Indiana lawmakers are seeking to limit county councilors’ ability to choose which road repairs get top priority, after several Indianapolis councilors reportedly directed tax dollars for street paving near their homes or workplaces.
One section of Senate Bill 179, passed by the House Roads and Transportation Committee Feb. 16, would prevent county councilors across Indiana from independently deciding where to spend state road funding.
Rep. Jim Pressel, a northwest Indiana Republican and the bill sponsor, said he took issue with Indianapolis’ decision in 2024 to allow all 25 councilors to spend $1 million each on a parks or road project in their district.
Three councilors used their $1 million to repave streets in or near their neighborhoods, while another directed money to a neighborhood just across the street from the church where he preaches, according to reporting by Mirror Indy. These four councilors said they chose projects that their constituents were most vocal about, denying that the location of their homes or workplaces factored into their decisions.
Aliya Wishner, a spokeswoman for Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, clarified that the $25 million pot of money was “one-time funding” separate from the annual city-county budget and “did not rely on state road dollars.”
Regardless, Pressel wants to ensure that county officials across Indiana use state funding to fix the worst roads first. To qualify for state-matched road dollars, counties are already required to submit asset management plans that detail the roads and bridges most in need of repairs.
“When I was made aware of this million dollars spent in your own district, and where some of those dollars actually went, it was not worst first,” Pressel told IndyStar. “This just plugs that loophole to where you have to use an asset management program to determine where those dollars are going.”
Andy Nielsen, an east-side city-county councilor, said the $1 million allocations — primarily local income tax dollars leftover from the previous year’s city-county budget — were meant to address hyperlocal infrastructure needs that might slip through the cracks of a countywide plan.
City-county council spokeswoman Sara Hindi did not say whether council leadership viewed the spending decisions as a conflict of interest when asked to comment. She said councilors are well-positioned to know their neighbors’ needs.
“They are deeply connected to local issues and serve as the first point of contact when residents have concerns, especially about everyday quality of life matters like road conditions,” Hindi said in a statement. “When potholes go unfilled or streets need repair, neighbors call their Councilor.”
Neither Wishner nor Hindi would say whether the council will change its process for future one-time spending packages. Nielsen told legislators that “we’ve learned from that process and are adapting going forward.”
SB 179, which includes broader changes to the Indiana Department of Transportation, now goes to the House Ways and Means committee for further consideration.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy councilors used tax money to pave roads by their homes. The state wants change
Reporting by Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
