More money for law enforcement, less for inmates’ health

This brief is adapted from notes taken by Documenters Toby Raab and Kelli Jack-Kelly, who covered the November City-County Council meeting. 📝 Read more about what happened.

City-County Councilor Leroy Robinson introduced a proposal to transfer $6.8 million, including $630,650 from the sheriff’s medical care for inmates fund, to the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council for a collective bargaining agreement and equipment replacement plan.

The rest of the money will come from the 2025 County General fund.

What is the county general fund?

The county general fund covers the day-to-day operations and general government functions of the county. It is mostly funded by income and property taxes.

How much is left in the medical care for inmates fund?

In the 2026 proposed budget, the fund is $20.1 million. This transfer would bring that number down to approximately $19.5 million, a reduction of about 3%.

What is collective bargaining?

Collective bargaining is the process in which employees, represented by a union (in this case, the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council), negotiate for salaries, hours and other benefits. As this union represents law enforcement workers including police, deputies and support staff, this money will likely be distributed to law enforcement in some form.

What’s next?

The next full City-County Council meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, in the Public Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St.

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Emily Worrell is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor and Indy Documenters assistant editor. You can reach her at em***********@********dy.org.

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