Evansville City Council Punts Vectren Meeting Invitation Until After Election

19

Dan McGinn

In an unexpected and depoliticizing move the Evansville City Council tonight amended the letter of invitation to Vectren Corporation CEO Carl Chapman to appear before the Council on October 24, 2011 as Councilman and Chairman of the Budget Committee John Friend had requested.

Councilman Friend in his presentation handed out a tabulation rate comparisons across the State of Indiana that clearly showed that Vectren’s rates are substantially higher than all other locations. Councilman Friend also brought up the increase in the budget of the City of Evansville for electricity that is as high as 46% in certain categories and 20% overall.

Councilman Friend also stated that for every dollar that a utility bill increases on a commercial property that it costs the City of Evansville 30 cents in tax revenue because of the increase in the operating expenses.

The motion to defer the meeting with Vectren until after the election was made by Councilman Dr. H. Dan Adams and seconded by Councilman Dan McGinn. Councilwoman Connie Robinson stated that her constituents were having difficulty with utility bills but also said that waiting until November 14 was okay with her. There was little objection to kicking the can down the road and the motion passed as an astonished Councilman Friend looked on.

The meeting with Vectren will now happen after the election if Vectren accepts the invitation to speak before the council.

19 COMMENTS

  1. The motion to defer the meeting with Vectren until after the election was made by Councilman Dr. H. Dan Adams and seconded by Councilman Dan McGinn.

    Some people are going to get real cold before November 14, and some people going to get put out of their homes too. No answers for them thanks to rich guys Adams and McGinn. John Friend you tried. Thank you.

    • Relax Charles.

      Since you seem to know people in trouble, please forward a list to CCO of those who are about to be put out of their homes so we can begin to work on fixing that problem.

      Even if dissenting voices prevail, how long do you think it will take our good friends at Vectren to begin lowering the rates? Does this sound like an issue to be brought before the IURC?

  2. Surprise, surprise deflect until after the election so it becomes a non issue and the citizens of Evansville keep getting the screws put to them. Bet it won’t be brought up again until the NEXT election.

  3. What a disappointment! Bipartisan sponsorship to kick the can down the road for the most important topic to the people of Evansville. Is this the kind of leadership we get from this bought and paid for den of sellouts? A pox on all of those doe eyed cowards who sat there in silence. To hell with all of you.

  4. City Council to Vectren: Hey, dummies, there’s an election coming up! Get off your overpaid butts and start shoveling campaign cash in our direction!

    How is the Vectren Board of Directors like Earl Long (former Governor of Louisiana who wound up in a mental hospital)? They don’t buy politicians, They Rent Them (it’s cheaper)!

    • Check the donation reports with the County Clerk after Oct 21st and see for yourself.

  5. Vectren filed this present action, IURC docket # 44067 on September 14, 2011.

    In today’s legal notices in the Evansville Courier&Press there is a notice by the IURC that a public pre-hearing conforence for Cause # 44067 will be held Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at the IURC Conference Center, Suite 220, Judicial courtroom 224 of the PNC Center, 101 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, at 9:30 AM, where this matter will be discussed.

    If the prehearing conference does not end in an agreement among the parties ……….evidence may be heard on the above date on all such disputed issues. (more)

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Obviously, kicking the can down the road has consequences. In this case, the consequences may be fatal to any remonstrance.

    __

    • If the members of the City Council who actually met with Vectren were aware of this meeting at the IURC on October 25th and willfully delayed the meeting that Friend wanted to call for the 24th they should flatly be impeached from their positions. This looks like the government sell out of the century in Evansville. This will make the Homestead Tax Grab look like stealing a bowl of rice.

  6. I would suggest that a bipartisan group of candidates and council members make the trip to Indy to testify at the IURC hearing on Oct. 25th.

  7. So where was Curt John last night? That rascal found a way to sneak out of town again to avoid a controversial vote. I hear he was in Indianapolis for a meeting of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. Should we really be sending people who do not want to serve as elected officials to meetings on how to govern. Nothing like a last boondoggle for a lame duck to empty the public coffers.

  8. Just more proof why Missy Mosby and the Status Quo Must Go. Mosby calls the 2nd ward “My 2nd Ward. That’s because she votes how she wants to and NOT what’s best for the people of the 2nd ward. Send her packing. Her opponent Lon Walters has been leading the charge against Vectren’s high rates. There is a petition on his web site.

    • Careful 2nd ward voter….Ms Mosby has pretty thin skin and gets offended whenever her handlers (puppet-masters) tell her she should be offended by a statement, she might even demand it’s removal from the CCO if she is told it’s offending. 😉

      JMHO

  9. Do you folks realize that the Vectren lawyer working hard to arrange these these closed door meetings is Josh Clayborn who advises the Winnecke campaign.

    • I wonder if Clayborn is the one that funnels the money to these SOB’s to get them to do what his master wants them to. I hear that Vectren put more than $50,000 in Winnecke’s pocket. It that is not a conflict of interest then there is no such thing as a conflict of interest. Man, working for the candidate the Vectren is financing and then herding the city council into Vectren for closed door meetings? Give me a break!

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