Admin & Finance Committee Meeting Summary – May 12, 2026
Admin & Finance Committee Meeting Summary – May 12, 2026
The Indianapolis City-County Council's Admin and Finance Committee met on May 12, 2026, to consider several appointments and appropriation requests. The committee approved the appointment of a new Deputy Mayor of Neighborhoods, discussed paperless billing and cash counter upgrades for the Treasurer's Office, and approved additional appropriations for information technology infrastructure and the Office of Education Innovation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke on any agenda items.
Discussion Items
- Proposal 119 – Deputy Mayor of Neighborhoods Appointment: Mr. Gathers, the appointee, introduced himself, noting his previous roles as deputy chief of staff in the Mayor's Office of South Bend and executive director of Venue Parks and Arts. He expressed excitement about serving Indianapolis and emphasized listening to neighborhoods. Councilors asked about his engagement plan and experience with golf course management (given his South Bend parks background). Councilor Wells raised the issue of gunfire incidents at Airbnbs in her district and invited Mr. Gathers to join a meeting on the topic. The committee voted unanimously to approve the appointment.
- Proposal 94 – Paperless Billing Ordinance (Treasurer's Office): Treasurer Barbara Lawrence explained that the ordinance (originally from 2011) was inadvertently removed during a 2012 rewrite, and the request was to reinstate it. Paperless billing saves the county about $0.80 per mailed bill. Currently about 5,000 taxpayers use paperless billing; the goal is 75,000. Councilors discussed online payment fees (1% for e-check, 2.5% for credit cards) and the possibility of lower debit card fees. The ordinance was approved.
- Proposal 120 – Cash Counter Upgrade (Treasurer's Office): Treasurer Lawrence requested an additional appropriation of $20,000 from the general fund to replace seven aging cash counters that cannot handle new currency designs coming out in 2026-2027. The request was reduced from an original $50,000 estimate after negotiations. Councilors noted that about $20 million of $1.7 billion in property taxes is paid in cash. The appropriation was approved.
- Proposal 121 – Information Services Agency (ISA) FY2026 Spring Fiscal Request: Chief Digital Officer Kate Coate requested $1.18 million in additional appropriations for several projects: infrastructure refresh ($300,000, part of a five-year lease); phone line modernization to replace obsolete copper circuits (avoiding projected tripling of 2027 costs); edge device refresh ($250,000, reimbursable by the state); CAMA file migration (using property reassessment funds to prepare for a new property tax system); and GIS improvements ($30,000, from a state grant). The committee approved the request.
- Proposal 122 – Office of Education Innovation (OEI) Fiscal Request: Director Shana Cavazos requested a total of $276,809: $156,809 from a state Department of Education grant for authorizer innovation (performance frameworks, family engagement) and $120,000 from OEI's fund balance to modernize their compliance platform (currently an outdated Salesforce system). Councilors discussed the scope of the project, potential vendor options, and whether the solution could be shared with other charter authorizers. OEI is one of the largest charter authorizers in Indiana. The request was approved.
Key Outcomes
- Proposal 119 – Deputy Mayor Appointment: Approved unanimously.
- Proposal 94 – Paperless Billing Ordinance: Approved unanimously.
- Proposal 120 – Cash Counter Appropriation: Approved unanimously.
- Proposal 121 – ISA Spring Fiscal Request: Approved unanimously.
- Proposal 122 – OEI Fiscal Request: Approved unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Welcome to the admin and finance committee meeting. So I can start the meeting with the introductions to the left. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Derek Cahill, District 23. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mike Doke, District 24. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Brian Mowray, District 25. Do our right. Thank you, Mr. Chair Nick Roberts' report. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We may Allen at District 15 depart. Thank you, Chairman Andy Nielsen, District 14. Good evening, Chairman Mescary. Krista Wells, district 11, West Side. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dan Boots, District 3, Washington Lawrence Townships. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. John Barth, representing Council District 7. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Maggie Lewis. Frank Mascarry District 19 on the Southeast Side. Up first is proposal of 119 approves the appointment. Mr. Gathers, take a seat. You're on you're on the clock. This is the first meeting. This is okay right here. Well, tell us a little bit about yourself and why you're like this and like to have this job. Well, good evening, everyone, and thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to the council and the residents of the Indianapolis coming to this role from South Bend, Indiana. Excited about the opportunity to serve the people here as the new deputy mayor of neighborhoods. Served in the mayor's office and deputy chief of staff for a number of years. Recently served as the executive director of venue parks and arts, our parks department, up in South Bend. Sorry. All right. You know, understanding that, you know, South Bend and Indianapolis are both different. Um we we understand that, but um good government is one where I'm excited for the opportunity to continue to serve, um, you know, continue to make those community connections um here in Indianapolis. Um part of my uh collegiate career, I played at Butler University, and so played basketball there for the Bulldogs, and um then also then took that took that opportunity from going to school and playing basketball to IU Health and worked in a numerous of roles there. Um so excited to be back within the community.
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