IS IT TRUE we received many inquiries over the last several months from our readers concerning the accurate accounting of  all City of Evansville legal work?  …we have also been told by several county and city officials alike that we may be surprised to find out the real costs to out source all city legal work?

IS IT TRUE we understand that the attorney for the Evansville City Council and his part-time administrative assistant’s operating budget is a $77,000 for this year?

IS IT TRUE if our memory serves us correctly,  the City Council approved about $600,000 for the city legal counsel for this year?  …we have also been told that this figure doesn’t include any general liability claims work, workman comp issues, bond council work, Evansville Airport Authority District work and ERC contracts?

IS IT TRUE posted below are copies of the “Freedom of Information Requests” submitted by the City Council Observer to the City Controller, Evansville Water and Water and Sewer Utilities Department and the Evansville Airport Authority?

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer just presented the City of Evansville Controller office a “Freedom of Information” request asking for the following information?

Please produce copies of checks or a listing of all payments made to all attorneys for legal services , including litigation, provided to the City of Evansville, the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility, the Evansville Metropolitan Development Department/Commission, the Evansville Redevelopment Commission, the Evansville Redevelopment Authority, the City of Evansville Board of Public Works, the City of Evansville Board of Public Safety, the City of Evansville Police Department, the City of Evansville Fire Department, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Levee Authority District, the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Central Dispatch Department and the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency during 2012 and 2013.  In addition, please produce copies of checks or a listing of all payments made to attorneys who performed legal services relating to City of Evansville bond work concerning any of the above mentioned governmental entities, departments or agencies during 2012 and 2013

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer just presented the City of Evansville-Water & Sewer Utility Department with a “Freedom of Information” request asking for the following information?

Please provide the City County Observer copies of checks or a listing of all payments made to all attorneys for legal services, including litigation, provided to the Evansville-Water & Sewer Utility during 2012 and 2013, including payment to any attorney for legal services relating to bond work during such years.

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer just presented the Evansville Airport Authority District with a “Freedom of Information” request asking for the following information?

Please provide the City County Observer with copies of checks or a listing of all payments made to all attorneys for legal services, including litigation, provided on behalf of the Evansville Airport Authority District during 2012 and 2013.

IS IT TRUE once this information is made public we feel it  will be extremely helpful for City Council to discuss and decide either to continue to out source or require the legal work of the city to be done in house?

IS IT TRUE that the full moon last week must have had a scary effect across the City of Evansville with one landlord threatening a late paying tenant with a gun over $150?…we are sure there is more to the story than just that as several people on the CCO staff have attempted the landlord route to riches unsuccessfully and know just how maddening a bad tenant can be, be mercifully none of us has ever pulled a gun to collect the rent?…the other “blame it on the moon” moment occurred out on Allens Lane where 65 (yes 65) underage boozers had their party disrupted by the long arm of the law?…that yesterday’s EPD Activity Report annoyed some of our readers because so many names were redacted?…that may just be what happens with underage citations?

IS IT TRUE the weather is finally sending some warmth our way and the dangers that come with being below freezing at night and above freezing during the day are disrupting life in SW Indiana?…this is the kind of weather that leads to black ice on the roads and sniffles in the nose?…we urge all of our readers to be very careful when driving but to get in the mood for spring as it is nearly upon us?…with the thawing of the ground the last weather related excuse to delay the golden shovel moment down at the convention hotel lot will soon be gone?…if a golden hardhat and golden shovel moment is not scheduled soon we can all start to believe there may just be trouble in financing paradise?

IS IT TRUE the eyes of the labor world were focused on Chattanooga, Tennessee last weekend where there was a vote of the workers at the Volkswagen plant on whether or not to “hire” the United Auto Workers (UAW) to represent the workers in negotiations with the company?…some of the campaigning got fairly ugly with a billboard in town referring to the UAW as “the beast that killed Detroit” and veiled threats to stop planning for a plant expansion?…despite these campaigns that were not initiated by the Volkswagen Corporation, the company was open and allowed the UAW free reign to speak with workers about what forming a union would do for them?…the driving force behind Volkswagen’s cooperation with the UAW was the desire of the company to establish Euro style work councils?…in spite of a friendly company in the end the workers voted down the opportunity to bring in the UAW by an 80 vote margin dealing the UAW a harsh blow in its efforts to move south to a right to work state along with most of the auto manufacturing jobs in the USA?…it has been widely reported that the workers at VW Chattanooga enjoy good pay scales that are comparable with the younger workers at UAW plants and were just not convinced that the UAW would have made their lives better?…in cases like this if the UAW is to survive they will have to show the value proposition of joining to be better than not joining?

IS IT TRUE the top five cities in America for creating middle class manufacturing jobs from 2007 – 2012 includes in order Austin, TX; Houston, TX; San Antonio, TX; Dallas, TX; and Oklahoma City, OK?…the growth of manufacturing in these cities ranged from 2.1% to 7.6%?…these cities all have a couple of things in common and we invite our readers to figure these things out an post comments?…Indianapolis was 10th on the list with a negative growth rate of 1.1% and was the only northern city named in the top ten?…when both 9th and 10th best is a negative number this country has a serious problem when it comes to expanding manufacturing?

IS IT TRUE the list of the five American states that people are fleeing for other locations includes in order: New Jersey, Illinois, New York, West Virginia, and Connecticut?…these five states also have some things in common with one another that contribute to their former residents taking refuge elsewhere?…we invite our readers to opine at will about why people are leaving these places in droves?…while West Virginia is an outlier along with Kentucky (#7 on the list) that have seen jobs in the coal industry disappear, the other four states have some very similar features that repel jobs and people?…we are quite curious to hear what our readers have to say about this great migration of people?

IS IT TRUE we have just been informed by an official at the Vanderburgh County Election Commission that former City Councilmen Keith Jarboe disband his election committee in 2010, John Paul Josey disband his committee in 2013 and Evansville City Clerk Laura Brown filed her report on time in January?  …Vanderburgh County Election Commission officials admitted that they made an error when they included Mr. Jarboe, Mr. Josey and City Clerk Laura Brown names in the delinquent list files they sent CCO by mistake?  …if we are informed of any other errors posted on this list sent to the Vanderburgh Election Commission we shall publicly announced them?