City Councilwoman Brinkerhoff-Riley Discusses City Finances

    27

    Evansville City Councilwoman Stephanie Brinkerhoff-Riley will appear on CCO and WOODS and WOODS Tri-State Voices TV Show this Sunday to discuss the City of Evansville’s finances. Embattled Mayor Winnecke recently stated through his social media campaign account on Facebook that he was a “Great Mayor who has had to deal with a barrage of false attacks from those trying to distort the record on city finances.”

    Coucilwoman Brinkerhoff-Riley took issue with the Mayor’s campaign statement and released with this statement three (3) graphs related to City finances that pull numbers from the City Controller’s Annual Reports for 2012, 2013 and 2014. The first two demonstrate the declining balances in the City’s general operating account and its parks and recreation fund. Both graphs show an alarming loss of operating capital. The third graph tracks the City’s overall borrowing and demonstrates the debt taken on by the current administration.

    “The City is at approximately $515 million dollars in bonded debt, and with the potential of another $80 million in borrowing this year for the medical center, hotel and North Main streetscape, the debt divided per citizen is $5,000 each,” stated Brinkerhoff-Riley.

    Brinkerhoff-Riley went on to say, “With the likelihood that the City will have to borrow at least $600 million for water and sewer infrastructure, we need all the cash reserves we can generate to offset our borrowing. Residents cannot afford to foot the bill for these projects solely by increasing the utility rates. We already have the highest electric rates in the region. Adding the highest water/sewer rates will cripple our ability to facilitate economic growth.”

    “With deficit spending on an annual basis now the norm, we are heading in the wrong direction. The City’s financial problems are real, and no problem was ever solved by ignoring it. Our residents demand affordable housing, clean neighborhoods, smooth streets and accessible sidewalks. It’s time to focus on needs versus wants and create a spending plan that gets us back on track” added the Third Ward City councilwoman.

    Tri-State Voices is a local cable television show hosted by well-known Democrat Mark Owen and Republican Cheryl Musgrave. The program runs every Sunday at 11:30 AM on WTSN

    WOW! 105, TWC 3- 14- 186, and over the air on 20.1. The show can also be viewed on the Tri-State Voices Facebook page and YouTube channel and also on city-countyobserver.com.

     

     

     

     

    RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

    27 COMMENTS

      • Mr. D ENGBERS

        One more personal,rude and extremely insulting post on this site you will be banned from posting on this site. MS. Brinkerhoff-Riley has personal issues and challenges that she has been taking them head on. We are in total support of her quest to stay sober. In case you haven’t paid any attention about Brinkerhoff-Riley overall abilities, she is honest, hard working and intelligent!

        Signed
        CCO EDITOR

        • –and what are your credentials, in the field of addiction, or anything else for that matter, that makes you qualified to make this “tremendous” conclusion?

          Editor,– I believe This low down statement by D. Engbers is worthy of being taken down in accordance with your stated guidelines.

          • I’m glad I missed the Burning Engbers’ take down and also glad it was removed in its totality. When a failed actor turns inside out it’s often quite an ugly sight.

    2. So, let’s add up the forthcoming tab: as of January 1, 2014 total City/Utility debt approximately $425 mil

      Current Debt Balance as of Jan 1, 2014 – $425,000,000

      !. – Johnson Controls 42,000,000

      2. – ADA Crosswalks Projects 20,000,000

      3. – Roberts’ Dog Park 8,000,000

      4. – Master Storm Water Projects (23) 160,000,000

      5. – Retiree Health Obligations 239,000,000

      6. – Consent Decree EPA 540,000,000

      7. – Ultimate Settlement (EPA) 135,000,000

      8. – Hotel 28,000,000

      9. – N. Main Street Project 15,000,000

      10. – IU Medical School Project 57,000,000

      11. – Mesker Zoo Project 40,000,000

      12. – Water Pipe Replacement 200,000,000

      Grand Total 1,909,000,000

      Per Capita Future Obligations = $15,900

      Detroit before mass exodus = $13,300 After Exodus = $17,000

      Does anybody see some challenges ahead of this City? Of course, there are some projects omitted from this list. . .

      • It is fair to ask if Lloyd Winnecke is up to dealing with these expensive projects/problems. Going from claiming the problems don’t exist to blaming them on someone else is disingenuous at best and doesn’t work. He wanted to be mayor and now wants to be mayor again. It’s time for him to point to his accomplishments. He has none.

    3. She should do a comparison of current and projected sewer rates for river cities where the EPA has cracked down.

        • Lime, Not blaming them although their “cures” are known to be a bit of overkill. I know Louisville is in the same situation as E-ville. Mt. Vernon has made all their changes i believe. (much smaller system). The phasing out of the CSO’s should have been done over a period of time starting long ago. You would have still had the whiners and moaners complaining about the rate increase though.

      • That’s their problem, Evansville’s is still anyone that is on the outdated sewer and water infrastructure and the cost to balance that for the future Oh, one would suppose every living organism downstream from Evansville’s old downtown takes a hit as well.

    4. If the ‘Embattled Mayor’ believes that there are false attacks re: the city’s finances . . . . then where is his rebuttal ? Will we see the Mayor respond to SBR’s presentation ? Oh, the drama . . . .

    6. SBR will be working from published data, and not just any data–information that was prepared by the City Administration !

      When Stephanie presents this information, prepared by City, she has a source which Winnecke cannot disagree with, after all, his appointees prepared it !

      Alas, the Mayor will be reduced to saying things like “she doesn’t understand our financial reporting system”; “she’s not a CPA”; or “this was taken out of context”. The revenge Stephanie will exact, for her brutal treatment after taping the Exit Conference, will indeed be sweet.

    7. A little injection from California on water rates and drought solutions. There was a front page article today on implementation of desalination facilities in various coastal cities to help with the drought. It seems as though the cost per household for installing desalination plants will be about $10 per month. My last bill was $11 so with desalination that would rise to $21 per month. I say get on with it everywhere it is geographically feasible to do. My bill will still be only about 21% of what it was in Evansville before I moved west.

      Evansville is looking at $300 per month plus per household when all of the repairs are in place. You have to do it though to keep the place habitable.

    8. SBR claims the city has 515 million in bonded debt which I have no doubt is true. It would be nice to know how much of this debt was accumulated on Winnecke’s watch. John Friend stated it best when he said that Winnecke inherited a mess which is without a doubt true. He would be justified in doing a tell all about the 8 years of unprecedented spending during the Weinzapfel regime. At the very least Winnecke is manning up to a bad situation and not whining and blaming the other guy. SBR is continuing to disgrace herself to defend the party that threw her under the train. My message to SBR please stand up for something, maybe the truth. We already know about the debt and that’s not going to change, tell us line item by line item how, when and who put the citizens of Evansville in this fix. Can we please have the truth.

      • As for taking issue with the “embattled” mayor’s statement and using a public appearance for discussing the city’s finances, I suppose one has to question why SBR is cutting and running from the fight. Perhaps, it’s the Representative Reicken Syndrome?

    9. Go Stephanie. Sick’em girl! LOL. Actually the lost of revenue and the excessive spending by the liberal Mayor who calls himself a Republican is PATHETIC and he needs to be replace ASAP.

    Comments are closed.