The Indianapolis City-County Council elected its leadership for 2025 and passed a slate of routine appointments, rezonings and program approvals at its organizational meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the City-County Building.

The council elected Councilor Osley as council president, chose Councilor Ally Brown as vice president and confirmed Yolanda Winfield as clerk for 2025. The council also certified Maggie Lewis as majority leader and Michael Hart as minority leader. Several reappointments, land-use measures and administrative approvals carried with little debate and were approved by unanimous or near‑unanimous votes.

Why it matters: The organizational meeting sets leadership and committee referrals that will shape which proposals move this year. The actions taken included zoning decisions, an economic development area designation under state statute, approval of a payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILOT) for an affordable housing project financed with low‑income housing tax credits, and the adoption of a residential permit‑parking rule for a neighborhood.

Council leadership and procedure

Councilor McCormick nominated Councilor Osley for council president; nominations were closed and Osley was elected by voice vote. Councilor Ally Brown was nominated and elected vice president after an up‑or‑down vote in which six councilors were recorded as voting no; the motion nevertheless carried. Yolanda Winfield was nominated and confirmed as clerk. The clerk announced that the majority caucus had selected Maggie Lewis as majority leader and the minority caucus had selected Michael Hart as minority leader.

Appointments, reappointments and committee referrals

The council approved multiple reappointments and appointments that had passed their respective committees. Proposals 366 and 381 reappointed members to the Marion County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals and the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals respectively; the motions passed on the floor by unanimous recorded votes, 24–0. Numerous other appointment and reappointment proposals were introduced and referred to committees for consideration, including mayoral nominations for deputy mayors, department directors and board members (proposal numbers 12,025; 22,025; 32,025; 4,22025; 52,025; 62,025; and others) and were formally referred to the committees named in the clerk’s reading of introductions.

Land use, economic development and housing actions

The council allowed rezoning proposals certified by the Metropolitan Development Commission to pass into law: proposal numbers 36 through 45 were enacted as presented; proposal number 46 was upheld as denied. Proposal 379 approved an economic development plan establishing the South Post Road Economic Development Area and declaring it an allocation area under Indiana Code 36-7-15.1; that motion passed 24–0.

Proposal 383 approved a payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (a PILOT) for the Rosedale Hills Apartments, a 132‑unit affordable housing project at 2139 E. Hanna Ave., under IC 36-3-2-12 and with financing that includes low‑income housing tax credits pursuant to section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The motion passed 24–0.

Proposal 349, which amends development standards in chapter 744 of the revised code of the consolidated city and county, passed out of committee and was adopted by the council. During floor comments Councilor Baine said he would support the measure but urged that any changes sought at the state level be applied uniformly across the state rather than singling out a particular city or county: "I would just hope that any regulations that we see coming this upcoming session or thereafter would apply universally throughout the state," Baine said.

Public safety and administrative approvals

Proposal 392 authorized the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to pay legal fees and litigation costs from the Sheriff’s commissary fund; that passed with a committee recommendation and carried on the floor, 24–0. Proposal 393 amended the municipal code to establish residential permit parking on designated streets in the Chatham Arch neighborhood; the council adopted that measure 24–0.

Other business and next steps

The meeting also included the routine certification of notices, the clerk’s reading of official communications and the formal introduction of many proposals that will be referred to committees for hearings and votes in the coming weeks. The clerk announced a public hearing on proposals 384 and 385 to be held Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in the public assembly room.

The session concluded with a motion to adjourn offered in memory of three residents; the motion was entered into the permanent record and the meeting was adjourned.