The Indianapolis City-County Council voted Oct. 19 to approve Mayor Joe Hogsett’s $1.9 billion budget for 2027.
The spending package includes cuts to some assistance programs, including food access and resources for people released from jail.
The budget also includes record spending for public works and police.
Sheriff’s deputies removed a handful of people from the meeting for protesting against spending for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the police killing of Dalys Jett. Deputies also removed people protesting IMPD actions during a council meeting in September.
The budget passed in sections to avoid councilors’ conflicts of interest. The approvals came mostly along party lines, generally with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no.
Here are the highlights.
The winners
The police department
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will get $400 million in 2027, or about a quarter of Hogsett’s entire spending plan.
The department’s approved total is an 11.5% increase compared to the 2026 budget.
Some of the money is supposed to pay for 1,743 police officers — a number that the police department has never reached. But the city is still required to fund that many positions because of an agreement with the police union. Chief Tanya Terry said the money can pay for officers’ overtime.
Indy Parks
Indy Parks is set to get about $54 million, a 7% increase from the 2026 budget.
The parks department plans to put $2.5 million toward pools and splash pads. Because some parks projects have been funded by federal pandemic money, Indy Parks will need to rely more on its own funding for plans in 2027.
Low-barrier homeless shelter
The city’s low-barrier homeless shelter should open in 2027. The first structures recently went up on the site near the corner of Georgia and Shelby streets.
The annual budget includes $2.8 million to operate the shelter, which will also offer long-term assistance with housing and employment.
Department of Public Works
The Department of Public Works will see the biggest budget increase of any department, with a total of $335.3 million in 2027 — about a 30% increase from 2026.
Along with the regular pace of road projects slated for 2027, priorities for the department also include Vision Zero — a commitment to eliminating traffic deaths by 2035. The department’s budget funds safety programs such as the Fatal Crash Review Team, which reviews crash locations and gives recommendations to reduce future incidents.
The losers
Food access
The Office of Public Health and Safety cut a transportation program that helped people get to and from grocery stores.
The $100,000 budget cut eliminated FEEDINDY, a partnership with Lyft that started in 2023. The program paid up to $5 per ride. The office said FEEDINDY went over budget in April.
A more limited transportation program, the Grocery Access Program, will still be funded with $48,000.
People with ankle monitors and drug testing
Marion County Community Corrections asked for $1.5 million to cover the costs of ankle monitors and drug testing for people under supervision.
Many people don’t pay the fees anyway.
But the $1.5 million request didn’t make it into the final version of the budget.
24/7 resources for people released from jail
Starting in January, people released from jail outside normal business hours will have fewer resources when they get out.
The Office of Public Health and Safety cut $260,000 from its release lobby program, a space that provides resources to people just getting out of jail, including clothes, bus passes, Lyft rides and food.
That funding was used to pay contractors to staff the lobby outside normal business hours and on holidays and weekends.
City Controller Abby Hanson told Mirror Indy the Office of Public Health and Safety is going to work with the jail to get more people connected with resources before they’re released, but it’s unclear how that’ll look.
Citywide tutoring program
City officials had only written Circle City Readers into their budget once, in 2026, after federal pandemic relief dollars used to launch the elementary school tutoring program came to an end.
This school year, councilors have chosen instead to fund the program through separate fiscal packages that fall outside of the city budget. Councilors directed $600,000 to the program in July and another $400,000 in September.
That’s enough to support Circle City Readers through the end of the 2026-27 school year. But Councilor Derek Cahill indicated in fall budget talks that he’d rather see schools pick up the tab in the future.
Circle City Readers served about 500 students in the 2025-26 academic year across 10 Indianapolis schools.
Legal aid in eviction court
A program that provides free legal aid to people facing eviction is partially funded.
The Eviction Diversion Initiative is set to get $750,000 in 2027, compared to the $1.5 million it was budgeted for in 2026.
The Office of Public Health and Safety says that’s enough to pay for attorneys. But the 50% reduction means there won’t be funding for court navigators, who meet with people in court and help them make sense of the legal process.
The program is a partnership between the city of Indianapolis and the Lawrence Township Small Claims Court. The city is responsible for funding.
Brian Heinemann, a spokesperson for the office, said the city is working with the township judge to potentially find funding for navigators.
College completion program
Indy Achieves’ budget is getting cut again in the 2027 budget. The program, run by EmployIndy, gives grants to Marion County residents who are at risk of dropping out of school for financial reasons.
Councilors previously funded the program at $2.5 million. But, after two consecutive years of cuts, Indy Achieves will get $1.5 million in the 2027 budget.
Program leaders say that’s because they’ve needed to fund fewer staff positions after longtime partner Ivy Tech decided to create its own, similar program.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
Emily Hopkins is a senior reporter at Mirror Indy. You can reach them by phone or Signal at 317-790-5268 or email at emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis or on Bluesky @emilyhopkins.bsky.social.
Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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