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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has named four Indianapolis businessmen to the board that will oversee the management of a new tax focused on improving downtown Indianapolis cleanliness, public safety and homelessness.
Holcomb selected 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., for the the city’s Economic Enhancement District.
The appointments are the first of several expected to be made before November for the board, the creation of which was authorized by City-County Council last month. 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.
The board will consist of nine members, including two appointments from the City-County Council and one each from the Indiana House speaker, the Indiana Senate president pro tempore and the Indianapolis mayor. 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.
With the exception of apartments and single-family residences, property owners within the district would pay 0.17% of their gross assessed value. 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.
Appointments from the City-County Council, statehouse leaders and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett have not been made public.
IBJ reporter Taylor Wooten contributed to this story.
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How was this issue handled before created a “taxing district” with a panel? Why has this problem grown to be such a visible issue?
Downtown Indy, Inc. used to have an endowment fund that covered some of their efforts, but it was never done on the scale that DTI wants or needs it to be. About seven years ago, that endowment fund expired and DTI was left without a dedicated funding source. One of the reasons it has gotten to be such a visible issue is partly because of that funding source going away; other reasons include the ongoing housing shortage, lack of housing Downtown relative to demand (about 97% occupancy), and poor public transportation services.
So DTI ran out of funding 7 years ago, the problems and challenges have grown and we’re just now dealing with it. Seems like a management issue or lack of.
Seems more like a big business corporate welfare subsidy coming to an end.
Almost all of the new tax will be paid by big budijess and big landlords who have enjoyed *billions* of dollars of tax breaks and subsidies over the years. They want their planted flowers and other amenities downtown because it brings them tenants/new business. They used to fundraise in the past to pay for these things. Apparently, they cannot or will not do this anymore. But, they still want all the “nice stuff” the average resident of the city who also pays taxes does not get. So, now downtown has a new tax just for these big businesses and big landlords (though, conveniently residential big landlords lobbied their way out of it), so they can pay to provide this stuff. I approve, Indianapolis could use a lot more of making people pay for what they get.
DTI tried to address the issue several times between 2017 and now, but the Indiana General Assembly changed the rules/moved the goalposts each time that voided each effort. This is the first time that the Indiana General Assembly has allowed Downtown Indy to move forward with an EED.
Can you guys report on how Jim Dora Jr. uses his status as a ‘volunteer IMPD officer’ to delist his address from MapIndy & get a take home police car?
I hope someone on the board actually lives downtown to represent the residents in the EID – if so, I will voluntarily pay in.
Dora Jr. lives up in Nora. Don’t know about the others, but I doubt that any actually do.
update: Browne appears to live Downtown. the others all live in Washington Township.
They all had to own property … no residency requirement.
The first draft of all this was a partnership between the city and state, the second draft tilted things in favor of the state.
You could make the case that downtown residents shouldn’t have representation since they aren’t paying one cent of the tax, thanks to Julie McGuire carrying water for the Indiana Apartment Association.
Homeless Street Outreach team members, dedicated to connecting individuals to services, addressing issues, and coordinating with public safety agencies. . .
Find their family’s and pay them to help them again.
Reunite Vets w/ VA
There is 95% of homeless taken care of.
That would require the state of Indiana to be interested in funding mental health care.
Based on how they’re treating people with disabilities and the funding cuts they are inflicting upon them, I think it’s clear they have no interest.
Remember when Eric Doden proposed to have the state take over financial responsibility for infrastructure maintenance and other things downtown and people threw a fit about it?
Now the state creates a district in which there’s only local and no state money, but for which a majority of the board are appointed by the state government and people are acting like this is a huge win for the city.
That’s what happens when you have a state with no effective local control and a bunch of legislators who are jealous and envious that their residents would rather live in the Indianapolis area…. and who are more than willing to take a check from lobbyists to carry their water.
My perception is that people are just happy that the state allowed the city to do something. Can you identify these people who think it’s a huge win, as opposed to whatever the state would allow?
Yeah, I don’t see this as a huge win. What I see this as is “as good as it gets.” It’s abundantly clear that the Indiana General Assembly won’t let Indianapolis govern itself or make choices on what to do with its own tax revenues until the GOP supermajority is broken. We need something, this at least gets us part way to meeting the needs of Downtown, even if it doesn’t cover everything.
Basically, we can’t afford to make perfect the enemy of good.
Same ol’, same ol’ list of fine men – who have contributed so much to this City (and have benefitted from it).
However, where, are the women, where are the people of color, where are the up-and-coming leaders of Indianapolis who deserve the chance to be just that – the new generation of City movers and shakers with new thoughts and innovative ideas?
The mayor and council haven’t chosen their new members yet, I assume your concern may be answered when they do.
Combine these two:
1. Homeless Street Outreach team members, dedicated to connecting individuals to services, addressing issues, and coordinating with public safety agencies
2. Seven-day-a-week cleaning crews to perform tasks such as power washing, graffiti removal, litter abatement, etc.
Hire the homeless directly and pay them to clean up.