EVANSVILLE, IN – The Traveling City Hall meeting for June will be held tomorrow, June 27th, from 5:30 to
7 p.m. at Oaklyn Branch Library, 3001 Oaklyn Drive. Traveling City Hall is an opportunity for residents to
meet with Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and various city department heads to ask questions or simply discuss
the status of our community. Also attending the meeting will be Vanderburgh County Auditor Joe Gries
and representatives from the Vanderburgh County Health Department.
The meeting will begin with a presentation by Ed Ziemer, Deputy Director of the Evansville Water and
Sewer Utility, on trash removal and recycling options the city is considering for eligible residential
dwelling units within the City of Evansville. The public will have a chance to ask questions about the
proposed service and talk one-on-one with utility officials following the presentation. In July, the City
will seek competitive bids for residential trash collection, disposal and recycling services.
Traveling City Hall meetings are held on the last Wednesday of each month at different locations in
neighborhoods throughout the city from 5:30 to 7 p.m. All residents are invited to attend any session.
The next Traveling City Hall meetings will be held on July 25th at Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln
Avenue. Evansville Department of Sustainability, Energy & Environmental Quality Director Dona
Bergman and Evansville Environmental Protection Agency Director Derrick Ohning will open the July
meeting with a presentation on air quality issues.
The City County Observer has learned that the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County, Matt Arvay has tendered his resignation effective immediately. Mr. Arvay and the IT Department has recently been the subject of City Councilman John Friend’s call for an audit of the IT Department. Arvay has also been the chief architect and proponent of the Johnson Controls WiFi deal that was originated under then Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel’s Administration and signed during his last days.
Councilman Friend has also been questioning the accounting methods and savings associated with the Johnson Control’s contract that was signed on the basis of having enough savings to pay for itself. Arvay’s resignation comes the morning after Councilman Friend sought and was given approval to spend $20,000 to hire an independent contractor to vet the Johnson Controls contract which over the full term of 20 years is scheduled to cost the people of Evansville approximately $80 Million.
IS IT TRUE that something most unusual happened at last night’s meeting of the Evansville City Council?…this one was so unexpected and unorthodox that it sort of left the members of the council and the gallery speechless?…that City Councilwoman Stephanie Riley who put in over 100 hours of personal time doing the research that eventually helped Mayor Lloyd Winnecke face the reality that the Earthcare deal needed to be ended did not show up to cast a vote on her own resolution to effectively de-fund the loan that was previously passed by a razor thin one vote margin?…that not only did Councilwoman Riley not make it to the meeting to cast a vote which sometimes happens to all members of the Council, but this time City Council President Connie Robinson played the role of emissary for Councilwoman Riley?…that on the WORD (not a letter or official notice of withdrawal) of President Robinson that Councilwoman Riley wanted to withdraw the resolution that she worked so hard on Riley’s resolution was withdrawn on a 5 – 3 vote along the same lines that the loan approval was passed?…that rescinding a resolution on the WORD of a Councilwoman as opposed to on the WORD of the person who sponsored the resolution or any written document of any kind is a new “BUBBAVILLE†low for this elected body?…that if we as a people are going to allow one member of the council to speak for another and then proceed to vote on a resolution based on hearsay alone then we have sunk to a low that the Soviet Politburo never even sunk to?
IS IT TRUE that in spite of the racist rants of a member of the audience designed to denigrate Councilwoman Riley’s work to expose what a real vetting process would have exposed in the first place that City Councilman Dan McGinn stood up in support of Councilwoman Riley’s work?…that he was joined by Councilman Al Lindsey who still is not convinced that the Evansville City Council should be playing banker and by Councilman John Friend, CPA who has consistently opposed the Earthcare deal on its failure to make a coherent and consistent case for the business as an investment?
IS IT TRUE that the antics of “The Five†of the City Council who have once again pulled a Neville Chamberlain imitation of APPEASEMENT OVER THOUGHT when it comes to allocating the money of the people of Evansville?…that in the long run since Mayor Winnecke has seen the light and has committed to not go forward with the Earthcare deal that last night’s DANCE OF THE DUMMIES will have little impact on the overall outcome?…that is unless President Robinson shows up and SAYS that Mayor Winnecke wants to go forward after all and she can get the right people to believe her?
IS IT TRUE that the Earthcare deal is still on life support and is not contractually dead yet because no releases or rescissions have been signed by Mayor Winnecke and the management of Earthcare?…Earthcare is still holding onto $184,000 of the $200,000 that the City of Evansville advanced them before VETTING the deal?…this FUBAR will be over when it is over on paper and not one hour before as there are plenty of loopholes in the contract signed by both parties to merit some settlement?…that 2012 looks to be shaping up to be christened as “WORD OF MOUTH YEAR†in the City of Evansville to commemorate the sloppiness in deal making and voting by our elected city government?
IS IT TRUE that the things that elected officials are allowed to get by with in Evansville, Indiana without any accountability is simply mind boggling?
Greetings from Maya is a 5-year-old, spayed DSH. Maya is a very laid back girl who is will adjust quite well to any home. She is a bit on the pudgy side and will need a family to help monitor her weight. She is not fond of other cats and but will do just fine in a house with a dog. Having a couple of children to romp around with will help to keep Maya active and she really needs to increase her activity because she can be quite lazy. Maya is also a lovebug, you can count on her running to the door to great you when you come home at the end of the day. For more information on Maya, check us out on the web at www.vhslifesaver.org or call (812) 426-2563.
NEWS RELEASE
Released by District Chief Dan Grimm
Public Information Officer
June 25, 2012
RE: Miller & Miller Funeral Home Fire
Fire Investigator Steve Jordan has not finished his preliminary report and says it could be up to a week but stated the fire is still “under investigationâ€. Jordan spent most of Sunday morning and early afternoon examining the building’s fire damage and its contents from the Saturday night blaze.
Due to public safety concerns, an emergency raze order was requested from Building Commissioner Ben Miller and the severely damaged structure was torn down Sunday afternoon.
Nine EFD fire companies, including over 30 Firefighters, responded to the commercial blaze that was dispatched at 10:22 PM late Saturday night. Firefighters were on-scene for more than 6 hours.
EVANSVILLE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
NOTICE OF MEETING
The Evansville Redevelopment Authority will hold a Meeting on Wednesday June 27, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. in the Civic Center Room 307, 1 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Evansville, IN 47708.
that yesterday’s addition problem that makes it clear that the City of Evansville is floating on a need to spend $2.5 Billion to effectively do what is expected to minimally be considered a to be a City is a sobering thought?…that a less expensive way to deal with much of the problem of Tom Barnett’s Billion dollar dilapidated house issue and much of the $500 Million Combined Sewer Overflow mandate was brought up at a meeting in Innovation Pointe back in 2007?…this solution that has the potential to save nearly $1 Billion fell not only on deaf ears but on deaf ears attached to aggressive opposition from the then powers that be?…that tearing down all 8,000 of the dilapidated houses at about $5,000 each according to Mr. Barnett’s cost to demolish estimate would only cost $40 Million and the rat traps would be gone…that there is no demand for the housing anyway so demolition is the right solution until basic services can be secured for the entire City?…that many of those 8,000 (probably up to 10,000 by now) are in the areas that suffer from having Combined Sewers?…that the elimination of those houses and rezoning to non-residential will eliminate the need to replace the combined sewers on a block by block basis?…that if a large area of the City that is both dilapidated and on the CSO system can be relieved of the burden of these old crap houses that some of the sewers can just be sealed and never used again?…that some other cities have done such things and saved improvements that would have never paid off anyway?…the powers that be in Evansville in 2007 looked as if they had seen a ghost when faced with that suggestion?
IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke’s appointed General Manager of the City of Evansville’s Water and Sewer Utility has been in the news lately opining upon the $80 Million Johnson Controls contract that was signed by Mayor Weinzapfel during the final days of his reign?…this contract was supposed to pay for itself through savings and therefore has an easier route to ratification and acceptance?…that since that signing this contract has come under much scrutiny from Evansville City Councilman John Friend, CPA and private vetting efforts?…these private efforts seem to have exposed accounting standards that are let’s just say unique to this contract in their treatment of construction interest?…that much of the savings are undefined and are basically stipulated to as true without testing or even definition?…the pro-forma assumes a 2.8% increase in water and sewer rates per year for the next 20 years to even eke out a minor on-paper savings of less than 1% of the investment?…the once banker and never utility operator Mr. Mounts has been on TV stating that in his opinion this Johnson Controls contract is valid and must be honored?…that we would respectfully like to know if Mr. Mounts acquired his law credential from aisle 420 in WalMart?…the Johnson Controls contract has been challenged by some learned people with more appropriate credentials and that this deal is for attorneys to hash out so that the people of Evansville are well served as opposed to simply being serviced as has been the case in recent history?
IS IT TRUE that paid positions that are appointed are in many cases what are commonly referred to as patronage jobs?…that all cities seem to have a job or 10 reserved for cronies and political supporters that require no credential and have minimal responsibility?…that if there are to be patronage jobs that the City of Evansville and other cities would be well served to make sure that the people appointed to patronage jobs are not even allowed to do anything?…patronage is but one of the problems facing this city and this nation right now?…we cannot afford the luxury of patronage any more than we can afford to buy gold plated toilet paper rolls, $700 hammers, and $2 Million ballfields?…the party is over for the time being and it never should have started in the first place?
HMS Evansville aka The Titanic IS IT TRUE June 24, 2012
IS IT TRUE the infrastructure deficiencies in the City of Evansville seem to raise their ugly heads in more and more places on a weekly basis?…that one engaged and concerned citizen named Brent Jackson is finally beginning to see some publicity regarding his crusade to draw attention to the dilapidated sidewalks in Evansville?…the City County Observer published a study by Mr. Jackson that included some classic examples of long term neglect of sidewalks last year and that the Courier and Press has finally followed suit?…that the TV stations need to get on board and drive the point home with the bulk of our citizens who seem at times to live in simple oblivious comfort completely unaware or uncaring about the state of the City of Evansville?…that Mr. Jackson estimated the cost to repair dilapidated or missing sidewalks at a minimum of $100 Million using per square foot pricing used by City Engineers?…if every sidewalk in Evansville were replaced that the cost to do that would exceed $600 Million?…that the CCO agrees that Mr. Jackson’s estimate for immediate needs is probably in the ballpark (no pun intended) of what needs to be spent right now to get the sidewalks of the City of Evansville up to minimally acceptable standards with respect to safety?
IS IT TRUE that the revelations of the last several years with respect to the dilapidation both above and below ground in Evansville are enough to strike fear into the pocket book of even Larry Ellison who just last week bought the Hawaiian Island of Lanai for a reported $500 Million?…that the EPA has the City of Evansville under court order to repair or replace the Combined Sewer Overflow problem so that we as a people do not contaminate the Ohio River, Bee Slough, and of course our streets, yards, and basements?…the accepted estimate for that work is $500 Million to $600 Million?…that it was recently owned up to that there are 600 miles of cast iron water pipes that are in need of replacement at an estimated cost of $450 Million?…that now we learn that between now and 20 years from now we can add around $500 Million to the maintenance budget for sidewalks?…that former Director of Metropolitan Development, Tom Barnett is on record stating that there are over $1 Billion in repairs needed to get over 8,000 abandoned houses into LIVABLE CONDITION?…the total of these costs add up to roughly $2.5 Billion (nearly $60,000 per household) just to get the City of Evansville salvaged to a point where we can claim that the sewers, the water system, and the sidewalks are safe and sufficient and that there are no rat trap houses rotting down like a month old Halloween pumpkin for all the world to see?
IS IT TRUE that all of these necessary repairs to get to the level of acceptability must really be a buzz-kill to the partying and park loving class that seems to have had a chokehold on local politics recently?…that at a time when literally $2.5 Billion is needed to get the City of Evansville into presentable and livable condition, our government has spent $127 Million on an arena, tried to waste $18 Million on 8 ballfields, are hostage to a belief that an incentive package of $15 Million or more is needed to entice a convention hotel developer to come to town, spent $603,000 on a parking lot at a hotel that the City does not own, have two more parks at $10 Million on the drawing board, and are in the process of final negotiation on $80 Million to read water meters attached to dilapidated pipes over the internet, our leaders dare to smile for the cameras and say things like “it’s a great place to raise kids†or “we have a great quality of lifeâ€?…the statements and actions of local government and its surrogates are enough to make ones head spin in disbelief?
IS IT TRUE that having insufficient water pressure to fight fires, brown water to drink, crap in the streets during rains, a polluted river, fragments of concrete formerly known as sidewalks, and a looming $2.5 Billion to spend to get to acceptability does not constitute a “high quality of life†or a “great place to raise kidsâ€?…that spending money on frivolity like parks, arenas, star wars water meters, and junkets to Savannah makes about as much sense as flying lobsters in for the last meal on the Titanic before it sinks?…it is time for the leadership of Evansville to get serious about making Evansville into a “great place to raise kidsâ€?…that the leadership will need the help and support of the people of Evansville who are comfortably oblivious to reality?…there is only so much picking up garbage can hide if anything at all about the real quality of life in River City?
Governor Mitch Daniels has named a new trustee and reappointed two trustees to the Board of Trustees at the University of Southern Indiana. The new trustee is Kenneth L. Sendelweck of Jasper and the returning trustees are Ira Boots and Ron Romain, both of Evansville.
Sendelweck (pictured right) is a 36-year veteran of corporate finance, treasury, and accounting roles with German American Bancorp, Inc. and Kimball International, Inc., both located in Jasper, Indiana. A 1976 graduate of the University of Southern Indiana, he is a certified public accountant and a certified treasury professional. In addition to his current appointment to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, which ends June 30, 2012, Sendelweck serves on a number of regional boards for economic development, government, healthcare, and education. He is a member of the USI Foundation Board of Directors Advisory Council and the College of Business Board of Advisors. He received the USI Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997.
Boots was reappointed to serve a four-year term. He retired as president and CEO of Berry Plastics in 2010 after 30 years with the company.
Romain was reappointed to serve a four-year term. He is the CEO of United Companies and a former chairman of the Board of Directors of the University of Southern Indiana Foundation. He is a 1973 USI graduate and is the alumni representative on the board. He received the USI Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994.
“I’m pleased that the employees of Allied Waste Services will be back to work. Going forward, we hope both sides continue to work diligently toward a final resolution. I have every confidence that the process of negotiations will be mutually beneficial.”
EVANSVILLE, IN – The Traveling City Hall meeting for June will be held tomorrow, June 27th, from 5:30 to
Governor Mitch Daniels has named a new trustee and reappointed two trustees to the Board of Trustees at the University of Southern Indiana. The new trustee is Kenneth L. Sendelweck of Jasper and the returning trustees are Ira Boots and Ron Romain, both of Evansville.