Noblesville council approves salary changes, ratifies officers and advances downtown bond steps

Noblesville City Council on Tuesday approved changes to the city’s salary ordinance that add position titles and establish longevity pay for long-serving police officers, ratified its 2026 leadership, and advanced fiscal steps for the Embrace Downtown project.

The council voted 9-0 on first reading to adopt Ordinance 0101-26, an amendment to the salary ordinance that adds titles including fire inspector and deputy fire marshal and creates a Section 10 provision setting longevity pay for full-time police officers who reach 25 years of service. "The main substitute change is to increase longevity pay for officers who have reached 25 years of service," Deputy Mayor Matt Light said during his presentation of the measure.

The action follows discussion in the city’s finance committee. Matt Light and staff told the council the change responds to recent retirements and is intended in part to help retention and to increase the pension base for eligible officers. The council approved the ordinance on first reading by roll call, 9 Aye, 0 Nay.

The council also ratified its 2026 officers. "I would move to ratify that Mike Davis serve as council president for 2026 and that Aaron Smith serve as vice president," a council member moved; the motion was seconded and ratified by hand vote.

On downtown financing, Jeff Spalding, the city’s chief financial officer and controller, introduced Ordinance 0201-26 to appropriate bond proceeds for the Embrace Downtown project. Spalding said a technical change in state law that took effect Jan. 1 requires the appropriation to be processed as an additional appropriation but does not increase the city’s 2026 budget. He reported that bids for the project came in "about 15% below" the city’s estimate, representing a reduction of roughly $1,000,000 from prior expectations.

Spalding asked council to introduce the ordinance; the council approved introduction and established a public hearing for the Jan. 27 meeting. "This appropriation will not actually increase the 2026 budget in the way you would normally think about that," Spalding said, explaining the appropriation grants authority to spend bond proceeds rather than expand ongoing budget appropriations.

The council approved a 2026 meet-and-confer agreement with the Noblesville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 198. Deputy Mayor Matt Light described the agreement as a one-year deal focused on retention and modest pay adjustments following the city’s recent budget and levy work.

Councilors also approved two routine finance resolutions: RC-1-26, authorizing certain fiscal adjustments to be executed by the controller with quarterly reporting to the council, and RC-2-26, authorizing appropriation of grant proceeds where the grant purpose is publicly defined. Claims were approved earlier in the meeting.

The meeting concluded after additional committee reports and the council’s approval of 2026 meeting guidelines. The next council meeting will include the public hearing on the downtown bond appropriation on Jan. 27.