IS IT TRUE AUGUST 11, 2015
IS IT TRUE at last night City Council meeting Evansville City Council member John Friend CPA dropped a  political bombshell on Evansville City Controller, Russ Lloyd Jr?  …Mr. Friend  stated that Mr. Lloyd didn’t post that the City currently has a $4 million dollar unpaid liability for outstanding Health Care cost reimbursements?  …Mr. Friend stated that the City presently has less $800,000 dollars in their General Operating Fund? …we also have been told we have a mere $3 million dollars saved up in our “Rainey Day Fund”?  ...we have been  posting for a couple of weeks about the looming financial crisis facing the City of Evansville?
IS IT TRUE the  Courier and Press, Channel 25, Channel 14 and Channel 44 should spend some  time doing investigative journalism concerning the financial crisis facing the city employees and the taxpayers of Evansville?
IS IT TRUEÂ some City Council members that are running for re-election didn’t realize that you campaign while in office not when you’re running for re-election?
IS IT TRUE that Pastor Steve Ary attended City Council meeting and ask a series of pointed questions?  … members of the Winnecke Administration and local media have dubbed him “The CCO “IS IT TRUE” Preacher”? … we like hearing that because we need all the “divine guidance” we can get?
IS IT TRUE we are waiting for 3rd Ward City Council candidate Anna Hargis to present us with detailed documentations concerning her alleged $13 Million Dollar loss of revenue because of the delay in building the downtown Convention Hotel?  ….we expect her to breakdown the loss of wages, County and City Hotel taxes, property taxes, food and beverage taxes?
IS IT TRUE we are glad to hear that people are beginning to question the wisdom of spending $15 million dollars on the North Main “Pork Barrel” bike trail project?
Annual Day on the Bus event to focus on healthcare industry innovation
written by Jenna Deisher, communications Intern for Opportunity Development
Over 50 faculty and staff members from the University of Southern Indiana, University of Evansville, Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University will board a motor coach on Thursday, August 13 for the annual Day on the Bus event.
Sponsored by Old National Bank and USI’s Center for Applied Research (CAR), Day on the Bus is a collaborative initiative to gain insight on local industry leaders. Participants will break into teams to be guided through presentations and tours of regional businesses. Teams will learn the inner workings of each organization’s operations and how to better prepare students for regional careers.
The day will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Old National Bank on Main Street, where UE President Thomas A. Kazee will deliver opening remarks. Other destinations for the day include Deaconess Hospital, Evana Automation, Deaconess Gateway and Seton Harvest, a community supported agriculture initiative. Each institution was selected for their contributions to healthcare in the surrounding area.
This year’s goal is to create collaborative solutions that can improve health in the region. At the end of the day, each team will return to Old National Bank to discuss what they have learned, conduct creative problem solving and pitch their ideas to the entire group of participants and leadership from the universities and Old National Bank.
To learn more about Day on the Bus, contact CAR at 812-461-5442 or appliedresearch@usi.edu.
ROBERT CRAY BAND SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
ROBERT CRAY BAND
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 AT 6:00 PM TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 AT 11 AM
 The five time Grammy winner, Robert Cray, and his band will be making a stop at Victory Theatre on September 20.
Robert Cray is widely recognized as one of the greatest guitarists of our time. The New Yorker recently called him “one of the most reliable pleasures of soul and blues for over three decades now.“ He has written or performed with everyone from Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan, from Bonnie Raitt to John Lee Hooker, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Tickets start at $30.00.
Tickets may be purchased at Ford Center Ticket Office, www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745- 3000.
Monthly Revenue Report
The monthly revenue report for July has been posted on the State Budget Agency webpage. The report can be found here:http://www.in.gov/sba/2659.htm. Data on July revenues can also be found on the MPH website here:http://in.gov/mph/staterevenue.html.
Results include:
- State general fund revenues for July were $1,041.8 million, which is $6.1 million (0.6%) below the estimate based on the April 16, 2015 forecast and $1.1 million (0.1%) below revenue in July 2014.
- Sales tax collections were $614.3 million for July, which is $31.2 million (4.8%) below the monthly estimate and $11.4 million (1.8%) below revenue in July 2014.
- Individual income tax collections totaled $349.4 million for the month, which is $35.2 million (11.2%) above the monthly estimate and $8.7 million (2.6%) above revenue in July 2014.
- Corporate tax collections were $10.9 million for the month, which is $16.7 million (60.5%) below the monthly estimate.
- Riverboat wagering collections were $0.4 million for July, which is $0.5 million (56.8%) below the monthly estimate.
- Racino wagering collections totaled $10.1 million for the month, which is $1.4 million (16.1%) above the monthly estimate.
Holly’s House Invites Community to 7th Annual Fun Fair and Family Fun Car Show
Holly’s House, a local child and adult victim advocacy center, will be hosting their 7th annual Fun Fair and Family Car Show on Sunday, September 13th from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Holly’s House, 750 North Park Drive. This event is free and open to the community.
Partnering with Holly’s House in presenting the Fun Fair are Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, The Parenting Time Center and Youth Resources. There will be a stroller parade with a “Story Book Character†theme, games, prizes, exhibitions, vendors and entertainment. The Evansville Police, Fire and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Departments will have displays, and local non-profits will be available to showcase their services.
Family Fun Car Shows will be joining the event for their 4th year. Family Fun Car Shows include “anything on wheelsâ€, and prizes will be awarded. Proceeds from the car show support Holly’s House services.
For more information about sponsoring, the Family Fun Car Show, or participating as a vendor or non-profit organization at the Fun Fair, please call Holly’s House at (812) 437-7233, or email martha@hollyshouse.org.
In case of inclement weather, a cancellation announcement will be made on local media outlets on Saturday, September 12th.
Statement on City-County Observer Yesterday IS IT TRUE BY Cheryl Musgrave
City County Observer
Dear Editor,
I read with interest your August 10, 2015, Is It True? concerning the issues raised about the offer my husband and I made last year on a vacant lot near our long-time home in downtown Evansville. Thank you for taking a balanced view of this fabricated issue, and for being a fair and objective window on events in our community.
Without going into a great deal of detail, I became aware of the vacant lot about a year ago and—knowing the fair market value for land in the downtown area—my husband and I made a generous offer of $500. Anyone, for your information, is permitted to buy land from Brownfields provided it is sold for fair market value. Brownfields thought the fair market value of the lot was $7300 and wouldn’t budge, so my husband and I dropped the matter. I did send an email to one of the Brownfields board members basically asking that he look into how Brownfields determines fair market values (since it seemed too high to me), and I did offer to show Brownfields how to appeal their property tax assessment to reduce its assessed value to a reasonable level, but that was the extent of my involvement.
I understand that someone else in the neighborhood who lives next to the vacant lot later made an offer of $1000 or so on the property, but I had no direct involvement with that.
The only motivation my husband and I had in offering to buy the vacant lot was so that we could keep it clean and mowed, remove the cost of maintenance of it from the city, and generally be good neighbors in keeping our area of the city in as good as shape as it can be, just as we have done with several other properties near our house over the years. We are both disappointed that we are being attacked for this.
Again, thank you for the article, and keep up the good work.
Very Truly Yours,
Cheryl Musgrave
Footnote: The City County Observer posted this e-mail sent to us by Cheryl Musgrave was posted without editing. Â
Mayoral Candidate Riecken Challenges City Controller Lloyd Misleading Bookkeeping Practices
Dear Russ,
Last year, because of the conflict between the mayor and the city council over the budget, I looked into the issues that seemed to bother one side or the other. Without finding fault with either side, I found that better laws providing transparency and confidentiality in the audit process and a law that would guarantee accountability in fiscal matters would help resolve the conflict between the Mayor and City Council and would provide better information to the public.
As a State Legislator, I proposed a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) bill and later joined with Republican State Senator Travis Holdman to advocate his bill, a better version, not only mandating GAAP, but also internal fiscal controls for government and legislated improvements in the audit process.
Why GAAP? Because through a method of having to record not only what the revenue is when it comes in and the expenses when they go out, GAAP requires the bookkeeper to record those accounts payables that add up from one time period to another and are still liable for us to pay.
GAAP would require that if a Mayor is going to claim that there is an $800,000 positive balance in the General Fund in the month of June, 2015, the Mayor would also have to note in the controller’s books that there is a liability to the General Fund of more than $3.7 million in unpaid bills to the surgeons and physicians.
These new laws could not come soon enough for Evansville.
Transparency is so lacking in the Mayor’s Administration that there is reason to worry about the future of our fiscal health.
There are questions that need to be answered.
1) How does the Mayor and the Controller explain the $800,000 balance to the good in the General Fund mentioned above?
2) This situation with the health insurance fund is aggravated by the fact that in both May and June of this year not one nickel was moved from the General Fund to the health insurance account to pay these and other health care bills. This was not the case the same time last year when $4 million was moved to the health insurance account to pay bills in the same months. We all know that health care costs are not going down. Why this year the total moved from the General Fund to the health insurance account is ZERO for May and June, when it was $4 million last year?
3) And, why at the same time would the administration charge the Utility Department for health insurance for those months of May and June of this year, 2015 and not charge the General Fund, as above? Is it because it is easier for the Utility Department to run to the IURC and request a rate increase to property owners already burdened by bills they can’t afford? Is it because the administration needed to show a positive balance in the General Fund, the supposed $800,000, a balance that now is at best misleading?
Instituting an accrual method of accounting like GAAP will tell the real story about our finances, as the accrual method requires you to enter revenue when earned and expenses when occurred and liabilities when they exist. When the City requested the advance of $2.5 million from the Water Department to make the City appear in the black the end of 2014, this would have been noted as a liability for the General Fund because it was 2015 monies advanced in 2014 and so taken from use in 2015. It should have been paid back before the end of 2014.
I am asking, Russ, that the administration respond to these simple questions. As we approach the budget hearings, without a clear understanding where this city is as relates to stability and a reversion of the downward trend in monies the start of every year, in monies available for expenses and monies in revenue that are reasonably projected, this administration is going to lead the City Council and the public down a rosy path of further reckless spending.
If you have any questions , please contact me at 812-568-9505
Respectfully,
Gail Riecken, Candidate, Mayor of Evansville
cc. Mayor Lloyd Winnecke
Evansville City Council
Evansville Press Corp.
Appeal Raises Ire Of 7th Circuit
Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
A southern Indiana couple who tried to stop the sale of their property to satisfy delinquent state and federal taxes was unsuccessful. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals described the merits of their appeal as “feeble.â€
Dennis Williams has more than $1.3 million in tax deficiencies assessed against him by the Internal Revenue Service, the state of Indiana and Clark County. To satisfy the debt, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ordered the property that Williams owns with his wife, Leslie Ann, be sold and the receipts be divided among the U.S., the state, the county and Leslie.
The 7th Circuit affirmed the order in United States of America v. Dennis R. Williams and Leslie Ann Williams and Indiana Department of Revenue and Clark County, Indiana, 13-2359.
At times, the panel seemed to be exasperated by the Williams’ arguments on appeal.
The couple first asserted the suit should be dismissed because the U.S. secretary of the treasury must authorize the recovery of taxes and the attorney general must direct the action be commenced.
In response, the U.S. filed a declaration, signed by an IRS official, stating the secretary’s delegate had authorized the suit.
“The Williamses did not offer any contrary evidence,†Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote for the court. “Nor did they contend that there are logical or factual flaws in the assessments. The Williamses deny liability but sat on their hands in court. The district court rightly concluded that this will not do.â€
Also, the 7th Circuit was frustrated by the couple’s contention they did not receive adequate notice of the deficiencies. Again, the U.S. supplied evidence that notice was given.
“To this the Williamses replied by denying that their records contained any relevant notices. That’s evasive,†Easterbrook wrote. “Their records would be empty if they never picked up their mail or if, after receiving the notices, they threw them away. But people who receive formal notices cannot avoid liability by not opening the envelopes, or throwing the contents away after realizing that they bring unwelcome news.â€
Evansville Police Department Foundation Receives Motorola Solutions Foundation Public Safety Grant
Grant to support safety education and training programs
The Evansville Police Department Foundation (EPDF), a non-profit created to support the Evansville Police Department, today announced it has received $10,000 as part of the Motorola Solutions Foundation’s Public Safety and Security Institute. The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable arm of Motorola Solutions Inc. Through the grant, EPDF will be able to help fund three Citizen’s Academies in 2015. The academies provide members of the public an opportunity to learn safety and give an overall education about the department.
The Motorola Solutions Foundation’s Grants support safety education and training programs for first responders, their families and the general public in the United States and Canada.
“This grant allows the department to continue and expand our Citizen’s Academies to further our strategy to partner with our community,†Said Chief Billy Bolin.
The department offers a Spring and Fall Academy, as well as a traveling Citizen’s Academies during the summer tailored to neighborhoods and groups. The academy generally will be offered for 10 weeks, one night per week for approximately 3 hours. There will be safety presentations, as well as presentations by members of almost every area of the department, including Crime Scene, Narcotics, SWAT, Sex Crimes Investigation, Homicide Investigations and K-9. There will also be a tour of the Dispatch Center, self-defense tips and a round table discussion with the Police Chief, Mayor and Prosecutor on graduation night. The Fall Academy will begin on September 8, 2015 and the academy geared toward our Latino community begins August 21, 2015. Contact Training Specialist Debbie Baird to reserve a spot at 436-4948 or dbaird@evansvillepolice.com .
Through the Public Safety and Security Institute, the Motorola Solutions Foundation serves as an investor, convener and supporter of issues that affect the public safety of communities worldwide, providing leadership to drive innovation and grow and engage the network of those interested in these issues.
The Motorola Solutions Foundation provides grants around the world with an emphasis on programming in communities where Motorola Solutions has a significant presence. For 86 years, Motorola has worked side-by-side with law enforcement to develop the solutions that support its mission. Since 2007, the foundation has provided over $25 million in grants to public safety organizations in the U.S and Canada.
About the Evansville Police Department Foundation
The Evansville Police Department Foundation was formed in 2008 and provides support to the Evansville Police Department (beyond what is provided through the department budget) with training, equipment, emergency support for officers and college scholarships for children/ grandchildren of officers. For more information about the Evansville Police Department Foundation visit www.epdfoundation.org.
About Motorola Solutions Foundation
The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions. With employees located around the globe, Motorola Solutions seeks to give back to the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships and fostering innovation. The Motorola Solutions Foundation focuses its funding on public safety, disaster relief, employee giving and education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information on Motorola Solutions corporate and foundation giving, visit http://responsibility.motorolasolutions.com/