Cops and streets immune from city budget cuts

INDIANAPOLIS — When Mayor Joe Hogsett proposed his $1.7 billion 2026 municipal budget, many city agencies braced themselves for 4% budget cuts.

Not IMPD or the Department of Public Works.

The police department is in line for a $358 million budget next year, including contracted pay raises and state-mandated pension enhancements.

DPW will build on its record-setting pothole patching campaign of the last year, plus tackle significant road and infrastructure projects on a $257 million budget that will not add new employees or shifts to keep Indianapolis traffic rolling and trash picked up.

The city will set aside $10 million in strip patching as part of its down payment to add another $50 million to street maintenance and road projects next year to get in line for an additional $50 million in funding from the state in 2027.

”We have the opportunity to have historic amounts of funding,” said DPW Director Todd Wilson. “We started to plan immediately on what that future looks like. I’m very excited about that. I’m very excited about all the impacts that we’re going to be able to make for the city.”

Wilson said the long-delayed reconstruction of the West 30^th Street Bridge over the White River should once again be open to vehicular traffic by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, work continues on southbound Madison Avenue south of downtown, headed toward Pleasant Run Parkway to reduce traffic lanes and improve safety.

” It’s almost a tunnel and it’s been used for years for speeding and drag racing,” said Wilson. “This project hopes to reduce the speed of our traveling public.”

IMPD’s budget is the single largest line item in Hogsett’s 2026 spending plan at $358 million, up $20 million from this year.

While IMPD is budgeted for more than 1,700 officers, its ranks are currently below 1,500, with the underutilized allocation going to pay for the overtime of those officers who must still fill empty shifts.

The department struggles to replace retiring or resigning officers with an equal number of new recruits.

”We’re gonna have three classes next year,” said IMPD Chief Chris Bailey. “Hopefully, two lateral classes as well. Five opportunities to bring on sworn staff in 2026 and beyond.”

Overall and violent crime is down in Indianapolis. Criminal homicides have dropped by 24% from last year. Clearance rates have improved thanks to advancements and investments in technology.

”Significant investments in the real-time crime center and our professional staff analysts have been a game changer for our agency,” said Bailey, adding that his officers are asked to do more than traditional crime fighting. ”We’ve invested in some of our specialized units, some focused on some of our city’s most pressing challenges, including gun violence, overdoses, homelessness and mental health.”

Bailey said there will be no new investment in technology in 2026.

The DPW budget will be reviewed by a City-County Council committee on Thursday night, while the IMPD budget will be presented in September.