public testimony, Proposal 258 passed unanimously by voice vote, and Proposal 259 passed on a 7-4 roll call vote. The full council is scheduled to vote on the budget on October 6, 2025.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Connie Zabel Schmucker (Advocacy Director, Bicycle Garage Indy) opposed the lack of funding for addressing traffic violence in the DPW budget. She noted that zero funding for traffic violence indicates zero priority, criticized the city for not having a Vision Zero action plan, and called for $35 million (2% of the total city budget) to fund quick-build improvements, fatal crash review team recommendations, and work on the 5% of roads where 40% of crashes occur.
- Christina Hartley (District 13, 46201) read the names of vulnerable road users killed in 2025, arguing that prior budgets and actions by the council and DPW contributed to these deaths. She urged the committee to fund safety improvements over pothole patching, stating that the vote would cost lives in 2026.
Discussion Items
Proposal No. 258, 2025 – Solid Waste Collection Special Service District Tax Levy
- Jennifer Carter (Budget Manager, Office of Finance and Management) presented the proposal as an administrative action to adopt the 2026 budget, tax rate, and tax levy for the Solid Waste Collection Special Service District. The information mirrors the language in the 2026 introduced budget ordinance.
- Councillor Cahill asked whether the tax rate increase would eliminate the need for additional fiscal actions in 2026, referencing a $1 million fiscal this year. Sam Barrett (DPW CFO) clarified that the $1 million fiscal was for solid waste garage construction, and that no future fiscal actions for vendor contracts are anticipated, though unexpected needs could arise.
- Councillor Boots noted that the solid waste user fee ($32 per unit) has been unchanged for nearly 35 years and asked about a potential increase. Sam Barrett responded that the fee is not referenced in the new vendor contracts and that the budget is built around the current fee; there are no plans to increase it, but it could be adjusted independently of the contracts.
- The proposal was moved and seconded for a due pass recommendation, and passed by voice vote.
Proposal No. 259, 2025 – DPW 2026 Budget
- Director Wilson (DPW) presented a detailed overview of road maintenance strategies, including pothole filling, strip patching, D4 repaving, residential resurfacing ($16 million minimum), and thoroughfare resurfacing. He introduced the Infrastructure Asset Management Plan (IAMP) for roads and bridges, which will be presented to the council in Q1 2026. He also addressed concerns from the Board of Public Works about the lack of a Vision Zero line item, arguing that safety is inherently included in all DPW work (e.g., safe routes to schools, protected bike infrastructure, intersection improvements).
- Councillor Cahill cautioned that the data-driven approach, relying on the Mayor's Action Center, may underrepresent non-English-speaking residents. He encouraged expanding strip patching to residential roads. He asked about the bottleneck in D4 operations and was told that contracted residential resurfacing includes design, ADA ramps, and sidewalks, making it more expensive per mile. He stated he would vote against the budget because DPW was not given sufficient resources, noting that the city could have contributed $50 million more in 2025 for the upcoming $100 million state funding.
- Councillor Mowry asked about the counselor-select projects ($1 million per district). Mark St. John (Chief Engineer, DPW) explained that an alternative delivery method (build-operate-transfer) was used to select three contractors in July, and that most work will be completed in 2026, with some this fall. Councillor Mowry expressed disappointment that after nearly a year, no work had been completed.
- Councillor Bain questioned the overall adequacy of the budget. He referenced an HNTB study from seven to eight years ago that estimated $360 million per year to maintain thoroughfares and $760 million for all roads, pre-inflation. He noted that the 2026 budget includes roughly $190 million for roads, and argued that roads would likely worsen. Director Wilson responded that with the new $100 million state funding, the network would improve year over year. Councillor Bain said he could not support a budget that guarantees worse roads.
- Councillor Boots clarified that the $16 million residential resurfacing includes an $8 million state match, and that the $16 million for strip patching is coincidental.
- Councillor Gibson supported the budget as fiscally responsible given the cuts from Senate Bill 1, and urged support for the DPW budget.
- A roll call vote was requested. The motion to send Proposal 259 to the full council with a due pass recommendation passed 7-4: Yes – Boots, Carlino, Gibson, Jones, McCormick, Nielsen, Roberts. No – Cahill, Bain, Dilk, Mowry.
Key Outcomes
- Proposal No. 258, 2025 (Solid Waste Tax Levy) – Approved unanimously by voice vote; recommended to full council with due pass.
- Proposal No. 259, 2025 (DPW 2026 Budget) – Approved on a 7-4 roll call vote; recommended to full council with due pass.
- The full council will consider both proposals at its meeting on October 6, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, and welcome to our public works committee for September 25th, 2025. We will begin with introductions of our counselors on the front row. Thank you, Madam Chair. Derek Cahill, District 23. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mike Dill, District 24. Thank you, Madam Chair, Josh Bain, District 21. Thank you, Madam Chair. Brian Mowry, District 25. Thank you, Madam Chair. Ron Gibson, District 8. Thank you, Chairwoman, Andy Nielsen, District 14. Thank you, Madam Chair, Nick Roberts. District 4. Thank you, Madam Chair. Dan Boots, District 3, Washington Lawrence Townships. Thank you. And I am Kristen Jones representing District 18. First up on the agenda is proposal number 258 2025, which approves the tax levy and rate for the Solid Waste Collection Special District for 2026. Please welcome Jennifer Carter from OFM. Thank you. Good evening. I'm a budget manager with the Office of Finance and Management. This proposal is an administrative action that you'll act on as the special service districts council. It adopts the 2026 budget tax rate and tax levy for the Solid Waste Collection Special Service District. The information in this proposal mirrors the language in section 3.01 subsection E of the 2026 introduced budget ordinance. Thank you. Questions or comments from counselors. Counselor Cahill. Thank you, Madam Chair. So the tax rate is increasing. I know we we move all these levers, but with that, we have historically, not every year but many years had to do another fiscal to fund solid waste. Does this it looks like this at least materially, if not completely, resolves that for 26? Is that is that accurate? Um off the top of my head, I I can't definitely say yes or no, but um I can check and uh get back to you. Okay, yeah, it just the in the in the proposal it shows that we will we're having we've had to put a million in through a fiscal this year, but it's forecasting that with just the tax next year we're we'll be okay. So it's certainly my interpretation. I'd love I'd love clarification. Correct. Okay, yeah. Thank you. Uh Counselor Cahill, uh Sam Barrett's Chief Financial Officer for the Department. Um thank you, Jenny. So um the million dollar fiscal, I I don't have the exact document up in front of me, but there was a fiscal associated with solid waste this year. It was uh supplemental funding for the solid waste garage, which is going to be complete for construction by the end of the year. You're correct that there have been um fiscal actions associated with um solid waste uh specifically uh for the the vendor contracts in several years in the past. Um we don't anticipate that being something that's brought before the council um next year. Obviously, you never know what's gonna come up. A lot of times these fiscals are reactions to something that happened that was kind of inherently unexpected. Um but uh again the the rate that's generating this property tax revenue.
openpublica.com