8/8/2005
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Mayor presents city & county budgets that emphasize strict fiscal discipline, accountability
Most county agencies cut, except bi-partisan fixes for jail overcrowding, criminal justice backlog
Passing Indy Works, continued fiscal vigilance a must for future, Mayor says
INDIANAPOLIS - Mayor Bart Peterson today became the first mayor in Indianapolis history to propose a budget for Marion County government and brought a conservative, disciplined philosophy of living within means to the county side of the ledger.
At his direction, the county budget was cut in nearly every administrative area, but was increased to fix the system-wide backlog that is clogging the county jails and forcing the early release of criminals on to the street.
He also proposed an Indianapolis city government budget that is $8.6 million less than in 2005, caused in part by decades-old problems in local government structure and the failure of Indianapolis Works in the last session of the Indiana General Assembly.
"For years, the system was set up to pit city versus county and county versus county, with little fiscal discipline, uniformity and true accountability," Mayor Peterson said.
"On the city side, our budgets have reflected my strong belief in delivering services in the most efficient way possible and looking for ways to reduce the cost of government," he added. "Today represents the first time that taxpayers can begin making sense of local government on both the city and the county side and making sure every penny is accounted for and spent wisely."
County budget. On Monday night, Peterson became the first Indianapolis mayor in history to propose a county budget. The change follows a new state law that gives the mayor responsibility for proposing and managing the budgets of county agencies, in addition to city agencies.
The 2006 county budget reflects the conservative fiscal philosophy the city has used the past six years, Peterson said. Most administrative agencies - such as the county auditor, assessor and commissioners and township assessors - were cut, while many criminal justice agencies - such as the city prosecutor, sheriff and court system - saw slight increases.
Fixing the criminal justice backlog. The fixes, which were designed by the bi-partisan Marion County Criminal Justice Planning Council, include:
• Creating a new major felony court, to move the most dangerous offenders to trial quicker;
• Expanding the Marion County Drug Court;
• Adding more resources for criminal prosecutors to move inmates to trial quicker; and
• Reducing backlog in the Marion County Crime Lab, making it easier for analysts to process DNA and other crime scene evidence.
City budget. For the sixth year in a row, Peterson’s proposed budget, which totals $533.9 million and is $8.6 million less than last year, is fully-funded and does not require a property tax increase.
Even though the majority of the funding problems are in public safety, cuts were spread as much as they could be across all departments. However, services in various departments that are funded by federal dollars, grants or user fees, by law, cannot be cut and transferred to support public safety. Specific cuts include:
• 34 sworn police officer positions over two years through attrition;
• 44 sworn firefighter positions through attrition;
• Shortening the summer pool season;
• Reducing Indy Parks capital projects & repairs;
• Reducing maintenance & mowing of Indy Greenways and 151 neighborhood parks & parkways; and
• Eliminating street sweeping in residential neighborhoods.
If the City-County Council does not approve consolidation of IPD and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department this year, the city would lay off an additional 48 police officers this year.
The funding problem. The city and county have had shortfalls for the past several years due to the growing public safety pension problem and other structural funding problems that have existed for decades. In addition, the city has subsidized county government to the tune of $56 million since 2001 to keep it afloat.
To help address the problem, Mayor Peterson ordered $55 million in cuts in 2003 and 2004, which included a salary freeze for non-union city employees, a two percent salary cut for the Mayor and his senior staff and cutting employee positions citywide.
Because even those drastic cuts were not enough to solve the problem, Peterson proposed Indianapolis Works in August 2004. At the time, he warned that if nothing were done, the city and county would be forced to make up the $35 million by cutting services that rely on property tax dollars.
By law, Indianapolis Works had to be passed by the state legislature, but the legislature failed to pass the plan.
Moving forward. Peterson outlined a four-point plan to move forward and keep investing in the future.
• Prioritize budget priorities based on health or public safety risk.
• Find creative ways to fund projects, such as using new fees, federal and state dollars, philanthropic grants and partnerships with other organizations. One example includes increasing the fees for responding to automated fire and burglar alarms, trash fires, hazardous material spills and for providing accident reports. The city also will step up parking ticket enforcement by increasing the base fee, doubling the fee if it is late and streamlining the collections process. This is expected to bring in about $2.5 million a year.
• Move forward with police consolidation.
• Pass the rest of Indianapolis Works. The Mayor said he would go the state legislature again to get the parts of Indianapolis Works that the legislature failed to pass earlier this year. If it passes in 2006, the city and county will be able to restore many services and avoid future cuts and layoffs in other areas.
The Mayor’s budget speech, proposed budget and other info available on www.indygov.org/mayor
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