We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUE provokes honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address rationally and responsibly.

IS IT TRUE that in some cases that have been documented across the nation, elected officials have blunted the efforts of potential competitors to raise their friend’s or relative’s businesses or consulting prospects into single bidder or sole source situations?…when sole source situations happen, the taxpayers lose?…it would be a shame if sole-source service contracts for parties related to elected officials have ever happened with the nomination and vote of that elected official?…like with Gold Bar Bob of New Jersey, the taxpayers would see such an action as self-serving, potentially compromising, and certainly inappropriate?

IS IT TRUE that a common practice of elected officials throughout the country that do business like Boss Hogg on the Dukes of Hazzard to avoid putting out a “Request FOR PROPOSAL” is to sign a “SERVICE AGREEMENT” so they don’t have to put contracts out for bids so their friends could potentially be awarded the contracts without submitting a formal bid? …these deals undermine honesty and belief in governments among the governed?

IS IT TRUE that according to several government watch organizations, cities that have a debt burden of over $20,000 per citizen are considered to be among the worst-managed cities in the nation?…this list includes long-time faltering cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Louis?…these cities did not necessarily land on this undistinguished list due to spending but from loss of population?… Detroit was once a sparkling and prosperous city of about two million people but has collapsed to the point of being down to nearly only six hundred thousand people who are left holding the bag when it comes to debt?…all that has to happen to double the existing debt per person is for half of the people to seek their fortunes elsewhere?…we wonder where Evansville stands on this debt carousel per person and what may happen in the future?

IS IT TRUE that former Evansville City member and fiscal conservative Justin Elpers-County Commissioner said: “that the city’s health insurance plan is supposed to be self-funded by employee copays and deductibles, but what we have seen over the last five years is that the self-funded plan is not self-funded” …that County Commissioner Elpers comment is spot on?

IS IT TRUE that Evansville has something in common with the worst-run cities, and that is a declining population?… Evansville reached it’s peak population of 141,543 in 1960 and has seen a trickle down to the 2022 estimate of only 115,749 despite extending the boundary of the city to capture people who moved into areas of unincorporated Vanderburgh County?…with all of the debt driven by the necessary improvements to the long delayed sewer issues memorialized by a visit from Samantha Bee a few decades ago, Evansville is now close to a billion dollars in debt with another billion to go to really fix the legacy of poop in the street when it rains too hard?…from a debt perspective, today Evansville only has $8,640 per citizen in debt that classifies the city as adequately managed?…when another billion in debt is taken on at today’s high rates, coupled with a big blue city exodus of people, Evansville could easily join the worst managed in the nation list by just fixing what should have been fixed 50 years ago?…with a billion in more debt plus only a 15% decrease in population, Evansville’s public debt per person could be right up there with the failed cities that are holding $20,000 or more per citizen in public debt?

IS IT TRUE that this should be a warning to those in charge to cease with the questionable ways to waste money by blunting the procurement process with sweetheart deals for their buddies and start managing River City like a business instead of like a trust fund baby’s fun and games budget?