Indianapolis tax district board taking shape with two more proposed appointments

Keywords Downtown / Real Estate / Taxes
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The Indianapolis City-County Council plans to vote in the coming weeks to add two women to the board that will oversee the management of a new tax focused on improving downtown’s cleanliness, public safety and homelessness situation.

A council agenda made public Friday showed that the council plans to introduce a proposal Monday nominating Karin Sarratt, executive vice president for OneAmerica Financial, and Kameelah Shaheed-Diallo, an owner of the J. Benzal Menswear store at 22 E. Washington St., to the city’s Economic Enhancement District.

At OneAmerica Financial, Sarratt oversees enterprise strategy, business improvement, marketing and communications; diversity, equity and inclusion; community affairs; and IT and data. Shaheed-Diallo is an attorney who has worked in education policy. 

The Council Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee will hear the proposals Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 5:30 p.m. The full council could approve the appointments at the Oct. 8 meeting.

If the City-County Council approves their appointments, Sarratt and Shaheed-Diallo will join five appointees already named to the board, which will have a total of nine members. The group will govern the estimated $4.65 million in annual funds expected to be generated by an increase in certain property taxes in and near the Mile Square.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has four appointments to the board. He named the following Indianapolis businessmen to the board earlier this month: Bill Browne Jr., founding principal of Ratio Architects; Jim Dora Jr., owner and CEO of General Hotels Corp.; Thomas McGowan, president and chief operating officer of Kite Realty Group Trust; and Mike Wells, president of REI Investments Inc.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, has made his pick with Sen. Kyle Walker, R-Indianapolis. Walker worked on the initial tax legislation in the waning hours of the 2023 session.

The remaining appointees, to come from the Indiana House Speaker and Indianapolis mayor,  have not been announced. The majority of the board must own property within the district.

Local and state leaders are facing a time crunch on their appointments because a budget for the district must be submitted by the end of the year in order to incorporate the tax into April property tax bills.

With the exception of apartments and single-family residences, property owners within the district would pay 0.17% of their gross assessed value toward the new district. Office space owners and hoteliers would pay the largest chunks of the $4.65 million. Offices would contribute $1.92 million, while hotels would pay $1.68 million, according to analysis from Policy Analytics LLC.

According to a news release from Downtown Indy Inc., the Indy Chamber and the Indianapolis City-County Council, the new fee could fund:

  • Seven-day-a-week cleaning crews to perform tasks such as power washing, graffiti removal, litter abatement, etc.
  • Beautification initiatives including plantings, painting, and mulching
  • Off-duty foot and bike patrols to supplement police presence and provide direct outreach resources to property owners
  • Safety ambassadors for additional street-level presence
  • Homeless Street Outreach team members, dedicated to connecting individuals to services, addressing issues, and coordinating with public safety agencies
  • Investments in downtown crime-fighting public safety technology
  • Some funding for a low-barrier shelter.

IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey contributed to this story.

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3 thoughts on “Indianapolis tax district board taking shape with two more proposed appointments

    1. This wasn’t a partisan thing.

      Here in Indiana it was Gov. Bayh who closed Central State. It was backlash to the mental hospital depiction in movies, TV, and news stories. (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” for example.)

    2. Chris B. you must also realize that every state in the country shut down their state mental health hospitals. Gov. Bayh was falling in line with what the leading political party at that time was doing nationwide. This is one of many reasons so many homeless people are on the streets. Prior to the hospital closing, Indy didn’t really have as much of a homeless issue, at least not as visual

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