Statement from Fort Wayne City Council President Marty Bender (At-Large R) and Finance Committee Chairman Nathan Hartman (3rd-R) on the passage of the 2027 Civil City Budget out of committee of the Fort Wayne City Council.
Please note: The budget will be voted on during the next City Council meeting on October 27, 2026 for final passage. Changes to a bill and changes in a Councilperson’s vote are very rare once passed out of committee.
Text of the statement:
Fort Wayne, Indiana (October 20, 2026) – As the President of City Council and the Chair of the Finance Committee we are pleased with the preliminary passage of the 2027 City of Fort Wayne municipal budget. We recognized at the beginning of this process that this would be a difficult year, with changes in tax policy directed by the state by SEA 1 (2025) and other actions. It was our goal to pass a balanced budget that prioritized our commitment to public safety, infrastructure, and neighborhoods, while maintaining a responsible cash balance for the unknown fiscal times ahead. We believe the budget that was preliminarily passed tonight moves us in the correct direction towards stability while not reducing necessary investments.
We are thankful the Administration delivered us a budget that focuses spending on public safety and infrastructure. City Council is the fiscal and legislative body for the City of Fort Wayne and is statutorily directed to review the budget. City Council may cut from the presented budget; we may not add or move anything to another area of the budget. We look forward to final passage of the municipal budget next week.
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