Mayor Scott Fadness outlined plans for a new Fishers City police headquarters building to be built near the Braden building, now under construction within the municipal complex near City Hall.  The mayor told city council members at their Conner Prairie retreat that the current headquarters building for local police was finished in 1994 when the force had 30 officers.  If the mayor’s 2017 budget proposals are approved by council members, there will be 111 officers on duty.

The mayor wants the current police headquarters to be utilized by other city departments and ease the cramped quarters in City Hall.  The police department currently rents space on South Street to house several operations, and is also forced to lease storage facilities.

The new police building would be 47,000 square feet in size, with three floors.  An indoor garage would house police vehicles.

The mayor says his proposal would be tax rate neutral in funding the construction.

Fadness estimated the cost of the new building at $12 million.

The mayor indicated that if the council gets behind this idea, he would be in favor of beginning foundation work on the new police headquarters building as early as this fall.

As part of his 2017 budget proposal, the mayor is asking for 4 new firefighters and 4 new police officers, both to start July 1st of next year.  He also wants 2 additional public works laborer.

The mayor is asking for a 3% across-the-board pay increase for city employees next year.  He also wants incentive pay adjustments in certain public safety specialties.

Fadness says his budget plan will require a 2 cent increase in the municipal tax rate.  He emphasized that this still keeps Fishers’ tax rate far below cities its size and cities in this area.