From the Indianapolis Star:
In the recently finished General Assembly session, bills favored by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard ended with a mixed bag of results.
After finally passing the Indiana House for the first time, a bill that would have authorized a mass transit referendum was punted by the Senate to a summer study committee.
One big potential victory is a bill that would expand the mayor’s appointment and budget powers at the expense of the City-County Council and Democratic county office holders. That measure awaits the signature of Gov. Mike Pence, a fellow Republican who is facing pressure to veto it from Democrats and others who portray the bill as a GOP power grab.
Senate Bill 621, among other things, would allow the mayor’s appointed controller to adjust, twice a year, all city and county departments’, offices’ and agencies’ budgets if incoming revenues are insufficient to support planned spending.
It also would eliminate the council’s four at-large seats (all occupied by the majority Democrats) after the 2015 election. That is a change Ballard says he didn’t request, but the Senate sponsor insisted it go in the final version.
Pence, for his part, has said he has concerns about the bill but has declined to specify them.
...
See the full article here:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013305040014
