IS IT TRUE October 1, 2012

9

The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE October 1, 2012

IS IT TRUE that the CCO publicly calls for the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBOA) to perform an audit on the financial condition of the City of Evansville Water & Sewer Utility Department?…that the rationale for the public to have an audit of the water and sewer funds because commingling them into City funds as reported on page 41 of the audit findings that were published on Friday, the 28th of September states that comingling is not acceptable?…if there was an audit, then where is the report and its findings?…that according to many civic center sources, the funds, like the City, are out of balance with the bank and, even more amazing, the prior controller of the City responsible for the financial debacle, etc is the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with quite the raise?…that, unlike the City Controller’s offices, the books and record are still not balanced as of December 31, 2011, and, unlike the City’s version of the menacing new software, they are paralleling which might mean that the old outdated software has been re-installed for comparison purposes and why wasn’t the City’s version handled the same way?

IS IT TRUE that the shiny new Ford Center was completed during 2011, the very year that the City of Evansville lost its ability to count?…that the people of Evansville and the Evansville City Council were repeatedly assured with some pretty involved looking spreadsheets that the checks and balances were in place, the budget was right on schedule, and that the Ford Center Project came in just under budget?…that the CCO wonders just how the City of Evansville was able to verify the cost of the Ford Center at a time when the bank accounts could not be reconciled and the City could not even count?…we wonder if Arena Project Manager John Kish took a look at the accounting system of the City of Evansville and said to heck with it?…maybe Mr. Kish had a $300 commercial version of Microsoft Excel on his laptop to manage the biggest public works project in the history of Evansville because the City of Evansville squandered over a Million Bucks on a program that does not work?…we hope Mr. Kish had his budgets on his personal computer and not on the City of Evansville’s accounting system because if he didn’t the people of Evansville, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, and the City Council have been told a real pack of lies?…we are quite interested in knowing if the Weinzapfel Administration was fully aware for all of 2011 that the accounting system just didn’t work and that the accounts were not reconciled?…we wonder further if the Weinzapfel Administration was up front and honest with the Winnecke Administration about the non-existent financial accounting system?

IS IT TRUE there have been many shortcomings exposed with the government of the City of Evansville during the last several years?…the shortcomings like the Executive Inn dilemma, the McCurdy debacle, the Homestead Tax Credit deception, needles in the parks, Opus One parties, the Maingate City Council meetings fueled by lobbyist dollars, and cemeteries in shambles are all symptoms of a sick system dominated by incompetence, cronyism, and just outright idiocy or laziness?…this latest exposure that the financial accounting system that cost the people of this place more than $1 Million is a CORE DEFECT in how Evansville is run?…this problem is not carelessness, it is not something to let slide, but it is a fundamental failure by the Weinzapfel Administration?…this is not something that should be let slide?…this is a failure of the highest proportion and it was covered up?…if there are no consequences to be paid by whomever is in the command chain of this failure then the City of Evansville is not redeemable?…the CCO calls upon the Evansville City Council to conduct a public hearing to determine just how and who is responsible for this unmitigated disaster?…for a modern city to be in a position where the only CPA on staff was lost over a noncompetitive salary and to have the new controller reconciling the books by hand is nothing more than acceptance of prehistoric process?…that the people of Evansville should not let this latest deception stand without consequence?…the chickens are home to roost, but it is not yet established that the people of Evansville will have the presence of mind to see them or do anything about it?…as taxpayers this is not acceptable?…as taxpayers for the people in charge now to abdicate their responsibility to find out who did it is also not acceptable?

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Agree it is not acceptable. So what happened to the strength of character which leads people to active protest of this outrageous affront to the city of Evansville taxpayers. If C&P and the television stations will not play a active role in informing the broader citizenry, it is the responsibility of the more informed to make the situation more visible. Where is the Tea Party, the Libertarians, the Occupy Moment? See you on the Civic Center Steps!

  2. What’s the purpose of demanding an audit when these fools think that they are above them? They will appeal to the Governor if the State Board gives them a report that they don’t like.

    The press spun this like it was no big deal. Once the credit agencies find out, the City’s credit rating will be immediately downgraded. This means higher interest rates for future borrowings. I am sure that the feds don’t like the disclaimer on the federal awards audit. That will likely mean less federal money for the City.

    Meanwhile the person mainly responsible for this was rewarded with a new $81k/year position and the new Mayor is refusing to do the right thing by letting her go. What does she know that is making her valuable? It’s definitely not her accounting abilities.

    I am disgusted with the C&P this weekend. First they had to get Pretty Boy Weinzapfel’s response to the audit on Friday and didn’t consult with a CPA outside of the City to explain what a disclaimer is then yesterday they praised him for the Arena. Thanks to the City not being able to count in 2011, we’ll never know how much that cost.

  3. It’s important to remember who was in charge during all this and that the City council was largely re-elected to an even larger majority party. This party has been running the show totally for decades.

    You keep electing the same council, you will keep getting the same results.

  4. “IS IT TRUE there have been many shortcomings exposed with the government of the City of Evansville during the last several years?…the shortcomings like the Executive Inn dilemma, the McCurdy debacle, the Homestead Tax Credit deception, needles in the parks, Opus One parties, the Maingate City Council meetings fueled by lobbyist dollars, and cemeteries in shambles are all symptoms of a sick system dominated by incompetence, cronyism, and just outright idiocy or laziness? (CCO)

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    The answer is YES, unfortunately it is all true. But if you were a FOJ (friend of John) at the time, you could live like a rock star, or pirate, because of the impunity you enjoyed from ever being exposed in the local print media.

    How many times has the City-County Observer been the one, the only one, to break important stories about local government?

    _____

  6. If those in charge cannot balance the books for city of Evansville, how can they ever hope to balance the books if all of Vanderburgh County is included???
    Another reason to VOTE NO

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