An ordinance moving through the Indianapolis City-County Council hopes to address panhandling issues in the downtown area, and it's uncovered deep-seated disagreements about how to handle such a complicated issue.

The whole project, which city officials refer to as a community justice campus, is part of a push for criminal justice reform from Mayor Joe Hogsett's administration.

Council Vice President Zach Adamson says this is the first time such an offer has been made in the city.

Bipartisan efforts around public safety and infrastructure helped get a unanimous vote from the council on a $1.2 billion city budget.

The commission was created to discuss what resources the city has to address infrastructure problems, what it needs, and how to close that gap.

The councilors behind the proposal say it's meant to address aggressive panhandling. Some who oppose it say it criminalizes homelessness.

Some who support the ordinance say downtown panhandlers are creating safety concerns and hurting business.

Shreve represented District 23 on the council from 2013 to 2016. Now he'll represent District 16, which includes Fountain Square and Old Southside.

The funding is a key part of Mayor Joe Hogsett's 2019 city budget and it could finance a variety of projects - streets, bridges, traffic signals, curbs and sidewalk improvements.

The City-County Council created a commission to study infrastructure. WFYI's Drew Daudelin sat down with Councilor Jared Evans, the commission chair, to talk about their goals.