IS IT TRUE: Monday October 25, 2010

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UPDATE: 5:11 PM Is the whole of Vanderburgh County a Recovery Zone?????

IS IT TRUE that Mole #3 predicts that the resolution that was to be considered will be removed from the agenda? ….. that the opposition of Commissioner Lloyd Winnecke to designating the entire land mass of Vanderburgh as a Katrina style Recovery Zone is what blocked this action?… that Commissioner Winnecke should be commended for recognizing this?

IS IT TRUE that the Vanderburgh County Commissioners are considering other locations for the 8 ball fields?….to take advantage of the RECOVERY ZONE BONDS, that they are also considering declaring ALL OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY TO BE A RECOVERY ZONE? ….that there are vast areas of Vanderburgh County that never have and probably never will qualify for RECOVERY ZONE status?….that the idea to consider some other location for a sports complex is a pretty good idea that may save money and gain community support? ….Commissioner Tornatta is correct that the Goebel Soccer Complex is a better location and that he should be commended for realizing that?….that declaring every square mile of Vanderburgh County as a RECOVERY ZONE is insulting and demeaning to the people of this county?….that such a declaration would constitute intentional misrepresentation of the economic status of Vanderburgh County?…..that Commissioner Lloyd Winnecke to his credit does not agree that the whole of the County is a Recovery Zone?

IS IT TRUE that the incumbent Candidate Troy Tornatta of the Vanderburgh County Commissioners is currently running a commercial that proudly states that the Great Recession has not impacted Vanderburgh County nearly as much as it has elsewhere?…..that one really can not have it both ways when it comes to widespread blight?….that taking a bit of time to reflect on this project is the right decision?….that wise governance would not commit the innkeepers tax to ballfields or any other project until a binding contract is in place for a Downtown Convention Hotel?….that sanity may and we must say may be entering the governance mode of this project?

IS IT TRUE that the Vanderburgh County Commissioners will consider a proposal by the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau to place part of Wesselman Park and the Roberts Stadium site into a RECOVERY ZONE when they meet on Tuesday October 26th? …..if they are not successful in declaring this area a RECOVERY ZONE that they will not be able to use a financing mechanism known as RECOVERY ZONE BONDS?…..that RECOVERY ZONE BONDS (RZB) allow federal refunding of about 45% of the interest payments over the 25 year life of the proposed loan?…that RZB’s are a part of the STIMULUS PACKAGE that were designed to encourage local governments to BORROW MONEY to be spent in DISTRESSED AREAS?

IS IT TRUE that a RECOVERY ZONE is defined as an area that has a significant amount of POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT, FORECLOSURES, AND GENERAL ECONOMIC DISTRESS? ….that no people live in Wesselman Park or the Robert’s Stadium site so none of those conditions are even possible? ….that the residential area in and around Wesselman Park and Roberts Stadium is not blighted by any stretch of the imagination?…..that many of the long time residents in that area are retired people who worked hard all of their lives in good blue collar jobs?…..that these residents have been good stewards of their homes and neighborhoods for their entire lives?….that having this neighborhood declared as blighted may just reduce home values and the desirability for young couples who may be considering moving to that neighborhood…..that it is an insult to the people of this neighborhood to attempt to declare their homes as blighted just to take advantage of a FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STIMULUS PLAN in the last two months of the program just to save some interest money?

IS IT TRUE that someone identifying themselves as ITCHY PEEPERS attempted to change the password of the City County Observer website?…..that this is not the first time that the City County Observer has been attacked electronically?…..that threatening emails have been sent, proprietary information has been the subject of attempted theft, and that the information has been turned over to law enforcement?….that intentional disruption of a website that generates income has been prosecuted for theft in some jurisdictions?…..that crime does not pay?…..that if you play with a firewall you just might get burned?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

7 COMMENTS

  1. A wise man once said, you could “declare the entire Western world blighted.” (http://reason.com/archives/2006/01/01/giving-away-the-store-to-get-a)

    CCO will have a hard time arguing these retirees homes aren’t blighted, when they didn’t take any issue with the Exec designation for TIF district criteria – sitting next to a brand new library, a brand new Centre, connected to a brand new skywalk, down from the Victory, down from the government buildings etc.!

  2. Like I used to say, “If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”

  3. The scheme that is being put forward on the “recovery zone” is to SUBVERT the intent of the Taxpayer dollars under this program.
    This “plan” speaks to the LOW or Non-existance of integerity from the people pushing this, –that they will misrepresent, or do what ever it takes, Reason and Moral right be dammed.
    Typical Evansville political mentality?——Disgusting ?—YES!
    Bottomline,–it is a Shamefully Crooked Scheme.

  4. The Geek’s take on this subject: July 9, 2010
    http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jul/09/bonds-eyed-for-upkeep-of-ball-fields/

    >>How about putting the (still profitable) Roberts Stadium property and building up for sale, or allowing it to function as a City owned Events Center? The revenues could be used to fund our understaffed, underfunded Parks Department.

    How about a little truth in government?

    Folks the Innkeeper’s Tax has already been spent. It is part of the mayor’s original “three legged stool” arena financing plan.

    (1) The Food, Beverage and Innkeeper’s tax.

    (2) Tax Increment Financing Zones.

    (3) The Casino Aztar Skim.

    The County Option Income Tax, which is now used to fund City Services is already pledged as collateral on the arena bonds. How can we offer it again on the ballfields bonds? Isn’t this “triple counting?”

    This administration shamelessly spends the Vanderburgh County Citizenry into Tax Slavery.

    Roberts Stadium is still profitable, we will need every asset available to service the mountain of debt already heaped upon us.

    I am all for progress in our City; progress funded by private industry, or that which is based on logic, reason and demonstrable financial principle.

    The destruction of a proven asset in exchange for a likely liability is illogical and foolish at best.

    Read the criterion within which a projected Recovery Zone Bonding issue must fall.
    http://www.beneschlaw.com/files/Publi…

    The Roberts Stadium property hardly qualifies:

    “A “recovery zone” is any area that has
    been designated by the county/large
    municipality as having significant
    poverty, unemployment, home
    foreclosure or general distress, or any
    area affected by military realignment, or
    any area that has been designated as an
    empowerment zone or a renewal
    community.”

    This funding method seems fetched from afar to this reader. …

    This In My Opinion<<

  5. “Subvert the intent of the taxpayers”?

    We’re getting used to it: Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare… Cap&Tax!

    What is really sickening is watching them all now scrambling to find SOME PLACE to just go ahead and throw 8 fields!

    Like a parent that asked a kid if they want ice cream… And it turns out the ice cream shop is closed, but rather than utter that nasty “no” word…

    After all, it’s “free” money to us, right… Nobody has or had a plan/vision for baseball diamonds until it was combined with a way to demo Roberts. NOW THAT THE COMBINATION LOOKS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE, the baseball diamond aspect (the ice cream) is being run with blindly? (But what happened to the original problem?)

    I said it before and I’ll say it again. With our maniacal focus on all things public stadium/entertainment wise, we all need to focus on our abilities to hawk a hotdog!

    I think we need to decide if this is an American city, or a theme park! I feel like I live in Holiday world borders, in between the roller coasters. Except there aren’t free sodas OR sun screen! And the stadium events aren’t all free either!

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