Indianapolis officials approve $1.1B budget for 2016

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indianapolis officials have approved a $1.1 billion budget allocating money to hire police officers, fund preschool education and pay for stormwater infrastructure projects.

The Indianapolis City-County Council signed off on Mayor Greg Ballard's final budget Monday. The 2016 budget is nearly 7 percent larger than last year's and focuses on public safety, with more than $250 million going toward the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

The budget includes roughly $2 million to hire 70 new police officers, $3 million to purchase patrol cars and $150,000 for police body cameras.

It also includes about $4.2 million to fund preschool education for low-income children and $8 million for stormwater projects.

Ballard will leave office in January after serving two terms as mayor.