We hope that today’s “Readers Forum” 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?

IS IT TRUE that the City-County Observer is overjoyed to see someone from the mainstream media cast aside the rose-colored glasses that have defined local reporting for over a decade and call out the problems of the City of Evansville’s infrastructure for what it actually is?

IS IT TRUE that Courier and Press reporter Jon Webb has once again taken the legacy of local government to task over the looming utility bills that are facing the ratepayers of all who are subjects of Vectren and the City of Evansville Water and Sewer Department?…if the Courier and Press along with the local television stations and radio had taken this stance five decades ago and kept away from the Kool-Aid being served by a series of administrations, the current dire situation with respect to affordability may have never happened?

IS IT TRUE we thank Jon Webb and encourage him to keep informing the public about political malfeasance the way that the CCO has been since day one?

IS IT TRUE to paraphrase and project from where Mr. Webb started in his recent article on the looming affordability crisis with respect to electricity, water, and sewer we submit the following?…Mr. Webb accurately pointed out that the water and sewer bill of the average customer will increase 85% during the next three years, what he left out was that this 85% increase is only funding 1.5% of the necessary replacements for water pipes that are close to 100 years old and have been substantially neglected by every Mayor of Evansville since Roberts?

IS IT TRUE to scale the increase that we can expect due to replacing water pipes just multiply that 85% by 66 and what you will have is a monthly water bill that exceeds $2,000 when the pipes have been replaced?…$2,000 per month is sufficient to pay a mortgage on a $400,000 house at today’s interest rates and we all know that Evansville is not sufficiently affluent to deal with an average housing price of $400,000?.

IS IT TRUE to add insult to injury, there is another BILLION DOLLAR SEWER PROBLEM that is also on the mandatory list as the EPA has made very clear?…with that problem solved we may all be facing $3,000 monthly bills for sewer and water by the time our infrastructure has been made whole?…this is a looming problem for anyone who owns a home and for any government depending on taxing houses that may become worthless due to the operating costs?

IS IT TRUE that the other entity that Mr. Webb called out Vectren that already charges the highest electrical rates in Indiana?  …he pointed out that the ratepayers have been forced to pay for Vectren’s adventures in coal-fired generation and now we are going to get the cost of converting to natural gas before the coal investments have been used up?…there is really no end to the rate increases that the always Vectren compliant Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission grants legislated monopolies like Vectren?

IS IT TRUE that Mr. Webb pointed out that only 20% of registered voters actually voted in the last city elections and that is always a formula for keeping the status quo in power?…that Dr. Einstein’s definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result?…that is what Evansville has been doing for at least 60 years?… Should INSANITY be a call to action?

IS IT TRUE it’s been alleged that immediately following the recent “Blue Ribbon Jail Committee” meeting at the Civic Center a member of that this committee contacted RQAW and asked them for a contract for the proposed jail renovation project?  …we are puzzled why anyone would take it up on their own to contact someone to send them a contract for the jail renovation since the committee hasn’t officially selected anyone to design and build it?