Residents urge $3 million urban-forest acquisition fund in 2026 budget

Dozens of residents and conservation advocates asked the Indianapolis City–County Council on the evening of a public budget hearing to restore a $3,000,000 urban forest acquisition line in the 2026 budget to buy and protect at‑risk woodlands across Marion County.

Speakers from the Indiana Forest Alliance, Forest for Indy and neighborhood groups told councilors that canopy cover in Marion County has fallen from about 32% (based on earlier imaging cited by speakers) to roughly 27% and that mature forest patches deliver immediate stormwater, cooling and public‑health benefits that newly planted trees cannot replace.

The request built on money the council appropriated last year that was not secured permanently in 2026, advocates said. “Without investment from the city, forests vital to us all will remain near worthless to owners, and we will continue to lose this vital green infrastructure to development,” said Jonathan Munro, speaking for Forest for Indy. Munro and other speakers asked the council to include $3,000,000 for an urban‑forest acquisition fund in the 2026 budget and to authorize the mayor’s office and Department of Public Works to work with partners to identify and steward priority parcels.

Indiana Forest Alliance board member Larry Kane summarized the technical case and inventory work cited by supporters and urged the council to act. “Our latest figures put canopy cover at 27% in Marion County,” Kane said, noting earlier research he described as the basis for the canopy estimates. Several speakers described recent clearings that removed forest for parking lots or development.

Neighborhood speakers emphasized local impacts. Elliot Berger, a District 2 resident and longtime neighborhood grounds committee chair, described a three‑acre stand of woods and marsh cleared for development and said the loss increased stormwater and infrastructure burdens. Elizabeth Mahoney, board president of the Indiana Forest Alliance and River Park Club Neighborhood Association, urged a dedicated, nonreverting fund to protect forests permanently rather than relying on ad hoc allocations.

Others described the same message in personal terms: Brian (no last name given) said the Eastside Flatwoods is the county’s largest untouched canopy and pleaded for preservation for future generations; Marguerite Topping and John Fisher described neighborhood green space benefits and intergenerational value; and Jeff Stant, a consultant, told the council that several priority forest parcels identified two years ago remain for sale and at risk.

Speakers repeatedly framed the request as modest relative to the overall city budget. “We’re asking for a small $3,000,000 investment, less than 0.2% of your $1.79 billion budget,” Mahoney said. Advocates asked that funds be nonreverting and that staff be directed to work with conservation partners to complete acquisitions quickly, noting that once a parcel is cleared its canopy and ecosystem are effectively lost for generations.

The hearing record shows strong public support but does not record a council vote on adding the fund to the 2026 budget. Several speakers referenced prior council statements and plans — including the White River Vision Plan and the city’s parks plans — and said funding, not planning, is the missing step. No formal motion or appropriation was made during the hearing.

Councilors did not take formal action on the request during the session; the public hearing portion of the meeting proceeded through other municipal corporation budgets and agenda items following the testimony.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the public comment portion of the budget hearing; the transcript does not record the council’s final decision on the requested $3,000,000 in the 2026 budget.

Supporters provided maps and photos to the council in advance and referenced prior inventories; details on specific parcels and seller willingness to accept conservation terms were described by speakers but not resolved at the hearing. Advocates asked the council to consider sequestering the previously appropriated $3,000,000 and making it permanent for acquisitions to prevent the same funds being removed in future budgets.

If the council adopts funding or directs staff to complete acquisitions, staff steps, sources of matching funds and stewardship responsibilities would determine timing and implementation; those technical steps were not decided at the hearing.