Indianapolis DPW presents $257 million 2026 budget; board asks about Vision Zero funding

The Indianapolis Department of Public Works on Sept. 24 presented a proposed $257,000,000 budget for 2026 that department officials said is driven by gas and wheel taxes, user fees for solid waste and stormwater, interlocal agreements and grants.

Margaret Wilson, assistant chief financial officer for the Department of Public Works, told the Board of Public Works the introduced budget reflects stable growth in several dedicated revenue sources and includes increases for contractual obligations, cost-of-living adjustments and a one-time operations appropriation. "This is an attempt to...break down this budget a bit more," Wilson said during the board's presentation.

The budget includes several line items board members flagged as important: a $10,000,000 allocation of COIT funds for the department's transportation capital program; a $300,000 increase for the department's Tax Drop program; and purchases and capital for fleet, including funding to acquire trucks and equipment. Wilson said DPW's grant fund total was budgeted at about $46,000,000 for 2026 compared with $51,000,000 budgeted in 2025; she described that change as an…