LAWRENCE — Mayor Dean Jessup recently announced that his efforts to recoup millions of dollars withheld from Lawrence have paid off. As a result, the city of Indianapolis and its Marion County Storm Water District will immediately begin investing $7 million in projects to alleviate flooding and erosion in Lawrence and in the future will invest as much as $1.2 million annually for storm water projects.
The Jessup administration has been pressing the issue with Indianapolis and its storm water agency since April 2012, pointing out that Indianapolis had invested virtually nothing on Lawrence projects for 14 years, despite an ordinance that says storm water fees paid in Lawrence are to be used on projects in Lawrence.
A year ago, after discussions with officials of the county district yielded no change in their position, Mayor Jessup notified Indianapolis that Lawrence would withdraw from the county district and create its own. He twice informed Lawrence residents of his intentions and asked the Lawrence Common Council to approve the withdrawal, but the council twice rejected the plan.
The Jessup administration continued its overtures to Indianapolis, and Mayor Greg Ballard’s office recently acknowledged that Mayor Jessup is correct: Indianapolis owes Lawrence $7 million for failing to invest in the past and more than $1 million a year going forward.
Jessup has asked former Mayor Robert Sterrett; Terry Gingles, a retired postal carrier; and John Dewey, an investment adviser with Edward Jones, to serve as advisers to prioritize projects for Lawrence.