IS IT TRUE that the Medical School located in Grand Rapids, MI, has significantly revitalized their downtown?…according to reliable sources, Indiana University will be locating a medical school in Southwestern Indiana, and the primarily report points to downtown Evansville, IN; however, the second most favored location is Warrick County?…that Indiana University will be requiring a site of over four square city blocks to construct to new school, and, they will not pay one penny for the site?…we ask “why should they†with all of the a free state owned land available at USI?…we also wonder if it would be unreasonable to believe that to acquire and demolish four square blocks would cost between $30 to $40 million dollars?
IS IT TRUE it has been estimated that this med school will create over 3,700 good jobs by 2022?…given all of this positive potential Evansville would be foolish to jeopardize such an opportunity by expending $40 million dollars on a hotel?…Evansville’s leaders should concentrate on the real prize, and, when it is reality, the private investor will construct a hotel without public assistance?… that hotels do not bring people…people bring hotels?… Evansville is not able to print money and we are now $360 million in debt, just from the City of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that our extension of time ending in June concerning the combined sewer [CSO] will require us to present to the EPA, our final plan of action, and, that plan will bind the City to $227 million, but, not so fast, our civil center moles indicate that the EPA will not accept the plan because it will not guarantee that there will be no more than 12 waste dumps per year into the waterways?…that in order to achieve the no greater than 12 dumps per year, the city will have to spend over $600 million dollars?…of course this spending will not be all at once, but over several years; however, the immediate project, within one year, will require floating a $130 million bond issuance, and, just behind that, an additional $97 million?…the possibility is strong that it took Evansville over two hundred years to rack up $360 million, and the Winnecke Administration would have doubled the debt within his term in office?
IS IT TRUE that an exercise in adding it up, in millions is in order?…$40M = hotel and additions, $52M= Johnson Control project, $8M = Robert’s Park, $227M = minimum CSO [EPA Required, “The Plan”], $50M = Handicap Ramps at street intersections [Required by Mayor Lloyd’s Consent Decree, signed 2002] making the total initiated indebtedness during the first four years of the Winnecke Administration add up to $377 million?…that Mayor Winnecke inherited the CSO and Handicap Ramp issues, and the answer to that is yes, but, knowing that you have these inherited commitments, shouldn’t a curtailment of non-essential spending like dog parks, hotels, and ball fields be in order?
IS IT TRUE, that our property tax statements have just arrived, and, to the dismay of many, the amounts seem to be higher?…wait until next year if you really want a kick in your wallet as the referendum concerning the construction of the new North High School kicks in?… up to now, we have been paying only the interest but in November, it will be principle and interest?…the taxpaying residents in the City not only have the possibility of $737 million of debt, they have the shared debts of the EVSC and County Government?…with the expectation that the EPA will decline Evansville’s request to put off the real repairs of the combined sewer system that total will top $1 BILLION DOLLARS?…this is clearly no time for fun and games when it comes to allocating borrowed taxpayer dollars here in Evansville?…it is time for our local government to learn the meaning of cognizant thought and only do what it mandatory and necessary to provide the services that a city is obligated to provide?…that does not include fun and games?
My taxes were lower and I know of others in the same boat. Maybe your property values really did go up (McCutchanville, etc)
Mine went up $310 over last year on the West side.
I live in Center Township in the County and my assessment went up slightly but my taxes increased a little over $300 yearly. I checked on other people in the subdivision and their assessments and taxes were similar. I checked with other people I know living in the city and county and to a one the county residents all went up in similar percent to mine while the city residents either went down or went up by a small increase. The tax rates increase about the same from last in each category.
Obviously, I believe IU should not be given special treatment, land, or anything else we would not give the lowest among us, say, any homeless person on the street.
that said, if the people of Evansville see benefit in such an arrangement, it’s unfortunate their leadership – both current and past – has not managed the City’s finances prudently enough to make the sting of a $40 million expenditure lessened. As is, piled on top of the long train of abuses we’ve seen, the sting will reverberate.
This is why prudence is so important and we are supposed to have learned these important lessons about money management as children. If you want the shiny, new bicycle you must forego the candy and tiddlywinks for a while and save your pennies. Then and ONLY THEN can you afford the shiny new bicycle. I mean, this is not rocket science. At some point, the people of Evansville are going to need to elect a few prudent savers to office. Raising taxes and sewer rates indefinitely is not going to be an option for a City gaining population only through annexation.
Comments are closed.