Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee Meeting - August 26, 2026
Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee Meeting - August 26, 2026
On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., the City-County Council's Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee convened in the Public Assembly Room of the City-County Building. The committee heard presentations from Dr. Ashley Overley (CEO, Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center) on regional mental health services and from Andrew Merkley (Director, Office of Public Health and Safety) and Carlette Duffy (CFO) on the 2027 budget proposal. The Early Intervention Planning Council item was postponed to September 30, 2026.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were discussed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Belinda Drake (Executive Director, Community Research and Resource Center) expressed strong support for the Elevation Grant program, stating it helped her organization serve 205 unique individuals this year and diversify funding by 500% through technical assistance.
- Adam Christopher Collins (CEO, Foster Kids Family; advocate for Black Men United) argued that transportation access is critical and suggested unused legal services funds be redirected to help people regain driver's licenses.
- Dr. Jessica Braden (Founder/Executive Director, Deborah's Place) reported that with Elevation Grant support, her organization served 1,446 unduplicated individuals in the first two quarters of 2026, providing character development training in the Marion County jail and connecting people to expungement, license reinstatement, and housing assistance.
- John Florensic (CEO and General Counsel, Indianapolis Legal Aid Society) thanked the council for eviction diversion funding, describing a case where a tenant avoided $13,000 in claims. He noted that private attorneys almost never represent tenants in eviction cases.
- David Steiner (Indianapolis Legal Aid Society) shared a story of a paraplegic client abandoned by his son and left to face eviction; the OPHS-funded program helped him remain housed temporarily and secure permanent housing, preventing suicide.
- Rachel HoganKamp (Senior Staff Attorney, Indiana Legal Services) reported that from January to August 2026, there were 13,439 eviction filings in Marion County. Her office served over 1,300 households, and 66% of clients reported better understanding of their rights after contact. She highlighted cases of a 19-year-old avoiding homelessness and a 90-year-old veteran connected to VA services.
- Judge Kimberly Bacon (Lawrence Township) emphasized that eviction diversion programs prevent homelessness for entire families (up to 7–10 people per case) and reduce downstream costs for DCS and criminal justice. She urged continued funding.
- Shauna Majors (Brightwood Community Center) praised the Elevation Grant for allowing staff training and data improvements. She asked about the future of Thomas Ridley's “Hope Hustler” driver's license reinstatement program, which appeared unfunded in the 2027 budget.
- Lonnie Silva (Board member, Thomas Ridley's One Like Me) stated that for every dollar invested, the program returns $1.30 to indigent residents through license reinstatement, but noted the program was not included in OPHS's budget or public dashboards despite timely reporting.
Discussion Items
- Mental Health Services Presentation (Dr. Ashley Overley): Dr. Overley presented data on the four community mental health centers in Marion County, which collectively served over 66,000 individuals in the past year—a 45% increase since 2018. Top adult diagnoses were substance use disorders, depressive disorders, trauma/stressor disorders, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Over a third of patients experience residential instability, legal system involvement, or food insecurity. 87% require community-based intensive services beyond typical outpatient care. Revenue sources: Medicaid/HIP (62%), self-pay (7%, doubled from last year), and charity care ($32 million). Crisis services include 14 mobile teams and crisis receiving/stabilization centers. Key transitions: Adult & Child merged into Center Stone; Community Health Network ended its CMHC role, with Warren and Lawrence townships now served by Eskenazi. The state’s CCBHC pilot (2025–2028) improves access and quality metrics. Dr. Overley noted that without connecting crisis services to a continuum of care, they are “a bridge to nowhere.”
- Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) 2027 Budget Proposal (Andrew Merkley and Carlette Duffy): The proposed budget is $29.6 million, a $162,000 decrease in consolidated county funds compared to 2026. The overall budget increase of $1.62 million across all funds is driven by opioid settlement and economic enhancement district dollars for the Housing Hub. OPHS has 30 authorized positions (27 filled, 3 vacancies). Key funding changes: $1.78 million increase for the Housing Hub; $100,000 increase for the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform; $300,000 moved from OPHS to the Marion County Prosecutor’s budget; reductions of $300,000 in immigrant legal services, $100,000 in food services (LIFT program), and $260,000 in re-entry release lobby administration. The CVRT (community violence reduction team) budget reallocates $216,000 from administration to prevention services. OPHS reported a 58% reduction in criminal homicides since 2021, a 23% year-to-date reduction. The Housing Hub is under construction, expected to open in 2027. The Streets to Home program has housed over 230 individuals as of August 1, 2026. Winter contingency served over 1,100 individuals, with an average stay of 36 days. The AIC (Assessment and Intervention Center) now uses all 60 beds regularly. The Eviction Diversion program provided over 9,000 hours of legal aid and connected 842 households to navigation services. The Youth Violence Reduction Initiative enrolled 26 juveniles. Committee members expressed concerns about audit response progress, particularly in program effectiveness reviews (F3) and vendor compliance (F6), which remain “yellow” (in progress). Councilor Perkins and Councilor Hart requested additional oversight, timelines, and external assistance. Councilor Graves praised OPHS staff and urged continued root-cause crime prevention funding. Councilor Delaney highlighted the ongoing flood disaster and asked about the youth violence initiative’s scope. Councilor Wills and Councilor Boots emphasized the importance of eviction diversion and tenant protection. Councilor Allen questioned procurement and minority vendor impacts.
- Hope Hustler Program Funding: Director Merkley clarified that the Hope Hustler driver’s license reinstatement program (Thomas Ridley’s One Like Me) was never a line item in OPHS’s budget; it was previously funded through underspend. The 2027 budget does not include new funding for it, though the program already receives $230,000 from Elevation grants. Councilors Perkins, Wills, and Allen expressed disappointment and urged the committee to find alternative funding in the fall fiscal or budget amendments. Councilor Boots noted that without maintaining such programs, recidivism rates will increase.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken during the meeting; it was a hearing and discussion session.
- The Early Intervention Planning Council presentation was rescheduled to September 30, 2026.
- Dr. Overley’s presentation was informational; no decisions were made.
- The OPHS 2027 budget proposal was reviewed; committee members expressed support for many programs but demanded faster progress on audit findings (F3 and F6). Councilors suggested adding timelines and considering external consultants.
- Several councilors committed to working on budget amendments or a fall fiscal ordinance to restore funding for the Hope Hustler driver's license reinstatement program.
- Committee members reiterated strong support for eviction diversion, housing stability, and youth violence prevention initiatives.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. It's 5 30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Welcome to the public safety and critical justice committee of the City County Council. We're in the public assembly room of City County Building. We have two presentations this evening. We'll start our meeting with our introductions of our counselors, committee members, leader Maori. Thank you, Mr. Chair, Brian Mower, District 25. Thank you, Chairman Jessica McCormick, District 16, West Side. Thank you, Mr. Chair, Dr. Carlos Perkins, District 6. Good evening, everyone. Keith District 9. Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Renee Allen, District 15, the Far ESA. Thank you, Committee Members Lee Wire Robinson, Chair of the Committee, District 1. We have two items on our agenda. The first item, the early intervention planning council, will be moved to September 30th for their presentation. The person for this evening is Dr. Ashley Overling, the regional health and mental health centers. Dr. Ovaly. We do have a hard copy in our packet for both presentations this evening. Dr. Overley, welcome. Thank you, sir. And Dr. Obly will take questions at the conclusion of your presentation. Yes, that would be great. So thank you. So as Chairman Robinson said, I'm Ashley Overly. I'm a psychiatrist and I'm the chief executive officer for Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center. I'm here tonight representing the Marion County Community Mental Health Centers to talk to you about the scope of our services here in Marion County and the impact that our services have on our community. So these are the four community mental health centers that operate within Marion County. We have Center Stone, Sandra Eskenazzi Mental Health Center, Aspire, and Community Health Network. I'm very grateful to many of my colleagues from these institutions who are here to participate tonight as well. So because I know we are in budget season, so I do want to acknowledge the statutory authority for funding of community mental health centers from the counties. And while I understand that looking at it may feel like an expensive line item, but also want to acknowledge the finding of the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission that found in 2022 that untreated mental illness costs the state 4.2 billion dollars annually. This year, for the first time, mental health, depression, and suicide were actually listed as the number one priority in our community. This is a very extensive survey that actually surveys over 45,000 Marion County residents. And so I believe that this is a clear indication of the recognition in our community of the importance of this issue. So and so given that I want to talk a little bit about the scope of our services and who we serve in our community. So this is the collective uh number of people that are served by Marion County Community Mental Health Centers each year. So in the past year, um, collectively, we served over 66,000 individuals within Marion County. Um this actually represents almost a 45% increase since 2018. Um, just a brief note on this number.
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