Beech Grove leaders on Oct. 19 approved the city’s $19.6 million budget for 2027 as they prepare for an uncertain future.
The budget includes around $50,000 for police vehicles and $15,000 for the station and the gunnery behind the building. Councilors also, separately, approved $20,000 to pay for accessible bathroom upgrades at Hartman Park.
Local governments across the state are bracing for a budget shortfall due to changes in property tax distribution. That number is projected to be $600,000 to $1.2 million within the next few years, according to 2025 estimates.
Beech Grove’s assessed property value, though, is expected to be more than $848 million in 2027, an 8.6% increase from 2026. Mayor Jim Coffman said the growth in property taxes is a good sign.
“The continued increase in our assessed value will allow us to stretch our dollars another year, and is proof that our targeted strategy to bring new businesses to Beech Grove is paying off,” Coffman wrote in a press release.
City staff will receive 1% cost-of-living raises next year, a drop from the 3% increase approved in the $19.4 million budget for 2026. Elected officials gave up 1% raises for the second year in a row, as well as appointed officials.
The southside councilors also bumped up the salaries for the city’s lowest paid employees by roughly 4%-6% to help address pay disparities. The salary increases will be paid using $10,000 in funds from the court and police departments and dollars from a part-time position that no longer exists in the senior center. The community center’s budget will receive an increase to cover raises.
The salary and budget ordinances both passed 5-1 with at-large Republican Dan McMillan opposed because he said the percentage increase should be 1% across the board in order to be fair. Republican Councilor Mike Earnest was absent.
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Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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