INDIANAPOLIS — A million dollars that comes with a deadline. Each of the 25 city-county council districts in Indianapolis will get $1 million to spend on infrastructure or parks projects, and they have until Friday, November 1st to decide.
"Where can we put our best money forth to really improve our environment," said Mark Demerly with the Broad Ripple Village Association (BRVA). “I'm just hoping this is not a one-time opportunity."
"Try to convince John [Barth] to spend all that money in Butler-Tarkington," said Stephanie Patterson-Cline, President of the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association. "We have, like, a lot of things that are coming in, but not like this, not like a million dollars for a project."
"I got a lot to think about," Councilor John Barth of District 7 said.
A choice all 25 city-county councilors are facing: which projects— parks or public works— will get a million from the city's 2025 budget.
Each councilor came up with their own method to decide how to spend the million dollars in their community. Some used surveys, data, or emails. Councilor Barth felt like meeting with his constituents Monday evening at the Broad Ripple Family Center, allowing them to see the projects and vote on their own was what he needed to do to make that decision.
"One of the most important things is to make sure that constituents feel heard," Barth said. "I wanted to try to highlight areas in my district that hadn't had as much investment to make sure that I'm equitably trying to spend money around the district."
Demerly said he's pulling for parks to get the funding, like Canterbury Park.
"Our parks department is at the bottom of the national list of funded systems and whatever we can do," said Demerly. "I think parks are where we can make the best improvement."
While Cline hopes the money will go towards infrastructure.
"If you want to have a kid-centric neighborhood. You need to have streets that a kid can ride their bike on. But the streets are in such disrepair that if a kid wanted to go from one part to the other, even though it's only four blocks, it's really rough. You know? It's just like they probably lose their teeth just going over the road," Cline said.
Councilor Barth said he knows a million dollars will only stretch so far, but he wants to make the most out of the resources.
"If I could, I would do all of these things that do them tomorrow. But the truth is, we have limited resources, and we have to make tough choices, but if we make tough choices together, then we're all in this together," Barth said.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) provided each councilor with data on local complaints, to help them decide what areas they want to prioritize.
