Over the last several years we have been warning our readers that the city employee Healthcare funds are almost depleted because of the out of control spending practices of City Council and Mayor Winnecke.

On Monday City Council drew down $2.2 million dollars to pay towards $7.3 million dollars of city employees Healthcare debt as of November 30, 2016.

It looks like the City Council may be back to its old ways of doing business when 1st Ward Councilman and Finance Chairman Dan McGinn (R) requested that Council “suspend the rules” so they could grant approval of a $2.2  million dollars advancement to reduce the negative balance owed to the city employee heath care bills for this year.

Earlier this year 1st Ward Councilman and Finance Chairman Dan McGinn, proposed to reduce our Homestead Tax Credit by 2% and claimed it would only would cost about $16 per household.  McGinn claimed if Council didn’t approve his request the City would be faced with the prospect of laying off firemen and policemen down the road.  Council President Missy Mosby and Vice President Jonathan Weaver also agreed with McGinn’s “political spin’ by saying this needs to be done in order keep our first responders Employee Healthcare premiums intact without raising their insurance rates and premiums this coming year.   All we can say to McGinn, Mosby and Weaver is “how did that work out”?

It’s important to point out that holding our first responders benefits package hostage has always been a favorite political trick of our current spend-thrift City Council and Mayor from the day they took office.

During the last election City Council candidates made promises to the voters that they would be transparent and accountable.  These promises have been broken many times since they have taken office.  It looks like its up to us to force the Mayor and his puppet Council members to be more transparent and accountable.

We were convinced we were electing a vigilant group of new comers that would keep us informed about every governmental issue that effects us.  So far that doesn’t seem to be the fact.  During the last election all we heard from them were they are going to be a “The Taxpayers Watchdogs.”  They’re now turning out to be the Mayors and City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr. “lap Dogs.”  

For well over two years we have been telling our readers that the City of Evansville finances are not in the best of shape regardless of what Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr and a few City Council members have been telling us . We now predict that in 2017 the City of Evansville will be facing one of the biggest budget crisis in many years. In fact 2017 shall prove to be the biggest “Snegal” year ever.

Its now time for the taxpayers of this community to a put a stop to some of the useless capital projects that provide lucrative contracts to political donors of the Mayor and select City Council members.  Henceforth, its up to us to see that they do the right things in spite of themselves. It’s time for us to see that our basic services don’t suffer anymore because of the adding of pointless feel good and political patronage projects..

We hope to see you at a future City Council meeting speaking your mind or standing in front of the Civic Center participating in a peaceful protest against the out of control spending habits of our City Council.

Bottom line, our elected officials created this mess and now its time for us to force them to clean it up!

IU’s King Wins Two Gold Medals, Sets Two Records at FINA World Championships

 WINDSOR, Ontario – Indiana University swimmer Lilly King had a record day at the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) on Wednesday night in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

 Swimming the breaststroke leg for Team USA in the 200 medley relay, King split a blistering 28.78, helping the Americans win gold and set a world short-course meter record with a time of 1:43.27.

 Later in the evening, King had an unbelievable performance in the women’s 50 breaststroke, winning her second world title, beating world-record holder Alia Atkinson with a time of 28.92, eclipsing the American record she set in the event on Tuesday night. With her effort, King is the fourth-fastest performer in the 50 breast in history.

 In the men’s 100 breaststroke final, Indiana alum Cody Miller placed sixth overall, finishing as the top American with a time of 57.08. Earlier in the day, IU postgrad Zane Grothe placed 13^th overall in the men’s 200 freestyle with a time of 1:44.53.

 The 2016 Short Course World Championships will continue on Thursday in Windsor, Ontario, with prelims beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET and finals beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

 Be sure to keep up with all the latest news on the Indiana men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 Women’s 50 Breaststroke Final

1. Lilly King – 28.92 (American Record)

 Women’s 200 Medley Relay Final

1. Lilly King – 28.78 (Team USA – 1:43.27 – World Record)

 Men’s 100 Breaststroke Final

6. Cody Miller – 57.08

 Men’s 200 Freestyle

13. Zane Grothe – 1:44.53

‘Strict Compliance’ With Contempt Statute Not Required If Sufficient Notice Is Given

Olivia Covington for www.theindianalawyer.com

A majority of the justices of the Indiana Supreme Court found Tuesday that strict compliance with a state statute regarding contempt orders can be excused if the party in contempt has been sufficiently notified of their contempt, thus affirming a trial court decision requiring an ex-husband to produce income and tax documents for his ex-wife.

After Thomas Todd Reynolds and Tricia Reynolds divorced in 2010, the dissolution decree required, among other things, that upon written request from Tricia Reynolds, Thomas Reynolds must make certain tax documents available for inspection.

In 2013, the order was modified to require that Thomas Reynolds provide documentation of his income and a child support payment calculation to his ex-wife quarterly. Tricia Reynolds served a written request for tax documents in March 2014, and after not receiving a response by June, she filed a motion to compel Thomas Reynolds to produce the documents. The Hamilton Superior Court initially granted the motion, then dismissed it as moot in August after finding no petitions for modification or contempt before the court.

Tricia Reynolds then filed a motion for rule to show cause, alleging contempt against her ex-husband because he had failed to comply with the order requiring production of his income and tax documents. She also filed a second motion to compel in November 2014, and Thomas Reynolds moved to dismiss all actions against him. Both parties agreed to present their arguments in summary fashion, and the trial court ultimately found the father in contempt and ordered him to pay $3,000 in his ex-wife’s attorney fees, as well as to produce the requested documents within 30 days.

But the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed that decision, holding that the Hamilton Superior Court had abused its discretion because it did not strictly comply with the rule to show cause statute and because it failed to give Todd Reynolds a way to purge himself of contempt.

However, the Indiana Supreme Court chose to affirm the trial court’s decision in a Tuesday opinion, with Justice Steve David writing for the majority that strict compliance with the rule to show cause statute can be excused “if it is clear the alleged contemnor nevertheless had clear notice of the accusations against him or her,” citing In re Paternity of J.T.I, 875 N.E.2d 447, 451 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007).

In the Reynolds case, David wrote that although Thomas Reynolds argued that his ex-wife’s motion for rule to show cause did not provide him with the proper notice, Tricia Reynolds’ motion did contain factual allegations that he had failed to comply with provision of their divorce, so his due process rights were preserved. Further, David wrote that the justices were not convinced that statutory language allows only courts, not moving parties, to serve contempt orders.

The majority also found that the Hamilton Superior Court did not abuse its discretion in finding Todd Reynolds in contempt because there was evidence that he did not produce certain tax documents as required by the marriage dissolution decree, even though he had multiple opportunities to do so. Further, David wrote that Thomas Reynolds had waived his right to challenge the trial court’s evidentiary findings because he did not object to a summary proceeding.

Finally, David wrote that the Court of Appeals’ finding that the trial court was required to outline the ways in which Thomas Reynolds could be purged of his contempt was unnecessary because it was not clear that he had proven why he should be allowed to purge his contempt and because he was not facing jail time.

Justice Geoffrey Slaughter wrote in a separate opinion that the plain language of the rule to show cause statute required the trial court to issue a rule to show cause detailing the factual basis for Todd Reynolds’ alleged contempt.

“Because the court failed to do so, its contempt order should not stand,” Slaughter wrote.