OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Public Works Committee Meeting: Bond Refunding and Wheel Tax Discussion – June 15, 2026

City-County Council — Monday, June 15, 2026
BodyIndianapolis, Indiana
SessionCity-County Council
DateMonday, June 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:11:13
Transcript — Verbatim
0:20

I put it right there.

0:25

That's what I heard.

0:39

That's where the music is.

0:42

Because I was there uh last week.

0:44

I did a call with I told him the developer.

0:52

Okay.

0:58

The playground park next to the store next to the area.

1:04

And then there's another $50,000 per year.

1:07

What's a non-profit?

1:10

And I don't know.

1:13

So I felt so bad after I guess it's like a little bit of a little bit of a lot of going on.

1:22

Oh, I can't say that.

1:25

Or uh, please, we've been legacy now.

1:36

Yeah, one data center.

1:41

Yeah, I'll be thankful.

1:43

Okay, the microphones are live.

1:50

Oh, you get to see you.

2:02

Good evening.

2:04

And welcome to our public works committee for June 11th, 2026.

2:09

And thank you to Pike Township for allowing us to come to your township and for Annette Johnson and the Pike Township Board for allowing us to crash into your uh your area.

2:21

We appreciate us for graciously welcoming us into your building.

2:25

We will begin with introductions of counselors to my left.

2:30

Thank you so much, Madam Chair.

2:32

Um the honor is mine.

2:34

I am counselor Christa Wells, and I represent District 11, just south of here on the far west side.

2:41

Thank you, Madam Chair, Nick Roberts, District 4.

2:43

Thank you, Madam Chair, Ron Gibson, District 8.

2:49

Thank you, Madam Chair, Josh Bain, District 21.

2:52

Thank you, Madam Chair, Derek Cahill, District 23.

2:54

Thank you, Madam Chair, Mike Bill, District 24.

2:58

Thank you, Madam Chair, Brian Mowray, District 25.

3:01

Thank you, Madam Chair Jones and Boots, District 3, Washington Lawrence Townships.

3:06

Thank you, Madam Chair.

3:07

Anything else in District 14.

3:08

And we have a few guest counselors that I would like to recognize as well.

3:12

Thank you, Madam Chair, Dr.

3:14

Carlos Perkins.

3:15

Welcome to my district.

3:19

Thank you, Madam Chair.

3:20

We may have District 15.

3:24

Thank you.

3:24

And I am Kristen Jones, uh representing District 18.

3:28

Oh my goodness, where we have one more.

3:31

He's hiding, he's supposed to be in our road.

3:33

I have a slip out early.

3:34

I want to be non-disruptive, which I am not achieved.

3:37

And John Barth, our vice president of our council, as well.

3:41

Thank you so much.

3:42

I want to take care of a little bit of housekeeping before we start tonight for our committee meeting.

3:48

We will accept public comment on proposal 191 and 192.

3:53

But if you have come here tonight to make a comment or submit a request for a city concern or an issue, we have some staff who have clipboards that have name, address, phone, email, and a concern.

4:08

They will be happy to pass those around.

4:10

You can fill those out, and I personally will submit those to the mayor's action center for you tomorrow.

4:18

And I cannot guarantee a solution or resolution for you, but I will give you my word that I will advocate on your behalf and submit those to you since that you came out to our committee meeting this evening, and we're very happy that you're here.

4:30

But if that is the reason that you're here, I don't want you to have to sit through proposal 191 and 192.

4:35

As you can see, we have a crowd and it can be quite lengthy.

4:38

So if you if that's something that you want to do, just feel free to put your hand up.

4:41

One of our staff, our great staff members will come by, get the clipboard, you can fill it out, and you can get it back to them, and I will be more than happy to submit that on your behalf.

4:50

And somebody will contact you.

4:52

So thank you very much for being here this evening.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████68%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████17%
Public Engagement███5%
Procedural███4%
Transportation Safety█2%
Economic Development█1%
Public Safety█1%
Active Transportation█1%
Environmental Protection█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Public Works Committee Meeting – June 15, 2026

The Public Works Committee met on June 15, 2026, at 6:30 PM at Pike Township. The committee considered two proposals: Proposal 191, authorizing a bond refunding to save approximately $1.9 million, and Proposal 192, a presentation on increasing the county vehicle surtax and wheel tax to secure $50 million annually in state infrastructure matching funds. Extensive discussion and public testimony were heard, with no vote taken on Proposal 192.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Multiple residents spoke in opposition to Proposal 192, citing financial hardship, the regressive nature of flat fees, and concerns that heavy vehicle owners would register outside Marion County. Speakers included Jody Beach, Debbie Patterson, CJ, Cecil Joyner, Rev. David Lattimore, and others.
  • Supporters, including Taylor Feierstein (Health by Design) and several residents, argued that the investment is necessary to address decades of underfunding and leverage the state match, and urged the council to act despite the imperfect options.
  • A resident read a statement from Morgan Bronson (former Office of Sustainability director) in favor, noting that infrastructure underfunding starves other essential programs like air quality.

Discussion Items

  • Proposal 191 (Bond Refunding): Joe Glass (Executive Director, Indianapolis Bond Bank) presented a proposal to issue up to $121.015 million in refunding bonds for the Metropolitan Thoroughfare District. The refunding would generate an estimated $1.9 million in present value savings (5% threshold) through a tender offer. The bonds would still mature by 2040. The committee voted unanimously to send it to the full council with a do-pass recommendation.
  • Proposal 192 (Wheel Tax Increase): Assistant Majority Leader Andy Nielsen presented a detailed plan to increase the surtax (from ~$15 to $100) and wheel tax (from ~$40 to $240) for vehicles registered in Marion County. The proposal is designed to match the state’s $50 million annual infrastructure grant, which requires escalating local contributions: $50 million in 2027, $70 million in 2028, $80 million in 2029, $90 million in 2030, and $100 million from 2031 onward. The plan also includes accountability measures and budget efficiencies. Estimated new annual revenue for Indianapolis: $70.95 million; for other municipalities in Marion County: $7.44 million.
  • Council members debated the feasibility of relying on future budget cuts and growth to meet the escalating match, the mayor’s alternative plan (which lacks detail), and the impact on low-income residents. Some expressed support, citing the urgency of infrastructure needs and the risk of losing the state funds permanently if the match is not certified by December 31 each year.

Key Outcomes

  • Proposal 191 was advanced to the full council for approval (vote: unanimous).
  • Proposal 192 was not voted on; it was presented for discussion and public comment. It will proceed to the Rules and Public Policy Committee on June 23, 2026, and then to the full council on July 6, 2026. The council must pass the ordinance by September 1, 2026, to set the new rates for 2027.
  • The committee heard a commitment from Chairwoman Jones to submit any non-agenda constituent concerns to the Mayor’s Action Center.

Meeting Transcript

I put it right there. That's what I heard. That's where the music is. Because I was there uh last week. I did a call with I told him the developer. Okay. The playground park next to the store next to the area. And then there's another $50,000 per year. What's a non-profit? And I don't know. So I felt so bad after I guess it's like a little bit of a little bit of a lot of going on. Oh, I can't say that. Or uh, please, we've been legacy now. Yeah, one data center. Yeah, I'll be thankful. Okay, the microphones are live. Oh, you get to see you. Good evening. And welcome to our public works committee for June 11th, 2026. And thank you to Pike Township for allowing us to come to your township and for Annette Johnson and the Pike Township Board for allowing us to crash into your uh your area. We appreciate us for graciously welcoming us into your building. We will begin with introductions of counselors to my left. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Um the honor is mine. I am counselor Christa Wells, and I represent District 11, just south of here on the far west side. Thank you, Madam Chair, Nick Roberts, District 4. Thank you, Madam Chair, Ron Gibson, District 8. Thank you, Madam Chair, Josh Bain, District 21. Thank you, Madam Chair, Derek Cahill, District 23. Thank you, Madam Chair, Mike Bill, District 24. Thank you, Madam Chair, Brian Mowray, District 25. Thank you, Madam Chair Jones and Boots, District 3, Washington Lawrence Townships. Thank you, Madam Chair. Anything else in District 14. And we have a few guest counselors that I would like to recognize as well. Thank you, Madam Chair, Dr. Carlos Perkins. Welcome to my district. Thank you, Madam Chair. We may have District 15. Thank you. And I am Kristen Jones, uh representing District 18. Oh my goodness, where we have one more. He's hiding, he's supposed to be in our road. I have a slip out early. I want to be non-disruptive, which I am not achieved. And John Barth, our vice president of our council, as well. Thank you so much. I want to take care of a little bit of housekeeping before we start tonight for our committee meeting. We will accept public comment on proposal 191 and 192.

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