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. Services include downtown-wide cleaning crews tasked with litter abatement, graffiti removal, power washing of sidewalks and more, as well as an increased public safety presence, new crimefighting technology and additional homelessness outreach.

These enhanced services have generated tangible results for downtown Indianapolis; the EED will provide a sustainable funding source to operationalize and continue these services so downtown can thrive.

✓ An increase from 12 clean team members in 2022 to 36 in 2023/2024
✓ 830+ blocks power washed in 2024 (a 70% increase from 2022)
✓ 17,000+ bags of trash picked up in 2024 (a 1,300% increase from 2022)
✓ Remediation of 1,300+ graffiti locations in 2024 (a 270% increase from 2022)
✓ 9x the amount of foot and bike patrol hours each week

The EED is funded by a fee on taxable property within the district boundaries set by the City-County Council. In its first year, the EED is projected to generate $4.53M, with property owners paying a fee of 0.168% of the property's gross assessed value. Annually, the district budget is capped at a maximum of $5.5 million as outlined by state law and property owners will never pay more than 0.168% of their property's gross assessed value.

EED funds can be used for the following purposes:

• Security (incl. public safety technology)
• Safety ambassadors
• Cleaning, litter & graffiti removal; power washing
• Outreach to homeless and operations
• Landscaping & beautification
• Planning for improvement activities for a low barrier homeless shelter

The boundaries were set in concert with guidelines provided by the Indiana General Assembly and defined by the City-County Council as I-65 to the north and east, South Street to the South, and Blackford Street to the west. This geographic area ensures a concentrated focus on areas of commercial density while ensuring that property owners can see the direct benefit of their investment. This includes staffing, operations and safety resources deployed specifically to the area’s needs with a high level of accountability, and responsiveness in the services being provided.

The EED will allow for an unprecedented level of targeted investment downtown, driven by a board of directors, the majority of whom are 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.

While the enabling legislation allows for some flexibility in approved uses of EED funds, the initial budget is squarely focused on the feedback of property owners and their priorities for a clean, safe and cared for downtown. The budget builds on the strategies of the Downtown Indy, Inc. pilot program, funded by onetime federal dollars, and aims to further expand day-to-day cleanliness, safety and homeless outreach operations.

Once operationalized, the budget will also include a contribution to support the operations of the low barrier shelter and housing hub.

Property owners can help ensure EED efforts are effective by using the See Say app, a free tool to submit cleanliness and public safety inquiries quickly, helping the Downtown Indy, Inc. operations team respond faster. This app is available to download on both iPhone and Android. Stakeholders can also email inquiries to ProblemSolver@DowntownIndy.org.