Councilman Dr. Adams Retorts To Jack Schrieber’s Missing-The-Boat Rant Posted In The CCO
REAL TIME TRANSPARENCY
By H. Dan Adams, MD-Evansville City Councilman At-Large
This coming Monday, the Evansville City Council will vote on the transfer of ~$ 8 million from the Rainy Day and Riverboat funds. These transferred funds will be used by the Administration to pay the City’s regular/routine bills.
Normally, the Rainy Day Funds are used for emergencies; the Riverboat Account is set aside for capital projects. Local Option Income Taxes and Property Taxes are used to fund City Operations. According to the Administration, a cash shortfall has occurred because the funds (LIT & property taxes) allotted for city operations have already been spent.
We all have been promised that when the second installment of property tax monies arrives later this Fall, the cash from the loans will be repaid. By State Statute, the loan must be repaid and returned to the Rainy Day and Riverboat funds by 12/31/15.
Previous transfers have been hidden from public view. It was never the intent of the City Council to interfere with the normal financial flow of the City’s capacity to conduct business. It was, however, our goal to inject a degree of transparency into the City’s financial management that allows you, the taxpayer, to understand how, when and where your money is being spent. We must make absolutely certain that Rainy Day and Riverboat Funds will not become a permanent source for City operations and that the police and fire pension funds are never invaded.
Since said transfers have become an apparent recurring issue as opposed to an emergency, I make the following recommendations going forward. The Administration’s bi-annual fund transfer request should go through the Finance Committee. Additionally, the transfer requests should be given to the City Council at least three weeks prior to the move over date of the monies.
This ordinance is the first step in providing you, the taxpayer, with full transparency regarding the Administration’s management of the City’s finances. Let me be clear! I support loaning the Rainy Day and Riverboat funds for operational purposes now. I fully expect the repayment of these loans when the Fall property tax installment is received. However, this transaction must remain transparent.
H. Dan Adams, MD MBA President of the Evansville City Council
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Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records
Evansville man dies from injuries sustained during accidental shooting
Investigators determined a 15 year old was in possession of a handgun in the home and was handling it in a reckless manner. Investigators believe the gun discharged while the juvenile was handling it. The bullet penetrated a wall and struck the victim, who was in another area of the house. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he later died.
The juvenile was placed at the Youth Care Center on the following charges:
Reckless Homicide, Involuntary Manslaughter, Criminal Recklessness, and Possession of a Handgun without a Permit.
The name of the victim will be released by the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office following the notification of his family.
EVSC Selects Middle School Honors Band and Orchestra Members
After two days of auditions, 74 EVSC middle school band students and 56 orchestra students were selected to participate in the EVSC’s Middle School Honors Band and Middle School Honors Orchestra, respectively. Each student who auditioned for the honors band or orchestra was asked to prepare two pieces of music and perform their selections in front of EVSC instrumental music teachers.
As members of the honors band or orchestra, students will meet once a week and some Saturdays for 12 to 15 weeks. In December and January, the groups will perform multiple concerts throughout Evansville.
Governor Pence Statement on Passing of Former Representative Bill Crawford
Governor Mike Pence today issued the following the statement regarding the passing of former State Representative Bill Crawford:
“Bill Crawford served as a member of the Indiana General Assembly with distinction. For four decades, his leadership brought about extraordinary accomplishments such as the Second Chance Act, the Minority Teacher’s Scholarship Fund and so many others.
“A veteran of the United States Navy and the first African American lawmaker to serve as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill Crawford was a true public servant dedicated to improving the lives of Hoosiers. I recently had the privilege of recognizing the Chairman’s contributions to our communities by awarding him the Reverend Charles Williams Community Service Award.
“As we mourn the passing of this beloved Hoosier, let us keep his wife Bernice and the entire Crawford family in our thoughts and prayers.â€
Governor Pence to Walk in Circle City Classic Parade
Governor Mike Pence will walk in the Circle City Classic Parade, where he will be joined by Youth Achievers in Government from Avondale Meadows YMCA. There, they will promote the new Healthy Indiana Plan, HIP 2.0. Details below.
Saturday, September 26:
10:00 a.m. EDT – Governor Pence to walk in the Circle City Classic Parade
*Media are welcome to attend.
Parade begins at North & Pennsylvania Streets in downtown Indianapolis, IN
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging Indiana Nativity display
Jennifer Nelson for www.theindianalawyer.com
A federal judge has granted the motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought last year challenging a Nativity scene erected annually outside the Franklin County courthouse.
Since 2010, the nativity scene has depicted with life-size figures the birth of Jesus Christ. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana brought the suit on behalf of the nationwide nonprofit Freedom From Religious Foundation Inc. and two Franklin County residents, challenging the constitutionality of the display. As a result of the lawsuit, the county board of commissioners enacted an ordinance in January regarding the grounds surrounding the courthouse that provides a new policy with a content- and viewpoint-neutral permit approval process and size restrictions of the displays, among other regulations.
The county, represented by the Thomas More Society, asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit as moot. The plaintiffs withdrew their request for injunction relief in December and filed an amended complaint January 6 seeking prospective relief and a request for nominal damages.
“Due to the enactment of Ordinance 2015-02, the Court cannot draw a reasonable inference that Franklin County could be liable for any misconduct alleged in FFRF’s Amended Complaint. Although FFRF reserves the right to challenge any and all future displays on the Courthouse lawn through separate litigation, this present litigation does not establish a claim for which the pleader, FFRF, may be entitled to prospective relief. Because there is no actual injury that can be redressed, FFRF’s requests for injunctive relief, costs and attorney’s fees, and awards for other ‘proper’ relief cannot be awarded because they are no longer plausible,†Judge Tanya Walton Pratt wrote in her Wednesday decision.
The plaintiffs continued with their lawsuit for nominal damages, without the corresponding request for prospective relief. Whether a claim exclusively for nominal damages presents a live controversy has presented a split among the various federal Circuit courts, Pratt noted.
“The Court finds that FFRF’s legally cognizable interest of eliminating constitutional violations of the Establishment Clause no longer exists. Accordingly, FFRF cannot use nominal damages to compensate for past wrongs such as the acts being alleged in FFRF’s Amended Complaint. By allowing FFRF to proceed to determine the constitutionality of a policy that has been voluntarily amended to cease illegal conduct, in hope of receiving $1.00, vindicates no rights and is not a task of the federal courts. Therefore, under the law in the Seventh Circuit and facts of this case, a claim for nominal damages alone is not sufficient enough to maintain federal court jurisdiction in a case that is otherwise moot,†Pratt wrote.
Rep. McNamara presents Sagamore of the Wabash to Jon Carl
State Representative Wendy McNamara (R-Mount Vernon) presented the Sagamore of the Wabash award to Jon Carl, a U.S. history teacher at F.J. Reitz High School in Evansville. The award is one of the highest honors the Governor of Indiana can bestow and is presented to those who have rendered distinguished service to the state.
“Jon’s passion for transforming the way students learn speaks volumes about his dedication and commitment to his community and the future of Evansville,†Rep. McNamara said. “His innovative ways to engage students in his classroom are an inspiration to all educators.â€
Carl recognized a lack of student interest and involvement by young people in the local historic community. Seeking to address the issue, he created a class that motivates students to become real local historians and feel the history, his life motto. By integrating technology and bringing the historic community into the classroom, he created a learning pathway for students to become a part of the history they were studying.
Over the course of his 20-year teaching career, he has created hundreds of student historians. With the technological and historical research skills necessary for success in the 21st century, they are preserving and publicizing local and national history.