Two City-County councilors are asking that a decision on the new justice center be postponed until after a new Indianapolis mayor is elected in November.
Mary Moriarity Adams, the only Democrat to publicly support the justice center, and Republican Ben Hunter, a former police officer, say given the scope of the project, it's only fair to let the new mayor weigh in.
"We're not saying there's not a need for a new jail or a new courthouse, we're saying we need to slow down on this thing and actually allow our next mayor to handle this as late into the year as it's getting to be now," Adams said.
"The reason Mary and I teamed up is, it's not political for us. We want to look at the numbers," Hunter said.
Mayor Greg Ballard wants to build the new justice complex on the site of the old GM stamping plant through a Public Private Partnership or P3. In late 2014, he chose WMB Heartland Justice Partners to design, build, operate and maintain the complex.
Under the terms of the deal, WMB would finance construction of the $408 million facility with the city paying an annual service fee for $46.8 million over 35 years.
The mayor's office has said under that arrangement, taxpayers won't pay a dime. But Adams worries about the financial impact on public safety agencies and others that will utilize the new center.
Marion County Clerk Myla Eldridge said her office would have to cut as much as $700,000 a year from their budget or the equivalent of 20 of 26 deputy clerks.
"This administration has asked all these agencies to cut their budgets since 2008, every year, by five percent...This was the first year it was 3.5 percent," Adams said. "When you're cutting like that, you can't cut more to get in the front door."
In response, mayoral spokesperson Jen Pittman said, "we are asking agencies to take a hard look at resources not needed once the center is open. They look like cuts but they wouldn't take place until the savings are put in place by the agencies" and after the center opens.
Pittman added while various numbers had been discussed, nothing had been decided.
She also said, "this is something that's been call for for a long time. The deal has been put together with council input from the beginning. A delay does not seem necessary."
Asked when he first heard about the project, Hunter said, "in the last 3-4 months."
The mayor's office wants the council to vote on the deal by mid-April so the city can close on it before the May 19 deadline. After that, the interest rates are no longer locked in and could go up, costing the city more.
But Hunter said, "this is going to be on council timeline and we have to make decisions for the long-term and we want to make sure the efficiencies and savings are there on the back end. This needs to hold true for several years."
Democrat Pam Hickman released a statement that read, ""I have spent many hours listening to and asking questions about the Justice Center proposal, and I understand the strong need for a new jail facility in Marion County. However, I have serious concerns about the projected cost savings and whether we will be able to build and operate the Justice Center without either increasing taxes or compromising vital public safety services. I will wait for the results of the independent financial analysis before making a final determination."
Democrats commissioned a consultant to review the numbers provided by the mayor's office. That study is expected to take a month. In the meantime, a council committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on establishing the Marion County Justice Complex Board to review the lease and hold public hearings.
