Hogsett introduces $1.6B city-county budget proposal for 2024 with another record IMPD investment

The Indianapolis City-County Building. (IBJ file photo)

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s proposed 2024 budget—the first without additional federal COVID-19 funding since 2019—includes record funding for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, increased investment into anti-violence programs and a further increase in capital infrastructure projects.

Additionally, the city would create a new department: the Office of Equity, Belonging and Inclusion. It would also begin property tax relief pilot program that was recently authorized by state law.

“How we lead, how we invest, how we plan in this time will determine our city’s future to a large degree,” Hogsett said of the proposed $1.56 billion budget, which was introduced Monday before the City-County Council. “And despite our challenges, we must be bold—because we are also living at a time of tremendous opportunity.”

The proposed budget totals nearly $100 million, or 6.7% higher, than last year’s. It is Hogsett’s seventh balanced budget and does not raise taxes, according to the mayor’s office.

Increases in revenue through taxes—$25 million more in property tax compared with last year, and a $20 million increase in income tax revenue—will help with the transition from federal to local funding for programs such as the Office of Public Health Safety peacemakers initiative and others. Remaining federal COVID-19 funding must be spent by the end of 2024.

Police, fire departments

If the budget is approved by the council in October, IMPD would be designated nearly $324 million, a $10 million increase from 2023. 

Out of that pot, $1.5 million would go toward public-safety technology. This would fund 150 public-safety cameras, additional license plate readers and about 750 dash cams in marked IMPD vehicles. Currently, just 25 IMPD vehicles have dash cams, according to IMPD Assistant Chief Chris Bailey.

Another $5.9 million would be spent on about 300 vehicle leases. IMPD Chief Randal Taylor said current officers will be pleased with the investment.

“In the past, we haven’t been able to give them the newest car, so they keep cars for a lot longer,” Taylor said. “Fortunately, we found a way to lease a vehicle selection, we’ll switch those cars out a little bit quicker.”

The funds would also cover laptop upgrades and new protective gear and helmets.

Raises would also be implemented to assist in IMPD’s difficulty recruiting police officers. First-year officers would have a salary of $72,000 and second-year officers $75,000. Because officers in their third year join the collective bargaining unit, salaries beyond first- and second-year officers are negotiated rather than set.

IMPD has faced difficulty recruiting and retaining police officers. Since 2016, the department has hired 755 officers. It currently has 1,542 sworn officers with a budget that can pay the salaries of 1,843.

“By the end of 2023, we will have hired nearly 800 officers since 2016,” Hogsett said.

Criminal homicides are down 12.6% when compared to last year, Taylor said.

Other public safety agencies, the Indianapolis Fire Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, would have a 3% cost of living raise.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office would receive $14 million more than it did last year in order to fund safety and security improvements at the Community Justice Campus. 

The Indianapolis Fire Department would receive $17.3 million more in 2024 than in 2023. This increase would fund the completion of an eight-year-long process to replace frontline vehicles and equipment.

Violence interruption, mental health support

The Office of Public Health Safety will see a 41% increase in its annual budget, from $21.6 million to $30.4 million.

The increase would fund an expansion of the Clinician-Led Community Response Team, increased capacity at the Assessment and Intervention Center and the transition of the peacemakers program from federally to city-funded.

Peacemakers fall into the categories of life coaches, outreach workers and violence interrupters, OPHS Director Martine Romy Bernard-Tucker said. With the federal funding that supported the program nearly spent, city spokesman Mark Bode said the 2024 budget brings the program into the annual city budget to make it more sustainable.

The Clinician-Led Community Response Team, or CLCRT, launched in July in downtown Indianapolis. The additional funding would support an expansion of the program to IMPD’s East District.

Infrastructure

The proposed update to the city’s five-year capital infrastructure plan totals $1.169 billion, an increase from $1.1 billion. The department’s operating budget would also increase $90 million, said DPW Director Brandon Herget.

In written remarks, Hogsett touted the passage of Senate Enrolled Act 283 this past legislative session, which gave Indianapolis an additional $8 million in road funding. Some of that funding will be used to improve residential streets.

“We’re going to continue to invest in thoroughfares across the county, but specifically what DPW is excited about is to be able to deliver more for residential streets,” Herget said. “Historically, these have been underfunded, if funded at all.”

In 2024, residential streets would receive a one-time infusion of $25 million, with $2 million for alleyways. Herget said the total investment in neighborhood streets in 2024 would be about $75 million.

Neighborhood investment

A new state law, SEA 46 by Republican Indianapolis Sen. Jack Sandlin, allows cities to establish an area in which homeowners can apply for and receive a credit against property-tax liability. 

Homeowners in the Riverside area must be older than 55, have claimed a homestead exemption for at least two years, and have lived in their house for 10 consecutive years. If a homeowner qualifies, the property tax liability would be limited to 4%.

The pilot program will begin in the Riverside neighborhood, which has seen assessed values increase more than 20% in the last year.

“I am confident this program will prove successful and expand to other parts of the city in the future,” Hogsett said in written remarks.

Shreve’s response

Hogsett is running for a third term against Republican candidate Jefferson Shreve.

Shreve praised some of the public safety investments but said he was concerned about how the city will fund officer positions that aren’t yet filled after federal COVID-19 funding is gone. He said additional dash cams for IMPD are “way overdue.”

“As we work in a human-constrained environment, policing environment and otherwise, we’ve got to bring the technology to bear,” Shreve said.

Shreve also praised the funding for alleys, but called it “not enough to move the needle.”

“As a former city-county councilor, we had to tell constituents time and time again that there just wasn’t any money for alley maintenance,” he said.

Additionally, Shreve said he would like to see Marion County Animal Services receive enough investment to become a no-kill shelter. He also said funding needs to be put toward determining the next use of the City-County Building after many former county agencies moved out to the Community Justice Campus.

The Indianapolis City-County Council will begin hearing budget presentations from individual city departments Tuesday evening. The budget will receive a vote mid-October.