The Fishers City Council will be holding a public hearing on the $164 million 2024 spending proposal from the mayor September 18.  The Council’s Finance Committee heard from city department heads Monday morning to answer questions on their budget proposals for next year.

Here are some takeaways from what was discussed by all the departments answering questions from the committee:

Police

Chief Ed Gebhart says the FLOCK vehicle license plate reading system is “installed and awesome.”  He expects to partner with Indianapolis Police on some FLOCK cameras along 96th Street.  The chief also said he has no unfilled sworn officer position at the moment and has about 150 applications waiting for an opening, with at least one officer retirement coming soon.

Fire & Emergency Services

Chief Steve Orusa was asked about handling multi-story structure emergencies with more multi-story buildings being constructed in Fishers, and he responded that it does factor into firefighter safety.  However, his department is fully staffed and asking for personnel to fill-in when regular staff is away for training, physical training or other time off.  A new ladder truck int the budget will also help in fighting multi-story emergencies, along with full staffing, per the chief.

Department of Public Works 

Director Eric Pethtel explained plans to ramp-up the sidewalk replacement program.  He also answered questions on landscaping the city’s medians, reducing the danger to city workers needing to cut grass on those medians.  The new landscaping will not require grass cutting.

Health Department

Public Health Director Monica Heltz answered questions on a number of subjects, including vaccinations, mental health programs, blood testing and the fact that the Fishers City Health Department has a lower tax rate than those served by the Hamilton County Health Department.

Engineering

New Director of the Engineering Department, Hatem Mekky, addressed a number of issues, including the interchange of 141st Street and State Road 37.  Bids will be received in April of 2024.  Funding for the city’s share of that project will come from cash reserves, debt, or a combination of both.  Mekky also said a list of neighborhood streets slated for resurfacing in 2024 should be available in November/December of this year.