WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays “READERS POLL†question is: Do you feel that our city officials told the truth concerning the real status of unpaid city employees medical bills for 2015 and 2016?
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Thinking about what a safe place was 75 years ago snowflakes.
It sure as hell wasn’t Pearl Harbor.
exactly
I question whether “medical bills” is really the only issue/cause regarding the City’s cash crisis.
‘Medical Bills’ is an easily digestible pill for the general public. Everyone knows health care is expensive, right ?
So we can’t blame that on our City administration, correct ? Yet, why don’t any of the other municipalities in Indiana have the same condition–can’t pay their Medical Bills ? Why is Evansville alone in this category ?
The cash crisis is likely the sum of a whole lot of things. Putting 25% equity into the Ford Center sucked up a lot of cash. A money losing Ford Center burns up cash each year. All of the fun and games projects downtown and Haynie’s corner. Legal Bills out the wazoo, including Milan settlement. Continuing losses every year at Mesker Park and METS. Police and Fire salaries going up every year. Raises to office employees at civic center every year, politically motivated for votes. Revenue Budgets falling short each year, and spending out of control to a revenue budget that was never going to be achieved. A failure to prepare a spending plan, as recommended by the City’s CPA firm in Indy. Oh yeah, too much money wasted on new software and consultants, and they still can’t reconcile the bank accounts. And many, many more things, including a far too slow response to the medical bills themselves, including (apparently) no Stop Loss coverage–$ 7 Million in claims from 18 people.
Add it all up, and WE’RE BROKE !
Failure to respond to 2010 Property Tax Caps
Failure to make headcount reductions in light of cash crunch
EPD take home car program, public pays for personal fuel
Interest bearing debt off the charts
Using Riverboat money as a credit card
And the beat goes on . . . .
How about we put a public question on the ballot in the next election. “Should the State of Indiana require all first and second class cities to publish a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)?”
This should have been a requirement for such cities decades ago! We can start the petition any day now. Hell, who knows, we might even find an attorney willing to draft it free of charge! Any takers out there?
. . . and don’t forget the $ 29 MIllion evaporation of Cash Fund Balances which were written off following the 2011 SBOA Disclaimer of Opinion, this Cash writeoff can be seen in the 2012 SBOA Audit (adjustment to opening balances).
Before long . . . we’ll be talkin’ REAL MONEY !
But wait a minute ..McGinn last year said that we were financially solid and told Friend that he was just a political operative.
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