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ADOPT A PET

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Bella is a female Beagle mix. She’s 4 years old, and she is a WONDERFUL dog. She loves everyone, gets along with everything, and seems to be pottytrained! She loves car rides and very rarely barks. Her adoption fee is $110 and she’s ready to go home today. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 or adoptions@vhslifesaver.org for details!

Gov. Holcomb Public Schedule for February 18

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INDIANAPOLIS – Below find Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s public schedule for February 18, 2020.

 

Tuesday, February 18: The Lugar Series 30th Annual Luncheon

WHO:                          Gov. Holcomb

 

WHAT:                        The governor will participate in a Q&A.

 

WHEN:                        11:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 18

Governor’s Q&A at approximately 12:30 p.m.
WHERE:                      Indiana Roof Ballroom

140 W. Washington St.

Indianapolis, IN 46204

University of Evansville Ranked Among the Top 30 Best Colleges in the Nation for Financial Aid

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The University of Evansville has been named among the top 30 best colleges for financial aid in the US college rankings, according to LendEDU.

The rankings take into consideration need-based financial aid, non-need-based financial aid, and financial aid for international students at 829 colleges and universities across the country. The study is based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and Peterson’s Undergraduate Financial Aid Database.

“We are proud to be recognized for the way we make life-changing educational experiences attainable for students of all income levels,” said Dr. Jill Griffin, interim vice president for enrollment and marketing. “The median student loan debt for our graduates is just under $27,000. Our generous financial aid along with a stellar four-year graduation rate, high starting salaries, and job placement rates above 95% all combine to make the University a tremendous value to students. Perhaps most exciting is that students can carry over their financial aid to study abroad at Harlaxton, the University’s study abroad center in the UK. This makes international travel a real possibility for students who have never dreamed of this.”

“IS IT TRUE” FEBRUARY 17, 2020

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We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE” 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?

(Recently we detected an issue where our subscribers may have not been getting breaking news alerts from the City-County Observer. This notification is to let you know that starting today you have been added to receive future news alerts.  If you no longer want to receive future news alerts please opt-out by clicking the  link in your e-mail to unsubscribe.)

IS IT TRUE that some of the “FRONT DOOR PRIDE” homes built for people with moderate income living in the Haynie’s Corner area before Mayor Winnecke took office were hard to sell because of the inflated sale price, homes costs around $250,000 to build, and high-interest rates during that time? …if our memory serves us correctly the majority of the “FRONT DOOR PRIDE” homes located in the Haynie’s Corner area had to be leased in order to keep them from continuing to be vacant for a long period of time?

IS IT TRUE recently the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and Evansville City Council passed “minimum square footage” housing ordinance? …this approval was well received by many local residents who want to live in “tiny homes” because of the extremely reasonable costs to build?  …we are told that several highly successful Realtors in Vanderburgh County proper are upset about this the “tiny homes” ordinance being approved because it will take away from their bottom line?  …we predict that the less than moderate-income residents living in the Jimtown and North Main Street areas will be able to afford to build one of these homes in this area? …we give five cheers (5) to our locally elected officials for making a ‘Good Public Policy’ decision?

IS IT TRUE that last week County Commissioners Cheryl Musgrave and Ben Shoulders were the keynote speakers at the Southern Indiana Builders Association Board dinner last week?….we are told that they did a phenomenal job in speaking in front of 200+ business owners and developers?…many builders and developers were overheard saying “that they had no idea how many positive things Cheryl Musgrave, Ben Shoulders, and Jeff Hatfield have done in their behalf since they been in office”? …we hope that Cheryl Musgrave, Ben Shoulders, and Jeff Hatfield will continue to work harmoniously to continue to remove red tape in Vanderburgh County?

IS IT TRUE that many elected officials in Indiana consider the “Local Income Tax Councils”  to be a phantom board?

IS IT TRUE the unit of government with the largest population in every county currently rule how “Local Income Tax” monies are allocated?  …in Vanderburgh County, the Mayor of Evansville has the final say in the allocation of LIT monies for the whole county because Evansville has the most population?

IS IT TRUE that “Local Income Taxes” have been the go-to option (other than property taxes) for increasing local revenue due to tax caps?  …that the “Local Income Taxes” is levied on a percentage of the income of working residents and non-residents who work in the county?  …this known as a ‘Regressive Tax”?

IS IT TRUE recently HB 1065 was passed out of the House and is scheduled to be discussed Tuesday, the 18th, at 9:00 a.m. in the Senate’s powerful “Tax and Fiscal Policy” Committee? …we highly recommend that you contact your local State Senators to discuss this “Taxation Without Representation” issue right away before its voted on in the Senate’s  “Tax and Fiscal Policy” Committee?

IS IT TRUE members of the Evansville City Council are the stewards of the public trust and should start acting like it? …it’s time that the taxpayers of Evansville demand that a public dialogue begin between City Council members, City Controller Russ Lloyd, Jr., CPA and Mayor Winnecke concerning the real financial status of the Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville has one of the most charismatic and hard-working Mayors in years?  …Mr. Winnecke is also very personable and likable? …we wish that he would put more focus on budgetary issues and stop going along with every capital project that comes along?  …that Mr. Winnecke has a lot of talented people that surround him and he should start seeking their advice before he agrees to invest money on big-ticket items?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the Vanderburgh County Council and the Vanderburgh County Commissioner races are heating up?

IS IT TRUE we expect that the most current State Board Of Accounts audit of the City Of Evansville will be released at the end of this month?  …we are told that the findings of the questionable cost and non-compliance issues listed in this audit will be interesting?

IS IT TRUE we are also told that the practice of not posting unrecorded accounts payable in a timely manner will soon be coming to an end?  …that Finra and the SEC are requiring cities with populations greater than 100k to submit the year-end financial report to the State Board of Accounts by using the accrual method of accounting starting in 2020?  … that the good news is that it looks like the City Controller of Evansville will be required to record unpaid bills at years end even if they are have not been paid?

IS IT TRUE that a couple of the CCO staff members went to “BUDS ROCKIN COUNTY BAR AND GRILL” on W. Franklin Street last Friday night and was impressed by the downhome cooking incredible service, and atmosphere? … it’s obvious that “BUDS ROCKIN COUNTY BAR AND GRILL” on W. Franklin Street has quickly become one of the area’s favorite places for people to take their family and friends to wine and dine?
IS IT TRUE our “READERS POLLS” are non-scientific but trendy?
Today’s “Readers Poll” question is: Are you disappointed that the newly appointed City Council Finance Chairman hasn’t made a request to the City Controller for a detailed financial accounting of the Evansville Thunderbolts?
If you would like to advertise on the CCO please contact us at City-County Observer@live.com
Footnote: City-County Observer Comment Policy. Be kind to people. No personal attacks or harassment will not be tolerated and shall be removed from our site.
We understand that sometimes people don’t always agree and discussions may become a little heated.  The use of offensive language, insults against commenters will not be tolerated and will be removed from our site.
Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.

What Has Happened To Indiana Local Income Tax Rates in 2019?

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What Has Happened To Indiana Local Income Tax Rates in 2019?

Larry DeBoer

February 17, 2019

Indiana reformed its local income taxes during the 2015 legislative session, and the new set-up took effect in 2017.  The old income tax acronyms, CAGIT, COIT, EDIT, and LOIT, were no more. Now we have LIT, for local income tax, with a single rate and a collection of revenue buckets for various uses.
Three years into the new system, however, you still hear the old acronyms. The legacy of our local income tax history remains. It matters which counties had CAGIT, the county adjusted gross income tax. School districts receive some income tax revenue in counties that had CAGIT. Schools don’t receive LIT revenue in other counties. It matters which counties had COIT, the county option income tax. A local income tax council makes tax decisions for those counties. In other counties, the county council is the decision-maker.
The expenditure bucket under LIT that goes for public safety often is still called the public safety tax. The bucket for economic development often is still called EDIT, for economic development income tax.  The official term for the general spending bucket remains “certified shares” even though the term “general expenditures” would be more descriptive.
We may use the same terms. But under the new system, counties are changing their tax rates and how they use their revenue.
Under the old system, the public safety tax had a maximum rate of 0.25 percent. Now that rate is included under an overall expenditure rate limit of 2.5 percent. (In Marion, the limit was 0.5 percent and the new maximum is 2.75 percent.) This year, 15 counties will see their public safety rates above the old maximum. Under the old system, counties wanting to adopt a public safety tax had to adopt an income tax rate for property tax relief, too. The income tax revenue is used to give some property owners a credit against their property tax bills. The new system dropped the tax relief requirement. Two counties have eliminated LIT rates for property tax relief since 2017, and five more have reduced LIT relief rates.
In each case, the lower LIT rate for property tax relief was matched with a higher rate for other LIT revenues, mostly for public safety. The share of LIT revenue used for relief has decreased.
Last year, the General Assembly passed a new LIT option. Counties can now adopt an added rate of up to two-tenths of 1 percent to be used for correctional facilities. All the revenue from this rate goes to the county government. Ten counties have adopted this new option.
In 2018, the second full year under the new system, 18 counties increased their LIT rates. The average rate rose 5 percent. The median rate – the middle value among all counties – increased from 1.5 percent in 2017 to 1.73 percent in 2018.
Maybe this larger-than-usual increase was a one-time adjustment to the new system.  Maybe, though, the new system encourages counties to increase local income taxes more rapidly every year. Would 2019 show another big increase in rates and revenues, or would the rise be more modest?
The answer: Modest. The average rate rose only 2 percent; the median rate barely budged from 1.73 percent to 1.75 percent. Half of this increase was due to the 10 counties that adopted the new correctional facilities rate.
Twelve counties increased their overall LIT rates in 2019. Six increased their public safety rates, but two reduced their public safety rates while adopting the new correctional facilities rate. Three decreased their property tax relief rates and raised an expenditure rate by an equal amount. Four counties increased their general-purpose “certified share” rate. Two increased their economic development rate, but the two others decreased that rate. The General Assembly authorized special-purpose rates for three more counties.
In total, though, local income tax rates increased by a relatively modest amount, and half of that increase was due to the new tax option. Perhaps the new system will not result in more rapid increases in local income taxes.
What happened in your county?  Since local income taxes are paid along with state income taxes, you’ll be checking your county rate by April 15.

PUGH OR PHEW?

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PUGH OR PHEW?

Gavel Gamut By Jim Redwine

Peg and I recently moved from Posey County in southwestern Indiana to Osage County in northeastern Oklahoma. The acculturalization for me was fairly seamless as I was born in Pawhuska, which is the county seat of The Osage. As for Peg, she was born in Schenectady, New York and has lived north of the Mason-Dixon Line and east of the Mississippi River her whole life. She is what we of the Oklahoma persuasion would generally classify as a “Yankee”. For Peg, the move from the land of corn, soybeans, and concrete has been, well, let’s just say more interesting. And our log cabin out on the prairie thirty miles from the nearest Walmart occasionally poses new challenges for her. Oh, we do have a Dollar General about five miles away, but there’s one of those everywhere so that does not assuage Peg’s concerns.

As Peg becomes accustomed to being called “Ma’am” and getting to frequently use her high beam headlights on the uncrowded highways she is often confronted with the ambiance of a life lived among creatures she used to assume lived in zoos or within the confines of the Tallgrass Prairie Nature Preserve or the 3,700 acres of the marvelous Woolaroc Museum with bison and other animals only 7 miles from our cabin. Imagine her reactions when she began to encounter hawks, eagles, deer, wild turkeys, cattle, armadillos, scorpions, coyotes, opossums and raccoons right outside our door. Actually she has habituated quite well to most of Mother Nature’s creatures even when they pushed their way into our personal space. Unfortunately, our most recent visitors have been a family of skunks. That’s right. What the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857) classified as Mephitidae, which means stink.

When Pepé Le Pew was cavorting on the cartoon movie screen in search of love while spouting off in a French accent, the skunk came across as cute and lovable. However, when our own skunk family took up residence under our cabin and spent their nights defending their territory by spraying copious volumes of malodorous ink at the opossums challenging for the same space, Peg called for Terminix. The nearest office was in Tulsa fifty miles away.

Now we have live traps baited with some kind of cat food and cement poured into every cranny around the base of our cabin. Each night the skunks find a new way to burrow, chew or claw their way back under our home.  Gentle Reader, please imaging city girl Peg’s reaction to the wafting of odiferous waves of stench up through the floor and into her rugs and clothing. That’s right. It ain’t pleasant.

On the positive side, we probably do not need to worry about any visitors wanting to stay even the traditional 3-day limit. As for Peg, she now understands why I bought a shotgun when we decided to move west.

For more Gavel Gamut articles go to www.jamesmredwine.com

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OBITUARY OF JUDY SELBERT KNAPP

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OBITUARY OF JUDY SELBERT KNAPP

‘Kill them with Kindness.’
‘Leave everything better than you found it.’
‘Don’t date until your 27.’
Just a few of the many words of wisdom Judith Seibert Knapp shared during her full and beautiful life that ended peacefully on February 15, 2020, in the arms of her loving husband and surrounded by her six children.
She was born in Evansville, Indiana on June 6, 1942, to her parents James and Angelina (Datillo) Seibert. She and her siblings, Toni Flamion of Newburgh, Angela Gioe of Martinsville, and the late James Seibert of Newburgh, grew up in St. Ben’s parish.
A proud 1960 graduate of Mater Dei High School, she served as the school’s clerk during her senior year and its biggest fan for the rest of her life. Her Mater Dei friends, of every generation, meant the world to her.
The most special of her Mater Dei relationships became her lifelong love and best friend, Edward Knapp, who she married in June 1966. They have been parishioners at St. Philip Church since 1967, and have welcomed hundreds to the home they lovingly restored in that community. Not only a beacon of beauty at Christmas, but this home she created together with Ed was also always open for friends of all ages to share a laugh and hugs.
Together, with their dear friends, Judy and Ed traveled the world as the most patriotic Americans and created the most magical of worlds right here in Evansville for their six children.
Her heart and energy were always poured into the lives of her children: Eddie (Jackie) of Evansville; Miranda (Jody) Graham of Inlet Beach, FL; Alex (Andrew) Rodman of Indianapolis; Michael (Katie) of Santa Rosa Beach, FL; Anthea (Shane) Turner of Seagrove Beach, FL; and David (Jaimie) of Murfreesboro, TN.
She loved all of her children’s friends like her own and loved, even more, the beautiful friendships that blossomed from the relationships with their families.
With her amazing example of raising children, her six children have blessed her with 20 grandchildren. Endless dancing, homemade candy, seashell walks, front-yard football games and plenty of hugs are just a few of the ways she was easily the best Mamaw/Juju for Austin (MaKayla) and Hayden Knapp, Remy and Millie Graham; Charlie, Adley and Gus Rodman; Abe, Carver, Daniel, Daisy, Adelaide, and Grace Knapp; Bella and Seby Turner; and Kayla, Josh, Liam, Grayland, and Marlee Knapp.
Her tombstone is simply engraved with “For God, Country, Family, and Mater Dei.” Always wearing her signature red and gold, she dedicated her life to making sure everyone at Mater Dei had the most amazing experience by encouraging them to get involved and by being their biggest fan at every event. She also always made sure her 1960 classmates knew how much they were loved and needed for every class reunion. To continue her Mater Dei spirit, and in lieu of flowers, please share a gift in her memory to support Mater Dei’s Knapp Seibert Fund, 1300 Harmony Way, Evansville, IN 47720. www.materdeiwildcats.com
Visitation at Pierre Funeral Home is from 2 – 8 p.m. on Monday, February 17. A Celebration Mass in honor of a life lived to the fullest will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Philip Church.
Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. in the church.
Judy and her family were so grateful for the love and support they have received, especially in these last few weeks and months. She wanted everyone, who has been touched by her life, to always remember ‘Be bold, be kind, live hard, have fun, dance often.’

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Judy Knapp please visit our Sympathy Store.

Barton Sets New School Record As Three Others Record Provisional Marks At GVSU

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The University of Southern Indiana men’s track & field team recorded four new NCAA II provisional marks as another school record fell at the GVSU Big Meet Friday and Saturday.

Day One (Friday): Freshman Zach Barton picked up right where he left off in Greencastle a week prior, with an even more impressive outing in the 60 meters. Barton took seventh place with an NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 6.77 seconds which also stands as the fastest in USI history currently. Barton’s 60m time also ranks 10th in all of NCAA II currently.

Sophomore Titus Winders was next in line for a great performance as he proved it in the 3000m. Winders won the event with a new NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 8:08.46. Winders’ run bumped himself up to eighth in the nation and fourth all-time in USI history. Junior Nathan Hall was the next Screaming Eagles’ runner to finish with a time of 8:24.19, narrowly missing the provisional mark threshold of 8:22.64.

Junior Austin Nolan kept the good times rolling for the Eagles in the 5000m. Nolan finished sixth in his respective heat with an NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 14:19.66. Nolan’s time ranks 23rd in the nation as well as eighth all-time in USI history. Junior Wyat Harmon also impressed Friday evening as he took third in his heat with an NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 14:31.39. Harmon’s performance was not only a new personal best by 27 seconds, but it also ranks 31st in the nation.

Freshman Kyle Crone closed out Friday with a sixth-place finish in the high jump with a mark of 6 feet, 2.75 inches.

Day Two (Saturday): Crone came back the next day with another top 10 finish this time in the triple jump with a mark of 41’ 9.25”, good for seventh in the event.

Junior Tyrell Nickelson also added a 10th place finish in the high jump with a leap of 6’ 3.25”.

Up Next: The Eagles will travel to Charleston, Illinois for the EIU Friday Night Special held on Feb. 21.

EPA Announces 2019 Annual Environmental Enforcement Results

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In Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to strengthen its collaborative partnership with state and tribal programs to assure compliance with federal environmental laws. EPA continued to focus its resources in areas that will have a major environmental or human health impact, support the integrity of our environmental regulatory programs, create a deterrent effect, or promote cleanups. In FY 2019, EPA also continued to encourage entities to self-disclose and correct violations, resulting in an increase of entities that used this option to return to compliance.

“EPA’s enforcement program is focused on achieving compliance with environmental laws using all tools available,” said EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine. “Our goal is to eliminate inefficient duplication with state programs, and to direct federal resources to help achieve the Agency’s core mission of improving air quality, providing for clean and safe water, revitalizing land and preventing contamination, and ensuring the safety of chemicals in the marketplace.”

Highlights of EPA’s FY 2019 enforcement and compliance achievements include:

  • Voluntary self-disclosed violations at over 1,900 facilities expediting return to compliance, an estimated 20% increase compared to FY 2018.
  • Investment of over $4.4 billion in actions and equipment that achieve compliance with the law and control pollution, an increase of over $400 million from FY 2018.
  • $471.8 million in combined Federal administrative and judicial civil penalties and criminal fines, the highest total of all but four of the past ten years.
  • Commitments to reduce, treat, or eliminate 347.2 million pounds of pollution (air, toxics, and water), the highest value in the past four years.
  • 7.56 million pounds of emissions prevented from mobile sources, an increase of nearly 6.9 million pounds from FY 2018.
  • 170 criminal cases opened, an increase from 128 in FY 2018, continuing to reverse the downward trend that began after 2011.
  • A total of 137 criminal defendants charged, an increase from 107 in FY 2018, reversing a downward trend that began after 2013.
  • Commitments for $570.4 million in new site cleanup work, $283 million in reimbursement of EPA’s costs, and more than $108 million in oversight billed, totaling $961 million, an increase of over $349 million from FY 2018.
  • Cleanups and redevelopment at over 160 sites through use of Superfund enforcement tools, an increase of 6 sites from 2018.

EPA focuses its enforcement and compliance resources on the most serious environmental violations by developing and implementing national program priorities, called National Compliance Initiatives (NCIs). EPA’s NCIs focus federal enforcement and compliance resources to advance the Agency Strategic Plan’s objectives to improve air quality, provide for clean and safe water, ensure chemical safety, and improve compliance with our nation’s environmental laws while enhancing shared accountability between the EPA and states and tribes with authorized environmental programs. Those initiatives are:

In addition to the NCIs, EPA has made reduction of children’s exposure to lead a priority. EPA’s lead paint enforcement activities in FY 2019 are summarized here. EPA completed 117 federal enforcement actions in FY 2019 to ensure that entities such as renovation contractors, landlords, realtors and others comply with rules that protect the public from exposure to lead from lead-based paint. More information on the Agency’s enforcement activities related to lead.

Lane Sets Two New School Records While Jones And Comastri Hit Provisional Marks At GVSU

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University of Southern Indiana women’s track & field team saw two school records fall as well as two new NCAA II provisional qualifying marks be recorded at the GVSU Big Invitational Friday and Saturday.

Day One (Friday): Freshman Kaylee Lane continues to amaze in her first year at USI. Lane first broke her previous school record in the 400m with a time of 57.32 seconds. Finishing 17th in the event. Then Lane proceeded to set a new school record in the 200m with a time of 25.87.

Junior Jennifer Comastri picked up another victory this season in the 3000m with a NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 9:34.25. Comastri’s 3000m time is now ranked fourth fastest in the nation. Comastri is also second fastest in the GLVC as well, only behind Lauren Bailey of University of Indianapolis.

Senior Hope Jones paced her way to a fifth place-finish in the 5000m with a NCAA II provisional qualifying time of 16:57.04. Jones’ 5000m time is currently ranked 16th fastest in the nation as well as moves her into sixth place all-time in USI history.

Day Two (Saturday):

Lane once again performed well in the 400m, this time placing sixth in the event with a time of 57.81.

Up Next: The Eagles will travel to Charleston, Illinois for the EIU Friday Night Special held on Feb. 21.

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