(Greensburg, IN) – Momentum was the key theme when Greensburg Mayor Joshua Marsh delivered his State of the City address Monday afternoon before the Greensburg Rotary Club.
“In 2025, Greensburg didn’t just maintain the status quo—we built the foundation for our next generation,” Marsh said. “From the pipes beneath our feet to the places where our community gathers, we have made historic investments in our infrastructure, our safety, and our future.”
Marsh said the state of the city is strong, growing and financially resilient.
He cited the work of the clerk-treasurer’s office, the utilities department, the building office, street department, police and fire, and the public projects office, among others, for a successful 2025.
The Mayor addressed several topics, including public safety, infrastructure, and improvement projects.
“I know that the last two years have been less than ideal for downtown traffic, but what an improvement! We completed the reconstruction of Washington Street—a $3 million investment that brought new sidewalks, curbs, lighting, stormwater infrastructure, and safety improvements to a key corridor,” Marsh said. “The Fall Festival went off without an issue in the new space, and there are many other opportunities that can be looked at now that we have upgraded electrical downtown too.”
Marsh also talked about the city’s ability to provide every day services being threatened.
The City of Greensburg’s ability to provide the quality-of-service residents expect will not remain feasible if there are no changes to current income tax laws.
“Last year, I spoke continuously on the impacts of Senate Enrolled Act 1 and the changes to our financial position. These changes directly affect our ability to maintain these service levels for our community,” Marsh said. “As the Indiana General Assembly has an opportunity to soften the impacts and allow local cities to recover some of our lost revenue, ensuring our level of service remains at the standard our administration and City Council have supported. The language introduced in Senate Bill 238 and amended into House Bill 1210 could make a real difference for communities like ours. If passed, it would adjust the state’s new income tax system, making sure cities like ours are less vulnerable to unpredictable swings.
“It would also allow municipalities greater flexibility to collaborate on countywide services, helping ensure fairness for smaller towns that are often overlooked in these discussions. Perhaps most importantly, it would remove the requirement for the annual adoption of local income tax rates, which currently increases our costs and negatively impacts our taxpayers when we are trying to plan for the long term,” he added.
Mayor Marsh concluded by saying the city provided the best services possible last year, paved miles of roads, treated millions of gallons of water, and responded to thousands of calls for help, all while gaining momentum.
“I’m proud of the work our team has done, along with the City Council, in 2025.,” he said. “The best part about momentum is that it is hard to stop once it starts; and Greensburg is on the move. We are building a legacy of excellence, and I invite all of you to join us as we continue this journey in 2026.”
The address was delivered at the Branch Coffeehouse and Gathering Place on the courthouse square downtown.
The full text of the address can be read below:
“As we reflect on the past year, one theme stands out above the rest: momentum. In 2025, Greensburg didn’t just maintain the status quo—we built the foundation for our next generation. From the pipes beneath our feet to the places where our community gathers, we have made historic investments in our infrastructure, our safety, and our future.
“I am proud to report that the State of the City is strong, growing, and financially resilient. Our momentum is strong.
“Under the leadership of Clerk-Treasurer Amy Borns, the Clerk’s Office remains committed to being good financial stewards for the City of Greensburg and our residents. We take pride in a Clerk’s Office that does everything they can do to stay up to date on the latest technologies and information that affects local government finances.
“The Clerk Treasurer’s Office had a clean audit for 2024, performed by the Indiana State Board of Accounts. We are one of many municipalities in the state that participate in a yearly audit for city general operations, utilities, and the municipal airport. Amy and her team were the first team in more than 10 years to receive a clean, no findings, audit from the State Board of Accounts. I wish to thank Clerk-Treasurer Borns, Julie Herbert, and Julie Nobbe for their hard work and diligence.
“Since day one in 2020, our top priority has always the safety of our residents—and in 2025, our first responders demonstrated that continued unwavering dedication.
“The Greensburg Fire Department answered the call—quite literally—responding to 1,200 calls for service. We strengthened our partnerships, signing a new two-year contract with Washington Township, and we were fiscally responsible by acquiring a used Rescue/Engine to serve as a reserve apparatus, ensuring we are always ready. We also anxiously await the delivery of our new ladder truck and rescue engine. The fire department completed hundreds of hours of training to ensure our firefighters are sharpening their skills all year long. Even though we’re talking about our accomplishments in 2025, we should point to the recent ice rescue performed by GFD during the recent late January snowstorm. Their dedication to training made this look like an exercise they have done hundreds of times. Thank you to GFD and GPD for their quick work to make what could have been a tragedy a success story.
“Our Police Department had an incredibly active year, handling 13,950 total calls and conducting nearly 4,300 traffic stops. Our officers are among the most well-trained in the state, with each officer averaging 179 hours of training—more than double the state mandate. We also embraced technology, completing body and car camera upgrades for all patrol units and launching an unmanned vehicle program to enhance safety.
“But safety is also about community. Whether it was National Night Out, the Greensburg Community High School Mock Crash demonstration for prom, or simply officers joining students for lunch, we are building lifelong relationships that make Greensburg safer. Often, the most critical work we do happens out of sight, but its impact is undeniable.
“We had leadership changes at the Wastewater Plant and the Water Plant in 2025- we internally promoted Joe Cain to Wastewater Superintendent, and Aaron Schwendenmann to Water Superintendent. Both have decades of experience and are both local to our community. Joe and Aaron have led their teams well in their first year as superintendents, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.
“Our Wastewater Department achieved a massive victory this year. We received confirmation from IDEM that a long-term Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) program is no longer needed—a decision that will save our city millions of dollars in future infrastructure costs. The plant treated 1.6 billion gallons of wastewater.
“The Wastewater plant was also recognized statewide for their excellence, receiving an award from the Indiana Water Environment Association for our biosolids reuse and management, including an incredibly cost-efficient disposal and treatment process. Their dedication helps deliver top tier service at the best possible rate for our residents. We’re incredibly proud of the work our Wastewater Department does, and they continue to demonstrate their excellence daily.
“The Water Plant made essential upgrades to our distribution network and to the communications from the Water Plant, Upland Reservoir, and Flatrock pump station. This ensures that the transmission real-time data on pump status, water levels, and power, are accurate and timely. The Water Plant has made investments in their equipment, purchasing a hydro excavator to help prevent water loss during an emergency. This purchase assists our team to be more efficient, less manually involved in the repairs and reduces the need for outside contractors to be used in emergency situations. This reduces labor hours, stress, and cost spent to outsource the work to contractors. The plant pumped 862 million gallons of water, our crew performed 3,000 utility locates and repaired 30 water main breaks in some of the worst weather conditions we saw all year.
“In our Utility Office, we are modernizing how we serve you. We rolled out our AMI meter reading system, which is now 96% complete with over 5,000 meters installed. This ensures accuracy and efficiency for every ratepayer. As always, you can pay your utility bill online, over the phone, or in person- and you can set up autopay. Again, even though we are discussing 2025, we are planning for another change in our utility leadership. After serving as our utility manager for 33 years, Donna Lecher has announced her retirement in the first quarter of this year. Her service to the community spans multiple mayoral administrations, numerous building projects, seven office locations, a fire, and a flood. Her dedication to our utilities has been shown through strong fiscal management and leadership.
“As with any change we are excited about what is next, we continue to promote strong leadership from within. I’m proud to announce that Dori Baker will assume the utility manager role. Dori has served 24 years with the city utilities and will lead this team with dedication and same vision that Joe, Aaron and I have for the lifeblood of a strong city with momentum.
“Our Street Department completed its first full year in their new facility, and they hit the ground running. Through the Community Crossings Matching Grant (CCMG) program, we reconstructed over 10 lane miles of city streets, including significant work on Broadway Street. The Street Department collected 6.9 million tons of trash this year, with 720 cubic yards collected during heavy trash week alone. For comparison, we collect that amount of trash in two months of regular weekly pickup. The team also cleaned city streets, collected 1500 cubic yards of grit, trash and leaves, and collected 3000 cubic yards of limbs and brush. They also performed the cleaning and maintenance of a record breaking 58 properties in the city, helping the Building Office improve the safety, cleanliness, and curb appeal under the unkempt property ordinance.
“The Public Projects and Building Departments have been hard at work facilitating growth. The Eastside Trail Project, which features the Sally Crane StoryWalk, serves as the main connector for our trail system in Rebekah Park down to Main Street. This Next Level Trails project was awarded in 2024 and completed in 2025. This project is a major step in our overall plan to connect all trails throughout the city, enabling a person to travel from the northern most part of the city all the way down to the county fairgrounds on the southside of town.
“I know that the last two years have been less than ideal for downtown traffic, but what an improvement! We completed the reconstruction of Washington Street—a $3 million investment that brought new sidewalks, curbs, lighting, stormwater infrastructure, and safety improvements to a key corridor. The Fall Festival went off without an issue in the new space, and there are many other opportunities that can be looked at now that we have upgraded electrical downtown too.
“Looking ahead, we are continuing the engineering and design for the Park Road Corridor, a transformational $27.9 million project with the State of Indiana that will redefine one of our city’s connectors to the south side of the community.
“The Indiana Department of Transportation continues to work on the Main Street Reconstruction project, including the reconstruction of the water and sewer lines under Main Street.
“This project is a multimillion-dollar investment by INDOT to Main Street in our community. We know it will cause inconvenience and be lengthy project, but the wait and frustration will be worth it. As we continue to work with INDOT on a schedule, please stay alert to our social media and media partners for updates as they become available later this year and into 2027.
“We continue to make improvements and investments to our existing community amenities; turf improvements were made at Pirate Park this season, residents continue to utilize our shared cost sidewalk and curb appeal programs, and we sold our former Fire Station 1, located on Ireland Street, to Koors Heating and Cooling, breathing new life into our older buildings.
“Speaking of older buildings, in late 2025 we worked through a partnership opportunity for the Decatur County Solid Waste District to open a recycling center in our community. The Solid Waste District has been working towards a permanent center for years and the opportunity to partner with the Old Street Department campus was the right fit. In 2026 Decatur County Recycling will open the Norma Bainbridge Recycling Center for our community, we are proud to partner with them on this expansion of service for all of Decatur County.
“Last year, I traveled to Japan with several area mayors to sit down with our region’s top employers. These local, regional, and international ties are the lifeblood of our economic vitality, and we must continue to nurture them at every level. We are excited to return the favor this year as Indianapolis hosts the 2026 Midwest Japan Conference, giving us a prime opportunity to advocate for continued investment in Greensburg.
“You can already see the results of that investment on Veterans Way. Construction is officially underway on the Fairfield Inn—our first new hotel in nearly two decades. This project is a massive win for our tourism and tournament crowds, but we aren’t stopping there. While this hotel provides a great temporary stay for visitors, my administration remains laser-focused on our most important long-term goal: building more permanent housing for our citizens.
“The Liberty Lakes subdivision is bustling, with over 20 homes built or under construction. We also anticipate breaking ground this year on Seneca Landing- a new housing development that will bring 100+ new residential options north of Veterans Way. We are also excited to see the development of the former Decatur County Jail site by Ironmen Properties. This 100-bed market-rate apartment development will be a catalyst for downtown, and they should break ground this spring.
“The City also received a $350,000 Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Grant from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program is a grant-funded initiative designed to assist low- to moderate-income homeowners with essential home repairs, improving safety, accessibility, and overall housing conditions. By ensuring homes remain safe and livable, the OOR Program strengthens neighborhoods, preserves housing affordability, and enhances community well-being. In 2025, we were able to assist 12 families with improvements to their homes. We expect to do that many more in 2026.
“We have had a lot of physical momentum, but we have had a lot of people on the move too!
“Outside of our achievements overall as a City, I want to take a moment and recognize some of the successes of our city employees. Our Public Projects Director, Zach Wirrig, received the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Municipal Staff Vision of Excellence Award at the 2025 Indiana MS4 Annual Meeting. His efforts have significantly advanced our city infrastructure and regulatory compliance initiatives.
“Duane Noah, Maintenance Supervisor for the Wastewater Plant, received the annual Spirt Award from Southern Indiana Operators Association. Duane was recognized for his dedication, work ethic, positive attitude, and his 30 plus years of being a dedicated employee for the City of Greensburg.
“Our Personnel Administrator, Julie Nobbe, received her Society of Human Resources Management Certification, one of the highest and most difficult certifications a human resources professional can achieve.
“Clerk-Treasurer Borns also received her certification as an Indiana Accredited Municipal Clerk through the Indiana League of Municipal Clerk Treasurers and is no small feat.
“Over the last six months, I have served as the president of the Indiana Conference of Mayors, representing the more than 120 elected mayors across Indiana on issues that affect all of our communities, including legislation and policy impacts. Greensburg will also host mayors from all over the state in July of this year, as the annual conference is going to be held for the first time right here in the Tree City.
“While we have incredible momentum that is driven by a dedicated team serving our community and significant growth in our built environment, I am closely monitoring external pressures. As we look ahead, Greensburg, like every municipality across Indiana, must find innovative ways to recover local revenue following the challenging state legislation passed in 2025.
“Currently, our ability to provide every day services is being threatened. The City of Greensburg’s ability to provide the quality-of-service residents expect will not remain feasible if there are no changes to current income tax laws.
“Last year, I spoke continuously on the impacts of Senate Enrolled Act One and the changes to our financial position. These changes directly affect our ability to maintain these service levels for our community.
“As the Indiana General Assembly has an opportunity to soften the impacts and allow local cities to recover some of our lost revenue, ensuring our level of service remains at the standard our administration and City Council have supported. The language introduced in Senate Bill 238 and amended into House Bill 1210 could make a real difference for communities like ours. If passed, it would adjust the state’s new income tax system, making sure cities like ours are less vulnerable to unpredictable swings. It would also allow municipalities greater flexibility to collaborate on countywide services, helping ensure fairness for smaller towns that are often overlooked in these discussions. Perhaps most importantly, it would remove the requirement for the annual adoption of local income tax rates, which currently increases our costs and negatively impacts our taxpayers when we are trying to plan for the long term.
“When we speak about funding reductions, it affects every city department- whether it is the smallest department of one or the largest at 30, all will be impacted. This means less capacity for the Street Department to clear roads during a snowstorm, fewer police for patrol, less code enforcement, less fire protection- the list goes on. It means less of all the services that we have come to rely on and expect in Greensburg.
“This is threating our momentum. Local units of government are closest to the people, and we are best positioned to respond to wants, needs and desires that our neighbors are asking for. It is always an honor to serve our community alongside so many dedicated individuals, and I am proud of the work they do to provide the best service we can to our residents and visitors. I stand committed to working with our state elected officials to find a way to continue providing our high-quality service to our residents with minimal impact.
“In 2025, we provided the best service possible, paved miles of roads, treated millions of gallons of water, and responded to thousands of calls for help, all while gaining momentum. I’m proud of the work our team has done, along with the City Council, in 2025.
“The best part about momentum is that it is hard to stop once it starts; and Greensburg is on the move. We are building a legacy of excellence, and I invite all of you to join us as we continue this journey in 2026.”
