We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
IS IT TRUE when law enforcement agencies or the IRS investigate graft and corruption charges against a local government or taxpayers supported not-for-profits organization the first thing they do is to review the past audits over a three year period? …that the investigators also rely heavily on a Forensic audit conducted by a CPA  firm that is independent of the governmental agency been investigated?
IS IT TRUEÂ we wonder who is the CPA firm doing the Forensic audit of ECHO Housing?
IS IT TRUE we hope that the current ECHO Housing Board of Directors didn’t allow the former Executive Director to write and sign checks without having a second signature? ..the bottom line, if this happened the ECHO Housing Board Of Directors failed to provide fiduciary oversight?
IS IT TRUE that all eyes are on the Evansville City Council members to see how they vote on the issue of holding ECHO Housing funds until the Forensic audit of that agency is completed?  …we hear that Mayor Winnecke and his DMD Director are trying to convince members of City Council not to withhold ECHO Housing funds because they feel it will drastically affect the services provided to the homeless veterans?
IS IT TRUE the Mayor and his DMD Director would be better served if they would research how effective has ECHO Housing been in rehabilitating the homeless veterans staying in a housing complex located on the corner of West Michigan and Garfield?
IS IT TRUEÂ we are told if Mayor and his DMD Director would request a print out of police reports and 911 emergency calls at the ECHO Housing complex for homeless veterans during the last several years they may realize that ECHO Housing could do a better job in rehabilitating our homeless veterans?
IS IT TRUEÂ we believe when an organization takes on the task of rehabilitating homeless veterans living in a facility funded by Federal and State taxpayer dollars they should achieve measurable results? Â …it is our hope that ECHO Housing have achieved measurable results in helping our homeless veterans get off alcohol and drugs, help them find gainful employment and affordable and safe housing?
IS IT TRUEÂ the musical acts is seemly the only events that bring in sufficient crowds to make the cash register ring at Ford Center?
IS IT TRUE we wonder how the plan to combine the Vanderburgh County Commission and County Council offices into one common area is coming along?  …we hear that plans have been drawn up for this project and is presently collecting dust? … we wonder if the Vanderburgh County Commissioners will bring this project up for a public decision?
IT TRUE recruiting or growing businesses to an area lacking a competent and an available workforce are darn near impossible?…in major metropolitan areas, there is seemly no incentive large enough to attract Fortune 500 businesses to those locations? …when one adds billion-dollar for water and sewer upgrades, billion dollars in street and sidewalks repairs, failing school system coupled with high property taxes an industrial recruiters job can quickly turn into a “bring me the broomstick of the witch of the west” task?
IS IT TRUE we urge you to attend the “Guns and Hoses XI” event this coming April 7, 2018, at the Ford Center because it’s for a worthy causes?
Todays “Readers Poll†question is: Do you feel that the Evansville City Council should give $500,000 of Federal and State tax dollars to EHO Housing without knowing the findings of the Forensic audit?
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You left out the utility cost in the reasons why job recruiting in this area is next to impossible.
As to the City Council allocating Fed and State dollars to Echo Housing. If they are authorized to provide the oversight of the money, then I say NO , do not allocate it until a full audit, paid for out of said funds , is conducted and guilty parties are determined and prosecuted. If the Council is just a “pass through” for the money, then they have no right to withhold it. Its a State and Fed problem.
As a matter of course, the independent auditors will submit a “management letter” with findings and recommendations for action by the board of directors or trustees. These letters are not for public consumption, however, generally, if any sighting in previous audits are ignored by the board and consequently subsequent to the original finding, the organization suffers harm and or to third parties, the Board Members can be adjoined in any legal action. So, any finding of the lack of internal controls in previous audits may be problematic.
My guess is there was a lot of apathy here and as is the usual case, a thief, with access, sensed the weakness and went for it. This is why third party yearly audits are critical for non profits (clubs, Little League Org, Churches, etc) They are prime for this stuff. Three things were present- means , motive, and opportunity.
As long as we are commenting on the government waste and accountability across so many fronts, how can we continue to allow the Township Trustee system continue to pick our pockets? Take a look at the the online system that shows disbursements (https://gateway.ifionline.org/report_builder/Default3a.aspx?rpttype=afr&rpt=TwpDisb_Vendor&rptName=Township%20Disbursements). If you look at Vanderburgh County and try Center Township, you will find that once you take out the Fire Department (which could easily be directly funded by the county) there is more spent on salaries, benefits, and other payments to the trustee and staff than is actually paid out in assistance. Talk about a waste of money!
Possibly someone should remind those on City Council that they have a duty to report any loss of public funds. And they will says, “we contacted the EPD”. So, we are witnessing the intervention of Coures and presumably Winnecke in the attempt to sway the Council’s motion to withhold $500,000 of additional appropriations until the completion of the forensic audit. umm? EPD controlled by Winncecke? Since ECHO has been the recipient of federal funds via a conduit of Evansville, why hasn’t the US Attorney’s office in Indy been contacted?
What’s so terrible about this sad situation is ECHO’s mission is to help the poor of our community. Who allegedly does stuff like what has been reported? And, to top it off, we here that some council members may vote against the ordinance to temporarily withhold additional funding until the public is informed about any improprieties. It bold’s the question: If Animal Control had lost the money (as terrible as that may be) would Mosby be up in arms? Are we hearing crickets?
All public funding for ECHO as well as its parent CAPE should be withheld until audit results are made available to the Council and, hopefully, the public. Meter Maid is correct in her observation that those serving on the Board can be held financially responsible for any known adverse monetary issues which happened under their watch.
First the N Main Street shopping cart fiasco, and now the ECHO Housing fiasco. 2 fiascos that involve Kelly Coures.
Have we always needed an assistant Mayor and not had one? What a waste of money, he must be very good at SOMETHING.
Monday, April 02, 2018
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance.
Rasmussen is famous for poll requests paying fees to take obscure polls. Have poll company, will accept fees.
A prime example this week, Rasmussen Reports also found that on a blue moon Thursday in a poll taken where the poll taker gave out free bags of peanuts for responses and during a hail storm in August in the northern Australian Territories, 50% of a herd of stampeding pink elephants would approve of Trump’s performance as President.
This whole ECHO deal supports my belief that members of the social services industry, come into town, ride on the backs of the poor, disenfranchised, weak and sick. Days end they get in their little cars leave the city for their high dollar homes in the county. Sometimes I think these organizations treat tax dollars like found money. Maybe we have a local swamp that needs draining.
When I worked for the city a few decades ago I was surprised to find that almost 80% of CITY employees do not reside in the CITY boundaries. Most lived in Newburgh and some out of state. This did not seem right to me as this was a substantial dollar figure leaving the town in income and not paying property tax here. Most people make decisions in their best interest these people had no interest in my town except for a paycheck. These are your leaders.
News and Stone, your comment reminds me of how Trump is supposed to in charge of bringing assembly and manufacturing jobs back to the US from overseas, when all of the Trump menswear lines, his suits, ties and such are all made in China.
Not surprising, unions ran these jobs overseas as with the auto manufacturers. But overseas car company brought manufacturing back to this country and are outperforming the former big 3 with superior quality automobiles. If we could only make Trump president for life we could regain world prominence, so much to do, so little time.
Don’t know what you’re drinking but you need to cut yourself off
“IS IT TRUE we urge you to attend the “Guns and Hoses XI†event this coming April 7, 2018, at the Ford Center because it’s for a worthy causes?”
I’ll be there.
My kid is fighting in it.
Hopefully he draws al sharpie.
Because a Trump voter is not a terrible thing to waste.
Believe me….
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