Indianapolis Public Works reports staffing gains, $400,000 gas-tax surplus and $95 million in planned construction

Director Todd Wilson presented the Department of Public Works' Q2 report at the Public Works Committee meeting on July 17, outlining staffing changes, budget variances and a slate of capital projects across Indianapolis.

Wilson reported that gas-tax receipts — the department's largest funding source — are performing above expectations. "We are about $400,000 over what we had budgeted for this year," he told the committee. He said the department is tracking the revenue closely during budget season.

The quarterly presentation included multiple personnel announcements. Wilson said Leandre Veil has joined the department as the city's first Vision Zero administrator and Lacey Johnson is the new deputy director of operations. David Bridal moved into Johnson's previous role overseeing stormwater operations. Natalie VanDogen will return to the mayor's office as director of community outreach. At the same time, Wilson said the department is losing stormwater administrator Shannon Killian and chief engineer John Bowen; he said the department is actively recruiting their successors. The committee also publicly acknowledged the retirement of former deputy director Tim Joyce.

Wilson said vacancies have improved since Q1, when the department recorded 88 open positions, and credited recent collective-bargaining pay adjustments for improved recruiting. "A major reason for this is pay adjustments from our new collective bargaining agreement, which made our compensations more competitive," he said.

On planning and policy, Wilson said the department has a proposed Vision Zero action plan posted for public comment after being published June 25. He said public feedback is being accepted through the end of the month on the city's Vision Zero page. The department is also accepting applications through August for tactical urbanism and art-in-the-right-of-way projects under its community-powered infrastructure program.

Wilson summarized transportation, ADA and construction metrics from the current construction season: 1,324 ADA-compliant curb ramps, about 15 miles of bike lanes added, 3,771 culverts addressed, roughly 240 street lights installed or repaired, 134 lane miles of asphalt resurfaced, 5 lane miles of concrete work, and 131 lane miles of strip patching. He reported operations crews closed more than 32,000 service requests to date and had filled more than 350,000 potholes this year; the department placed roughly 7,037 tons of asphalt during the quarter.

Wilson highlighted ongoing and upcoming projects including the Madison Avenue reimagining, phases of the Nickel Plate Trail, the Union Station bridge rehabilitation, the Thirtieth Street over White River bridge (targeted to reopen by the end of 2025), and work associated with the White River Innovation District. He said the department expects to bid approximately $20 million in residential resurface packages covering close to 70 street segments in the coming weeks and described other drainage and greenway projects scheduled for bid later in the year.

Fleet services received recognition, Wilson said, moving up in the National Association of Fleet Administrators rankings from 50th to 25th in The Americas. Fleet currently manages more than 5,000 pieces of equipment and has closed about 14,000 work orders this year, he said.

Wilson closed by summarizing operations facility investments funded in last year’s fall fiscal package: $1 million for operations facility upgrades and $500,000 for contractual capital planning. He said those funds were allocated to HVAC repairs, bathroom renovations, a remodel of the Belmont training center and security upgrades, with work expected to be completed in 2025.

Committee members asked for follow-up materials. Councilor Jared Evans asked for clarification on the $95 million in construction work and a breakdown of which resurfacing work is full repave versus strip patching. Wilson said staff would provide lists and clarifications on criteria used to select resurfacing segments. Councilors discussed pavement-preservation techniques such as crack sealing and micro-surfacing; Wilson said the department is piloting microseal and other preservation treatments in addition to traditional crack sealing.

The presentation concluded after roughly an hour with committee thanks and the meeting moved to other agenda items.