Zionsville mayor outlines capital projects and warns SB 1 will strain budgets

Mayor John Stair told a packed audience at the Indianapolis Executive Airport that Zionsville is positioned to invest in public safety, parks and economic development even as state policy threatens local revenue. "It is, devastating for us," Stair said of Senate Bill 1, adding the town will receive "far less revenue than we had expected" for several years and that council members may have to consider a local income tax in 2028 if the gap remains.

Stair laid out a sequence of capital projects the town plans to deliver over the next several years. He said the town will begin a two-year process to build a new municipal services building near Trailside Elementary School, with a hoped-for groundbreaking in the second quarter of next year and occupancy in 2027. He also announced plans to rebuild Fire Station 291 on Ford Road and to add a new fire facility in western Zionsville, where the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department is concluding a 65-year run; the western station is targeted to be operational by 2026. "Our town council has voted to approve funding for purchase of land along the Michigan Road corridor for a future fire station," Stair said.

On parks and conservation, Stair said the council appropriated funds to complete early build-out of the Carpenter Nature Preserve, which the town plans to open in 2026. He described the preserve as "the largest nature preserve in Boone County," and cited a $3,000,000 grant from Indiana’s Next Level Conservation Trust, a $500,000 land- and water-conservation grant, and more than $1,000,000 raised by the Zionsville Parks Foundation in recent years to support parks and recreation.

Stair also highlighted commercial growth at Creekside Corporate Park and other projects intended to diversify Zionsville’s tax base. He singled out a planned $6,000,000 facility for Intelligent Living and the long-standing presence of DK Pierce as signs of growing commercial investment. Jason Plunkett, town council president, had earlier warned that Senate Bill 1 "could face more than a $1,000,000 impact on our next budget cycle," urging the town to accelerate the comprehensive plan and commercial growth to reduce reliance on residential property tax.

Stair said the comprehensive plan—guided by a 30-member steering committee—was in its final stages and expected to be presented for approval by the end of this year or early 2026. He emphasized balancing new commercial opportunities with the town’s historic character.

The mayor closed by stressing that the town will try to "control the controllables" and plan within a five-year financial framework, while acknowledging difficult choices lie ahead if the state law remains unchanged.