Indianapolis City-County Councilor and mayoral candidate Vop Osili shared a road-funding plan with IndyStar that aims to speed up repairs funded by vehicle tax hikes and sway more councilors to override Mayor Joe Hogsett’s veto.
Assuming the tax increases pass — a tall ask — Osili says the city should borrow up to $375 million in a bond issuance to start road repairs as early as summer 2027. He estimates about $15 million could be invested in each of the 25 council districts, with significant progress visible within two years. Future wheel tax revenue would be used to pay off the debt over time.
“When residents are being asked to pay more, they deserve to see meaningful results,” Osili said in a July 17 press release first shared with IndyStar. “And if this proposal becomes law, we must maximize every dollar so every corner and district of our county sees safer streets, repaired sidewalks, and better infrastructure.”
The move shows how Osili, who voted alongside all but four council Democrats to increase annual vehicle registration fees July 6, would handle the new revenue if he becomes mayor in 2028. In contrast, Hogsett, who has openly weighed a reelection run, rejected the council’s tax increases because he says residents can’t afford higher payments.
Osili’s plan will matter only if two more council members, likely Democrats, flip their votes to join a two-thirds majority — 17 votes — needed to override Hogsett’s veto of the tax increases. The council’s six Republicans all opposed the tax hikes.
Two of the four Democrats who voted no told IndyStar Friday they’re likely to stick by their rejection of the tax hikes in a final vote expected Aug. 10, regardless of Osili’s plan.
But one, southeast-side Councilor Frank Mascari, said the promise to invest $15 million in each district means he may vote to override the veto.
“My biggest issue is equity within the districts,” Mascari told IndyStar. “We raise a lot of money on roads through [the Department of Public Works], and some districts are not getting very much.”
“I told [Osili] if we can get a proposal like that together before the override, I’ll probably support it,” Mascari added. “Equity’s not there within the districts.”
State Sen. Andrea Hunley, who is also running for mayor, was not immediately available to comment when IndyStar called her Friday afternoon. But in June she released a statement on the tax increases, praising the council for “a proposal that strives to balance the financial impact on families with the need to use every tool possible to invest in our neighborhood infrastructure.”
David Bride, another Democratic mayoral candidate, declined to comment on the plan.
Two Democrats continue to oppose tax increases
For vehicles registered annually in Marion County, the council voted to increase the excise surtax to $100 and the wheel tax to $240, both drastic increases from current levels. If the council overrules the mayor, the increases would take effect in 2027.
Councilors say the estimated $71 million in new revenue generated each year would be crucial to secure $50 million in annual state road funding that Indy gets only if the city provides matching dollars, starting in 2027.
Democrats Ron Gibson and Crista Lee Wells, who both voted against the tax hikes, told IndyStar they still plan to vote no because they prefer Hogsett’s plan to secure the $50 million match in 2027 without raising taxes.
“I intend to stand with the mayor because I believe the mayor’s got the most solid plan to increase infrastructure funding without a tax increase,” said Gibson, who represents the lower-income near northeast side. “I am very against any tax increase right now, when everything is so expensive.”
While she maintains her call for Hogsett to resign over ethical issues, Wells said she supports the mayor’s plan to use mainly local income tax dollars to meet the state’s $50 million match in 2027. She called Osili’s plan a “plausible solution” to speed up improvements, but she doesn’t think the council should pass tax increases this year.
“We have the funds for the $50 million this first year, so why would we institute and expedite a tax and then borrow against it?” Wells told IndyStar, saying she remains a “firm no” on hiking taxes this year.
Councilors have cast doubt on whether Hogsett’s plan would meet the state’s timeline to receive the $50 million. Half of the funding is set to come from a spring 2027 spending package, after the state shares its annual distribution of supplemental local income tax dollars.
Brienne Delaney, the other Democrat who voted no, did not immediately respond to IndyStar’s request for comment on whether Osili’s plan could flip her vote.
Council President Maggie Lewis, who also didn’t immediately comment on Osili’s plan, said hours after the mayor’s veto Thursday that she will push for a vote Aug. 10 to override him. She criticized Hogsett’s plan as vague and stood by the need to increase taxes.
“We believe that this is the plan that will take our city to the next level,” Lewis said. “It will ensure that we have the dollars long-term to fix our roads.”
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mayor candidate Osili pushes back on Hogsett’s veto with road-funding plan
Reporting by Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
