City set to hike entertainment, visitor taxes
Indianapolis City-County Council leaders have agreed to increase visitor and entertainment taxes to avoid what one councilor called a drastic reduction in services.
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Mayor reaches preliminary pact with police, firefighter unions
After saying in August he would revoke raises for police officers and firefighters, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has agreed in principal to a new contract that would delay a 3 percent salary hike by six months.
Ballard to nix parts of council budget
Mayor Greg Ballard plans to sign a $1 billion budget plan approved by the Indianapolis City-County Council earlier this month, but only after using his line-item veto powers to kill major portions of it.
City-County Council passes controversial budget
The Indianapolis City-County Council approved a budget Monday night that relies on a $15 million payment from a tax-exempt entity, likely setting the stage for a legal battle, plus difficult negotiations with Mayor Greg Ballard.
Democrat-controlled committee OKs tapping CIB for $15M
The plan—opposed by Republican Mayor Greg Ballard and members of the CIB—now advances to the City-County Council.
Six Sigma guru scours city budget for savings
Efficiency expert Manny Mendez, who has saved the city $4.9 million since 2008 through Six Sigma practices, is now scouring government operations in search of $15 million more.
Anderson officials challenging parts of firefighters’ deal
Officials in Anderson filed a complaint in Madison County Circuit Court this past week challenging portions of the Fire Department contract that prohibit the city from reducing the department's staff or salaries or putting firefighters on furloughs.
TIF district expansion proposal gets committee OK
A proposal that would expand a downtown tax-increment financing district to the northeast and northwest was approved Monday by the City-County Council's Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee.
Excess TIF revenue would help close city budget gap
Mayor proposes shifting $10 million out of downtown district to help make up for $65 million general-fund shortfall.
Dems grumbling over big raises for Ballard’s staff
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s staff received a collective 18-percent raise this spring following the hiring of a new deputy for education with an annual salary of $120,000.
Public safety due for budget cuts, mayor says
Public safety and criminal justice are the only places left in the city-county budgets to look for ways to close a $27 million spending gap for 2013. Sheriff, police, fire and court budgets account for 85 percent of the $569 million general fund.
Councilor seeks review of city’s TIF-district strategy
Brian Mahern, a Democrat on the City-County Council, plans to propose a study commission to examine the effectiveness of TIF districts, how property tax caps will affect them, and ways to increase transparency for the complicated financing vehicles.
Sheriff’s department concerned about budget crunch
Officials from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department say they are concerned that a $10 million gap in this year’s budget will hurt their ability to pay critical bills.
Parking deal netting city more meter money
In the quarter ended June 30, the city’s share of revenue from parking meters totaled $498,273 compared with $108,265 in the same time frame of 2010, a 360-percent increase.
City to cut $20 million from most departments in 2012
Indianapolis will shed 200 positions next year to help cut $20 million from non-public safety agencies.
City plans to put $80M from utility sale into new fund
The money would be used as a safeguard to help Indianapolis maintain its AAA credit ratings. But Democrat mayoral challenger Melina Kennedy is criticizing the move.
Mayoral foe: Utilities sale money should fund ‘human capital’
Democratic mayoral candidate Melina Kennedy unveiled a proposal Friday to set aside $150 million in proceeds from the sale of the city’s water and sewer utilities to fund early education, crime prevention and job training.
Local governments will put budget data online
Officials at the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance and Indiana University's Indiana Business Research Center say they're launching a system to allow local governments to file their 2012 budgets online.
Crime-prevention grants awarded to 26 organizations
Indianapolis’ Community Crime Prevention Board awarded a total of $1.7 million in grants, down from $4 million last year, due to the city budget crunch.
Parking meter replacement set to begin in March
Affiliated Computer Services, which struck a deal late last year to manage the city’s parking meters, will begin replacing meters in downtown Indianapolis and Broad Ripple early next month.