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EDITORIAL: For the 4th Time, the CCO Told You the Numbers Wouldn’t Work

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Mathematics Does Not Lie,  So Why Do Our Leaders Keep Lying to Themselves

Four years ago the City County Observer published an editorial that exposed the fact that the valuation of the downtown convention hotel that was proposed at the time would not exceed $20 Million. We were scoffed at for that opinion, yet proven right by three deals in a row all of which came unraveled when the financing fell apart over VALUATION.  We followed that up with perhaps as many as 100 articles that called out the City of Evansville and particularly the Evansville Redevelopment Commission for failing to have a competent vetting process in place. We hoped that our elected leaders would actually elevate their financial skills to at least a sophomore business student level and learn something about valuation and vetting.  Alas, that has not happened and another valuation based debacle has been exposed with yesterday’s confession that the funding for the convention hotel is once again on the verge of collapse.

A year ago, elected officials by the score were congratulating themselves on striking a deal with Old National Bank to buy the naming rights to the Centre for $14 Million with all of the proceeds going to subsidize the convention hotel. When questioned about such a stratospheric value in these pages and the fact that Old National is a public company that has shareholders to answer to by the CCO, we were dismissed again by the golden shovel team. Well folks the valuation chickens just came home to roost, EXACTLY AS THE CCO PREDICTED.

Yesterday’s news was filled with the typical finger pointing associated with delays with HCW blaming the City of Evansville and ONB for not delivering the cash, and the Mayor’s Chief of Staff blaming HCW for not having their finances in order.  Who is telling the truth? Probably none of them, they never have when it comes to this project.  This is typical for a project that has been mired by inaccuracy, fluff pieces by local media, and down right delusion from lots of people who should know better.

The reality of the financial valuation of a 250 room hotel with 60% occupancy and a $100 per day rate has not changed one iota since 2010 when the CCO first called out the City for visions of grandeur without basis.  The price paid for the naming rights for the Ford Center was $400,000 per year.  The Ford Center has 4 times as many seats and double the number of events that the Centre has so it seems very generous to assume with that as a comp, how the Centre’s naming rights could exceed half of what was paid to name the arena.  That would calculate to $4 Million for 20 years.  County Commissioners past and present have acknowledged that the naming rights have been on the block for over 10 years with no interested party.  One even stated that the naming rights were worthless.

Bob Jones, the CEO of Old National knows the valuation and has sent the expert opinion to HCW.  Soon, this truth will come out and the ERC and the City Council will be faced with a demand for more than the $20 Million they have already committed to the project. We doubt that they will do any vetting because they simply refuse to learn how.  We also doubt that there will be 5 votes to move forward with a subsidy that is higher than $20 Million in an election year.  The potential for this hotel, that our former mayor said would come free if we only built an arena, to go away for good has never been higher. Without 5 people on the City Council with the will to vet projects and who understand the mathematics of valuation, Evansville will keep making these same mistakes over and over and over and over, etc.

In closing, we would like to ask why a valuation for the naming rights to the Centre was not done before the self congratulatory golden shovels were brought out and a press release was distributed? It could have been done and it should have been done, but that would have required a willingness to face reality instead of a camera.

Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Reports

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/recent-booking-records.aspx

EPD Activity Report December 17, 2014

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.

EPD Activity Report

ST. MARY’S NORTHBROOK TO HOST MEMORIAL BLOOD DRIVE

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By Jacob Rund
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Amanda Banks officially stepped into her husband’s Senate seat Tuesday, taking the oath from Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush as her husband serves in Afghanistan.

Jim Banks, who was reelected in November, will miss the 2015 session due to his service in the Navy Reserves.

In adherence with state law, a caucus of precinct committeemen voted on Dec. 4 to elect Amanda Banks to temporarily represent her husband’s district in his stead.

“It’s an exciting day,” Amanda Banks said. “I’m really looking forward to this opportunity to serve and represent the district.”

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R- Fort Wayne, called the swearing in – the first ever under a state law that allows lawmakers to take a leave of absence – a significant event.

“This is a historic moment in the sense that I don’t think we’ve seen in modern times, maybe ever, a situation… where we are seeing his (Jim Banks’) spouse step forward,” Long said. “I will say that Amanda has a great deal of experience and history in politics, knows the district well and I know she will do an outstanding job.”

Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush, left, administeres the oath of office Tuesday to Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, who was unable to be at the Statehouse to be sworn in last month on Organization Day. Photo by Lesley Weidenbener, TheStatehouseFile.com

Amanda Banks, who majored in public policy at Indiana University, spent several years before the birth of her children serving in the fields of both government policy and communications. Her past work experience includes stints as a federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family and as a communications manager for the Indiana-Ohio region of the American Red Cross.

“I think I have a lot to offer from my experience there,” Banks said. “I’m a full-time mom, I’m a military wife, and I think those perspectives will bring a fresh view to this Statehouse, to this body, and I look forward to offering that.”

Banks said Tuesday that her legislative style should line up closely to that of her husband’s.

“I think it’s going to be very similar. We share the same conservative values,” she said. “I can’t imagine there’s not anything we’ll disagree on, but it will be small if it is.”

Banks made it clear that both her husband’s deployment and her election to take his place in the senate were not anticipated circumstances.

“My husband’s deployment was a surprise,” Banks said. “Being here today and being sworn in as a state senator is also a surprise. I am grateful that I have this opportunity while Jim is serving our country, I can serve our state.”

“This is an interesting moment in time and in history,” Long said.

Sen. Mike Delph, R- Carmel, and Sen. Karen Tallian, D- Portage, were also sworn in to their senate positions Tuesday, after they were not able to attend to original swearing-in ceremony.

Jacob Rund is the assistant editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

ST. MARY’S WELLNESS CENTER TO OFFER HEARTMATH® RESILIANCE ADVANTAGE PROGRAM

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St. Mary’s Wellness Center at Epworth Crossing will present HeartMath®, the Resilience Advantage Program – Skills for Personal and Professional Effectiveness in January.

This HeartMath high impact program delivers a practical skill-set to respond dynamically and effectively to pressure, emotional challenge and change. Fifteen years of client results show significant, sustained improvements in health costs, productivity, stress levels, resilience, cognition and emotional well-being.

At the program’s core are easy-to-learn self-regulation tools and resilience-building practices that help individuals become more balanced, aware, and high functioning. Benefits include: Ability to focus, process information and solve problems, regenerative sleep, increase vitality and resilience while reducing stress, worry, frustration & fatigue.

A key component is the award-winning emWave® technology, real-time monitoring of the impact of emotions of physiology and cognitive state.

* Recognize subtle stress signals before they become chronic.

* Learn powerful techniques to boost performance, resilience and quality of life.

* Be less reactive, think clearly and make good decisions under pressure

HearthMath® will be led by Wellness Coordinator Helen Emge Shymanski, a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and certified health coach. Shymanski has been professionally trained through Duke University Integrative Medicine, HeartMath®, and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.

The program is a four-hour package series. Participants have a daytime option across four different days:

* Tuesday afternoon: January 20th, 27th, and February 3rd and 10th from 12:00 – 12:50 p.m.

The cost is $110 per person and includes the required HeartMath® Manual. Please call 812-485-5725 by Tuesday January 13th to register. For more information, visit StMarysEpworth.com/classes.

COA decision in dueling-precedent case affirmed by Supreme Court

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Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com

Reviewing a conflict in precedent in state caselaw regarding child support, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld the resolution reached by the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Mark Rolley appealed the ruling by the Warrick Superior Court to increase his child support obligation.

His former wife, Melissa Rolley, had petitioned for modification on the grounds that more than 12 months had passed since the support order was issued. In addition, she noted there was more than a 20 percent difference between the amount Mark Rolley was paying and the amount called for under the Indiana Child Support Guidelines.

Mark Rolley argued the child support terms could not be modified without a substantial and ongoing change in his circumstances that would render the original terms unreasonable.

The Indiana Court of Appeals pointed to the conflicting precedent. In two cases the court found a support court could be altered only upon a showing of substantial and continuing change in circumstances while in another case the court ruled child support could be modified if a 20 percent deviation exists after 12 months.

In a per curiam opinion issued in Mark Rolley v. Melissa Rolley, 87S01-1412-DR-739, the Supreme Court agreed with Judge Rudolph Pyle’s analysis and the opinion of the Court of Appeals.

BREAKING NEWS: Substantial Increase in Orchard Parke Subdivision Property Assessments‏

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The City County Observer has received numerous
complaints vie e-mail concerning substantial 
property tax increases that the Vanderburgh
County Tax Assessor Bill Fluty has forced on 
Homeowners of this community. We are hearing 
annual trending have increased between 
10% to 20%. 

We wonder who gave Vanderburgh County Tax 
Assessor Fluty the order to make these 
substantial property tax increases? 
Did the County Council, City Controller
or the Evansville Mayor put political pressures
to force Mr.Fluty to put unreasonable financial
burden of the majority of homeowners in 
Vanderburgh County. 

This is a developing story please stay turned.

BELOW IS THE E-MAIL THE PRESIDENT OF ORCHARD PARKE SUBDIVISION SENT TO ALL MEMBERS OFHIS ASSOCIATION


Dear Neighbor: 

You have or will soon receive a State Form 21366 from the Vanderburgh County Assessor that will  reflect a substantial increase in your property assessment. The annual trending increase for
homes in Orchard Parke Subdivision is greater than 10%.

After searching the Vanderburgh County Assessor website, it was discovered that our neighborhood code (212050) has now been expanded to include the new Jagoe Subdivision. Most of the new Jagoe 
Homes are 1200–1600 square feet and selling for approximately $115-$125 per square foot. The 
Assessor is using new Jagoe Home sales in The Orchard Subdivision to increase the property tax 
assessments in Orchard Parke Subdivision. Further, Jagoe Homes offers smaller homes, one dollar 
down mortgages, free upgrades, free moving service and free utilities for a year.These factors in addition to extensive marketing drive up the overall cost of new Jagoe Homes.

The Assessor did not include older surrounding subdivisions when establishing the Orchard Parke 
neighborhood code almost 20 years ago, as we were assigned one unique code. Recent sales in our 
subdivision since 2012 reflect more realistic values for an aging subdivision with larger homes 
between 2,000 - 3,500 square feet of $95 – 110 per square foot. One home in our subdivision that sold earlier this year for $209,000 has a new assessed value of $231,800. Another home that sold in April, 2014, for $197,000 is now assessed at $224,800. A home that sold in October, 2012,for 
$235,000 is assessed at $247,500. These discrepancies exists for all homes in Orchard Parke. 
However,no homes sold in our subdivision during the annual trending period of January, 2013,to 
March, 2014.
Please contact Bill Fluty, Vanderburgh County Assessor at 812-435-5267,  and request justification for including new construction
Regards, 

Jeff Whittinghill 
President Orchard Parke Subdivision

FOOTNOTE: Jagoe Homes in The Orchard Subdivision in our neighborhood code. When 
contacting his office last week, I was informed that the burden is on the taxpayer tofilea Form 130 and conduct their own research on property values. The neighborhood
code assignment error is too obvious and should be immediately corrected.  

Regards, 

Jeff Whittinghill 
President Orchard Parke Subdivision

Below is the E-MAIL RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT OF ORCHARD PARKE SUBDIVISION FROM 
5th Ward CITY COUNCILMEN JOHn FRIEND,CPA
Folks,
During the city budget hearing, Russ Lloyd stood before us and clearly indicated that the property tax base increased by 4%…many of us on council believe that the assessor’s goal is to negate the 1% property tax caps by over valuation your homes. This administration needs all the property taxes it can assess. At the end of Oct 31st the most resent financial statements available,their General Fund, were your property taxes end up together with the Park & Recreation Fund, were upside down by $16,700,000 and $1,160,000 respectively. I have been tracking their deficit spending and the year ending October 31, 2014 that amount of deficit spending was $9,500,000,  so why are you surprised to see that Mr. Flutey may have marching orders to over value. Please recall that the council voted down his out of balance budget and only received criticism in doing so we cut $6 million dollars out of the crazy spending but as you can see the assessments are still climbing.
As a CPA, anytime one of my clients brought in their notice of an increase in assessed value, I Instructed them to file form 130 and indicated to them, they must get a certified appraisal.
I strongly urge you to appeal, if you feel that your assessment is incorrect. As always, please 
feel free to contact me should you have questions or concerns.

John Friend, CPA
5th Ward Councilman

THE ABOVE E-MAIL LETTERS ARE POSTED BY THE CITY COUNTY OBSERVER WITHOUT EDITING
OPINION OR BIAS.
Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,  broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.

Previous messageNext messageBack to messages

 

IS IT TRUE December 17, 2014

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IS IT TRUE we hear that the Mayor is getting a lot of political heat from his union buddies and business leaders to veto the newly passed “Home Rule” ordinance by the City Council?  … they feel that the Mayors veto will give them  time to put political pressure on select City Council members to change their first vote when it comes to a second vote to override the Mayors veto?  …we can’t wait  to see how the Mayor will decide to resolve this issue?

IS IT TRUE after further reflection on Evansville City Councilman Jonathan Weaver’s proposed amendment to make it illegal to serve on the City Council unless one owns a home with a HOMESTEAD TAX EXEMPTION in the City of Evansville, it is more disturbing than it seemed when it was directed at his fellow democrat Councilman Al Lindsey?…Councilman Weaver showed a glimpse of some true colors Monday night with his swipe at Councilman Lindsey?…to meet Councilman Weaver’s criteria one would HAVE to be a landowner to hold office?…such rules that benefitted the Gentry were once common in European nations where one’s bloodline meant more than one’s intelligence or motive?…Weaver’s personal tirade at Lindsey exposed a fundamental preference for landowners over renters which would further erode the pool of candidates to hold office in Evansville to those who are property owners?…perhaps a title will be his next demand?…if it is title that Weaver wants, it is title that we shall give him?…from this day forward, for his zeal to create a class of landowning rulers in Evansville, Councilman Weaver shall be dubbed Sir Jonathan the Second the Grand Duke of the Gentry?

IS IT TRUE it seems as though the “We are Evansville” shirts that put some smiles on some faces a couple of summers ago have worn out?…the shirts were of course a subliminal part of the effort to form a county wide government that eventually was trounced at the ballot box by a 2 to 1 margin?…the unification effort failed because the pitch was hollow and condescending?…pretty T Shirts were not enough to hide that fact and did nothing to bring the city and county closer together?…the City Council’s decision is just the latest response to the rejection of unification?…for many years (even though some served illegally), people from outside the city were routinely recruited to serve on boards and commissions appointed by the Mayor and the City Council?…the governing body of Evansville has spoken and the “We are Evansville” mantra will now recognize political boundaries when it comes to voluntary service?…we wish them well but will keep a close eye out for patronage appointments who will vote as they are told?…that has really been the problem all along?

IS IT TRUE the City Council should extend this new “home rule” movement to include political donations?…it is only right that the greenbacks of people from outside the political boundaries should be banned from contaminating the 2015 City elections?…the people of this fair city would have been served better in the past if the political contributions from Indianapolis, Washington, and Daylight had been banned from peddling their influence into lucrative projects like the Ford Center and the McCurdy Hotel?…if the Council is genuine in their thirst for “home rule”, they need to ban outside contributions right now before the taint of foreign money corrupts the 2015 elections?

IS IT TRUE the other area that needs to be banned is paying any kind of incentive to businesses that are not owned by people who live in the City of Evansville?…that should apply to facade grants, cash subsidies, and tax phase ins?…the only logical conclusion to extending “home rule” to its altruistic limit is to exclude outsiders from eligibility for incentives?…these outsider owned job creators like Berry Plastics, Mead Johnson, SS&C, and a boatload of businesses owned by people who grew up in Evansville but now live in the county should never see a dime of incentives that should be preserved for real Evansvillians?…if we are all in for home rule, let’s not pick and choose, let’s get busy with a Great Wall of Evansville to make it real and lasting?

IS IT TRUE seeing a crowd marching in the streets of New York chanting “what do we want, Dead Cops–when do we want it Now!”, is an example of our rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, but has the potential to ignite a firestorm should this crowd inspire someone to give them what they say they want?…the irony is that it was “live cops” who were protecting the crowd as they chanted for blood?…New York City has in many ways been a model for street protests as no property has been torched and no other violence aside from words has been reported?…what the crowd does not seem to understand is just how rapidly chaos and anarchy would take over New York if all the police vacated the place?…we had a glimpse of an unpoliced New York back in the 1970’s when it was all quite dangerous under Mayor Ed Koch with Central Park being a clearing house of drug dealers, prostitutes, and gang violence?…if the current rift between the Mayor and the police continues we may just get to witness a digression into the “good old days” that were not really good at all?

Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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SPONSORED BY DEFENSE ATTORNEY IVAN ARNAEZ.
DON’T GO TO COURT ALONE. CALL IVAN ARNAEZ @ 812-424-6671.
Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, December 15, 2014

Crystal Dennis                   Domestic Battery-Level 6 Felony

Christopher Wagner      Dealing in Methamphetamine-Level 2 Felony
Possession of Methamphetamine-Level 4 Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia-Class A Misdemeanor

Bradley Barney                 Operating a Vehicle with an ACE of .15 or More-Level 6 Felony

Westin Leach                    Possession of Methamphetamine-Level 5 Felony
For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Kyle Phernetton at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at kphernetton@vanderburghgov.org
Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law

EDITORIAL: ITS TIME FOR THE MAYORAL RACE TO BEGIN

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It looks like the Winnecke Administration and some back room political bosses are really concerned about State Representative Gail Riecken’s consideration about launching a Mayoral campaign.  Several of the usual suspects seem to be trying to send subliminal messages to inspire Mrs. Riecken to choose not to run for Mayor of Evansville. The most recent assertions on the Mayor’s behalf are that a few union bosses are going to support the Mayor for re-election. The reality is that it matters little who the “union bosses” support because union membership is no longer a large enough to swing an election either way.  Ms. Riecken has enjoyed union support in her past elections and it is to be expected that this will continue at least from a financial support perspective because the State Democrat Party will assure that the union’s political contributions are directed toward democrat candidates.

The City-County Observer is anticipating an interesting challenge ahead for the mainstream media to fairly cover the 2015 Mayoral election in Evansville if State Representative Gail Riecken announces her candidacy.  One of the most fascinating aspects of a race between the popular long-time State Representative a Democrat, and our current Mayor, Republican Lloyd Winnecke is the role reversal we see in the two candidates. Mayor Winnecke while running as a republican has governed as a democrat supporting public construction projects that have pushed the City’s bonding capacity to the limits. Mrs. Riecken’s has already stated that her fiscal policy will be conservative, so she can bring the city back to a secure fiscal position.
 
Many of those in both political parties and taxpayers alike are concerned about the City of Evansville fiscal crisis that has come about because the Mayor continues to offer expensive subsidies for projects like the downtown convention hotel and the IU Medical School. It must be noted that if there really was a need for a hotel that private industry would fill that need, and that the IU Medical School had options for other locations that would not cost the City of Evansville a dime. Those two proposals alone would incur a debt of $77 million ultimately backed by the taxpayers of Evansville.
 
Our declining bond position is trending in a way that will make the future interest rate on that money higher than budgeted, as well. In addition, the Mayor is pushing for millions of dollars for a park on the site of old Roberts Stadium, which he promises will be as “transformative” for Evansville as Central Park was for New York City. Such statements are simply delusional. This administration has subsidized almost $2 million dollars on projects in the Haynie’s Corner Art’s District and is embarking upon a $13 Million parking and bike lane project on North Main Street. The question for both candidates should be “just how much can a city that has a moratorium on changing the oil in police cars can justify spending on beautification projects with little evidence of economic benefit?”
 
Most of our readers are familiar with the recent dust-up over major problems with installation of “smart meters” by Hydromax, under contract to Johnson Controls, which sold the project to the city in the waning days of the Weinzapfel Administration by the local equivalent of an executive order. Reliable sources inform us that Evansville last 24 months spending sprees are creating a monthly deficit for the city of over $650,000 which is alarming taxpayers and community and political leaders. The Winneke Administration has no sense of urgency about moving forward with the EPA mandated sewer project which will add up to $1 Billion to the debt load pushing water bills above $300 for the average family in Evansville.   The longer this project is delayed, the more it will cost and the dubious gains of the pretty projects will be diminished by the stench of raw sewage on the picnic grounds. When there is an urgency to build a dog park yet there is no urgency to repair basic infrastructure like the sewers, sidewalks, and roads, a strong message about Evansville’s priorities is sent to companies considering to relocate.
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We believe that the questions raised in the minds of the taxpayers and local community leaders who are sincerely devoted to “good public policy” are what inspired them to seek someone to oppose the fiscal irresponsibility that has been the hallmark of the City of Evansville during the last two administrations. 
 
Gail Riecken has the potential to raise the challenges facing Evansville in a campaign that was shaping up to be a cakewalk for Mayor Winnecke. Mrs. Riecken’s history public service and of being very “down to earth” will make the next election real. All we ask the Mayor and his supporters to do is back off and to give democracy a chance to work in 2015.
Please take time and vote in todays “Readers Poll”.
Copyright 2014 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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