Proposed $27 million spending package aims to improve Indy's neighborhoods

City money for roads, home repairs, parks and crime prevention is part of a $27 million spending package. But the proposal, being considered by the Indianapolis City-County Council, did not have bipartisan support at a recent meeting.

The added money comes from supplemental income tax revenue distributed in the spring. Councilors worked with the mayor’s office to identify where funds should go.

Democratic Councilor Andy Nielsen says a majority of the money is targeted to neighborhoods.

“These are a lot of separate programs, but to put in context, we are putting another $8 million into residential roads,” Nielsen said. “The homeowner repair program is important because that's tripling, effectively, the budget for that program.”

The homeowner repair program would receive $2 million from the package. 

An added $1 million would go toward urban forest preservation. $2 million would be spent on Indy Parks maintenance.

About $500,000 would support cultural districts. Republican Councilor Micheal Paul Hart took issue with that part of the package, saying it's not what his constituents are asking for.

“I, in good conscience, can't go back to the east side of Indianapolis and say 'There's no money here for you, because you don't have a culture district,' right?” Hart said, “That's, in your words, those aren't equitable means of distributions of dollars, where everybody is struggling with driving on these roads.”

The largest allocation, $13 million, would go to the Department of Public Works for road and infrastructure projects, plus $2 million for plows and snow removal.

Implementation of safety recommendations made by the Fatal Crash Review Team is supported in the package with $550,000.

Andrea Watts with Health By Design testified in support, and said the funding would help move the Vision Zero initiative forward.

“Since its creation in 2022 the Fatal Crash Review Team has produced at least 14 detailed reports that have currently just been sitting on the shelf,” Watts said, “This funding gives policy teeth, which I think is vital to talk about.”

Advancing community-based violence reduction efforts is the goal of an additional $2 million for Crime Prevention Grants.

The proposal now heads to the full council for approval.

Contact WFYI Managing City Editor Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org.