IS IT TRUE July 9, 2013

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Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics
Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics

IS IT TRUE July 9, 2013

IS IT TRUE the Evansville City Council made a move by unanimous vote last night to approve issuing $45.3 Million worth of bonds to pay for the stripped down Johnson Controls deal that former Mayor Weinzapfel shoved down the public’s throat during the last weeks of his time in office?…this stripped down version will replace some 47,000 water meters or substantially every working water meter in the City of Evansville?…it is of course claimed that there will be no rate increase required to pay for this and that the entire cost of $45.3 Million plus about $10 Million more in profits will be generated over 20 years through more accurate measurements?…in the same briefing Allen Mounts, the head of the Department of Water and Sewer also stated that water rates will be increasing by a “realistic” average of 7% per year over the next 10 years?…a 7% rate increase compounded annually over 10 years will yield an overall doubling of the amount of money paid for the same amount of water that one is using right now?…in the scenario laid out and bought into last night by every last member of the Evansville City Council over the next 10 years the water rates will double but it won’t be due to the Johnson Controls deal which is assumed to save money by measuring use better?…with such a planned rate increase in place it will be virtually impossible to know if the meter readers actually saved a dime or not?

IS IT TRUE if you are now paying $45 per month you will be paying $90 per month in 10 years due to a rate increase?…if the Johnson meters really do read higher numbers as advertised you will be paying for more water as well because the entire premise behind this Johnson Controls deal is that the people of Evansville have been using some free water because the old meters are inaccurate?…if you do the math by dividing the $55 Million is savings due to better measurement and divide that by the number of years and the number of meters the average projected increase is about $5 per month per meter?…the people of Evansville had better strap the saddle on and prepare themselves for $100 per month water bills in the not too distant future?…this is without any charge for servicing the forthcoming bond issue of between $545 Million and $830 Million to repair the dilapidated sewer system?…when the EPA mandates are repaired as they should have been first Evansville residents can budget to spend between $150 and $200 per month for water and sewer?…if the raunchy porous delivery system (old pipes) is ever replaced that will cost an additional $500 Million bringing local water bills into the $250 per month range?…this combination of necessary improvements caused by 50+ years of blatant neglect will make water more expensive for Evansville households than electricity is?

IS IT TRUE while the sewers and pipes have to be fixed to even maintain any semblance of being a city at all the meters could have and should have waited until after the rest of the work was completed?…putting new $1,000 water meters on the end of pipes that are so decrepit that the City of Evansville has to open the fireplugs at times to keep the pipes working?…we wonder if what the City Council bought hook line and sinker about bad measurement is really due to leaks in the distribution lines instead of bad meter readings at the user level?…this scheme may just be a way to bill the ratepayers for inefficiencies and leaks in the distribution system that the City of Evansville has sat by and let go to hell in a hand basket?…the final insult from last night’s vote is that the unanimous vote of the City Council to borrow $45.3 Million to buy something that is not needed came before the McGladrie Study was released and the 2012 Audit was completed?…our city leaders do not even have the accounts reconciled and are borrowing money as Will Rogers would say “to buy things they don’t need with money we don’ have”?…this is a sad day in River City?

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60 COMMENTS

  1. IS IT TRUE that there is a glaring lack of “editorial comment” on the John Friend incident. If it had been someone else other than the CCO “Chosen One” that the editors would be foaming at the mouth over this incident, and that we would have some sort of “poll” about lack of confidence, loss of job, etc etc etc.

    Of course, like always, the editors will not have the guts to let this comment stand, but that just proves my point.

    • Why don’t you contact your buddies at the Courier and ask them to write something. Stay on message.

      • I am on message, so back off. I posted a valid question of why the IS IT TRUE makes no reference to an elected official embarrassing himself and the City.

        • Whacked Out Weaver (WOW) has spoken. You guys at the CCO better listen to Whacked Out Weaver or he will beat you up. That boy does have an anger management problem.

          • I agree with WOW. If it had been Weinzapfel, Weaver, Mosby, or many others there would have been mention of it in today’s IIT as well as days to follow. You have to admit that the CCO has historically been very pro-Friend.

    • Your comment will be allowed to stand as they always are. You should cease your lying about removing posts or your nose might grow longer.

      We concentrate IIT on what most impacts the people of Evansville on any given day. I am sure that most people with the ability to reason would agree that borrowing $45.3 Million to buy something that is not needed rises above the level of a boating intoxicated instance. By the way did you see that we ran two stories yesterday about Councilman Friend and published the mugshot. We did so 2 hours before the CP did too. You need to start your own online paper so you get to determine content because you are not about to be determing it for the CCO.

      • You can lie all you want, but you have censored posts from me NUMEROUS times! I find it highly amusing when hypocrites try and justify their actions. I recall not that long ago that I did a spot-on parody of your IS IT TRUE hyperbole, and you removed it within minutes. I recall you removing posts where I had copied articles from other places to prove you wrong, and you removed those with some thin “copyright” excuse, yet I have seen dozens of times when you have allowed people to post entire website’s without being removed for your “copyright” excuse.

        Powder your nose, Pinocchio, we can see thru you.

    • WOW, you must be on the short bus. The CCO had 2 articles yesterday on the incident, which is no big deal anyway. Pay attention.

      • “no big deal anyway”????? Are you kidding?

        It is a huge big deal. John Friend’s political career is over. Note the citations below:
        1) DUI
        2) Boat not registered and numbered
        3) No navigation lights

        For an elected official to have total disregard of the law is totally unacceptable. Talk about embarrassing!!

        • Anthony Wiener and Elliot Spitzer are proving you wrong. How about that coke head Marion Berry who was elected to be Mayor of DC? The political landscape is littered with people who have philandered, had DUI’s, filed for bankruptcy, and all sorts of other things. Friend will survive this one. Hell man, George W. Bush was elected president two days after being exposed for having a DUI. You are delusional if you think this sinks Friend.

  2. Someone should send the Marshall County, Kentucky Prosecutor’s Office the video of Mr. Clean being arrogant about the charges on 14 WFIE last night. They should also send the article from the C&P where Scott Drinks was being arrogant about the charges as well.

    I guarantee that Beaver tipped off Brandon Bartlett yesterday afternoon about this!

  5. Word at the Civic Center the Chief of Police told his bosses about the Friend situation and the Mayor had his Chief of Staff contact the media.

    People in the department are getting tired of the political games of Billy and Steve.

  6. Bunch of cowards. I’d like to officially announce that IF I do not move out of Evansville entirely before the next election, I’ll be running for City Council.

    At this crucial crossroads, we should have displayed the wisdom to simply adapt to a meterless system with a sensible billing scheme and allowed people to opt in to and pay for a meter if they chose. Instead, our leaders have chosen to follow the example of our former Mayor and listen to salesmen who claim they can skim $50 million off the taxpayers and hide the expense to government by increasing the amount of water the meters register. These salesmen and our Council can now be considered to be in a conspiracy to rob us.

    • Gee, just when you think the IQ of elected officials could not go any lower. You on the City Council just might make it dive into negative numbers.

      You’d probably want your paychecks in Ron Paul Liberty dollars, right?

      • There are actually quite a few municipalities across the country who are issuing their own currencies to encourage buying local. It’s not a bad idea and it hedges against inflation in times when that is a great concern.

        By the way, I will challenge any of the current CC members to an IQ test-off anytime they wish. I’ll even give Councilman Friend 48 hours to overcome his hangover first.

        • I assume you are joking, because it takes more than a high IQ to be a good political leader that looks after the best interest of the people. Example: President Obama.

          • No, I’m not joking. And you’re right, IQ is immaterial; common sense, however, is paramount.

    • and if I’m still living in Evansville at the time of the next election I’d vote for you

    • While you’re at it try to find some competent candidates for County Commission. The queen and the two court jesters are past their shelf life.

      • I do not think you know the facts and/or not being fair with that statement. The County Commissioners are light years ahead of the City Council.

  7. See that the CCO took down the readers poll of Eric Williams and John Friend.

    What was the final count and who won?l

  8. Just wanted to let the CCO that we still haven’t gotten our fire fighting gear cleaned yet.

    Don’t worry about it because it puts my life ( cancer) in danger not yours.

        • Call Adams he spearheaded the fire chief’s plan, of course a heart surgeon would know more about the EFD than a 28 yr.veteran of that department. If only we all could be as smart as the attornies and retired heart surgeon on council but we can’t we are only dumb residents of Evansville.

    • And are these “key officers” going to take care of Missy and Weaver? Because if they are – that makes the entire force look pitiful! The entire force. If you all know it’s going on and being said – THEN REPORT IT…

  11. Evansville is coming of age. We allow 30 wooden crosses to be displayed downtown and the Rainbow (gay movement ) flag to be displayed at Haynie’s Corner on public property next to fountain.

    When are the city officials going to abide to state, local and federal laws?

  12. On the C&P they had an impassioned speech by Al Lindsay about why the Johnson Controls project should NOT go forward . . . . and then he votes in favor to make it 9-0 ???????

    • They need to start having breathalyzer tests before Council Meetings. How can Mr. Clean think with that sunburn on top of his head?

    • That would make the second time Lindsey has given an empty manifesto before voting with the herd.

      • Brad, you are correct again. Many of the elected officials do their dance and roll over and vote yes. It is very sad.

    • Mr. Lindsey had been right as rain until this vote. It is surprising that Dan McGinn and Al Lindsey went along with this pie in the sky proposal.

        • In addition to Lindsey, I can’t believe that SBR would vote for this! I thought that she was the most sensible of all of them.

          • The unions called the shots on this deal. The unions have run Evansville for years and it is beginning to look alot like Detroit that the unions killed. SBR and Lindsey may have some spunk but neither of them has the balls to face down the unions.

  13. Word on the street is that Weinzapfel now thinks his job is safe due to the fact the council voted in favor of Johnson Controls. He so naïve. All it means now is that Weinzapfel is going to lose his job because the company got the contract. He brings nothing else to the table – except an empty suit and arrogant ego.

    • So much more to this story CCO and C&P

      $1,000/meter???

      What is the breakdown of the cost/meter? i.e. Parts, labor, overhead/profit.

      Was this competitively bid? Why was this project given priority over so many pressing needs the city has? Since we can’t seem to reconcile our checking acount let alone our books or the the cost of other project how will the tracking be any better? Who pays if the cost goes over the already sky high price. Saying there will be no rate increase to pay for this is laughable. Either somebody was getting undercharged because of poor meter reading or they’re lying, either way we pay more.

      The citizens of Evansville should have a lot of tough questions to ask and I don’t not see them forthcoming.

  16. It is amazing how many links there are between Johnson Controls and Faegre Baker Daniels! Numerous names cross papaths. Johnson even has employess from Chamber of Commerce across the country now at this firm. I cannot believe how shady this company is. These council members have too many skeletons to stand up and say no?

  19. Have you heard a rumor that the draft report of the IT Assessment proformed by the independent consulting firm of McGladrey located in Chicago was hand delivered to Winnecke, Scheafer and Russ Lloyd, Jr last month which was I hear was very provocative in the negative. Rumor has it, the draft was not share with any members of City Council.

  21. Svengali and the Machine are still firmly in control. What did you expect from an “election” that wasn’t an election at all, but a passing of the mantle to the hand picked successor?

    Why would anyone with half a brain ask what is wrong with this town? There is nothing hidden about it. It is all right there in your face. Narcissistic Entitlement Syndrome and Public Servant do not equate. Evansville government has a surplus of the former and a distinct shortage of the latter.

    ____

  22. JW is still your Mayor and Jack McNeely is his right hand man, and JW’s minnie me and sock puppet, Winneke is the figureheard mayor.

    The meters themselves cost what $100-150 each max?

    And Johnson Controls is getting $1000/each to install them???
    Wow the Wyle E Coyote super genius award for voting for that one.

    I challenge the Mayor or anyone in is his office or at Johnson Controls, or any of the city council to itemize the cost of these meters for the public.

    For example

    Parts $XXX
    Labor $XXX
    Systems $XXX
    Overhead $XXX

    • I would like to know if Weinzapfel’s employer is going to be involved in the bonding process in any capacity for this project.

      ___

  23. This article should be a reminder to every reader of this publication that there is no point in the existence of an entity called “The City of Evansville.” The only solution to the mess that we have created over the last 200 years is to hold a referendum that will ask the voters in Evansville to abandon the city charter by tearing up the city charter and Fed Ex-ing it to the Secretary of State in Indianapolis. When that task has been completed the county government will be the only governmental entity in Vanderburgh County. Doing so will save the citizens of this county tens of millions of dollars every year.

    The taxpayers can not afford this Johnson Controls fiasco!

    • The powers that be have planted so many poison projects that it is to appear to the masses that they are the only ones to solve the”problem” granting them an eternal place at the trough. Your idea is correct in every way but the ones that will have to execute tis plan will never represent the people they were elected to serve.

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