IS IT TRUE FEBRUARY 6, 2017

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IS IT TRUE the City County Observer is pleased to see that the former headquarters of the Old National Bank at 420 Main Street is going to be salvaged into a modern office building with luxury condos on the upper floors?…it is ironic that the iconic building that costed $5 Million to build over 50 years ago had been sitting on the market for $5 Million with no takers for nearly 15 years?…the thought of a developed piece of real estate in a city of over 100,000 people on the banks of the Ohio River could lose value over a 50 year period is preposterous, yet in Evansville’s case this is not isolated or even unusual?…the new investment of $30 Million should be sufficient to bring all of the building up to near state of the art with respect to energy efficiency, high bandwidth communication, and true downtown living?…we hope and even expect to learn that this will be done without a $21 Million (Downtown Hotel), $57 Million (Downtown IU Medical School) or even a $127 Million (FORD CENTER) Incentive from the taxpayers of Evansville?…if this is really done without a handout, this project may be a positive tipping point for downtown Evansville?

IS IT TRUE at tonights City Council meeting a Resolution of the Common Council of the City of Evansville opposing Indiana House Bill 1487 will be presented and voted on?  …this Resolution is a moot issue since the sponsor State Representative Hollie Sullivan withdrew this bill for consideration by the Indiana House of Representative last week?  …the sponsors of this resolution are Mosby, Elpers, McGinn, Adams, Brinkmeyer, Hargis, Mercer, Robinson?  …we wonder why Councilman Jonathan Weaver is listed as a sponsor?

IS IT TRUE it is sad to learn that St. Joseph’s University in Northern Indiana is facing a deficit that is so large that the university’s trustees are forced to consider closing it down?…with only 900 students and an immediate need for $100 Million in pledges to keep the doors open, this amounts to an emergency fund raising effort of $111,000 per student?…sometimes the numbers don’t make sense when it comes to nostalgic locations and the time comes to let things go?…it may well be time for the bell to toll on St. Joseph’s University and that is a sad day?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that members of Vanderburgh Sheriff Department are extremely upset with members of the Evansville City Council for opposing Indiana House Bill 1487 because the money from the Income Option Tax could had been used to build a new addition to the County jail?  …we are also hearing that members of the local Labor Unions are not happy with the actions of Evansville City Council concerning this issue because it was extremely likely they would had built the addition to the jail?  … members of the above groups are even more upset with City Council President Missy Mosby for taking the lead role in publicly objecting to HB 1487 becoming law?  … she once had a solid reputation of being a strong supporter of law enforcement but thats may no longer be true?

IS IT TRUE we would also like to remind you that members of the Evansville Police and Fire Departments aren’t happy with members of City Council because of the way they feel that they were mis-treated by them during the 2016 and 2017 Budget hearings?  …we predict that there shall be some changes in the makeup of the next City Council?  …we always heard that “political payback is hell”?

IS IT TRUE since the Evansville City Council opposed House Bill 1487 we wonder if  our County officials will opposed the next City Council resolution that will increased the water and sewer rates for taxpayers living in the County?  …we always heard “whats the good for the goose is good for the gander”?

IS IT TRUE a Preliminary Resolution of the Common Council of the City of Evansville declaring an Economic Revitalization Area for a 5 year property tax phase-In (special tax credit) for the rehabilitation of real property at 1500 North Green River Road, Evansville, IN 47715 – Eastland Station, LLC managed by Phillips Edison & Company is on todays Council agenda? … we understand the reason for this resolution is to give a shopping center with several vacant commercial store fronts a special phase-in tax credit?  …City Council Finance Chairman Dan McGinn (R) claims that this special phase-in tax credit will give the Developer extra money to remodel the vacant store fronts located on his property?  …Mr. McGinn also claims this special phase-in tax credit will not cost the taxpayers of this community one dine? …we been told the total phase-in tax credit given to the developer for the next 5 year will be around $80,000?

FOOTNOTE: Todays “READERS POLL” question is: Do you feel that the Evansville City Council should give a developer of an existing Eastside Shopping Mall a $80,000 tax credit phase-in so he can renovate it?

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6 COMMENTS

  1. If the ONB building conversion to condos is done without soaking up more taxpayer dollars it will definitely be a positive. Tipping point? Do that many people really want to live in downtown Evansville?

  2. Here is how you become a rising star in Democratic politics. You blatantly break American law. Just wondering, what if the Waco compound had now been occupied by Muslims?

    Observer New Jersey Politics

    Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah Wins Kudos for Sanctuary City Exec Order

    Watch for the political stock of Mohamed Khairullah, the Syrian-born Mayor of Prospect Park, to rise in Democratic circles after he signed an executive order on Friday that declared the Passaic County borough of 5,865 a sanctuary for immigrants.

    http://observer.com/2017/02/prospect-park-mayor-mohamed-khairullah-wins-kudos-for-sanctuary-city-exec-order/

  3. It is my understanding that malls are on the way out. I could use an addition on my building. How about a tax credit for me?

  4. My candidate for the best fiction of the week? That would be:

    SCRIMPING, SAVING, SCHOOLING: EVSC has saved nearly $16 million to build the new McCutchanville Elementary

    by: Megan Erbacher (meganerbacher@courierpress.com)

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

    I remember a few years ago when I was looking at the EVSC’s annual financial statement, published in the legal notices of the Evansville Courier&Press as required by state statute, that large amounts of money were being posted to the [administration building] account every year. Not knowing how the “administration” building could be going through such large sums of money I decided to attend the next meeting of the EVSC Bord of Trustees for an explanation.

    As it turns out, according to the school corporation’s financial chief Carl Underwood, the money being posted to that account was in actuality designated for a new school fund, even though that was not how it was presented in the published financial statement. I guess it required special knowledge, of which I was not in possession.

    So the picture became a little cleared that the school corporation annually was taking tax revenue, and building out a fund for the construction of a new elementary school.

    That is somewhat of a departure from what we have seen in the past, where a need was identified, the board was informed, a decision was made to explore the issue, money was identified for the initial exploration, a vote was taken by the board to move forward, which included how the project would be financed, which most of the time was through the issuance of bonds.

    You see, with bond issues over a certain dollar amount, the taxpayers have a statutory right to challenge, through the petition and remonstrance procedure, any bond issue the taxpayers believe is going for a project they feel is unnecessary, overbuilt, or any number of legitimate reasons.

    In this particular instance, by the Indiana General Assembly’s allowing the school corporations to fund these construction accounts on an annual basis until they reach the amount needed to launch the project, they have effectively eliminated any chance of taxpayer oversight by use of the petition and remonstrance procedure.

    I leave it up to you to decide if this is a good thing, or not. As for the fiction about the EVSC scrimping and saving? Well, it is just that, FICTION that was unfortunately promoted by a newspaper and a reporter who never cared to look any farther than the handout given them by the school corporation.

      • All things are wonderful and above suspect and questioning if you declare whatever you’re trying to get is “for the children”.

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