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IS IT TRUE December 8, 2014

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IS IT TRUE with the cat out of the bag about the Evansville Police Department being in such a dire financial condition that oil changes for police cruisers are officially deferred until they are affordable, can we please put a freeze on all capital projects and bonding until routine vehicle maintenance can be reinstated?…it is hard to even take a City to pursue $90 Million in immediate capital spending while place a necessary moratorium on routine vehicle maintenance for police cars as even remotely close to being serious people?…anyone who would prioritize a $20 Million gift to a hotel developer, another $57 Million handout to a medical school, $13 Million for bike lanes, dog parks, skateboard palaces, and other fun and games projects over oil changes for police cars needs to schedule some time with a psychiatrist?…maybe the best thing that this administration could invest in is a weekend retreat for the Mayor, his staff, and the City Council with Dave Ramsey?…this convoluted web of spending desires coupled with deferred maintenance on every thing from the sewers to oil changes is fodder for late night comedy?

IS IT TRUE we have been advised now by several members of the MOLE NATION including one in the Civic Center that Vectren will be the next downtown property to appeal their assessment?…there will be many more to follow as it appears that most recent market based sales downtown have been for prices per square foot more associated with tents and moving boxes than with office buildings?…Mayor Winnecke is on record as stating that the hotel and the medical school will certainly bring in enough business to cover their notes and raise the TIF collections?…he says that in the same disclosure that the hotel will only raise $600,000 per year which will not even pay for half of its own bond debt?…these positions are not only inconsistent they are incompatible with having an understanding of elementary school arithmetic?…it is time to stop the madness and cancel the hotel and the medical school project?…Evansville’s spending binge on the Ford Center and Johnson Controls have put this city into a position that police cars are deferring oil changes and the monkeys running this zoo can’t even grasp the gravity of the situation?…if the City of Evansville went on Shark Tank for an investment all five sharks would laugh and say “I’m out?”

IS IT TRUE the IU Medical School had other options and it is time for the Downtown proposal to be withdrawn?…the economic impact on SW Indiana by the med school with be the same whether it is downtown, at USI, on the Eastside, or in Warrick County?…it is time to let one of the other less expensive proposals have the medical school because Evansville can afford oil changes?…in the long run that is the best solution?…we must remember that if we had not rushed into the Ford Center project with fantasy land financial projections and visions of sugar plum downtown development magically appearing, we could have had the medical school downtown?…we could have even afforded the hotel but the projections do not support the need for it?…former Mayor Weinzapfel and his minions put Evansville ALL IN on the Ford Center and it just isn’t performing as it was sold to us that it would?…if the Ford Center numbers had been right, the other projects would have been affordable, but alas it did not and it will not?

IS IT TRUE perhaps it is possible and less risky to move forward with the analysis to see if IU Medical School downtown without a hotel is something that the City of Evansville can actually handle?…the reality is the hotel will not perform well because conventions are going the way of the buggy whip, and because downtown Evansville is not and will not be (Tropicana being the exception) tourist destination?…it is time for that part of the fantasy to be put to rest?..the lot at the corner of MLK & Walnut can serve as an inexpensive park where medical students can sit on park benches and read?…the best maker of recycled park benches in the United States is Evansville’s own Green Tree Plastics that would love an order for their products from the old hometown?

IS IT TRUEit is time for a dose of reality and an ounce of courage in city government?…such things have been missing for 60 years and it shows?…when one wonders why Old National would choose to appeal their assessment at this time after having lived with it since the building was opened, the obvious answer is that the tax abatement period has played itself out and it is just now profitable to appeal the assessment?…it makes no difference if a property is over assessed if the taxes are abated?

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

BREAKING NEWS: CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT JOHN FRIEND EXPOSES 2014 BUDGET DEFICIENCIES

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EDITORS NOTE:  THIS LETTER BY MR. FRIEND IS EXTREMELY TECHNICAL. IN NATURE.   HOWEVER WE URGE YOU TO READ THE LAST COUPLE OF PARAGRAPHS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE TO GET THE REAL  JEST OF MR. FRIENDS  BUDGET CONCERNS.

Dear Colleagues

Per the email sent to City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr.  stateing that the Evansville City Council needs some additional information concerning the 2014 Budget Fund deficiencies.  Today Russ sent me vie e-mail of the 2014 budget fund breakdown.  Attached below is a link of the Budget Fund balance changes sent to me by Mr. Lloyd.

Originally,  I included the General, Parks & Recreation, LIT, Hospitalization, Workmen’s Comp,Liability, Unemployment, Golf Non-reverting, and Hwy Vehicle into the operational category. I took Russ’ opinion and now included funds, 202,231,251,253,270,406,407,408, and 806, the yellow marking indicators represent the operational side of the budget.

Please notice line 98 Col I, the total operational deficiency is $9.4 million for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014. go to col R to see that the deficiency is $9.6 million for the prior fiscal year…this is where the 2% improvement over the same period one year ago was derived. Now, the administration is saying this is after the summer and the funds are lower. My analysis isn’t analyzing a point in time (Sept 30, 2014) but changes in points in time which includes all of the high points and low points, between two points. So, do NOT be confused.

Now, I direct your attention to line 103, col K, this is the deficiencies of ALL THE FUNDS excluding our agency funds (Funds of which we have no title) which displays deficiencies of $9,069,000. Please notice line 104, col K, deficiencies of $6,278,000 which is the changes in fund balances for the same period one year ago. This is a 44% decline in CASH or simply put $2,791,000 more in deficit spending.

Now, let’s examine line 11 Col. G, and Line 12, Col G, representing our Police and Firefighters pension money. I direct you Col. H which is the amount of those pension funds that are invested. The total pensions equal $11,786,000 which you would expect would be totally invested, but, look at Col H, the actual amount invested equaling $8,350,000. so where is the difference? Well, it is in the same checking account that the general fund, parks, in other words, all of the operational totaling $3,436,000. Now direct your eyes to lines 5,6,7, & 66, these funds are negative by a total of $13,258,000 and must I remind everyone that we are three months from receipt of the final property tax installment as of September 30th, 2014.

Please do not overlook lines 44, Col G & I because this is the Master TIF Fund that includes our downtown TIF Fund which has declined by 51% or $2,796,000. I have been on Evansville City Council for seven years and have NEVER seen our hospitalization fund this upside down. Our hospitalization is negative by $2,791,000 and places our employees health needs in the balance. Please notice the change is a mere $3,294,000 or a decline of 654.87%.  Can you imagine when the Affordable Care Act kicks in what the negative decline shall be?

What seems to be apparent is that this City Council has voted on very important budget issues without full disclosure. The Administration knew or should have known that Old National Bank would be carving out $1.9 million from the Downtown TIF before we voted on the IU Medical School. This $1.9 million dollars property tax reduction for Old National Bank  represents approximately $30 million dollars of future bonding capacity. I’m not sure about others, but, this would have influenced my decision. The same goes for the Johnson Controls “Smart Water Meters” project.  Either the administration knew or should have known about the budget contingencies deficiencies placing our citizens in potentially financial peril.

According to the email I received from City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr that Old National Bank property tax reduction in the downtown TIF was $1.9 million dollars instead of $1 million dollars. We were told (at least I was) that the downtown TIF property tax reduction was $1million dollars.

The TIF budget for 2014 was $6.6 million dollars. When the TIF was reduced by $1.9 million dollars the value of this TIF would be $4.7 million dollars. The administration budget number was $5.8 million dollars.

Its now reasonable to assume that the downtown TIF will go from $4.7 million to $5.8 million, or greater than a 23% increase? I would expect no more than a 4% increase or $200,000 making the difference declining bonding capacity by $9 million dollars off the budget.

If anyone has any questions, please let me know.

John Friend-CPA
President of Evansville City Council

POSTED BELOW IS THE LINK TO THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE FUND BALANCE CHANGES

Evansville – Fiscal Sept 30, 2014 Fund Balance Changes

This e-mail is posted by the City County observer without opinion or bias.

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

Vanderburgh Count Recent Booking Records

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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 7, 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

Rep. Bacon Ready to Begin Committee Work

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STATEHOUSE — House Speaker Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis) announced standing committee assignments for the 119th General Assembly. Standing committee assignments are made biennially after each election.

State Representative Ron Bacon (R-Chandler) was appointed to serve on three committees:

· Family, Children and Human Affairs
· Public Health
· Select Committee on Government Reduction

During the interim, Rep. Bacon was also appointed to the Medicaid Advisory Committee. For further details on this committee, please visit http://bit.ly/1zqrpey.

“As a grandfather, I am particularly humbled to serve on the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee and be a voice for Indiana’s most vulnerable,” said Rep. Bacon. “Our children are the future leaders of this state, so I look forward to working in these important committees to help shape the conversation and make decisions that ensure safer, stronger communities for Hoosier families.”

Standing committees are an integral part of the legislative process. Committees with specific expertise receive public testimony and work out the details of proposed legislation before it is heard on the House floor.

“I am confident in the abilities of each of these leaders, and I know they are all eager to begin their work,” said Speaker Bosma.

The 2015 legislative session begins on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 1:30pm.

To view the committee assignments, please visit: http://www.in.gov/legislative/house_republicans/newsroom/2015/2015committeeassignments.pdf

Commentary: What Hoosiers think, what Hoosiers want

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By Cam Savage
TheStatehouseFile.com

We like Mike Pence. We want to be able to buy cold beer on Sundays. We want education policy authority split between the state board and state superintendent. And when it comes to what to do with the state budget surplus, more of us would prefer to hold on to it than spend it or use it to cut business taxes.

These are the findings, among others, of the 2014 Hoosier Survey from WISH TV and Ball State University that annually measures Hoosier opinions on a broad range of policy topics.

The full survey and results are available on the website of Ball State’s Bowen Center for Public Affairs.

This survey is important because it is conducted annually and therefore gives us the ability to monitor changes in Hoosier opinion over time.

For example, in last year’s Hoosier survey Gov. Mike Pence approval among respondents stood at 55 percent. This year, that approval rating is up to 62 percent. That’s a strong approval number and should give any Democrat considering challenging him in 2016 pause. Again, this is a snapshot and 2016 is a long way off, but Pence isn’t showing the signs of weakness potential challengers hope to see in their opponents.

One big topic of discussion you are likely to hear more about is whether or not Indiana should join 48 other states in allowing supermarkets and convenience stores to sell alcohol on Sundays. At present, Hoosiers can only get a drink on Sundays if they are in a restaurant or bar.

But 52 percent of Hoosiers favor Sunday sales, while 45 percent who oppose them. It’s interesting to see an issue so evenly divided and on which so many people have an opinion. Only two percent of Hoosier respondents say they don’t know or don’t care.

The question for the Indiana Generally Assembly, which seems likely to take up this important question in 2015, might be, “how much do Hoosiers care?” By that I mean, should the legislature decide to allow for Sunday sales of alcohol, will the 45 percent of Hoosiers who oppose Sunday sales make much of a fuss or are they just satisfied with the current arrangement? I suspect your local legislator is trying to parse that question right now.

Here’s one that might surprise you if you’ve been following State Board of Education meetings for the last few years. When asked who should have “the final say on education policy in the state,” the State Board of Education or the state superintendent, 15 percent said the state board, just 10 percent said the state superintendent and a whopping 71 percent said “they should share the authority equally.”

I suspect this is evidence that not many Hoosiers are paying close attention to those State Board of Education meetings, because the alternative – that they are paying close attention to the meetings and like what they are seeing – seems unbelievable.

Now, on to that question about the state budget surplus. Here’s a question that I propose tells us quite a bit about who we are as Hoosiers.

When asked what they would rather see the state do with its $2 billion reserve and “annual budget surplus of $100 million,” the biggest chunk of respondents (39.1 percent) opted to “hold onto the surplus in case of another economic downturn,” while 31 percent want to “spend more on programs that have faced cuts in recent years,” and 21 percent want to “cut business taxes.”

So we’ve got almost 4 in 10 Hoosiers saying we ought to be prudent and hang on to those reserves for the inevitable rainy day. That feels “pretty Hoosier.” Hoosiers, we know, are a prudent and generally conservative bunch.

One in five respondents wants to cut business taxes, presumably to encourage economic growth, or perhaps their own bottom line.

About one-third of Hoosiers want to see the state spend some of or all the surplus. I suppose their question to legislators might be, why collect it if not to spend it?

How much is enough? This is the central question of governing bodies, summarized by the oft-quoted political scientist Harold Lasswell who said the study of politics was the study of “who gets what, when and how.” And that, as always, is the question members of the Indiana General Assembly will ponder when they convene in January, with a little guidance from the Hoosier Survey.

Cam Savage is a principal at Limestone Strategies and a veteran of numerous Republican campaigns and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He is a graduate of Franklin College. He can be reached at Cam@limestone-strategies.com.

State November revenues up from last year, but below projections

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By Hannah Troyer

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS- Revenue figures for November released Friday show that Indiana’s general fund brought in slightly more than $1 billion in November.

Big as that number sounds, it was 4.5 percent below projections. But, the revenue total was nearly 13 percent more than what the state collected in November 2013.

Individual income tax collections totaled $386.5 million for the month – falling roughly 10 percent below the projected total from the December 2013 forecast.

One revenue category did exceed the projection. Sales tax collections totaled $582.9 million – which is just 1 percent over the estimate. The amount was also $37 million higher than the sales tax collections in November of last year.

Brian E. Bailey, director of the State Budget Agency, attributes the difference in sales tax collections to the fact that there were five Fridays this past November compared to the four in 2013.

November reflects a trend for state tax collections.

While the total state general fund revenues are 1.5 percent below projections, the $85.1 million is 3.6 percent above the general fund total during the same five month period last year.

Hannah Troyer is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

MEMORANDUMS FROM CITY OF EVANSVILLE POLICE BRASS CONCERNING POSSIBLE FINANCIAL SHORTFALL ADJUSTMENTS

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The following two memorandums were given to the CCO by confidential sources.  Posted below are two memorandums for you to read and draw your own conclusions if indeed the City of Evansville is experiencing current budget challenges.  Our confidential sources also tell us that the Evansville Fire Department is also facing budget issues.

MEMORANDUM NUMBER # 1

DECEMBER 5, 2014

TO: ALL SWORN PERSONNEL

SUBJECT: VEHICLE ASSESSMENT FOR PERSONALLY ASSIGNED VEHICLES

Due to the continuing high costs to provide and maintain a take home / personally assigned police vehicle fleet for EPD Officers, the fuel assessment fee will increase beginning in January of 2015.

Every officer will complete and turn in a “Vehicle Assessment Form”, either denoting the authorization to have a fee deducted from their paycheck or noting that they do not have a personally assigned vehicle. The “Vehicle Assessment Form” can be found in the EPD Documents folder.

The “Vehicle Assessment Form” must be turned in by December 17, 2014 to either Captain Chandler or Captain Cox.

Each officer choosing to receive a take-home/personally assigned vehicle will sign a payroll deduction card that allows the Controller’s Office to deduct the fee from each paycheck.

The vehicle assessment fees are as follows:

$20.00 per paycheck ($520.00/annually) for those officers living within the Evansville city limits.

$38.00 per paycheck ($988.00) for those officers living outside of the city limits of Evansville.

Officers who choose not to sign the payroll deduction card or have not completed it by the deadline will forfeit the use of their personally assigned vehicle as a take-home vehicle.

This administration feels strongly in the value of the personally assigned vehicle policy.  It is our hope that these changes will allow us to continue the personally assigned vehicle policy.

All officers are asked to implement wise fuel-saving practices, including not running vehicles when unoccupied (except K-9 vehicles) and no excessive idling of vehicles.

BY DIRECTION OF,

BILLY BOLIN,

CHIEF OF POLICE

MEMO NUMBER #2 From Capt. S Clark  Concerning Year Of the End Police Budget Issues.

Officers,

As most of you are aware we had to temporarily stop our oil changes and repairs at Muensterman’s due to end of year budget issues.   We now have money in place to begin necessary repairs on vehicles as mechanical issues occur.  We ask that you still hold off on routine oil changes until January.  If you have a mechanical issue, we definitely need to be made aware of them through work orders and we will fix as many of these issues as possible.
We fully anticipate being able to go back to normal vehicle operations and maintenance just after the first of the year.   Thanks to everyone for your patience while we get through the end of the year.

Capt. S. Cox

POSTED BY THE CITY COUNTY OBSERVER WITHOUT OPINON, BIAS OR EDITING

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

IS IT TRUE “Weekend Hotel Blues”

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IS IT TRUE the reality of maxing out the credit card must have reached out an smacked the Winnecke Administration right upside the head this week?…the Saturday confession that there are some serious financing issues going on in the preparation to fund the City of Evansville’s part of the downtown convention hotel and the IU Medical School?…we cannot emphasize just how much this confession to the public must have rankled the stomachs of the people who have been willing to mortgage the future for a few pieces of brick and mortar jewelry to enjoy martinis in?…even the bond council is warning the City that the revenue streams that are slated to pay for these playthings will be stretched to the limit to service the $77 Million of debt?…no prudent manager would go forward with a warning that if things do not go perfectly for the next 20 years that financial disaster is looming?…we assure our readers that things will not go perfectly for even a year, much less for the 20 years the debt will have to be serviced?

IS IT TRUE the most revealing part of the confession is that “Old National Giveth, and Old National Taketh Away”?…in an unanticipated and unplanned for punch to the revenue stream, Old National Bank has successfully challenged the assessment on their downtown headquarters and have been granted a $1 Million per year reduction in their property tax bill?…this translates into exactly $1 Million per year that will not be available to the TIF district that is being counted on to pay the notes on downtown debt?…ONB was hailed as a model corporate citizen for agreeing to pay $14 Million for the worthless naming rights for the Centre?…that is of course deductible as a marketing expense the way the naming rights deal was structured?…after taxes this $14 Million may actually cost ONB $8 Million in the event that they actually write the check?…the million dollar reduction in property taxes is essentially perpetual and at today’s interest rates is worth just over $30 Million?…that is a pretty darn good trade on the part of ONB?…we would like an offer of roughly 300% return on any cash investment out there? …every taxpayer in downtown Evansville now knows that ONB has gotten a tax reduction of over 50% and are doubtlessly considering challenging their own assessments?…a mass assessment challenge that succeeds is the death spiral for downtown public projects and if a 50% reduction is good for ONB it is good for nearly every building in Downtown Evansville?

IS IT TRUE the other confession is that in the best of circumstances the hotel will feed $600,000 per year into the fund that will be used to pay off the $20 Million in bonds that have been approved by the City Council to gift to the developer?…at the 7% interest rate that the City Council has approved the interest on the debt will be $1.4 Million per year?…even if they somehow get a deal on what will be junk municipal bonds at 5% the annual interest payments will be $1 Million?…the reality is that this deal given the whole confessions of the day has turned into a very bad deal for the people of Evansville and at least two members of the City Council (Friend and O’Daniel) have been warning the Winnecke Administration about these risks for over a year?…we are about to find out if we have a Council with a brain and a spine?…watching this deal unfold will define next years election and the next 30 years of the financial prospects for the City of Evansville?

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

Open Forum Weekend December 6-7 Concerning Revenue Bonds

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What is your opinion concerning the reality of the Winnecke Administration is in danger of maxing out the taxpayers credit card (revenue bonds) as reported by local media this week?

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