7/22/2005
Media Contact:
Steve Campbell, [317] 327-3622 |
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Mayor meets with BRAC chairman to lobby for new jobs at Fort Ben finance center
INDIANAPOLIS - Mayor Bart Peterson and Deputy Mayor Melina Kennedy today traveled to Washington to personally meet with Anthony Principi, chairman of the Defense Base Closure & Realignment Commission (BRAC), to lobby for the Pentagon plan to add new jobs to the Indianapolis’ Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) center at Fort Benjamin Harrison.
Today’s trip continued the city’s effort to support the Secretary of Defense’s recommendation to consolidate much of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) accounting services and jobs to Indianapolis. The plan would add as many as 3,500 jobs to the existing 3,000 employees at DFAS-Indianapolis and could create an additional 2,490 jobs.
"DFAS-Indianapolis offers a fantastic opportunity for the Defense Department to consolidate services, save federal tax dollars and revolutionize the financing and accounting services of our nation’s military," Mayor Peterson said. "We were grateful for the opportunity to make this case personally to Chairman Principi, and we will continue to work tirelessly with local, state and federal officials to persuade the commission to add jobs to Indianapolis."
City steps to secure Ft. Ben jobs. In addition to today’s visit, city officials have:
• Met personally with other Pentagon officials including national DFAS leaders;
• Written the commission in advance of its Tuesday meeting earlier this week in support the secretary’s recommendation;
• Submitted testimony to the commission hearing in St. Louis in June;
• Gathered the support of local universities, including Purdue University and IUPUI, to support the effort and discuss the pool of potential employees for such an expansion; and
• Provided up-to-date information to the commission on the business case for DFAS consolidation and the quality of life and workforce in Indianapolis.
About DFAS-Indianapolis. DFAS-Indianapolis was established in 1991 and has played an integral role in transforming the accounting, military pay, travel pay and commercial pay support services for the nation’s military personnel, civilians and retirees. It oversees 40 percent of DOD’s network including eight smaller DFAS facilities, disbursing more than $39 billion annually and providing services to 1.9 million people.
These functions are housed in one of the most sophisticated and secure facilities in the country, the MG Emmett J. Bean Federal Center. With 1.6 million square feet, the center is the second largest federal office building in the nation. In 2003, the facility completed a $123.7 million renovation, which means that no new construction costs would be required to accommodate the influx of employees to the center.
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