Administration and Finance Committee Meeting - October 14, 2026

The Administration and Finance Committee of the Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council met on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, with Chair Frank Mascari presiding. Committee members present were Mike Dill, Brian Mowery, Renee Allen, Dan Boots, Andy Nielsen, and Maggie Lewis. The committee considered three proposals: the mayor's appointment of Margarette Webb as Director of the Office of Equity, Belonging and Inclusion; a realignment of the local income tax rate and allocation; and the purchase of land for a new IFD Station 33.

Proposal 304 - Appointment of Margarette Webb as OEBI Director

• Margarette Webb described her background, including a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from Vanderbilt University, work with the Nashville Mobile Market, the Indianapolis Public Library, the city's Brownfields Division, and service as Chief Strategy Officer for Indy Parks. In that role, she helped oversee the $80 million Lilly endowment grant, CAPRA accreditation, and ADA assessments across nearly 220 parks.
• She outlined four pillars for OEBI: culture, data, community, and accessibility, and said she would begin with a 90-day listening tour of city departments. She also said she would continue existing work such as the Birth Fund, By Design project, and Black Wealth Crawl.
• Councilor Dan Boots praised Webb's qualifications, cited a recent lunch meeting, asked about CAPRA accreditation, and asked to be named co-sponsor. Webb said CAPRA is a national parks accreditation and that Indy Parks was originally accredited in 2008 and most recently in 2023, one of three Indiana departments to meet the standard.
• Councilor Renee Allen praised Webb's thorough presentation and her first-90-days plan and also asked to be co-sponsor.
• Councilor Brian Mowery said he would not support the appointment because he believes the OEBI office itself duplicates HR or existing department functions; he did not object to Webb's qualifications.
• The proposal passed by voice vote, with no additional audible opposition.

Proposal 305 - Income Tax Allocation Realignment

• Abby Hanson presented the proposal as the final step in a two-step process to realign the city's income tax allocation for 2027.
• The measure reduces the levy freeze rate to spend down the 2026 supplemental distribution and half of the stabilization fund while still distributing the maximum amount to local units. 2028 is the last year for the levy-free certified distribution, and the goal is to fully use the levy-free stabilization fund by then.
• Hanson showed the status quo: the levy freeze would allocate $49 million toward $58.4 million in levy freeze funding, with the remainder funded by this year's supplemental distribution and $2.8 million from the $19 million levy-free stabilization fund.
• Because of the phase-out, the plan is to spin down $10.6 million of the existing fund balance and handle the remainder in the 2028 budget process, reducing the balance to zero before the rate expires.
• Hanson said the net effect is to free up additional funds for essential government services. Residents' total income tax rate remains 2.02 percent; only the allocation among the income-tax buckets changes.
• The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance approved the change in August, and the committee's vote was the final official action.
• The proposal passed by voice vote with no opposition.

Proposal 306 - New IFD Fire Station 33 Land Purchase

• IFD Division Chief Kevin Holman, Chief Tiernan, and Captain Carla Eisenhow presented the proposal to purchase 5490 West Pike Plaza Road for a new firehouse to replace Station 33.
• The current Station 33 was built in 1964, houses 15 personnel, has about 3,000 square feet, sits on 0.39 acres, and responds to more than 2,500 calls a year, making it one of IFD's busier engines.
• The proposed site is slightly over 3.3 acres, about 0.9 miles from the current station, and was selected after review of more than 20 possible locations. The purchase price is $411,582.50, based on the average of two appraisals plus closing costs; the Public Safety Board previously approved the purchase.
• The larger site is needed to build a station that meets current and future needs and NFPA response standards requiring first equipment on scene within 4 minutes 90 percent of the time and the full complement within 8 minutes 90 percent of the time.
• Chief Holman said he drove from the current station to the proposed site in normal weekend traffic and averaged about 57 seconds; the proposed location is in Station 33's first-due area.
• Timeline: public safety board approval on September 2, Eagledale Homeowners Association meeting on September 3, space allocation approval, committee consideration on October 14, full council on November 2, and another community meeting on December 3. Construction could begin in late spring or early summer and take about 400 days.
• Councilor Maggie Lewis asked to be added as a sponsor because the site is in her district.
• The proposal passed by voice vote with no opposition.

Key Outcomes

• Proposal 304 was approved by the committee, advancing the appointment of Margarette Webb as OEBI Director.
• Proposal 305 was approved, completing the income tax rate and allocation change for 2027.
• Proposal 306 was approved, allowing the land purchase and replacement Station 33 project to move forward, with full council consideration scheduled for November 2, 2026.

Note

• The agenda spells the appointee's name "Margarette Webb," while the transcript repeatedly says "Marguerite Webb."