The Sunday Post - August 9, 2026: The Washington Square Plan, a Road Plan Without New Taxes, and Budget Season
- Michael-Paul Hart
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
A weekly report from Councilor Michael-Paul Hart — Building the Smartest City in America.
Volume 2, Issue 32
The Washington Square Plan Is Here
On Monday evening, a full room joined us at the Warren Central Administration Building
for our community meeting on the future of Washington Square Mall. Thank you to everyone who came out. Your presence is what makes this real.
After months of work with residents and our steering committee, Schmidt Associates presented the Washington Square Vision Plan. It lays out what neighbors told us they wanted, and a set of recommendations for what this site can become.
This plan reflects the community, not a developer's wish list. It is grounded in what residents said, and it gives us a shared vision to build from. A vision plan is not the finish line, but it is the map, and for the first time in a long time the east side has one for this site.
As I promised, I am hosting the full plan on my website so everyone can read it, whether or not they were able to attend. You can find it at michaelpaulhart.com.
A Plan to Fund Our Roads Without Raising Your Taxes
This week I held a press conference to release a plan I have been working on for months.
It answers a simple question: how does Indianapolis rebuild more of its roads without raising your taxes.
Here is the background. The state has offered to match local road dollars, and our required share climbs from $50 million in 2027 toward $100 million a year. There is one catch. The law says the match has to come from new revenue.
The key that unlocks everything is this. New revenue does not mean a new tax. It means money the city already collects that has never been spent on roads. Once you understand that, the question stops being what tax do we raise, and becomes which dollars we already have do we point at our streets.
My plan meets our share mostly from the growth our income tax already produces every year, along with real budget discipline, and without raising the rate. Earlier this summer the Council passed a wheel tax increase to cover this same match, the Mayor vetoed it. I believe we can meet it without reaching deeper into your pockets, and I put the full plan on the record so anyone can check the math.
The complete briefing, with every number and its source, is posted on my website. I encourage you to read it and tell me what you think.
Looking Ahead: Budget Season Begins Monday
On Monday, the administration introduces the proposed 2027 city budget. That begins
the most important stretch of the council calendar, and I want to explain what happens next so you can follow along.
The introduction is only the start. Over the next two months, the budget goes through committee hearings where each city department presents its request and answers our questions. There is public input along the way, and then the full Council takes a final vote this fall.
This is where every priority gets real, because the budget is where the city decides what it will actually pay for. It is also where the road-funding conversation we just talked about will play out. I will keep you updated through the process, and I will keep asking the same question I always ask: are we spending your money wisely before we consider asking for more.
A National Seat at the Table
One last note. This week I was appointed to the National Association of Counties Telecommunications and Technology Policy Steering Committee. It is an opportunity to bring Indianapolis's voice, and the SmartIndy vision of a smarter, better-run city, into the national conversation on technology and local government.
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Accountability, Transparency and Local Leadership
See you next week with more updates from the Neighborhood.
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