Bipartisan Commission on Infrastructure Meets, Sets Goals

A study commission on infrastructure, created by the Indianapolis City-County Council, met for the first time Tuesday. The group will talk about the resources the city has to address infrastructure problems, what it needs, and how to fill that gap.

Councilor and commission chair Jared Evans says he wants in-depth discussions about how to increase revenue in ways that won’t burden the public.

“When this city wanted to have stadiums, we found the revenue," Evans says. "I mean, we did, people went to work, they came up with it. But when we’re talking about infrastructure, which impacts everybody’s quality of life that lives in the city, suddenly we come to a halt. You know it’s like, ‘We don’t have the revenue.’ No, we need to have a conversation about that.”

The city's 2019 budget includes a sizable investment in bridges, roads and sidewalks, which prompted the creation of the new study commission.

The 14-member bipartisan group includes a mix of city and state politicians, business owners and local residents. It will meet five more times before the end of the year. Ultimately, it will make recommendations to the City-County Council and the mayor.

At their next meeting, on October 25th, the Department of Public Works will dive deeper into the challenges behind road and bridge repair.

Evans says he also wants the group to explore the impact failing infrastructure has on crime in the city.