IS IT TRUE January 18, 2013
IS IT TRUE there have been meetings called within the staff of the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility that have some staffers believing that some forthcoming changes in personnel are happening to accommodate the implementation of the Johnson Controls contract?…this happened at the same time that there has been a formal announcement that the billing for water and sewer services will be getting a new look?…there are even people outside the department’s personnel who after hearing the account of what was said think the recent meeting was a precursor to implementing the Johnson Controls deal?…the must be a multi-year implementation plan for such a deal so shuffling personnel right now to accommodate hardware that does not even have IURC approval for financing seems abit premature?…while the CCO is fully aware that there is a silent effort to try to move the Johnson Controls deal forward and encourages a thorough VETTING of whatever ragtag version is put forward next, it does seem abit early for the City Administration to be ruffling the feathers of the staff for something that is to date just a hope and dream of the former and current mayors of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that former President Bill Clinton has spent most of the week in Palm Springs, CA to support the Clinton Foundations efforts with Humana in what is being called the Clinton Health Initiative?…in a discussion President Clinton called poor health of the population the biggest economic and security threat to the United States?…it is easy to understand how one army that is too fat to walk a half mile and too out of shape to pick up a gun would easily be defeated by a lean mean fighting machine?…while that is not the case yet, the number of non military adults in this country who would be very challenged to defend themselves in any way due to poor health is quite sobering?…when it comes to the economy the wages of sloth are even more dramatic?…poor health in the workplace costs American companies (and government) BILLIONS of dollars in lost time incidents or illness?…poor health drives up insurance premiums much more than the so called “greedy†doctors raising their fees?…that poor health in both of these cases blunts the competitiveness of the nation’s businesses?
IS IT TRUE when it comes to the direct costs of poor health a perfect example was given of two young families (one healthy and one not) starting out life with similar careers?…the healthy family had few sick days so they earned more money and moved up their career path because they could be counted on?…the sick family was off from work often, was slow to make deadlines, and found themselves not moving up due to the artifacts of being unhealthy?…by retirement the healthy family was way better off financially and still in good health even though they started out with the same advantages as the unhealthy family?…when one country spends triple its GDP on healthcare as another country does, the unhealthy country, its people, and its companies are essentially unable to compete in a world market where 15% profit margins are considered great?…this is the future of America if we as a people do not get off the couch, off of the junk food, and serious about personal self improvement?…when we all maintain the best health that our genes will allow none of us will drag the others down?…even with today’s insurance+Medicare+Medicaid system we already spread the financial risk?…in 2014 a fat lazy person in Idaho will cost every single one of us both money and competitiveness?…in health as in education, and other lagging areas of performance America’s problems seem to be self inflicted?…each day our people and our government need to ask the simple question “will what I am doing today make me betterâ€?…if that answer is always yes we will break the downward spiral?…if we do not do so in a vast majority then the path to the Detroitization of America will continue?
There is money yet to be skimmed so let Controllers and the cronies set the presadent go out and reap!!!!
Has a staff member or representative of the City County Observer attended an Evansville Utility Board meeting in the past 30 days?
Has a staff member or representative of the City County Observer read the revised proposed contract with Johnson Controls (JCI)?
Or is the City County Observer editor relying on scuttlebutt that may or may not have the benefit of originating with someone who attended a recent utility board meeting, and has read the revised proposed JCI contract?
What if there have been substantial changes to the original contract, changes that removed every negative element, and resulting in a proposed contract that is beneficial to the City of Evansville, and the users of city water and sewer services?
If they were aware of the changes and the benefits the newly proposed contract offers to the city and utility users, would the City County Observer print that news rather than continue with negative speculation based on undocumented, unattributed scuttlebutt?
Would readers of the City County Observer instead read something along the lines of the following?
“Is It True that the utility board and its staff have removed every element of the JCI contract that was negative to the City? That the, 180-page contract has been sent to the Indiana Utility Regulation Commission (IURC) for approval?
“Is It True that the basic issue IURC originally objected to was the WIFI element of the contract? That the WIFI proponent represented a revenue possitive opportunity for the city, but that since the IURC objected for reasons previously made public, the WIFI element has been removed from the revised proposed contract? … etc. …”
My point being that while the City County Observer provides a watchdog service. But relying on material that solely originates in the Civic Center rumor mill is reliance on a phenomenon known as “just remember, you heard it from me first!” And that phenomenon is fed by little people and perpetuated mostly by political curmudgeons with chips on their shoulders.
If the purpose is to take people down, and make yourself appear to be a kingmaker, okay fine. Negative purpose for sure. If the purpose is to cause positive change, then take enough time to discover whether positive changes have occurred, and report them as such.
In this case, I think you may find that positive changes have occurred with regard to the JCI contract. And whether you continue to oppose it, or change your mind in its favor, at least you could take the time to discover the truth!
Jeffers: You question the CCO by your posting, but you never mention how you would answer the questions you post to others. How about YOUR answers?
My answers with regard to this utility board/JCI contract issue is that I’ve known some of the utility board members personally, on a friendly basis and a business basis for many years, and I have a very keen sense what kind of people they are. The ones of whom I speak have always put out a quality product from their private businesses, and shown high levels of integrity in their business and personal dealings with their clients and suppliers.
Moreover, they have repeatedly demonstrated their concern for the future of Evansville, and having raised their kids here, helped in many social and political ways toward making Evansville a good place to live and work.
They tell me that they’ve spent considerable time removing content from the contract that might prove negative to Evansville taxpayers and utility rate payers, and putting out a new document that they feel will upgrade our utility system and secure beneficial services for the users. So, I think their efforts warrant studied review by reporters and editors, rather than cavalier negativity for the sake of rubbing salt in old political wounds.
And I know the CCO editor who writes most of the “Is It True” features, and I know he understands the negative effect that a perpetual beatdown of Evansville has on cultural progress and economic development. So, in this case, I hope those who write articles and post comments about the current topic would first spend a little time collecting the facts rather than spraying the walls cyberspace with cat scent recycled from the bile ducts of the Civic Center.
Bravo Bill! I agree 110%
Kent Reddington
Would this be the board where the chairman presided over giving his own company a contract to debug the accounting software that made Evansville a laughing stock for failing to balance its books for 2 years. Talk about the fox on the board of the chicken house!!
I did not ask or receive information from that particular person about the new proposed contract. What I learned came from persons who have absolutely no conflicts of interests, only concern for doing what’s best for utility customers and saving the City Council from an embarassing situation.
The city has always put a few respectable people on boards as cover for the corrupt skunks that really run this town.
Kent Laura your a bit confused , you are prolly a missy mosby fan
Has this online newspaper become the Jeffers Journal?
Bill, you are ty[pical of politicians and former politicians. You didn’t respond to my question.
How about it? Are you just another ex-pol who refuses the challenges posed to him/her?
Personally knowing members of boards, commissions and committees is not the same as attending their meetings, reading their minutes, etc.
I used to have respect for your pronouncements, but those days are gone.
The personal knowledge I have of the utility board members for whom I have respect (and trust) are not fellow politicians. They are former customers of my private business, people I have known for 20 or 30 years, and persons who, for example, have built a house for me, or done other business with me. Also, our kids went to the same schools, played on the same sports teams, and participated in many of the same activities for the many years. I judge their character by the way they treated my wife, my wife’s parents, and me while doing business or simply enjoying their company in a social setting.
If you want me to answer questions, be specific rather than issue a general challenge.
And I intend to continue attending public meetings, so I suppose I’ll be seeing you there, although I have no idea who you are because you’re just another anonymous blogger.
With regard to your respect for me, you must have me confused with someone who gives a damn about that; because that is not why I post my opinions here. Of course, that should be obvious by now …
Jeffers: You still didn’t answer my question. Howe much more specific can I get than to ask how YOU would answer your own questions. Give me an honest answer, not some political double talk.
Okay. In chronologic order, as asked in the OP (1/18, 12:15 p.m.), no; no; yes; then the first paragraph of Is It True would’ve at least had a chance to be worded a bit more relevantly; and probably not.
Mr. Jeffers can you tell my what the new contract says
The biggest problem I have with the whole smart meter program is
That since the smart meters are constantly giving real time
Updates 24/7 (yes they will be) the utility will know each and every
Time you use water and when. This means using averages that
Each person uses a certain amount each day and that almost everybody
Uses the toilet before they leave and when they return(especially us older folks)
Home, they will know, after a period of time and samples of your
Daily Routine, when you leave the house in the morning, when your
Kids leave for school . When you are out of town and when you get back
How many people live in the house, do you have a high efficientcy toilet
And so on and so forth. This IS one of the revenue sources the city
Plans on using to marketers. The arrogance directed towards
Me for objecting to such use of data which shouldn’t be collected In the first place
Was amazing. Their opinion was that of it will be our information once
We collect it and we will use it as we please. I can’t believe a single
City council members know his side of the issue. I personally haven’t
Agreed to let anyone spy on me to save the water department money
Trash the wifi network and revisit a one vehicle pass through the city
Each month. Use an electric car and there is your green.
The evidence is overwhelming that smart meters put off extremely damaging electromagnetic frequency pollution that destroys health in a very short time. Several California cities are banning smart meters because of health and privacy concerns.
Why are we doing the Water Meter upgrade again? Because the existing meters are old and leak a little?
Many years ago the Water and Sewer Department studied the feasibility of havng the water meters rigged so they could be read by “reading” a scanning device on the meter lid. At that time it was determined that to install such devices on the meter lids would be too expensive. A couple of years went by and they did it anyway. So much for heeding the advice of studies.
Now they want to upgrade those devices that at one time were considered too expensive. So much for listening to reason.
w had a cntrac wt apva copy+
We had a contract with a private company to replace 10% of the meters every five years. This goal was never achieved. The private company was never allowed to hire enough workers to install the meters let alone maintain them. The private company has been gone for a while so I do not know if the changing program has continued. Most of the meters are in good shape and could pass an AWWA certified test. Changing out meters should be a regular expense. Not a capital expense.
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