The Indianapolis City-County Council meets Monday at 7 p.m. at the City-County Building. On the agenda are final adoption of the 2027 city-county budget, a public hearing on a reallocation of Marion County’s local income tax, and a request from Recorder Faith Kimbrough to spend $42,000 on billboards, radio and TV ads.

The Budget

Proposal 264 adopts the city and county budget for 2027. The spending plan totals $1.9 billion, up from the $1.7 billion budget adopted last year, and Mayor Joe Hogsett introduced it Aug. 10. At least 13 of the council’s 25 members must vote for it to pass.

All committees that reviewed the budget recommended passage. The closest votes came in the Administration and Finance Committee, which voted 7-2, and the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee, which voted 9-2.

According to the budget ordinance, IMPD would receive $399.9 million and the Indianapolis Fire Department $299 million. The Department of Public Works would receive $335.3 million.

The council will also take final votes on the 2027 budgets of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, the Capital Improvement Board, the Health and Hospital Corporation, IndyGo and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. The library and IndyGo budgets drew the most committee opposition, passing 6-3 and 7-2, respectively.

The Local Income Tax

Proposal 305 would change how Marion County’s local income tax is divided. Marion County’s overall income tax rate would stay at 2.02%.

The proposal would lower the levy freeze portion of the tax from 0.1412% to 0.1185%. According to the ordinance, that reduces levy freeze revenue by about $7.9 million. The ordinance says the reduction accounts for a 2026 supplemental levy freeze distribution of $6.6 million and the use of $10.6 million from the county’s levy freeze stabilization fund, which has a balance of $19.8 million.

The 0.0227 percentage points freed up would be shifted to two other portions of the tax:

  • The certified shares rate would rise from 1.0842% to 1.1003%.
  • The public safety rate would rise from 0.5446% to 0.5512%.

Under the revised allocation, public safety’s share of the expenditure rate would rise from 30.77% to 31.14%, and certified shares would fall from 69.23% to 68.86%. Certified shares go to local units for general operations.

The council acts here as part of the Marion County Local Income Tax Council. It holds 91.75 of the body’s 100 vote shares, and each councilor’s vote counts for 3.67 shares. The changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

The proposal is sponsored by Council President Maggie Lewis and Councilors Andy Nielsen, Jared Evans, John Barth, Dan Boots and Kristin Jones. The Administration and Finance Committee recommended passage 7-0.

The Recorder’s Request

Councilor Ron Gibson is introducing Proposal 322, which would approve Kimbrough’s request to use $42,000, or $3,500 a month, for a “special Property Fraud Alert and Veterans Honors promotion.” The promotion would include what her sworn statement calls “non-political Billboards, radio and TV ads, and special events.” The proposal is being referred to the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee.

State law limits the recorder’s perpetuation fund to records preservation and record-keeping systems. The exception is when the recorder swears the fund’s needs are met and the council adopts that statement by ordinance.

In her sworn statement, dated Oct. 7, Kimbrough said:

  • The fund’s revenue is sufficient for 2026 and 2027.
  • The office’s technology is up to date.
  • The fund has sufficient reserves for its next upgrade.

The statement says the money would come from interest earned on perpetuation fund cash invested in the Trust Indiana money market fund. The statement says the request “is made solely for the 2027 calendar year.” The proposal’s digest and title describe the spending as occurring “during the 2026 fiscal year.”

The proposed 2027 budget separately appropriates $1.94 million from the recorder’s perpetuation fund, out of $2.03 million for the office overall.

Kimbrough, a Democrat, is seeking re-election on the Nov. 3 ballot and has no Republican opponent.