The Evansville Fire Department’s takeover of city emergency medical services will be a step forward, Mayor Stephanie Terry said May 20 during the annual State of the City address at the Rotary Club of Evansville’s weekly luncheon.
A collective bargaining agreement for the new EMS unit is in place, and Terry said the new framework for medical services “is allowing our fire department to better coordinate emergency response and strengthen service delivery across the city.” The change takes effect July 1, and the department is accepting applications for part-time EMTs and paramedics.
In fire safety news, Terry said a restructuring in the location of trucks across the city has improved coverage: Full alarm response times declined by 18 percent, a difference of one minute and 22 seconds.
This year’s State of the City address also covered topics such as crime patterns, investments in parks and utility infrastructure, a population bump, and a much-discussed new public restroom Downtown. Terry acknowledged the headline-grabbing crimes seen in recent months, including a September 2025 shooting that seriously injured police officer Sam Taylor. Looking at city crime from a wider lens, she cited a drop in homicides in 2025 — 14, down from 20 the prior year — and downward trends in property crimes and assaults, but a rise in domestic violence. She said arrests have been made in all four homicides that have occurred this year.
Terry noted that the massive sinkhole, which closed all lanes of Riverside Drive for much of 2025, meant a $10 million investment in new infrastructure by the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility. “They didn’t just fix the pipe. They improved our system by seizing the opportunity to separate stormwater flow from the combined sewer, reducing overflows to the Ohio River,” Terry said.
City park facilities were updated for more than $16 million in 2025, Terry said. Ten million dollars in upgrades are planned for 2026, including at the C.K. Newsome Community Center, which dates to the early 1970s. Terry mentioned the record attendance — 229,000 — last year at city-owned Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden, including nearly 50,000 visitors for the inaugural Wild Summer Lights display, which returns this summer.
The mayor opened her speech with an overview of neighborhood-level priorities, including the removal of 100 blighted structures and 65 more in progress, plus the city’s assistance in cleaning up a mobile home community off Oak Hill Road beset with drainage problems. She said the city’s Block-by-Block program is bringing multiple city departments into neighborhoods to connect with residents while also doing cleanup activities. New housing developments are planned or pending at The Vault on Main, Franklin Street Lofts, the Crawford Door building by Bosse Field, and Reserve on the far East Side.
Those initiatives are giving Evansville’s population a slight boost, Terry said. The U.S. Census estimate for 2025 was 116,176, up from 115,395 in 2024. “That’s important because it reinforces why this work matters,” Terry said. “If we want to grow, we have to create a city where people want to live, work, and build their future.” Before the bump, Evansville’s population had been falling: The 2020 Census showed 117,298 residents.
The new Portland Loo public restroom at Sycamore and Sixth streets, near the city’s METS bus transfer station, is meeting a need, Terry said. It opened May 11 and was funded by $275,000 in proceeds the city received from Terre Haute, Indiana’s casino. The restroom is being maintained by the Downtown Evansville Economic Improvement District. A new Main Street park set to open later this year also will have a public restroom.
“Public restrooms are not glamorous, but they matter,” Terry told the Rotary audience. “They matter for sanitation, public health, accessibility, and basic human dignity. Cities that want vibrant downtowns also have to provide the basic amenities people need.”
Terry said the Ohio River Vision plan to reimagine Evansville’s riverfront “is a long-term project that will rely on both public and private investment, and we will be thoughtful about how it is phased and funded as we continue working to move the vision forward.” The Evansville Regional Economic Partnership and its consultant, Sasaki, are steering that endeavor.
As for what could be on the horizon, Terry cited local demand for “a weather-independent, tournament-ready space, especially for indoor sports that can drive year-round visitation. So, now is the right time for Evansville to explore the development of an indoor sports facility, one that complements our existing assets and positions the city for the next phase of growth.”
She noted that the recently released Evansville Regional Arts & Culture strategic plan calls for an outdoor concert venue, but a revival of Mesker Amphitheatre, which closed in 2012 and sits vacant in a deteriorated condition, remains complicated.
“We’ve heard loud and clear about the interest in reviving Mesker Amphitheatre,” Terry said. “Recognizing the city cannot take on a project of that size alone, we issued an RFP last year to explore partnership opportunities. Even with those efforts, financing challenges at that location remain, so we are continuing to evaluate a path forward because we know arts, entertainment, and public spaces matter to the long-term vibrancy of our city.”
