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INDIANAPOLIS--Helping people stay in their homes, preventing violent crime and making sure young people get the most from their education were some of the focuses of Mayor Joe Hogsett’s city budget proposal to the Indianapolis Marion County City-County Council, made Monday evening.

“For two and a half years Indianapolis has shown dignity and strength as our country has struggled to withstand wave after wave after wave of heartache and grief, anxiety and fear,” said the mayor, prepping the council to hear about his proposal that homeowners and landlords get a $150 credit on their tax bills for houses worth $250,000 or less, and a $100 one-time credit for houses valued between $250,000 and $400,000.

Homes worth more than that would not be eligible. The estimated $27 million would come from the American Rescue Plan Act.

“I passionately believe that every level of government must do its part to help residents during these uncertain economic times,” he said.

More American Rescue Plan money would also be used for the city’s on-going efforts to combat violent crime. Before going into his proposal on crime, Hogsett pointed out that violent crime is down from last year, though it is still much more prevalent than it was in 2019.

“We’ve bolstered our crime prevention efforts with the hiring of dozens of violence interrupters,” said Hogsett. “We’ve devoted more funding to hiring additional sworn police officers, as well as expanding the size of our civilian police force.”

Hogsett proposed hiring more cops and adding more tech, already part of the plan. But, next year’s budget would add another layer.

“Preventing the violence from occurring in the first place…that means continuing to make investment in our response to mental illness and addiction,” he said. “I am delivering on a promise to establish the city’s first emergency response team consisting entirely of mental health professionals.”

If the budget proposal passes, you can also expect to see more improvements to roads, bridges, streets and trails maintained by the city, with $1.16 billion to be spent on that over the next five years.

Hogsett’s plan, which must now go before the council for scrutiny and possible changes, is worth about $1.46 billion.