The Indianapolis city-county budget, explained
Follow the money—and find out how spending decisions affect our everyday lives.
Every year, Indianapolis leaders put together the city’s budget for the next year. It’s a plan for how the city government will get money and spend that money. Some of that money comes from us, taxpayers who live in Marion County.
The breakdown of how much money goes where shows you what the city values.
Agencies develop budget proposals each spring with guidance from the Office of Finance and Management. On Aug. 10, Mayor Joe Hogsett presented the budget for 2027 to the City-County Council.
First look: Hogsett proposes $1.9B budget for 2027
Take a look at some of the main takeaways from the mayor’s budget presentation.
What happens next?
Councilors and members of the public will give their feedback during committee meetings from mid-August to the first day of October. Councilors will vote on whether to approve the budget Oct. 19.
Timeline for 2027 city budget
Aug. 10, 2026: Mayor presents proposed budget to council
Aug. 11-Oct. 1: Council committee meetings *
Sept. 25: Budget document posted online for public
Oct. 5: Public hearing on budget *
Oct. 19: Council votes on whether to approve budget
* Opportunity for public comment
Helpful links to understand the budget
The 2027 proposed budget book shows where the money comes from and how it will be used in 2027.
- Overview of the budget process
- The city’s page where you can see budgets for previous years
- The 2026 proposed budget book and the adopted budget book
Understanding the budget
Indianapolis budget basics: Learn how the city spends our money
Every year, city officials present a plan for how to spend public dollars.
Budget vocab
You’ll see these terms in the budget. Here’s what they mean.
The permission to spend money from a fund. Appropriations in the budget are what agencies or departments are allowed to spend in the upcoming year.
A budget is balanced when the city does not spend more than it makes.
For people, assets are the things you own that have value, such as a car or a home. It’s similar for governments. Capital assets include land, equipment, vehicles, buildings and infrastructure such as roads or bridges.
This is how much money is actually spent, out of the money that was appropriated.
One way the city makes money is from fees, which are charged for a service. This can include the fees you pay to adopt a pet from the shelter, rent a picnic area at a park or for a permit to do construction work, such as redoing your HVAC system or adding a pool in your backyard.
The city also makes money from fines it charges people for a rule they violate, such as the money you pay for a traffic ticket or a court fine.
The money the city brings in each year. This comes from local taxes and money from fines, licenses, investment earnings and more.
The spring fiscal is tax income the city receives from the state each spring, separate from what has already been approved in that year’s budget. Usually, it’s between $20 and $40 million. This money was part of the city’s discussion this year about road funding and the wheel tax. The city also receives income tax funding from the state in the fall.
How do you think the city should spend its money?
If you have thoughts about how the city should be spending money on roads, parks or police, you can share your feedback in a few ways.
💰 Go to a council committee meeting
These meetings, from August to October, are your chance to comment on budgets for specific departments. You can check the 2027 budget presentation schedule to see when the meetings are. They’re sorted by council committees, such as the Education Committee or Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee.
The schedule includes two types of meetings: committee hearings and review and analysis meetings. Committee hearings are where agencies present their budgets to the councils’ committees. Review and analysis meetings are where committee members vote on whether to send their part of the budget to the full council. You can give public comment at both types of meetings.
💰 Go to the public hearing
A public hearing on the budget will be held at the Oct. 5 City-County Council meeting. You can go and give comments in front of the council. City-County Council meetings start at 7 p.m. at the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St. Head up the elevators to the public assembly room on the second floor.
If you want to prepare your feedback ahead of time, you can read the updated budget document once it’s posted on Sept. 25, 10 days before the meeting.
