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?
IS IT TRUE we are told on Monday that the Evansville City Council will formally vote to raise the County Option Income Tax (COIT) without seeking any input or meeting directly with our elected county officials?.
IS IT TRUE its obvious that the Evansville City Council is not only practicing “taxation without representation” but also “taxation without explanation” attitude by the raising the County Option Income Tax without seeking county council members input?
IS IT TRUE we are also told that City Council will make a general statement that the $8 million dollars collected from COIT taxes will specifically be used for public safety? Â …we wonder if this statement means that the majority of the COIT funds can be used to pay for city employee health insurance costs? … the devil is in the details?
IS IT TRUEÂ don’t be surprised to hear that the county will decide to use their allocation” of COIT funds to build a new addition to the Vanderburgh County jail? … we feel compelled to warn our county officials that a new addition to the county jail will cost way more than the approx. $3 million dollars that they will receive from COIT taxes?
IS IT TRUE the taxpayers of Evansville still do not know where Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke stands on the proposed  COIT tax increase?  …we are hearing that many of the city taxpayers want to know if Mayor Winnecke is for or against the proposed County Option Income Tax increase for 2018?  …we hope that Mayor Winnecke will make a public statement if he’s for or against the COIT tax increase before City Council votes on this issue next Monday?
IS IT TRUEÂ that our Civic Center “Moles” tell us that Mayor Winnecke has decided to not to mess with the “HOMESTEAD TAX CREDIT” in 2018? Â …it looks like the Mayor made a smart political move concerning this issue?
IS IT TRUE we wonder why City Council Finance Chairman Dan McGinn (R) hasn’t informed members of City Council how much did it cost the taxpayers to subsidize the Evansville Thunderbolts operating expenses during the 2017 hockey season?
IS IT TRUE that it has been reported that the management group that is in charge of the McCurdy apartments in Downtown Evansville face a $750,000 water/sewer bill for a 5 month period starting April 1st and ending September 30th?…the bill happened as a result of The Kunkel Group’s installation of an open-loop geothermal system to heat and cool the recently embattled Riverfront building?… the City of Evansville estimates, the McCurdy sends 12 million gallons of water to the treatment plant per month, which amounts to 3 percent of the East Side treatment facility’s capacity?… This exorbitant cost has the potential to be the death knell of the McCurdy as it amounts to $150,000 per month which equates to over $1,500 per apartment per month?… The Kunkel Group is thought to have invested $10 million into redeveloping the historic building, which faces the Ohio River?…we are concerned for the future of renewable energy in Evansville, In as the rent for these apartments to sustain the operational cash flow will have to be between $2,500 and $3,000 per month for the operator to have any incentive to do anything but dump the McCurdy back onto the market at which time it will most likely sit there unoccupied for another 9 years or more?
IS IT TRUE this is the same McCurdy that former Mayor Weinzapfel consigned to a political supporter from Indianapolis right after sinking over $1.5 million taxpayer dollars into incentives and a free parking lot?…the former use was as an old folks home and the residents were forced to march up the street to another facility leaving the McCurdy to accelerate the degradation process?…we certainly hope that something can be done to correct this situation as between the electric rates, the coming oppressive water rates, and a maniacal distaste for clean renewable energy, much of Evansville’s housing stock could be rendered valueless by excessive operational costs?
 FOOTNOTES: We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€Â 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?
Todays READERS POLL question is: Do feel that Mayor Winnecke should sit down with the Vanderburgh County elected officials to discuss the COIT taxes issue?
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