IS IT TRUE the City County Observer has received some details concerning the accounting fees the City of Evansville has paid to two professional accounting firms over the past two years [2011 & 2012]?…one firm that has been heavily involved in the attempt to integrate the MUNIS software and reconcile the books has been paid $232,058 and the other has been paid $874,516 for a grand total of $1,106,574?…it has been asserted that there is no requirement for bidding out the GASB 34 conversion, and NOW you know why?…the SBOA has told certain elected officials that the conversion will cost us as much as $250,000 and will NOT do one thing for the City of Evansville?…in this case the City of Evansville has everything to loss nothing to gain?…paying a person with accounting experience, who has passed the CPA, CMA, and CPM (Certified Project Manager) examinations a mere $20,000 is the bargain of the century when compared to what the City has been paying in accounting fees?… that if the Winnecke Administration is going forward with the GASB 34 conversion, the City needs to bid out the engagement, at least on a per hour basis?…what really begs a question is why the City of Evansville does not just have 3 or 4 staff accountants to handle these duties so it does not need to hire outside help to do basic operations? …that the above accounting fee figures doesn’t include the months of Jan., Feb. and March of 2013? …that these figures don’t include what we are paying to run the accounting offices of the city controller and water works departments?

IS IT TRUE the Evansville Water & Sewer Utility Board approved a $2.5 million settlement that will resolve the litigation brought by the city and utility against Environmental Management Corp.?…EMC operated Evansville’s wastewater treatment plants and sewer system from August 1992 to March 2010 a period of nearly 8 years?…the litigation came about from federal and state enforcement action brought in September 2009 alleging Clean Water Act violations?…the settlement approved resolves all city claims against EMC?…the press release states that the EMC “denies any and all liability,” but under the agreement the company agreed to pay the city $2.5 million?…we wonder if there will be more fines and violations post 2010 that the City will have to pay out of its own coffers?

IS IT TRUE the unemployment rate in Indiana rose to 8.6% last month despite relatively strong hiring?…the reason given for this rise is that there were a lot of people of the ghost category who entered the workforce who were not previously counted because they had given up hope?…it is nice that they have hope and are starting to fill out job applications but this instance verifies and validates the CCO assertions that the “official” unemployment rate during the 2012 election cycle was manipulated meaningless prattle?…any official statistic that ignores 10 million plus people because they are discouraged is designed to mislead?…get ready for the next round of spinning that a rising unemployment rate is a GOOD INDICATION?…as sick as it sounds that is the truth but it is only the truth because the US Government created a metric designed to deceive?…the Cost of Living increase is similarly false omitting the costs of energy and food from the calculation?…these are really about all we really NEED other than housing yet they are ignored to make us all feel secure that the inflation monster is still caged?

IS IT TRUE there is no joy in Lexington today as the defending NCAA basketball champion Kentucky Wildcats were eliminated last night by Robert Morris University in the NIT?…cat fans have had a bad week courtesy of poor team play with their hated Louisville Cardinals taking over Rupp Arena for the weekend, being relegated to the NIT (aka losers tournament), and then losing on the road to a school more like the University of Evansville than a big basketball tradition university?…it was also learned that President Obama is picking the Indiana Hoosiers and the Louisville Cardinals to make the Final Four with the Hoosiers winning it all?…that may lift the hearts of Hoosier fans but this is also the President that did not pick Kentucky last year and had to watch the cats plunder the tournament winning every game by a comfortable margin?…in yet a third post season tournament called the CIT the Evansville Aces picked up a win against Tennessee State before a sparse official crowd of 2,300 at the Ford Center?…the Aces should find out today where their next game will be played?…if the next game is in the Ford Center the CCO encourages our readership to get down there and root for the Aces?…making the post season deserves more than 2,300 die-hard fans in the seats?

IS IT TRUE March 19, 2013

IS IT TRUE two college basketball teams with massive local support have earned #1 seeds in their respective regions in this year’s March Madness?…the Indiana Hoosiers after winning the Big Ten regular season championship but seeing the Wisconsin Badger jinx reach out and beat them again in the tournament semifinals will take the path through Dayton and Washington DC to attempt to return to the final four?…the Louisville Cardinals on the other hand on the strength of dominating the 2nd half of the Big East tournament was awarded the #1 overall seed and will be seeking a second straight final four appearance through Lexington and Indianapolis?…that Indiana and Louisville began the year ranked #1 & #2 and even though Gonzaga still has the polls #1 ranking the NCAA sees things differently mainly due to strength of schedule?…it would be just great to see an Indiana vs. Louisville championship game?…if such a game were held today the favorite would be Louisville but who knows what the next 3 weeks will bring?…the City County Observer wishes both teams the good fortune to play their best in the NCAA tournament?…if both of the “A” teams show up we will be treated to this final of massive local interest?…both teams have proven themselves capable of laying an egg and losing to a less talented team at times during the regular season?

IS IT TRUE that our article a couple of weeks ago with the email from Evansville’s First Lady Carol McClintock where she stated that the Republicans have “control of the Evansville City Council” raised allot of eyebrows?…that is a pretty strong claim for a Republican to make when the City Council is made up of an 8 – 1 Democrat majority?…our First Lady later had some Republicans state the her email was a typo?…that may indeed be true but at a recent fund raiser for Mayor Winnecke’s re-election campaign two Democrat members of the City Council showed up in support?…that Councilman Jonathan Weaver and Councilwoman Missy Mosby were in attendance and expressed strong support for Mayor Winnecke to stay in the Mayor’s office?…that coincidentally these two have stood alone in opposition to audits of City of Evansville accounts and of the Ford Center construction project?…that while there is not a thing wrong with cross party support, Councilman Weaver and Councilwoman Mosby seem to be two Democrat members of the Evansville City Council who are securely in the pocket of the Winnecke Administration?…being in the pocket of any administration is not a good thing as has been proven by the debacles that came from solid in the pocket Democrat control during the Weinzapfel Administration?…as Smeagle (not to be confused with SNEGAL) would ask “who else does the Mayor have in his pocketses”?

IS IT TRUE the Evansville Police Department and the Evansville Fire Department get together every year about this time to box each other to raise money for charities in a well attended event called “Guns and Hoses”?…in support of the Guns and Hoses event these guys got together to make a video along the lines of the Harlem Shake videos that have been going viral on youtube?…there are some folks who have been critical of this video for being done on the job?…we think that is being a bit too anal and that the police and firefighters who give up their own time and take a whipping for charity should be given a break for making a video supporting the Guns and Hoses event on the clock?…sometimes strict adherence to rules that were made up in the first place is just not the best way to live?…some rules were made to be broken and in this special case breaking the rigidity of a mostly controlled environment is the right thing to do?…we hope you all enjoy the video that is posted on the Community side of the CCO?