Indianapolis
city officials and City-County Council leaders are negotiating potential budget
changes that could make two administration tax proposals more appealing, both
sides confirmed.
Mayor
Greg Ballard’s proposed $1 billion city-county budget for next year depends on those
tax changes to provide nearly $13 million for the Indianapolis
Metropolitan Police Department. The proposals would eliminate the homestead
property tax credit and expand a police taxing district from the old city
limits to the county line.
The
combined upshot would include a tax cut for central parts of the city, higher
taxes for outlying areas and a hit to township school
districts’ budgets.
Council
President Maggie Lewis, a Democrat, said the Republican administration was
holding firm on the tax proposals but has been open to discussing options that
include tapping into utility sale proceeds and unused money from tax-increment
financing districts.
That
could soften the blow of the tax changes by paying for council Democrats’
priorities, she said.
But
Lewis and Ryan Vaughn, the mayor’s chief of staff, declined to discuss
specifics.
At Lewis’ request, a council committee
tonight delayed consideration of both tax proposals until Sept. 10.