Indianapolis City-County Council approves 2026 budget

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis City-County Council approved the City's 2026 budget on Monday night.




A press release from Mayor Joe Hogsett's office put a price tag of $1.7 billion on the budget. The mayor's release touted that the 2026 budget marks the City's ninth consecutive fully funded, fully balanced budget. The release also indicates that the City has not needed to increase taxes to produce the last nine years worth of balanced budgets.




"I am proud that the 2026 City-County budget package passed tonight by the City-County Council dedicates crucial funding to continue improving our city's public safety, infrastructure, quality of life, and housing, and furthers this administration's track record of not raising taxes on Indianapolis residents," Hogsett wrote in a prepared statement. "I extend my thanks to the councilors who worked closely with the administration to develop this budget.




"With new financial pressures in the year ahead, the 2026 budget process was especially challenging. It's natural for difficult decisions to generate disagreement, but leadership sometimes means making hard calls. The 2026 City-County Budget Package reflects decisions grounded in collaboration and responsibility to the people we serve."




Hogsett's office reported that this year's budget ensures both the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Indianapolis Fire Department are fully funded in 2026. The budget also includes funding for construction of a new IFD station on the northwest side of Indianapolis.




Hogsett and the City-County Council also provided the following budget highlights:

• Budget triples funding available for strip patching to be done by Department of Public Works





• More than $70 million allocated for filling potholes and purchasing new snow removal equipment





• $10 million dedicated to combatting homelessness in the City of Indianapolis through programs like Streets to Home Indy and the Tenant Advocacy Project

"Tonight, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved the 2026 consolidated budget, a milestone that reflects our shared commitment to fiscal responsibility, strategic investment, and service to every resident of our city and county," City-County Council President Vop Osili wrote in a prepared statement. "While the financial landscape continues to present real challenges, this budget holds fast to our priorities: ensuring public safety, strengthening infrastructure, reducing violence, and improving quality of life across our neighborhoods.




"With this passage, the Council reaffirms its dedication to making Indianapolis not just a city that survives, but one that thrives. This is a budget that builds safer streets, invests in stronger neighborhoods, supports our most vulnerable, and lays a foundation for sustainable growth rooted in responsibility and foresight. I thank my Council colleagues for their collaboration and hard work, and to the residents of Indianapolis and Marion County for entrusting us with this responsibility. Together, we will continue building a city where every community has opportunity, safety, and dignity."




Despite the praise Osili, Hogsett and others heaped on the City's 2026 budget, it was not without its detractors. Republicans on the City-County Council issued a press release of their own after the budget was approved.




In the release, council Republicans indicated that, for the second year in a row, they voted "no" on the City's budget proposal.




"For the second year in a row, the Republican caucus voted no on Mayor Hogsett's budget because it fails to deliver the effective governance Indianapolis residents deserve," council Republicans wrote in their statement. The budget grossly underfunds core responsibilities like public safety and infrastructure. While potholes plague our city's streets and violent crime routinely makes national headlines, Hogsett's administration continues to underdeliver, and the Republican caucus refuses to sign off on more of the same."




Council records indicate the City's proposed budget did face pushback in committee meetings. The budget received do-pass recommendations from all of the committees that debated it. In the Public Works, Public Safety and Criminal Justice and Administration and Finance committees, multiple council members voted against moving forward with the budget.




In the Public Works and Public Safety and Criminal Justice committees, a total of seven votes were cast against Hogsett's proposed 2026 budget. Those votes were not enough to stop the budget from being voted on and approved by the full city-county council Monday night.




When the budget was introduced introduced in August, Hogsett indicated that it would include 4% spending cuts across multiple City agencies.




At the time of its proposal, the budget did not include cuts to public safety services provided by the likes of the IMPD and IFD.




The City of Indianapolis' budget reductions are a reflection of larger statewide cost-cutting efforts. In April, the Indiana State Senate passed Senate Bill 1, which aimed to shrink Hoosiers' property tax bills.




Previous reporting indicates that, while Hoosiers' property taxes will be lowered, Senate Bill 1 did not feature many mechanisms to help government agencies recoup the funds that will be lost as property taxes decrease.




"I'm not sure it's gonna help that many people," IU Professor Paul Helmke said of SB1 in April. "Most people who own a home, if they make over $30,000 a year and the local income taxes go up 1%, any savings they get from the property tax are going to be outweighed by an increase in their income taxes."




In an interview with FOX59/CBS4 in April, Hogsett said he did not favor raising taxes in Indianapolis to account for potential budget shortfalls SB1 may create.




"I think that all the options need to be left on the table for discussion, but I think you know how I feel about raising taxes," Hogsett said. "Since Indianapolis and Marion County are already a donor county to the state, so that Indianapolis taxpayers don't get back from the state as much as we pay in to the state, I would be very reluctant to add that to that burden, especially as it comes to local option income."




The City-County Council also heard an amendment related to this year's budget during Monday's meeting. That amendment was sponsored by Republican Councilor Michael-Paul Hart and focused on protecting urban forests in Indianapolis.




The amendment did not pass, but more than 10 councilors issued a statement after rejecting it. In their statement, councilors Jared Evans, Dan Boots, Andy Nielsen, Ali Brown, Kristin Jones, Carlos Perkins, Rena Allan, Frank Mascari, Nick Roberts, Brienne Delaney and Jessica McCormick indicated that they voted against the amendment because it would've affected funding for the City's Elevation Grant program.




Per the release from Hogsett's Office, the Elevation Grant Program supports about 120 local nonprofits that focus "on tackling the root causes of crime." Per Hogsett, about $7 million in funding will be available through the program next grant cycle.




"We regret that Councilor Paul-Hart's amendment did not pass this evening and want to thank him for his strong commitment to protecting Indianapolis's urban forests," the councilors wrote in their statement. "We share his concern for preserving the Eastside Flatwoods in District 20 and agree that every effort must be made to safeguard this important natural resource.




"Our decision to vote no on the amendment was made reluctantly. The proposal would have significantly affected the Elevation Grant Program, a critical tool for violence prevention and neighborhood investment."




The councilors also indicated that they intend to introduce an ordinance that will create Indy's first "dedicated, non-reverting fund for tree and forest preservation." Those councilors reported that they plan to try to allocate further funding from the City's 2025 year-end balance to protect Indy's urban forests. The funding from the year-end balance will supplement $4 million that has already been set aside for Indy DPW for land purchases and stormwater mitigation.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indianapolis-city-county-council-approves-2026-budget/