The council also approved tens of millions of dollars in bonds to support the redevelopment of Old City Hall, a demolition of the former Jail I building and renovation of portions of the City-County Building. Also passed Monday was a plan to create a study commission on the use of artificial intelligence.
A new proposal to impose a fee on downtown property owners for initiatives aimed at public safety, cleanliness and homelessness in the Mile Square is gaining steam among Democrats on the City-County Council.
Rusty Carr was hired to the DMD post after two separate stints as interim director. His final day with the city will be Dec. 29 and he will begin at The Parks Alliance on Jan. 2.
The move follows pushback by several neighborhood groups on the north side who expressed concern about the city’s plan, which could rely heavily on the Midtown tax-increment financing district to repay bonds issued for the acquisition.
Several Indianapolis neighborhood groups are taking issue with the city’s plan to spend up to $26 million in tax revenue earmarked for neighborhood redevelopment to acquire the new family center.
If approved, the bonds are expected to pay for the demolition to demolish a former Marion County Jail 1 and renovate portions of the City-County Building ahead of a planned consolidation of city employees from satellite offices.
Matt Gentry recently sat down with IBJ to discuss what’s next for both Lebanon and him, going into what he said will be his final term.
Election results show Democrats capturing 19 of the council’s 25 seats and Republicans gaining one post.
The department is poised to invest $9 million in COVID-19 recovery funds into cameras and other technology. Some critics are raising privacy and efficacy concerns; others say the city hasn’t adopted the new techniques quickly enough.
The federal lawsuit alleges Indianapolis Animal Care Services violated the volunteers’ First Amendment rights when they received threats of termination for wanting to speak publicly about issues plaguing the shelter.
At their final debate before the Indianapolis mayoral election, Democratic incumbent Joe Hogsett and Republican challenger Jefferson Shreve clashed on several issues, including economic development, city policies and animal welfare.
A question repeatedly posed by the Shreve campaign and other Marion County Republicans was asked Monday: Where was Hogsett during 2020’s downtown riots?
While incumbent Joe Hogsett says a broad use of incentives like tax-increment-financing bonds is often necessary to bridge funding gaps, Jefferson Shreve favors a moderated use of the city’s incentive toolbox.
Republican Jefferson Shreve has self-funded 93%, or all but $930,000, of the $14.45 million reported since he joined the race in February.
All five Republicans and the City-County Council’s lone independent joined Democrats in approving the record-setting budget proposed by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.
Early plans for the $150 million project, known for now as the “Alabama Redevelopment,” call for a 387-foot glass tower containing 190 apartments, 24 condominiums, 150 hotel rooms and 8,000 square feet of retail and hospitality space.
IBJ reporter Taylor Wooten spent time with both candidates for Indianapolis mayor and talked with supporters and critics for stories meant to help you decide how to vote.
Hogsett is pitching a continuation of his downtown resiliency strategy and pointing to a planned expansion of the Indiana Convention Center. On crime, the incumbent mayor touts record funding for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and funding for new, non-police violence-reduction and crisis strategies.
Shreve has weighed in on many other issues, from downtown development to improving care at the city’s animal shelter, but his crime-fighting ads dominate the airwaves and are where the campaign has pinned its greatest hopes.
The money comes from the city’s allotment of federal COVID-19 relief funds.
