Lawrence Mayor Deb Whitfield’s administration is seeking additional appropriations for the 2025 budget. But that request has caused some tension and confusion in Lawrence.
Council President Betty Robinson said appropriations proposals are common at the end of the year. Additional appropriations are used to cover unexpected costs.
But Robinson was shocked by the amount requested. As advertised on the proposal’s public notice, the administration would be requesting to spend an extra $4.5 million in the general fund. That would be in addition to the $28 million the council already approved for this year’s budget despite concerns over the city’s finances.
“I was really surprised when I saw that $4 million, I was taken back,” Robinson said. “I just couldn’t believe it. Because my question, just like everyone else, was what do you need $4 million for?”
At a Wednesday, Dec. 17 meeting of the Lawrence Common Council, controller Terri Leah Falker said the proposal and public notice were submitted before the administration’s financial analysis had been completed in order to meet the public notice deadline.
“I would rather it be over than under,” Falker said.
In reality, the administration is seeking to appropriate $828,000 across four funds. Some of that money would be used to pay for council and EMS services, as well as debt service on government buildings.
Greg Goodnight, chief of staff for the Whitfield administration, said councilors were made aware of the revision in a Thursday, Dec. 11, email.
Robinson confirmed with Mirror Indy the council had been made aware of the revision, but said the administration should have rewritten the proposal and public notice with the correct amount. She also said she believes it was premature of the administration to seek additional appropriations before the analysis was completed.
“We need to tell the people of Lawrence the truth, don’t just guess at it,” Robinson said. “If you were guessing at $4 million, it just doesn’t look good at all.”
The proposal was set to be heard at the Wednesday, Dec. 17, meeting. But the Whitfield administration did not properly meet the public notice deadline for the issue to be considered on that day.
Per state law, public notices need to be published in two daily newspapers. But Goodnight said the administration missed the deadline for the public notice to appear in the Friday, Dec. 5, edition of the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Council leadership will need to schedule a special meeting for the proposal to be heard. That meeting will need to take place before the end of the year.
Tension brews between Lawrence and Indy councilor
The proposal has caused tension between Lawrence officials and Indianapolis City-County Council Vice President Ali Brown.
Brown, who lives in Lawrence and represents parts of the city on the City-County Council, shared the public hearing notice on her personal Facebook page Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Brown said she also was shocked at the amount advertised in the public notice.
“At the last meeting of the year, the Mayor of Lawrence is asking for nearly $4.5 million for ‘personal services’ with basically zero details given to the public,” Brown wrote in her post. “To put that in perspective: the equivalent in Indianapolis would be a surprise $150 million spending request. Dropped on the council with no explanation.”
Brown told Mirror Indy she had shared her concerns with some members of the Lawrence Common Council.
The next day, Whitfield responded to Brown’s post with a statement on the city’s public Facebook page.
In the post, Whitfield said Brown’s statements “reflect a fundamental misunderstanding” of city government accounting procedures.
“These processes are well known to local elected officials and staff, and accuracy is essential when discussing public finances,” Whitfield’s statement said, in part. “Unfortunately, the comments shared yesterday risk confusing residents about how their city government manages taxpayer dollars.”
Brown responded to the post with her own statement, which she posted on Facebook and sent to Mirror Indy.
“When significant new spending is requested, it is reasonable and responsible for elected officials and the public to ask questions,” Brown said in the statement.
In the statement, she also mentioned she had consulted with Lawrence councilors and the city clerk about the appropriation and the city’s current financial situation.
“Rather than addressing these questions head-on, the mayor chose to publicly criticize my asking them,” Brown said. “That decision does not provide clarity, transparency, or reassurance to the people of Lawrence. It only reinforces the concern that the administration is unwilling or unable to fully explain its financial decisions.”
Last month, Brown announced she will not seek reelection for Indianapolis council leadership. She said the move would allow her to focus on Lawrence residents.
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Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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