$15M project to widen State Road 32 will disrupt downtown Westfield businesses
By 2022, the city and the Indiana Department of Transportation expect to begin widening a half-mile section of the thoroughfare from Shamrock Boulevard to East Street.
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Hogsett kicks off 2019 mayoral campaign with $3.2M war chest
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has a huge fundraising advantage over his Republican challengers, who are starting their campaigns with bank accounts in the four-figure range.
Council panel postpones vote on controversial billboard plan to consider changes
Council Vice President Zach Adamson said “we all have received lots of calls” on the proposal and said postponing the matter would “allow additional conversation” on whether or not to amend the proposal or accept it as written.
UPDATE: Merritt, longtime state senator, running for Indianapolis mayor
Jim Merritt, who will formally announce his campaign Thursday afternoon, told IBJ he was running for mayor because he “loves my city,” and is concerned about the city’s high number of murders and “rampant homelessness.”
City parking meter hours to be extended after council vote
The new ordinance is expected to generate an additional $800,000 in parking meter fees annually—about $200,000 less than council members initially sought in a more extensive proposal.
$9.2M Riverside Park amphitheater could be a ‘game-changer’
A towering limestone monument to a long-ago Indianapolis mayor will be transformed into a performance venue at Riverside Park, thanks in part to a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant.
S&P upgrades rating on tax-supported Indianapolis bonds
S&P Global upgraded the city’s property-tax-secured bonds to AA+ from its previous rating of AA.
Merritt mulling mayoral run after quitting job as GOP county chairman
State Sen. Jim Merritt told IBJ on Monday morning that he’s doing his due diligence on a potential campaign for mayor, leaving the Marion County GOP temporarily without a leader.
Billboard proposal riles neighbors, sign firms
Digital billboards seem poised to make an official entrance in Marion County soon—but almost no one, including the sign industry, is happy about it.
2019 mayoral, council races taking shape
With city elections less than a year away, Mayor Joe Hogsett has a big campaign war chest, with at least $2.2 million as of January, the latest filing available.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announces re-election bid
The Democrat, who was elected to his first term in 2015, told IBJ that he has decided to seek another term in an effort to “continue moving the city in the direction we’ve already begun.”
Council Dems seek to raise $1M from increased parking meter collections
The proposal would decrease the hours in which free parking meters are available across the city, extend fee hours on certain days, and impose Sunday parking meter fees.
Council approves Marion County’s switch to vote centers starting next year
Marion County voters will be able to cast their vote at any polling place in the county starting next year as Indianapolis becomes what is known as a “vote center” county.
Proposal to ban sitting, lying down in Mile Square withdrawn
Minority Leader Mike McQuillen, who said the purpose of the proposal was intended to curb panhandling and increase the sense of safety downtown, withdrew the proposal.
City poised to offer $1.6M to acquire troubled Oaktree Apartments
The abandoned, 336-unit complex “presents considerable safety and security challenges” for its surrounding neighborhood, according to the city.
Moody’s removes ‘negative’ outlook on city’s credit rating
Moody’s also assigned an initial Aa2 rating to $30 million in revenue bonds issued this year by the Indianapolis Bond Bank to pay for long-term transportation funding.
Born into similar finances, black and white children earn differing incomes as adults
White adults in Indianapolis on average outearn black adults whether both groups were born to poor, middle class or wealthy parents.
IndyGo, planning on electric buses for Red Line, skeptical of Albuquerque’s reported woes
The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, says it has discovered serious structural and safety problems with the same model of electric bus IndyGo plans to use for the Red Line.
Democrat tables proposal for big City-County Council pay hike
The proposal’s sponsor, Democratic Majority leader Monroe Gray, said he intends to bring back the pay-raise plan for a vote early next year.
Proposal to ban sitting, lying down in Mile Square gets little support
A proposal to ban people from sitting and lying down in the Mile Square failed to gain approval in a City-County Council committee meeting Tuesday. The vote took place on same day the mayor announced a plan to dedicate $500,000 to take on homelessness and downtown safety.