Mayor Hogsett, Indy City-County Council unveil $27 million ordinance to ‘improve quality of life’ for residents

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis City-County Council introduced a spring fiscal ordinance exceeding $27 million Monday night.

Councillors unveiled Proposal No. 164, 2025, targeting investments in snow removal, housing, education, public safety and much more.

According to a news release, the proposal will allocate $13 million to the Indianapolis Department of Public Works to help fund improvements to existing roadways, apply infrastructure upgrades and enhance the city’s stormwater capabilities.

An additional $2 million will permit Indy DPW to purchase trucks for snow plowing and street repair. Another $2 million will be utilized to employ contractors to help remove snow on residential streets to remain in compliance with the city’s latest snow removal ordinance the council passed on April 7.

According to previous reports, the council approved a new snow removal plan requiring Indy DPW to plow third-priority streets when four or more inches of snow have been recorded. Before these updates, Indy DPW did not follow a precedent for deciding when third-priority streets would be plowed. This would sometimes result in some third-priority streets never getting plowed following a snowstorm.

Throughfares, collector roads and streets along hospitals and fire stations are generally considered first-priority streets by the City of Indianapolis. Second priority streets include roads abutting schools, township trustee offices and township small claims courts. All other roads are considered third-priority streets.

“Our residents deserve a fiscal package that reflects their priorities—from safe streets to thriving parks to sustainable neighborhoods,” said Council President Vop Osili. “This spring fiscal package represents a thoughtful approach to governance, where the Council and Administration came together to invest in the needs of our communities. I would like to thank Mayor Joe Hogsett and his administration for working together with the Council to achieve these goals.”

The funding will also tackle the following initiatives:

• $2 million for Indy Parks maintenance, ensuring clean and accessible public spaces 
• $2 million for the Homeowner Repair Program to support housing stability 
• $2 million for Crime Prevention Grants, advancing community-based violence reduction efforts 
• $1 million for Urban Forest Preservation to promote environmental sustainability 
• $600,000 to the Circle City Readers, a tutoring program with demonstrated success in improving literacy rates among students in Indianapolis 
• $500,000 to implement safety improvements recommended by the Fatal Crash Review Team, supporting the overall efforts of the Vision Zero initiative 
• $500,000 to support current and expand new Cultural Districts 

“The close collaboration between my administration and the City-County Council allowed for the creation of a spring fiscal package filled with meaningful investments that will truly impact the lives of our residents,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Community members often tell Councilors and me how important it is for them to have a city that funds projects and initiatives that will make their lives better. I believe these investments will do just that and I thank the Council for their efforts in making this come to fruition.”

The proposal will now be reviewed at the Administration and Finance Committee on May 13 at 5:30 p.m. If the committee recommends the proposal, a final vote will be held on June 9.