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Council adopts omnibus finance ordinance shifting appropriations for fire equipment, engineering reimbursements and other items
Summary
The Evansville Common Council adopted a finance ordinance on June 23 that moves multiple appropriations among city funds, funding fire equipment, engineering reimbursements and workforce-development programming.
The Evansville Common Council on June 23 adopted Ordinance F 20 25-08 (amended), a finance ordinance authorizing a series of transfers, additional appropriations and re-appropriations across city funds. The ordinance covered multiple departmental requests submitted with the council’s finance packet.
Among the items discussed in public session:
- Fire department hazmat cleanup fund: Deputy Chief Brown said the department sought to move $62,824.19 collected in the hazmat cleanup fund, transferring roughly $30,000 to other services and $32,824.19 to small tools and equipment. Brown said the department is accumulating equipment, including future plans for battery extrication tools to improve vehicle-extrication safety.
- Grant and small tools appropriations: The department also sought appropriation of a $7,500 private-business grant and roughly $15,650 from recent collections into small tools and equipment to avoid asking for tax increases.
- City engineer reimbursements: City Engineer Mike Lipitsky described reimbursements returning to city coffers, including $715,450.15 from the Indiana Department of Transportation for Community Crossings matching grant funds and other smaller reimbursements tied to construction engineering agreements for the Walnut Phase 3 project.
- METS bus cleaning and salaries: The ordinance moves salary funding to address cleaning vacancies and pursue a full-shift employee for bus cleaning rather than partial contractor coverage.
- Arbitrage calculation for parks bonds: Finance staff said an annual arbitrage calculation is required for 2022 parks bonds; the ordinance funds the outside firm that performs the calculation.
- Casino fund uses and project list: Finance staff discussed using portions of the $1.2 million casino payment received last year to fund multiple projects (mold remediation at Swander, Innovation Point HVAC increases, downtown restroom, and other items) and reported roughly $545,000 still available after prior allocations.
- Jumpstart EVV and workforce development: The Department of Metropolitan Development described Jumpstart EVV, a community-development cohort administered with a CDFI; the council was told $23,000 would cover two 10-week cohorts and graduations and that program design was modeled on Indianapolis’s Martindale CDC Jumpstart program.
- Settlement payment for a 2021 police-vehicle accident: Robert Gunter noted a large claim from a 2021 vehicle accident; the ordinance uses reserves to pay the city's portion after the insurance settlement.
Why it matters: The finance ordinance bundles many small- and mid-size budget actions that allow departments to buy tools, accept grants and move reimbursements without separate measures for each item. Several items were presented as ways to avoid asking taxpayers for new revenue.
Vote and next steps: The council adopted the ordinance by roll call, 8-0. City staff will implement transfers and return with any required follow-up reporting tied to grants and project timelines.
Ending: Council members asked for continued updates on the Walnut Phase 3 timeline, Jumpstart program launch dates and the timing for equipment purchases tied to the fire department appropriation.
