TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Terre Haute’s Mayor Brandon Sakbun has announced next year’s city budget ahead of a public meeting about the budget on September 12.
According to a post on the Terre Haute Mayor’s Facebook page, the city of Terre Haute is looking at a total of $127,115,779 in Operating Fund Expenses, which is a 15.45% increase. According to Sakbun, the proposal includes increasing investments for public safety, road paving, parks, demolition, stormwater improvements, the cemetery department, upgrading equipment, and city employees.
The post states that the casino’s tax has provided new revenue to the town. This along with the increased revenue from EDIT and the Sanitary District along with the current cash balance will cover all the upcoming projects and lead to no debt in 2025. Some of these projects include the Herz-Rose Park improvements to begin and be completed by the end of this year, the Brown Stormwater project beginning later this year, and the overpass at 13th Street and 8th Avenue to begin in the Fall of 2025.
On Monday Sakbun spoke about the budget with News 2 Anchor Mike Tank during a live interview on WAWV at 5.
“No new debt will be issued in 2025. We have no plans to add debt whatsoever,” Sakbun said.
He added that the tax on the new casino will bring in around $3 million. Sakbun said the money will mean more demolition, paving, sidewalks, investment in the Deming Park pool, and a new grant program for teachers. You can watch that full interview here.
There will be a public City Council meeting on September 12 at 5:30 p.m. where the public can leave comments on the proposed budget. For a breakdown of the expenditures, you can check here.
