Indiana

State of the City

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

In his second State of the City address, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard today said the city was strong, but not immune to the challenges and crisises hitting the rest of the nation. He reiterated his themes of a safe, livable city, that has a healthy economic climate, good schools, is environmentally sound and has efficient services.  The Mayor also touched on some newer themes.  Here they are…

Lucas Oil Stadium

• The city is working with the Governor and the Legislature to find a solution to close the $43 million operating deficit that directly involves the users of the facility and the parties who benefit from them.

Crime

• The city has made progress, but needs to do more.  He plans to hire more police and 36 public assistance officers this year who will deal with administrative duties, such as taking reports, freeing up police to be out on the beat.

Infrastructure

• The city has requested more than $160 million in economic stimulus dollars for infrastructure.  And is spending more than $18 million on new street equipment and snow removal vehicles.   The Mayor is also creating an Infrastructure Advisory group headed by IUPUI’s Bill Bloomquist.  The Group will look at making city purchasing more efficient, increasing revenues from parking meters, city garages and upgrading city parks by looking for non-taxpayer funded sources.

The Mayor also touted the successes in the city’s charter schools and acknowledged former Mayor Bart Peterson’s work in them.   He talked about producing a mass transit plan in six months that incorporated a more regional approach to addressing the issue. He called for the elimination of township government and told the audience that he wants to solve Indianapolis’ issues for the long term (i.e. 30, 40, 50 years) as opposed to short-term solutions to problems.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on February 21, 2009 (boomark / email).