Indianapolis City-County Council and Special Service District Councils Meeting – October 19, 2026

On October 19, 2026, the Indianapolis City-County Council convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Public Assembly Room of the City-County Building. The council adopted the 2027 city-county budget, five municipal corporation budgets, a local income tax allocation ordinance, several appointments and property resolutions, and the 2027 police, fire, and solid waste special service district levies. The meeting included a public hearing, a divided budget vote, and a rejected budget amendment.

Agenda and Procedural Matters

• Councilor Osili led the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance; the roll call was taken electronically.
• Councilor Delaney noted that councilwomen were wearing pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
• Official communications included the mayor's approval of Special Ordinances 31 and 32, 2026 and General Resolution 18, 2026, and the notice of the Proposal 305 public hearing published October 9, 2026.
• The agenda was adopted after Councilor Brown asked to add a "Block Flock" proposal. President Lewis and the council attorney said it was not prepared and suggested an attorney-client discussion later; Brown said a full draft had been emailed on September 12. The President said the council had spoken.

Consent Calendar

• The October 5, 2026 journal was approved by consent.
• Rezoning proposals 325-332, certified for approval by the Metropolitan Development Commission on October 7, 2026, passed into law after no district councilor called them down.

Public Comments & Testimony

• General Counsel Pierce reviewed the adopted rules for public testimony: two-minute limits, relevance to the item, and no disruptions.
• A community member questioned whether Proposal 305 would reduce income taxes and said they opposed any tax decrease. They also criticized public safety spending and police accountability, citing several fatal incidents and police record-keeping, and said they would likely vote no.
• Ray Steinhart read Proposal 305 as increasing the certified shares rate by 0.0161% to a revised rate of 1.1 and the public safety rate by 0.0066% to a revised rate of 0.5512. They recommended any public safety increase go to 911 operators rather than the Flock contract, and supported the Library of Things and additional rental housing health inspectors.
• Another speaker said budget funds would never be spent as appropriated, citing a 1965 Paul Harvey commentary and a Ronald Reagan quote.

Introductions and Referrals

• Proposal 322 (Gibson) would accept the county recorder's sworn statement and allow use of the perpetuation fund for 2026 office expenses, including a Property Fraud Alert and Veterans Honors promotion with non-political billboards, radio and television ads, and a 2027 special event; referred to Metropolitan and Economic Development.
• Proposal 323 (Barth) would approve a Parks and Recreation lease of city property at 902 E. 64th Street to Monon Brewing Company LLC for a commercial restaurant; referred to Parks and Recreation.
• Proposal 324 (Robinson) would appoint Lillian Herbers-Kelly to the Assessment and Intervention Center Advisory Board; referred to Public Safety and Criminal Justice.
• Proposal 333 (Allen) would appoint Derrick Slack to the Indianapolis Community Food Access Advisory Commission; referred to Community Affairs.

Local Income Tax Ordinance (Proposal 305)

• The Administration and Finance Committee recommended approval 7-0.
• Assistant Leader Nielsen clarified that the local income tax is not decreasing and remains at 2.02%; Proposal 305 reallocates a small portion of the income tax distribution so the money can be used now rather than sitting in a bank account.
• The council approved Proposal 305 24-0.

2027 City-County Budget (Proposal 264)

• Committee recommendations: Parks and Recreation 7-0; Public Works 8-0; Administration and Finance 7-2; Community Affairs 6-0; Metropolitan and Economic Development 9-2 (as amended); Public Safety and Criminal Justice 11-1.
• Councilor Brown offered a budget amendment to move $27.7 million (1.45% of the budget) from funds she described as unused or slush funds: $25 million budgeted for IMPD officers that are not being hired (IMPD is budgeted for 1,743 officers, is 360 short, and would still be 124 short under its aspirational plan), $1 million annualized from the Flock contract, and $1.7 million from the mayor's "uncontrolled character three" fund. The money would support a tenants' right-to-counsel pilot, cameras in low-income housing, and $12.5 million for MESA, which has about 50% of the dispatch staff a recent survey said it needs. The motion failed for lack of a second.
• Vice President Barth moved to divide the question to allow conflict-of-interest abstentions. The council voted on segments covering community development and crime prevention grants, public purpose grants, Metropolitan Development appropriations, public health and safety, election board/public defender/corporation counsel, and the balance. Segment votes were 17-6, 18-5, or 17-6; the final remaining budget ordinance carried 17-7.
• Councilor Gibson spoke in support, citing nine consecutive balanced budgets, $880 million in government facility investments, an additional $100 million for roads in 2027, a 57.8% reduction in criminal homicides since 2021, a new IMPD North station, expanded mental-health response teams, and the housing hub.
• Councilor Boots corrected the road-funding history: the $100 million additional road funding came from overriding the mayor's veto for the first time in seven years.
• Councilor Perkins said he would support the budget but challenged the council to rethink public safety spending, estimating a $45 million gap between budgeted and actual IMPD staffing and urging investments in housing, parks, youth programming, and prevention.
• Opposition speakers included Councilors Mowery, Brown, Hart, Masquelier, and Cahill. They objected to fiscalizing predictable costs such as IMPD cruisers, the lack of administration outreach, insufficient investment in the Far East Side, and the absence of funding for sidewalks, lighting, and a public safety director.

Municipal Corporation Budgets (Proposals 282-286)

• Proposal 282 (Airport Authority): committee 8-1; council approved 20-1. Councilor Brown said she voted no because the airport continues to host ICE flights and lacks dialogue with activists.
• Proposal 283 (Capital Improvement Board): committee 8-1; council approved 17-1.
• Proposal 284 (Health and Hospital Corporation): committee 9-0; council approved 21-0, with abstentions from councilors with family members at Eskenazi.
• Proposal 285 (IndyGo): committee 7-2; council approved 17-4.
• Proposal 286 (Public Library): committee 6-3; council approved 18-6 after the vote was initially announced as 17-6 and corrected when one councilor's yes vote was not recorded. Debate focused on structural deficits, the 14.7% expenditure reduction required in the proposed budget, a fund balance reported above $40 million, CEO pay (objectors said it had grown to roughly 2.5 times the mayor's salary), the library's community role, and the absence of library leaders from the meeting. Leader Evans committed to holding a special committee session with library board appointees before the 2028 budget.

Other Final Adoptions

• Proposal 304, approving the mayor's appointment of Margarette Webb as Director of the Office of Equity, Belonging and Inclusion: committee 6-1; approved 21-3.
• Proposal 306, declaring council interest in purchasing 5490 West Pike Plaza Road for a new firehouse to replace IFD Station #33: committee 7-0; approved 24-0.
• Police Special Service District 2027 levy (Proposal 261): committee 11-1; approved 24-0.
• Fire Special Service District 2027 levy (Proposal 262): committee 12-0; approved 24-0.
• Solid Waste Collection Special Service District 2027 levy (Proposal 263): committee 8-0; approved 24-0.
• After reconvening, the council authorized the general counsel, CFO, and CAO, with the Office of Finance and Management, to correct technical or computational errors in the budget ordinances and resolutions; the motion passed by voice vote.
• No new business was conducted. The meeting ended with an adjournment motion in recognition of community members who recently passed.

Key Outcomes

• The 2027 city-county budget was approved 17-7 after a divided vote.
• Councilor Brown's budget amendment failed for lack of a second.
• Proposal 305 was approved 24-0; the local income tax rate remains 2.02%.
• All five municipal corporation budgets were approved; the library budget passed 18-6.
• Rezoning proposals 325-332 passed into law.
• The OEBI director appointment and the IFD Station #33 land-purchase resolution were approved.
• The 2027 police, fire, and solid waste special service district levies were each approved 24-0.
• The council will hold a special committee session with library board representatives before the 2028 budget; winter budget discussions remain open for revisiting community public safety priorities.