INDIANAPOLIS — The community was given a chance to voice how they want the city to spend its money next year.
The conversation was part of the City-County Council meeting for the proposed 2024 budget. The council will be voting on it in just two weeks.
But on Monday night, only two people spoke out during a public comment section.
One resident asked the council about increasing wages for city workers and vendors, citing some employees barely make $13 an hour.
“We need a living wage amongst our employees. The city employees, your employees, your neighbors, your family members,” he said. “That’s poverty wage as you guys are passing these billion-dollar budgets.”
Even though many of the seats were empty inside the City-County Building Monday night, the council did receive other feedback earlier this month during committee hearings.
A big focus has been on public safety.
Right now, IMPD is slated to receive more than $323 million – the largest budget in the department’s history. The money will go toward improving technology, retaining and recruiting officers and new equipment.
Another big focus is on staffing at Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The office is slated to receive a 13% bump in the proposed budget, with a total of $130 million.
The sheriff hopes to use that to improve safety and security at the Community Justice Campus and increase salaries for deputies.
In total, the proposed budget is more than $1.5 billion.
Over the next two weeks, the City-County Council committees will review the budget and analyze it.
A final vote is scheduled for Oct. 16.
You can still reach out to your councilor to share your opinion of the proposed budget. Click here to give your input.