[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6585781,"mediaKeyId","5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36","parentId",5596119,"title","BNS proposes fee changes and a continuous-vacancy program as demolition and permit work expands","audioSeconds",1873,"startMs",6033000,"endMs",7906000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36&start=6033&end=7906","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36/thumbnail_6033000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6585781/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/BNS-proposes-fee-changes-and-a-continuous-vacancy-program-as-demolition-and-permit-work-expands","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6585781-847088bbc8c7a70cae9c308db75fd76d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771109382&Signature=od4r5v-Cg6iIxA17RqbQVerv6uBPHNJynB4Cpb6NglZsBo4apcSpKK8rm02eUWG1-sHZexNSoK3zwelXgO3wrehzz3nuvMq3ztDKr4n9bVzgwzooHfRSBhTO5f2touad9AN7aJqAitGWgf4ptjvRkJ0SV5HO1BrYBDX4l0wC7qx82Z7NHF5d8llqZw3zYsNVXzir9UmzWL1-AR5jGYXcYk1WIrK9fQuZPF9o~hysD-UPoRWLSnOXZl-X3CAR067t59EM-zC0rh6rrzLeXDPyV14Ok0oFqh4Z0CvCrSljMMYnnTpWStO1Lvj~omVaUsNVJJP58t6ALWeVEXkkv1WOiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Indianapolis, IN","date","2025-08-18T00:00:00Z","article","The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (BNS) presented its 2026 proposed budget and a set of fee-and-penalty updates to the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee, and announced a new continuous-vacancy enforcement program aimed at long-term, problematic vacant structures.

Director Abby Brands said the department is shrinking vacancies and expanding enforcement work: \"We have 210 staff members. Last year when I came before this body, we had 70 vacancies. In January, we had 30. Now we have 18,\" she told the committee. Brands outlined rising demolition activity after the council provided additional funding and described efforts to modernize permitting, public-facing maps and website content.

Nut graf: BNS proposed targeted fee increases informed by a Baker Tilly cost study, seeks to add reinspection and stop-work penalties, and plans a continuous-vacancy administrative pathway to pursue properties that have been vacant, in disrepair and unresponsive to previous enforcement actions.

BNS described the continuous-vacancy program as leveraging state statute to target properties vacant for more than 90 days — with a proposed supplemental criterion that those properties also must have three consecutive repair orders — to focus enforcement on the most severe long-term blight. BNS estimated roughly 150–200 properties could be eligible in year one and said about 60% of those properties are held by companies, out-of-state owners or trusts.

Brands and CFO Jacob Miller reviewed operational trends: BNS has doubled demolition capacity after a $3 million council allocation, advancing from 54 structures bid in 2024 to an expectation of 100 structures bid in 2025 with 79 demolitions completed to date. The department reported nearly 24 tons of litter collected through neighborhood cleanups so far this year and said new programs address illegal dumping and high-weeds-and-grass assistance for residents with hardship.

On permitting, Brands described state legislation — referenced in the meeting as \"house bills 10 37 and 10 0 5\" — that will limit local drainage permitting under one acre and allow private third-party residential plan review and inspections starting Jan. 1, 2026. Brands said the department is creating a new permit path to accommodate those changes and is rolling out a right-of-way permit viewer and public portal to improve transparency.

BNS also proposed a package of fee adjustments. Examples include adding a reinspection fee (to recover costs when an inspector returns after a failed inspection), creating a stop-work violation penalty and updating plan-review and structural fees to be more transparent and closer to peer jurisdictions. Brands said the department is not increasing every fee and that the changes are targeted to align costs with the actual work performed.

Union leadership for AFSCME Local 1437, which represents some BNS employees, attended and expressed support for the department’s staffing and the proposed budget. Amanda Thompson, the union president, said the budget supports the department’s mission and the ability to address blight.

Ending: The committee received the presentation; BNS said it will bring fee proposals through its board and return with ordinance language for council consideration. Brands said the department will continue to refine digital services and pursue enforcement measures to address properties that have been vacant or in disrepair for extended periods.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council of Indianapolis, IN - Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services presented its 2026 budget and a package of fee updates, proposed a continuous-vacancy enforcement program for severely blighted properties, and described an expanded demolition program funded by recent council allocations.","taxTitle","Indianapolis City, Marion County, Indiana","taxId",3627,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6585787,"DMD outlines 2026 budget, cites federal grant phase-out and housing pipeline gains",1554,3061000,4615000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36&start=3061&end=4615","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36/thumbnail_3061000.jpg","/articles/6585787/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/DMD-outlines-2026-budget-cites-federal-grant-phase-out-and-housing-pipeline-gains","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6585787-3875252e721bdd497cd1a35e4db24aa7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771109382&Signature=CP95K~tP3trpdYXeCx6ep8cwzgPuQuSw5fFtSln3XLQIWzTK-wnu0Wwqls4s5v6kx5cYvCIhL3SRsX3m20GBTNx-9hQ4WILwhxo1YmbV1sd~HXPMeEBoeU~qdanMVXATcu7EkF3i9-D-sT2zqpiUTztyRvVPsCHW5dxhgirL4F9z2Pyf5yYjxGh1an5Fg7if20aICcmLQrScANmO~DNvbHMDeULvCFBGtn09QbiMs9IW~6sRRnhycArR9XTHjff4t68NEQcjyZHl4mYViDdT-PFkJlKmXfxP15WGUCawRK0QcFhXTsjMyaWuYvm4Ihi-~FG6iqaG3wdArBYChpAgKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) presented its 2026 proposed budget to the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee, reporting an overall 6.3% decrease in the requested appropriation compared with the 2025 adopted budget and attributing most of the decline to the phase-out of one-time federal ARPA-related grant funding.

Director Megan Vukcic described department reorganization and new initiatives intended to support housing, economic development and public spaces. \"This new engagement division will really interface with constituents and you all to better serve our community,\" Vukcic said, and she highlighted program delivery that DMD said is aimed at increasing housing stability and activating public spaces.

Nut graf: while the introduced budget shows reduced federal grant spending tied to one-time ARPA/HUD funding shifts, DMD leaders told the committee that core programs and pipeline activity — including hundreds of committed affordable units, remediation of brownfield sites and a new vacant-to-vibrant land-bank program — will continue and that the department expects no programmatic service reductions.

CFO Lucas Anderson provided numerical detail: the total budget drop stemmed from winding down ARPA-related HUD entitlement dollars; character 1 (personnel) showed an increase largely tied to COLA and grant-funded positions, while character 3 (operating and grants) reflected large federal-grant decreases. Anderson said DMD requested a modest $3,000 for the vacant-to-vibrant program to cover supplies and noted a reallocation of local dollars toward maintenance of legacy properties that include the Downtown Canal, City Market House and Union Station.

Program highlights delivered to the committee included: 683 affordable rental units and 186 affordable homeownership units under construction or committed as of 2025; acquisition or disposition activity to prepare 140 properties for redevelopment and sell 115 back to the private market; six active brownfields remediation sites totaling about 32 acres; and continuing investments in public-space activations that drew hundreds of thousands of visitors to the downtown canal and events like Spark on the Circle.

DMD also told the committee it expects to expand the master-leasing program for permanent housing if additional opioid-related grant funding is secured, increasing master-leasing from about 30 to 50 units. Anderson said DMD received a 2025 EPA Brownfields Communitywide Assessment Grant for $450,000 and a Public Art for All grant for up to $30,000.

Council members asked about compliance and enforcement for specific projects, including Canal Village, the costs and allocations for historic and legacy-property maintenance, and how DMD would measure housing outcomes. Vukcic said DMD has instituted a development portal to centralize applications and track outcomes and noted that a cultural-district application remains open through Aug. 31. On the budget, Vukcic and Anderson said they did not expect service cutbacks and that the department had worked with the Office of Finance and Management to meet a requested 4% reduction while preserving key contractual and capital needs.

Ending: The committee heard the budget presentation and asked follow-up questions; no committee vote on budget adoption took place during the meeting. DMD committed to share details of countywide initiatives and to provide follow-up materials when requested by council members.

","The Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development presented its 2026 proposed budget to the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee, reporting an overall 6.3% decrease largely due to the phase-out of one-time ARPA/HUD grant funding.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6585791,"Council committee approves PILOT for Canal Village 3 after residents press repair and tree-canopy concerns",1884,416000,2300000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36&start=416&end=2300","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36/thumbnail_416000.jpg","/articles/6585791/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Council-committee-approves-PILOT-for-Canal-Village-3-after-residents-press-repair-and-tree-canopy-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6585791-97e213d3a3c339eb65127e72e5191327/orig.mp4?Expires=1771109382&Signature=AJXgp7O0tVGnzCufcZQq2vmNNZuy7SRW-bPyCegTZ35KNhhArn-rOtz9Afxu4zRAU3pUiv3UvmJu1~~ZTSWUcu0mL8PuJBbRg1v~XmdpVT5VA1rZ0vODwLVnDmnru-4TbKw~ryTqiDv4kWxoDG43ILGPxHAbtHb9NMOUXyaPjERJSGn2H2jN9Uzp1tS1AAz8AvO0-ZGuSC7kdKsfcfRZrC8fDxruUq9uJyr1prka8cFTq1ELRuIDbYHNNmkwQU0Mkro8Q76ccCh7AIeNaaIYKvwiIVh2jDkdwUX5i8rvpT9jGdCU9qgc2zRcsezxZZ43Alwg~D9W8PiJGnq4Z8KytA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee voted to approve a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes pilot for Canal Village 3 LP, a proposed affordable-housing development financed in part with low-income housing tax credits under a program described in the meeting as \"IC 30 six-three-two-twelve.\" The committee approved proposal 184 by voice vote after a developer update and a public-comment period featuring residents who said maintenance and tree-loss issues remain from Canal Village phase 1.

The project developer, Gary Hobbs, identified in the meeting as president and CEO of BWI, told the committee the developer completed many of the promised repairs and committed not to remove trees \"unless it's absolutely necessary\" for construction; he also said remaining fence work at Canal Village 1 will be finished by September. Hobbs asked the committee for support to approve the PILOT so construction on Canal Village 3 can begin next month.

The nut graf: the committee approved a tax-incentive pilot intended to support affordable units in Canal Village 3, but residents and neighborhood groups used the hearing to press the developer and city staff for stricter enforcement and clearer guarantees that remaining repairs and canopy restoration promised after phase 1 will be completed.

Residents and local advocates described continuing problems at Canal Village 1. Carolyn Watts, who identified herself as co-chair of Near Northwest communities, said she supports proposal 184 but objected to plans by a small subset of stakeholders who had not represented the entire neighborhood. Laurie Purdue of the Community Canopy Alliance and Ray Schnapp detailed tree loss on lots proposed for phase 3, citing field surveys that the speakers said identified heritage trees and estimated ecological benefits lost when canopy was removed. Purdue said one heritage tree on city park land at Frank Young Park was damaged.

Neighborhood leaders including Latroy Carter and Alita Kemp said many tenants reported delayed repairs, leaking roofs and other conditions that they said had persisted for years. A neighborhood representative who said she had been approached by Canal Village 1 residents urged the committee to ensure repairs are completed for homes not directly visible from public streets, and to maintain programs to help renters move toward homeownership.

DMD (the Department of Metropolitan Development) staff told the committee the city will use project agreements and the land-transfer terms to require architectural review, 15 years of affordability at 60% area median income, periodic DMD inspections during construction and the affordability period, and a right of reversion for city-owned lots if the developer fails to meet performance deadlines. The DMD speaker said the city can revoke the pilot or assess penalties for noncompliance and that the department had already required monthly project updates to the community until obligations are fulfilled.

Committee discussion noted the neighborhood's concerns and sought details about enforcement. Councilor Michael Paul Hart (District 20) asked what the city’s plan was to ensure developer compliance; DMD staff pointed to contractual remedies, inspection rights and the right to take back properties. When asked how residents could follow up, DMD staff directed residents to the mayor’s action center or to contact DMD staffers directly.

On the vote: the committee approved proposal 184 by voice vote. The meeting record shows the motion carried after the ayes and nays, but did not list a named mover, second or a numeric tally in the transcript; the minutes record the outcome as approved.

Ending: The approval allows Canal Village 3 to proceed toward closing and construction, subject to the city’s project agreements and ongoing oversight. Neighbors and advocates said they will continue to monitor repairs and tree-replacement commitments as the project moves forward.

","The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee voted to approve a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes pilot for Canal Village 3 LP, a proposed affordable-housing development financed in part with low-income housing tax credits under a program described in the meeting as \"IC 30 six-three-two-twelve.\"",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6585776,"Marion County surveyor presents 2026 budget; requests equipment upgrade funded by perpetuation fee",667,2367000,3034000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36&start=2367&end=3034","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5596119-95f3fe7f7699319dffd6d731d8beae36/thumbnail_2367000.jpg","/articles/6585776/Indianapolis-City/Marion-County/Indiana/Marion-County-surveyor-presents-2026-budget-requests-equipment-upgrade-funded-by-perpetuation-fee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6585776-d9e4d87afb3bfc9c0d8393840a282e62/orig.mp4?Expires=1771109383&Signature=C-PYX51dKP~X8SdjNDioQxFWcGuo9e3V9dYbuuNQrmFzkaje44msplo8SvjgqV8vKQEamyzZJbywtEy7DqCzes6woUGIgSmU-b4VzWr6Fuk7AwphNhHp0yNFN8DDkwpC2jp8zeqRZy7zKa9orEOqEf4krVHMyUo3gAXhfl2d8Y1eoHw8RaYk0S8MqtrHy3qV4qcLjmcGyVVUz40f2Kr5XKoluxfMFdTjP2kYOmFAUqCPwvoKaYGbutuC~LDnHOGA3NFbcSfTo79E33fwudtUXcFovy~BcsW6I-bhDlb1Pvjx2WVkMwqqFAsiW1mvrxnsbuAYrxfDA3RWz7NoEi4cVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deborah Jenkins, Marion County surveyor, presented the surveyor's office 2026 budget and described staffing, revenue sources and capital needs at the Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee meeting.

Jenkins told the committee she has served as county surveyor since 2009 and outlined the office's three divisions — administrative, surveying (research, planning and field work) and history/preservation and data analysis. She said revenue for the office comes primarily from a $5 recording fee collected by the Marion County recorder and deposited into a perpetuation fund that the office uses to support salaries and operations.

Nut graf: the surveyor's office requested continued support from the perpetuation fund for staff and operations and said it needs an approximately $80,000 GPS station — an equipment item the office has requested in prior years — to increase field productivity and complete projects faster.

Jenkins said the office has 10 full-time employees and one current opening, and that two employees are pursuing land-survey-related education as part of a Vincennes University hybrid program under a signed MOU. She reported a budget increase paid from the perpetuation fund with no general-fund impact and noted one-off events affecting operations this year including a vehicle fire involving an employee’s vehicle.

The surveyor described community engagement and staffing development initiatives, including work with local education programs and national committees that advocate for transportation and land-survey matters. Jenkins said the office’s revenue is primarily from the recorder’s $5 fee and from ATC forms tied to Alcohol Beverage Commission applications.

Ending: Committee members thanked the surveyor for the presentation and asked follow-up questions about routine public inquiries handled by the office; Jenkins said many public calls concern property-line and fence disputes and clarification of buried monuments and right-of-way questions.","Marion County surveyor Deborah Jenkins presented the office's 2026 budget, emphasizing continued reliance on the recorder's $5 perpetuation fee for salaries and operations and seeking an $80,000 GPS station to boost field productivity.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

BNS proposes fee changes and a continuous-vacancy program as demolition and permit work expands

DMD outlines 2026 budget, cites federal grant phase-out and housing pipeline gains

Council committee approves PILOT for Canal Village 3 after residents press repair and tree-canopy concerns

Marion County surveyor presents 2026 budget; requests equipment upgrade funded by perpetuation fee