FAQ

In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly authorized an EED for downtown Indianapolis to

address issues including safety, cleanliness, and homelessness. In 2024, the General Assembly provided additional guidance that further refined eligible properties, board make-up, budget priorities, and district boundary area.

One-time federal funding provided by the City of Indianapolis through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allowed for the creation of an 18-month pilot program operated by Downtown Indy, Inc. to provide enhanced services for downtown, including providing district cleaning crews tasked with litter abatement, graffiti removal, power washing of sidewalks and more, as well as an increased public safety presence, new crime fighting technology and additional homelessness outreach. These enhanced services have generated tangible results for downtown, but this federal funding is going to run out. Downtown Indianapolis needs a sustainable funding source to operationalize and continue these services so the heart of our city can thrive.

The EED is funded by a fee on eligible taxable properties within the district boundaries as set by the City-County Council. The EED budget is capped at $5.5M, with property owners paying no more than 0.168% of the property's gross assessed value.

EED funds can be used for the following purposes, directly aligning with the priorities of the downtown business community as identified by an Indy Chamber survey:

• Security (including public safety technology)

• Safety ambassadors

• Cleaning, litter & graffiti removal

• Outreach to homeless

• Operations for a low-barrier homeless shelter

• Landscaping & beautification

• Supporting business development

Here are some of the ways national peers are utilizing EED funds.

The EED will allow for an unprecedented level of targeted investment downtown, driven by a majority property owner board and tailored to the needs of property owners. Districts like the EED have been used in many other cities for decades. These districts provide a competitive advantage to the area, offer greater levels of direct property owner engagement and responsiveness, and help to protect the investment of downtown stakeholders. Additionally, these districts ensure that there is consistency and continuity in the level of service being offered, instead of competing with the priorities and staffing realities of city-wide resource deployment.

This tool, passed by the Indiana General Assembly in the 2023 session, is unique to Downtown Indianapolis. It requires city and state collaboration and increases the level of direct property owner oversight of the district. Additionally, the proposed budget will sustain and expand street-level operations that have been piloted in 2023, using one-time federal funds from the City of Indianapolis. This pilot has served as a proof of concept for expanded operations downtown and allowed property owners to engage directly with these new resources.

The cost to individual property owners will be determined by their property’s share of the overall gross assessed value of all properties within the Mile Square.

The EED is a structure designed to enhance the quality of place in the Mile Square and protect the investment of property owners. Assessed value is a transparent and straightforward way of capturing property owners’ investment in downtown and distributes the burden of funding the district fairly across property types.

The fee would be included for the first time as a line item on the property tax bill that property owners will receive in the spring of 2025.

While the enabling legislation allows for a variety of approved uses of EED funds, in the form of programming and downtown-centric initiatives, the proposed budget is squarely focused on the feedback of property owners and their priorities for a clean, safe, and cared for downtown. The proposed budget builds on the strategies of the Downtown Indy, Inc. pilot program, funded by one-time federal dollars, and aims to further expand day-to-day cleanliness, safety, and homeless outreach operations in downtown. It also includes dollars to support the operations of a low barrier shelter and housing hub as a single point of entry into the Indianapolis homelessness response system.