INDIANAPOLIS — This 2023 budget, proposed Monday, Aug. 8, is the sixth balanced budget introduced to the Council since 2010. There will be agency hearings through Sept. 22 on the budget, and a public hearing on Oct. 3 (the budget will be published online at indy.gov 10 days before the hearing). The budget will be voted on by the City-County Council Oct. 17.
The proposed budget includes:
• $5 million for the Crime Guns Task Force, a Central Indiana partnership staffed by more than 35 officers, detectives, agents, analysts, and prosecutors focused on reducing gun violence by removing illegally possessed guns from the community
• Investment in community programs that help reduce the prevalence of homelessness, treat addiction, and address mental health challenges
• $2 million to hire the City’s first team of mental health professionals to respond when residents experience mental health crises
• New and existing violence reduction and intervention initiatives managed by the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS), including the Witness Protection Program and the Group Violence Intervention program
• $250,000 in continued funding for the Tenant Legal Assistance Project and the Eviction Avoidance Project with Indiana Legal Services
• Funding for 1,743 police officers and funding for 1,220 firefighters
• Additional staff, both attorneys and support staff, required by the Public Defender Commission in anticipation of case standard changes in January 2024
• Increased funding for additional staff, supplies, and pathology services for the Coroner’s office
In the neighborhoods, the budget proposes $287.7 million for roads, bridges, and greenway improvements across Indianapolis and $156.7 million for storm water systems improvements
The budget also includes extra funding for IMPD patrol vehicles, IFD apparatuses, public works equipment, and more funds for emergency preparedness gear.
The 2023 budget is the first year of full operations at the new criminal justice facilities, located at the Community Justice Campus. The detention center replaces and consolidates the arrestee processing center, Jail I, and Jail II, and consists of roughly 2,700 general population beds, 300 specialty beds, and 40,000-50,000 square feet of space for inmate education, job-training, counseling and other programs. The courthouse consolidates the Marion County Courts (namely, the civil, criminal, juvenile and probate courts) into one building. The Assessment and Intervention Center is a two-story, ~38,000 square foot building with a 90-bed capacity, which will provide temporary shelter, case assessment, and treatment referral services to facilitate pre-and post-arrest assessment and diversion. The Assessment and Intervention Center opened in December of 2020 and the Adult Detention Center and courthouse began operation in 2022.
For 2023, income tax is forecasted to be $398 million, an increase of $26 million. Given the strong real estate market, property tax revenue is forecasted to grow substantially, which is largely a result of the increased in net assessed values leading to a reduction in circuit breaker impacts. For 2023, property tax revenue is forecasted to be $435 million, a $38 million increase from the estimated $397 million in 2022.