Deputy mayor outlines mayor’s 2026 priorities as committee hears mayor’s office budget

The Administration & Finance Committee heard a detailed presentation of the mayor’s consolidated office budget from Chief Deputy Mayor Dan Parker, who pushed the mayor’s budget hearing to the front of the committee and emphasized six priorities the mayor set for the 2026 budget cycle.

Parker told the committee the mayor’s office sought to produce a fully balanced budget with no tax increases, to fully fund negotiated labor contracts, and to protect critical investments while maintaining reserves. He described the 2026 budget as the ninth consecutive balanced budget for the city and said the administration and council worked closely and transparently in developing the proposal.

Key items and changes noted by Parker:

- Organizational setup: The consolidated mayor’s office budget covers mayoral administration, the Office of Education Innovation (OEI), the Mayor’s Action Center (MAC), the Citizen Police Complaint Office and other mayoral programs. Parker identified new staff additions including Natalie VanDogen as director of community outreach and noted the mayor’s neighborhood advocates are fully staffed.

- Staffing and savings: One position — the deputy mayor of economic development — was eliminated in the mayor’s admin budget after creation of a standalone nonprofit, Indy Economic Development Inc. Parker said the city moved contracts and support that had been provided to a chamber-style entity into the new nonprofit; a hired president and CEO (Jim Schellinger) will handle economic-development functions going forward.

- Public safety and violence-reduction: Parker highlighted the city’s Gun Violence Reduction Strategy, referencing results presented by the mayor — including a cited 50% reduction in criminal homicides since 2021 and a roughly 47% reduction in nonfatal shootings — and said the administration will continue collaboration with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (referred to in the presentation as "Nick Jr."). He also emphasized ongoing recruitment for IMPD (three recruit classes planned) and IFD.

- Education and parks: Parker said OEI’s budget is funded primarily with state dollars and noted OEI was "right-sized" following recent state-law changes; the budget also includes Circle City Readers funding. He described historic investment in parks and trails, referencing Lilly Endowment and other philanthropic partnerships and the council’s $25 million local match for trail projects.

- Mayor’s Action Center and union proposal: Parker told the committee the mayor’s office supports a separate, technical proposal related to the organizational status of the MAC call center (the item later introduced as Proposal 235 and advanced by the committee).

Parker fielded multiple council questions. On homelessness, he said Streets to Home and coordination with OPHS and DMD are the immediate pathways for housing units and that camps posing public-safety concerns can be cleared after efforts to house residents are pursued. On equity and district-level questions, Parker discussed use of data (for example from DPW maps) to prioritize infrastructure spending and how the council’s prior district allocations had differed from current metric-based distribution.

Committee members thanked Parker and highlighted collaborative work between the administration and council on the budget. The hearing included additional appointments and agenda business later in the meeting.

Separately during the meeting the committee approved an appointment: Laura Larimer, nominated to a city position (introduced in the hearing), was confirmed by voice vote after a motion and second. The committee record did not include a roll-call tally.