Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations Meeting - January 20, 2026
Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations Meeting - January 20, 2026
The first meeting of 2026 for the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations (MCANA) was held on January 20, 2026, at North United Methodist Church (38th & Meridian) and broadcast on Channels 16 and 28. President Cappy Burton welcomed members and the public, outlining MCANA's mission as a 501(c)(3) coalition of neighborhood organizations. The meeting featured updates on land use, data centers, state legislation, and a comprehensive presentation from the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) on infrastructure, Vision Zero, and capital projects.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Pat (Decatur Township) announced a data center petition hearing has been rescheduled to February 26, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the City-County Building. The Decatur Township Civic Council will vote on a formal position on January 26, 2026 (7:00 p.m., location TBD). Pat also noted that the Decatur Township area currently lacks a Mayor's Neighborhood Advocate.
- Attendee highlighted Senate Bill 167, which would allow billboard companies to relocate billboards freely and eliminate required distances from protected districts. She urged contacting Senators Aaron Freeman, Andrea Hunley, Greg Taylor, J.D. Ford, and Speaker of the House Todd Houston to oppose the bill.
- Attendee reminded the group of two remaining open houses for the comprehensive plan (January 20 at West Perry Library, February 2 at Pike Branch Library, 6:30–8:00 p.m.) and that the public comment period closes February 4, 2026. Comments can be submitted via Indy. Konveio.com or by emailing Logan Lane (Logan.Lane@indy.gov).
- Attendee noted that the City-County Council's Environmental and Sustainability Committee (chaired by John Barth) will begin considering data center regulations on January 28, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Public comment is allowed. The zoning ordinance rewrite, led by Principal Planner Shannon Norman, will follow a separate public process.
- Sydney Starks, Mayor's Neighborhood Advocate for the Far East Side, distributed handouts and announced: the Sharing the Dream Open House on January 19 (MLK Day) at Indianapolis World Sports Park; the Far East Side Quality of Life Initiative event on January 31, 2026 (noon–2:00 p.m.); a free INRC Leadership Training Series on January 28 at 5:30 p.m. (virtual); and that Community-Powered Infrastructure applications are open. She also provided resources on winter weather, trash cart transition, snow buddies, and IMPD/IFD services.
- Natalie Van Dongen, Director of Community Outreach, clarified that the Mayor's Office does not take positions on land use cases but ensures community input is incorporated through DMD staff recommendations. She confirmed that public comment is allowed at the Environmental and Sustainability Committee.
Discussion Items
- Data Center Updates: Two data center proposals are scheduled for zoning hearings on February 12, 2026, at the City-County Building: one in Martindale Brightwood and one in Pike Township. A separate data center petition in Decatur Township is set for February 26. The City-County Council is beginning to study data center regulations, including definitions and standards.
- State Legislation: Senate Bill 167, which would override local billboard regulations, is moving through the Senate. MCANA urged attendees to contact state legislators.
- Comprehensive Plan: The city's land use map and pattern book are under review; only two open houses remain. The pattern book is a guidance document, not law.
- DPW Presentation: DPW representatives (Kyle Bloyd, Chief Communications Officer; Leandre Lovell, Vision Zero Administrator; Mark St. John, Chief Engineer) presented on:
- Department structure: 800 employees across engineering, operations, solid waste, fleet services, and policy/planning.
- Pothole complaints: 21,000 tickets in 2024 vs. 35,000 in 2025, reflecting a harsh winter.
- Capital plan: $1 billion+ over six years for transportation, plus $180 million for stormwater. Residential streets have received $103 million since 2022.
- House Bill 1461: Historic state funding match – if the city provides $50 million in new revenue starting 2027, the state will match $50 million.
- Pavement management: Using decision optimization software (DOT) to prioritize roads based on condition, traffic volume, crash data, and Mayor's Action Center requests. An asset management plan covering all infrastructure (including alleys, guardrails, signs) will be publicly presented in Q1 2026.
- 2026 construction projects: $280 million total, including Fountain Square drainage, 29th/30th Street conversion, Henry Street Bridge, and $18.5 million for strip patching.
- Vision Zero: Goal to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035. The city has a Fatal Crash Review Team and a $1 million rapid-response safety program. Two-way conversions, roundabouts, and quick-build projects are planned. Upcoming: 8 two-way conversions (e.g., College Avenue, Capitol, Illinois, New Jersey, Alabama, Delaware/Pennsylvania).
- Public awareness: The city is working on education campaigns, but emphasized that safety is a shared responsibility.
Key Outcomes
- Next MCANA Meeting: February 21, 2026 (third Saturday), 9–11 a.m. at North United Methodist Church. A land use meeting on data centers in Decatur and Martindale Brightwood will follow.
- Call to Action: Attendees were urged to contact legislators on SB 167, submit comments on the comprehensive plan by February 4, and attend data center hearings.
- DPW Commitments:
- Public portal for pavement condition index scores and asset management plan to be released in Q1 2026.
- Crack sealing program will be prioritized as part of preventative maintenance.
- The Mayor's Action Center is working to improve transparency between systems (INFOR and Acella) so citizens can track requests.
- No formal votes were taken during the meeting.
Meeting Transcript
I want to say welcome to everybody for the first meeting of the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations for 2026. I had to practice out on the way here, so I wouldn't say the wrong year. We I want to for those of you that are joining us for the first time, either in person or on channel 16 and 28. I want to give a brief statement about what McKenna is and what we what our mission is. My name is currently, my name is currently my name is Cappy Burton, and I am the current president of the Marion County Alliance of Neighborhood Associations. We were formed in 1990 as a 501 C3 group of neighborhood organizations and homeowners' associations from across Marion County to give an opportunity for neighborhoods to connect with each other, share experiences, stories, recommendations, ask for help and support in the efforts that they are making in their neighborhoods. Even though we each have our own unique set of challenges and issues and opportunities in our neighborhoods like that, we share votes, we share challenges across the county and believe that if neighborhoods can work together, it will give us a stronger voice in affecting the issues that impact our neighborhoods, our daily lives, and our quality of living. We do meet on the third Saturday of every month, except December. We meet from 9 to 11 a.m. at North United Methodist Church. And those meetings are open not just to our members but also to the general public. If you have an issue in your neighborhood that you would like address or are seeking assistance in how to navigate government opportunities in Marion County, you are welcome to join us, voice your concerns. Of course, we would like you to join McCannna if you would. The dues are $20 a year per organization. Those are due in January of each year. And we are again we welcome you to come to those meetings, either to listen and learn or to share your experiences, ask questions, seek support for your neighborhood issues. We do want to thank North United Methodist Church, which is located at 38th and Meridian for allowing us to meet in their church. It's centrally located, it's on the Indigo bus line, so it should be easily accessible and have ample parking for those of you who drive, but for those of you who want to get public transportation, it is on the bus line. And we also want to thank Channel 16 and 28 for airing our meetings every month so that we have an opportunity to reach people who are interested in neighborhood and city county issues, even if they are not able to attend the meetings in person. If you would like to contact McCana, you are welcome to do so. You can either contact me. My number is 317-847-9959. Or my email address is CB7801 at AOL.com. You are also welcome to contact us through our Facebook page, which if I, although I'm not a Czech person, if I look at the statistics, seems to be very active. At our general membership meetings, we attempt to have speaker or speakers that will come and address issues that are of interest to neighborhoods, and we always welcome suggestions from our neighborhoods about what kinds of topics you would like to see addressed at McCana so that we can attempt to arrange speakers that can that can handle those issues. Understanding that there is a delay, there this is not, as I understand, this is not a live recording, but Channel 16 does play this meeting several times through the month. So if you've got an amendment that's going on this afternoon, we certainly welcome you to share it with the people who are in the room. But for the general public, if you have an opportunity to get those dates in mind and announce them enough ahead of time so that people will know what's going on, and there are lots of great things that the neighborhoods are doing. From block parties to town halls to celebrations and investigations of a whole variety of things. So for people who have chosen to join McCana, we invite you to share your $20, which we will put to good use. Some of you may remember from last year. There was just kind of a kerfuffle with Todd Wilson, who's the current director with BPW attending our meeting. There was just a miscommunication about when he was going to come, and he came a month when we had somebody else that was scheduled, and he was gracious enough to be understanding and share the agenda. And we had spoken to him about coming back in January, so that DPW had the entire portion of the speaker program. While Mr. Wilson was unable to join us, and several members of the DPW staff are here with us this morning. Certainly the conditions of the roadways as we move from winter into spring and the chuckles begin to open up as probably one of the issues that is most prominent from neighborhoods, as well as the transition to the new trash service. But they've got they do lots of other things besides chuckles and snow removal. And we will ask them to come up in a few minutes. But in the meantime, I want to ask if there's anyone that wants to announce any upcoming meetings in their or events in their neighborhoods. Pat. Okay. Decatur Township is facing a data center petition. And this will be the fourth date change for the hearing. So patience, everyone. The new hearing date is January 26th. Oh, sorry, Jamie. I'm living in the past. February 26th is the new hearing date. So that's the hearing downtown.
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