A $81 million budget
approved by the Fishers Town Council on Monday will cover expanded police services and upgrades to parks and infrastructure.Operating and capital expenses
for 2014 are expected to increase by 12 compared to last year but residents will not pay more in taxes. In fact, the municipal tax rate is expected to drop by a quarter of a percent. It’s not much, town manager Scott Fadness said, but it shows sensible management by town leadership.“We are coming out of a recession where it’s been three or four years where we have not added staff. At the same time, the community kept growing on us — we are now 83,000 people,” Fadness said. “We have some aging infrastructure, different things with public safety we are concerned about. We just want to make sure we put the adequate resources
toward that.Fishers police will receive more than $1 million increase to cover three new officers. Public works, information technology
and community development also saw staff grow.The 2014 budget includes $58.2 million for operating, $12.1 million for capital projects and $10.6 million for debt. Half of the capital funds will go toward new roads and trails. Another planned project is upgrades to the Roy G. Holland Memorial Park. Fadness also reported general fund reserves of more than $16.5 million.
Council members asked few questions about the budget, as it was hashed our at previous meetings. Five of the seven members attending voted unanimously to pass it.
Monday’s vote was the last budget Fishers will pass as a town. Last year, voters decided to become a city with an elected mayor. The Hamilton County community will have its first city elections in November 2014.
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