Council approves $502,000 forfeiture appropriation for police vehicles and gear after a September deferral

What happened

The council approved Additional Appropriation 2026-42, a $502,000 request from the prosecutor's office to spend seized drug-case forfeiture money on Terre Haute Police Department vehicles, an investigative-leads subscription, and equipment — a request presented Aug. 4 and tabled Sept. 1. Before the vote, Council President Steve Ellis asked, as he said he has before, whether any of the money would go to a business he owns; a prosecutor's-office representative said nothing currently planned would go toward firearms or any business he's known to own.

The outcome

Passed 7-0 by roll call.

Sources

• $502,000 forfeiture appropriation first explained, Aug. 4
• Tabled again, Sept. 1
• Motion to approve; conflict-of-interest question, 1:20:18
• Staff: nothing planned for a business he owns, 1:20:37
• Roll call passes 7-0, 1:21:02

Also known as: seized assets fund · drug task force forfeiture · THPD vehicles and equipment · Additional Appropriation 2026-42 · forfeiture appropriation