From the Indianapolis Star:
The City-County Council tonight signed off on a pact that’s expected to provide more than $11.6 million to public safety agencies and introduced other budget-related measures.
One new proposal would approve the spending of federal grant money to hire 30 firefighter recruits. Another would kick off a study on the possible elimination of Marion County’s homestead property tax credit.
With those moves, the council pushed ahead on several unresolved issues surrounding the nearly $1.1 billion city/county budget.
The agreement on the public safety payments — which will come from the Capital Improvement Board — and the homestead tax credit study were among pieces of a long-term bipartisan budget deal struck in January between Republican Mayor Greg Ballard and leaders of the Democratic-majority council.
They’re still discussing ways to cut back this year’s budget and to close an expected $35 million deficit next year.
In the meantime, the CIB, which runs the city’s sports venues and convention center, has agreed to give the police and fire departments all of an estimated $6.7 million in first-year proceeds from recent increases to taxes on event admissions and auto rentals in Marion County.
It’s also transferring $5 million to city coffers in a one-for-one swap involving a development fund.
Those sums will be split two ways — 55 percent for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and 45 percent for the Indianapolis Fire Department. City leaders will decide how IMPD and IFD will spend their shares when they craft next year’s budget.
After the first year of the tax increases, the CIB will give the city’s public safety agencies one-quarter of proceeds, up to $3 million annually.
The council ratified the CIB agreement 25-3 with little discussion.
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See the full article here:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013304220070
