Indianapolis City-County Council Meeting

Indianapolis City-County Council

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Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
7:00 p.m. EDT

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200 E Washington St Indianapolis, IN 46204 (Directions)

City-County Building, Public Assembly Room (PAR)

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Indianapolis - IN Documenters Team

Live reporting by Randy Wyrick

Regular meeting of the Indianapolis City-County Council.

randy51722 @randyrecoil

Good evening. I'm Randy Wyrick and I'll be live tweeting tonight's City-County Council meeting. @mirrorindy @indydocumenters

06:01 PM Sep 9, 2024 CDT

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Marion County Sheriff's Deputies are at the chamber doors wearing bullet proof vests.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Jesse Brown wore a red keffiyeh.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Council President Vop Osili called the meeting to order at 7:18. 24 councilors are attending.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Along with the Pledge of Allegiance, the meeting opened with a prayer from an Indianapolis United Methodist Minister.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters THe council reappoints Marion Faye Godwin to the Equal Opportunity Advisory Board

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council will handle appoint several people to committee, including:

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters appoints Emily Reuben to the Assessment Intervention Center Advisory Board appoints Stephanie Quick to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) Board of Directors

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters reappoints Jane Henegar to the Woodruff Place Economic Improvement District Board reappoints Brandon Fishburn to the Woodruff Place Economic Improvement District Board appoints Berry Konijisky to the Greater Virginia Avenue Corridor Economic Improvement District Board

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters It's budget season, so the council heard several tax items, including: adopts the operating and maintenance budgets and tax levies of the Indianapolis Airport Authority and establishes appropriations for said municipal corporation for 2025

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters andf: adopts the operating and maintenance budgets and tax levies of the Capital Improvement Board of Managers and establishes appropriations for said municipal corporation for 2025

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters And: adopts the operating and maintenance budgets and tax levies of the Health and Hospital Corporation and establishes appropriations for said municipal corporation for 2025

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters And: adopts the operating and maintenance budgets and tax levies of the Indianapolis/Marion County Public Library and establishes appropriations for said municipal corporation for 2025

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters adopts the operating and maintenance budgets and tax levies of the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) and establishes appropriations for said municipal corporation for 2025

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Then came the fiscal additions:

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters An additional appropriation of $1.5 million in the 2024 Budget for the City Non-Departmental in the storm water system and flood districts.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters It passed by a 22-1 vote, with one abstention.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters An additional appropriation totaling $25 million in the 2024 Budget for the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Recreation for improvements for transportation and recreational infrastructure

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters A member of the public lauded the council for investing in parks, then asked the council to pass a ban on bombs to the Middle East, so Indy would have more money to spend on parks. His Gaza remark and request drew light applause from approximately three dozen anti-Israel folks.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council voted 24-0 to spend the $25 million on parks. The council did not address the Middle EAst.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council voted 24-0 to lower the tax rate.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters They voted 24-0 to spend up to another $60 million on infrastructure projects around the city over the 25 years.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The city will issue $20 million in bonds for stormwater projects.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council voted to buy land along Girls School Road for improved access and safety to the schools and homes alpong the road.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Then comes the politically charged agenda item:

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The committee wants to create an Investigative Committee that contracts with an independent firm to to investigate allegations against members of the Hogsett administration. They also want policy changes and sexual harassment training.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Frank Mascari spoke against it, saying it goes too far.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Joshua Bain spoke in favor, saying it follows the same standards to which other cities and state agencies adhere.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The guidelines would require councilors to disclose if they own stock in a company that does business with the city.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Bains explained that the disclosures would be required if the company does more than $10,000 in business with the city.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Bains also said it would put the information back online. Currently, it's only available through a Freedom of Information Act, or open records request.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Council Jessica McCormick said that information used to be online, and the reason for it not being online is not clear.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Jesse Brown counseled the type of transparency would be in the best interests of the public.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Maggie Lewis moved to send it back to the committee.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Joshua Bain was fine with that, saying the regulations would not take effect until next year. The council wants to make a distinction between councilors buying individual stocks as opposed to funds.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council voted 24-0 to send it back to the committee for some clarification.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters My mistake. After the ethics discussion, the council moved to create an Investigative Committee that contracts with an independent firm to investigate allegations against members of the Hogsett administration. They also want policy changes and sexual harassment training.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Any work product or finding by an investigating law firm or other investigators would be available to members of the council.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council vice president cautioned against any council member being able to email an investigator and get confidential information, including personnel information.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Joshua Bain said the rules are written such that identifying information cannot be disclosed.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The amendment was voted down 21-2 with one abstention.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters Councilor Bain presented an amendment to form a committee to investigate allegations against the Mayor's office concerning the conduct of former Chief of Staff Thomas Cook. mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-m…

mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-m…

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council vice president said no council should have that kind of power.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters After several back-and-forth, including exposing the stories of victims whether they're identified in the documents or not, the council voted 18-5 with one abstention to reject the amendment.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The Thomas Cook story sparked lots of comment and demands for action, said Councilor John Barth. His constituents demanded the council take "decisive action."

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters "Sexual harassment has no place in any workplace, especially our city," Barth said.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council proposed a committee to investigate the allegations against the mayor's office concerning Cook's conduct.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters "Without a doubt this has created questions about the safety of our workplace and our employees," Council President Osili said. "Our people should never ever feel unsafe in the workplace,"

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters The council voted 22-1 with one abstention to form the investigating committee.

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@mirrorindy @indydocumenters President Osili adjourned the meeting at 8:39 p.m.

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Agency Information

Indianapolis City-County Council

See meeting notes for details

www.indy.gov

See Documenters reporting

The Indianapolis City-County Council is the legislative branch of our local government. In addition to adopting budgets, levying taxes, and authorizing financial appropriations to fund city and county operations, the council is responsible for enacting, repealing, and amending local laws. The Council appoints members to boards and commissions that serve the community, and all meetings are open to the public.

Council members