Council Committee Meets Tonight on IMPD & IFD Budgets

The Public Safety committee of the City-County Council will hold its review and public hearing on the IMPD and IFD budgets tonight, October 6, beginning at 5:30 pm in room 260 of the City-County Building.

The overall IMPD budget will see a $7 million dollar drop, due entirely to a reduction in federal grants and stimulus money. Looking solely at personal services (salary and benefits), there is a slight, $1 m, increase over this year, to $164 million. All other budget categories show cuts. The total IMPD budget for 2011 is proposed to be $201 million.

The overall IFD budget is proposed to grow by $1.5 million, despite a $1 m drop in federal grants. The personal services segment of the 2011 IFD budget, is proposed to grow by $2.8 m, to $112.8 m. Most other categories decrease. The overall budget totals $126.9 million for 2011.

The review of these budgets was postponed from their original schedule, so that this committee could consider several proposals to raise the standards of, and to review the practices of, IMPD, that grew out of recent events. I saw part of that meeting on WCTY, as it was held. I had hoped to review the entire meeting, but my time got spent elsewise. The part of the discussion and review of these proposals that I did see, was one of the most refreshing displays I have seen in some time at the Council. It sure would be nice if this type of cooperation could be the norm. Our community could only benefit.