Breaking News: City Council Asking for $6M to Purchase at Risks Urban Forests

It’s official. The Indianapolis City Council will vote on a special resolution for our urban forests this Monday night. This vote will help shape the future of our Marion County urban forests. Thank you to city councilors Jared EvansDan Boots, and Jesse Brown for co-sponsoring Proposal No. 246, 2024.

Screenshot of Monday Night’s official city council agenda.

 

Photo of the Eastside Flatwoods; a seventy acre at-risk urban forest that can be preserved and added to our park system next year with funding!

The resolution calls for funding in next year’s city budget to purchase at-risk urban forests. Your participation has been and is crucial. Your voice matters. Please RSVP for Monday night’s meeting and bring others! 

Instructions for Monday Evening: 

We will meet at the Indiana Forest Alliance’s office building, 615 N. Alabama St, at 6 PM ET Monday and walk down the cultural trail to the city council meeting. There is free parking in lots connected to both the north and south side of the building. Also, please feel free to meet up with us at the city county building if you are running late or need a closer parking or drop off spot.

The meeting starts at 7 PM ET, and the vote should happen before 8 PM.

Please wear your Forests for Indy T-shirt if you already have one; if not, we will have one for you on Monday night.

Next Steps after Monday: 

After the resolution vote, we have about five weeks of organizing to ensure that Mayor Hogsett includes urban forest acquisition in the 2025 budget. The Mayor will unveil his budget at the council meeting on Monday, August 11th.

Every email, phone call, and personal conversation with the Mayor will let him know that the people of Indianapolis want to see action!  

The members of the Indiana Forest Alliance are prepared to launch a month-long campaign blitz between these two city council meetings. To obtain this funding goal, we must have an outpouring of public support over the next five weeks.

As soon as the resolution passes on Monday evening, we will send out an updated calendar with the next steps. However, we must have another large crowd at the city council meeting on Monday night. RSVP here.

See you Monday night,

Mike Oles

Forests for Indy Director, Indiana Forest Alliance

317-281-0568 (cell/text)

mike@indianaforestalliance.org

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