This month, Fishers City Council is scheduled to adopt the 2017 municipal budget. The total budget comes in at $85.4 million with an anticipated $48 million in cash reserves.
This year’s budget includes aggressive plans to invest in public safety and infrastructure.
Public Safety Upgrades
On the public safety front, the budget proposes four new police officers, four new fireman, a live fire training facility, 13 new police vehicles, a medic truck and a new Fishers Police Department headquarters.
The new headquarters will be built just east of the current FPD building on Municipal Drive. The former BMV building, which currently houses the City’s IT department and Court, will be torn down and the new headquarters built in its place.
The new facility is a solution to space limitations in the current building where the department has been housed since 1994, when FPD had only about 30 police officers. Now, the department’s 107 officers are split between two locations – the headquarters and a private off-site location. Additionally, the department has outgrown its property room and crime lab. The new three-level 50,000 square-foot facility will allow the department to consolidate the two locations. The headquarters will also include a three-level 175-225 space parking garage that will provide public parking on its second and third levels. Mayor Fadness hopes to break ground on the facility in early 2017.
The old FPD headquarters will house the City’s IT department, Court and other city employees who currently work within City Hall.
Infrastructure Improvements
As a growing community with many aging roads, significant investments in infrastructure are required. The City has been aggressive in expanding infrastructure to accommodate the city’s growth, but maintenance of roads has been a more challenging feat.
If the City were to continue with its current budget for road maintenance, which is funded by the State’s Motor Vehicle Highway Fund, roads would be repaved approximately every 72 years. Every 15-25 years is the recommended schedule for repaving.
Last month, Fishers City Council approved an annual $25 wheel tax that will take effect on January 1, 2018. The tax will be added to the cost of residents’ annual vehicle registration. The wheel tax equates to $2.5 million per year, which would allow the City to pursue a sustainable resurfacing program, thereby maintaining the overall vibrancy of our city.
The 2017 budget includes the following road improvement projects:
- 96th Street and Lantern Road Roundabout
- 116th Street Crosswalks
- Nickel Plate Trail Extension
- 113th Street Rehabilitation
- 131st Street and Cumberland Road Improvements
- 116th Street Pavement Rehabilitation
- 106th Street Railroad Crossing Improvements
- 136th Street and Southeastern Parkway Improvements
- 116th Street Widening, Phase Two
Details on current and upcoming road projects can be found online at www.fishers.in.us/drivefishers.
The budget also includes a proposed three percent salary increase for all employees. In the September council meeting, council members voted to increase their salaries by $7,000 a year in 2017, bringing their compensation to $19,000 annually.
The tax rate is anticipated to increase between just 1.5 to 2 cents. Residents with homes valued between $100,000 -$250,000 will pay an additional $10-25 dollars in property taxes. Fishers maintains the lowest tax rate in Hamilton County and the lowest tax rate of the largest 15 cities in Indiana. Fishers is also the only city in the state with an AAA credit rating.