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Year in Review: 2025

We have enjoyed tremendous progress as a City in 2025 and the closing days of the year are an apt time to both celebrate what we have accomplished together and prepare for the opportunities ahead.  

Top Rankings 

Inspiring Livability 

Premier Infrastructure 

Major traffic and safety improvements this year made it even safer and more efficient to move around in Carmel. Thanks to federal grants, we were able to upgrade Main Street west of Guilford Road and key pedestrian crosswalks on Range Line Road and Hazel Dell Parkway. 

Raised crosswalks were installed on seven roundabouts with LED beacons on Towne Road—ahead of schedule—ensuring children and families can walk and bike to school safely, with new roundabouts at 96th Street and Carmel Gateway Drive, improving safety and traffic flow at a major entryway to Carmel from Indianapolis. 
 

Investing in our Community 

Also, this year, we launched Carmel 311, a new mobile app that puts City services right in residents' pockets. Whether you're reporting a pothole, requesting debris removal or simply looking for City updates, Carmel 311 makes it simple to get things done quickly.  We chose this app because it’s so user-friendly—residents can submit a request, add photos or details and track the progress all in one place.  

Carmel earned the 2025 Sister Cities International Best Overall Program Award for cities with 100,001 to 300,000 residents and was also recognized as the first city in Indiana to receive a JustServe City Award, celebrating its collaboration and commitment to cultivating volunteerism. With 17% of our residents identifying as international transplants, bringing their rich culture to Carmel, we were pleased to introduce new cultural festivals to Carmel in 2025, including the first Día de la Familia, Cherry Blossom, Eid and Jewish festivals. And, of course, 2025 will be remembered for the World Aquatics Tour Swimming World Cup. This world-class event drew nearly 500 athletes and almost 9,000 visitors from around the country and the globe—shining a spotlight on Carmel's capacity for hospitality, excellence and international engagement.  

Tackling Challenges in 2025 

In April, an F1 tornado brought with it 100 mph winds, with a path line of more than six miles. With particular impact in the northeastern side of Carmel, many homes experienced tremendous damage, and we were grateful for no loss of life. Our team truly came together for the massive clean-up. 

Throughout the year, I kept residents informed on property tax reform at the state level that resulted in significant cuts to our City revenue. Early on, we understood the potential impact of Senate Enrolled Act (SEA)1 and took steps to reduce spending that helped lessen the impact yet, along with the City Council, we faced daunting cuts, with the potential for even greater sacrifices next year. Despite this, we were able to preserve our arts budget, expand our commitment to public safety and still pursue critical infrastructure projects.  

What’s ahead in 2026? 

Our leaders are actively working on a strategic plan that will continue the accomplishments of Elevate Carmel that guided our first year. Significant efforts ahead include continued redevelopment of the U.S. 31 corridor, ongoing dialogue with legislators as we continue to be good partners with our state leaders while keeping Carmel special and our efforts to modernize government and effectively use data to inform our decisions and initiatives.  

We are excited about the challenges and opportunities ahead and continue to welcome your input.

Please reach out at mayor@carmel.in.gov.