City-County Observer | Evansville's True Watchdog

Councilman Al Lindsey Opposes Raises for Select City Employees

07/16/2012
21

City Councilman Al Lindsey

Citing a down economy and a need to look at the big picture as opposed to just giving raises to few administration favorites, Evansville City Councilman from the 6th Ward, Al Lindsey today announced his opposition to these raises going through.

“The City Council should not be put into a position of having to vote 10 people a raise when the system needs to be changed” said Councilman Lindsey this morning. “I urge Councilman Friend to rescind his resolution calling for a vote of approval” continued Lindsey. Councilman Lindsey made it clear that he will vote no on the 10 raises in the event that it comes before the City Council for vote.

Councilman Lindsey’s Statement:

It is my position that pay increases for a designated elite group of 10 people when the country is in a recession and local unemployment is too high is irresponsible and should not be the business of the City Council. Our job on the City Council is to address the big problems facing Evansville as opposed to rubber stamping a chosen few people’s raises. If Evansville is not competitive then it needs to be taken care of on behalf of all of the City employees and not just a few hand picked ones. The way to do that is to look into just how our system needs to be changed so that all of the employees of the City have an opportunity to be paid more as their performance on the job improves. Handing raises out to just a few is not fair and does not solve the problems we have. I urge my fellow members of the Evansville City Council to vote no should this actually come to a vote. That is what I am going to do.

Al Lindsey
Evansville City Councilman
6th Ward

Editorial: Raises for the Select 10 Send the Wrong Message

07/16/2012
23

Last week the City County Observer discovered and published the fact that the Winnecke Administration held a committee meeting that resulted in a very select group of 10 City of Evansville employees being recommended for salary increases of up to 33%. The select group of ten was heavily weighted by the staff of the Office of Mayor Winnecke. Someone in the CCO knows nearly all of the 10 people singled out for these hefty salary increases and the forthcoming opinion on the process and judgment exhibited in these recommendations in no way reflects our admiration and support for competitive wages being paid to any on these people as individuals.

The salary schedules used by the City of Evansville are deficient, obsolete, and out of date. Exceptions and side deals have to be arranged to attract outside candidates to City positions. An exclamation point was put onto the paltriness of the City of Evansvilleâ€™s salary offerings when the attraction of Tom Barnett by the Weinzapfel Administration in 2008 required a secret side deal with GAGE of over 50% of Barnettâ€™s base salary to even be competitive with the towns of under 20,000 in locations with a lower cost of living. The salary schedules for Evansville needed to be adjusted upwards by more than 50% then and they still do.

The 10 who were singled out for large salary increases were already on the payroll with only 6 months tenure in their present positions. Attraction of talent was in no way involved in the committee recommendations. These are 10 people who knew what they were going to be paid when they accepted these jobs in January. To single out 10 people who for the most part came into the Winnecke Administration in January for increases while ignoring the skinflint salary schedules imposed on the other 800 or so City employees does not address the root problem and sets the administration up to look like the practice of cronyism is alive and well in Evansville. The City salary schedules were not upgraded by the Weinzapfel Administration and have thus far not been addressed by the Winnecke Administration.

The failure to address the non-competitive salaries offered by the City of Evansville in a transparent manner has been and will continue to be the reason that Evansville canâ€™t even compete with smaller and less well off places like Gary, Indiana for talent. To refuse to deal with this situation is to tie a permanent albatross around the ability of the City of Evansville to compete on the world stage when it comes to attracting and retaining talent.

The United States and especially the rust belt of which Evansville is a part continues to be mired in a recession/depression that has wreaked havoc on municipal budgets across the country. The truth of the matter is that Evansville cannot at this time afford to bring all of the wages for City jobs up to national average standards. Evansville as a city is also faced with well over a billion dollars in required spending on infrastructure improvements like replacing aged water pipes and solving the combined sewer overflow issue. The money to make these improvements will have to come from tax and rate increases.

The Winnecke Administration is establishing a reputation for acting before thinking. First it was making deals with Earthcare Energy before seeking City Council approval and now RaiseGate. Earthcare was not vetted and neither was this. Is it too much to ask of elected officials to think things through before taking even the right actions in the wrong way?

2012 began in Evansville with much hope for new leadership that promised transparency, ambassador level marketing, and financial competence. What we have seen so far is simply more of the same old boy cronyism that Evansville has suffered through for over half a century. There is an old saying about being in the right place at the right time. These increases however merited they may be are done at the wrong time in the wrong way. Evansville with its debt levels at record highs and looming infrastructure costs of well over $1 Billion is surely not the right place.

These increases in the aggregate are small potatoes in view of the overall budget. The balls that we all need to keep an eye on are things like the $80 Million Johnson Controls deal, the $10 Million in new parks, and of course the Billion dollar legacy costs associated with failure to do maintenance. Those are projects where real talent that we canâ€™t seem to find or afford can make a profound positive difference on the future of Evansville.

The most terrifying thing about the future of Evansville is that the elected leadership is not even getting the $50,000 decisions right yet they are in charge of the forthcoming billion dollar decisions.

Evansville’s Grave Injustice: by Jordan Baer

07/16/2012
66

Evansville’s Grave Injustice

I will never forget the day I visited Oak Hill Cemetery. As I crossed through the famed entrance gates to the facility, I was there for one reason only- to pay tribute to the mayor whose goals, visions, and ideas I seek to replicate with my own career. Before I arrived at Hank’s burial marker, I was already engulfed with feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, devastation, and depression due to the fact that I didn’t have a victory for Roberts Stadium in tow with me to deliver to Mayor Roberts.

City of Evansville Cemetery
Yes, I did finally make it to Hank’s headstone. But what I would see on my way through the cemetery was nothing short of despicable. It was like nothing I have ever seen before, it was a “Grave Injustice”.

No matter what part of Oak Hill Cemetery you visit, you will surely pass through many plots that are reminiscent of ruins from an old civilization. You will see headstones crushed, leaning, tilting, laying upside down, sitting on top of tree branches, and completely out of line from the rows they were originally intended to be in. Even worse is the fact that this isn’t just one, two, or three grave sites that have these problems. Rather, we are talking about many of hundreds grave markers that are in disrepair.

After viewing the dilapidated condition at Oak Hill Cemetery, I then took a trip to Evansville’s other public cemetery- Locust Hill Cemetery. As I expected, Locust Hill was a carbon copy of Oak Hill. Truth be told, the only areas in these cemeteries that are in acceptable condition are the areas being taken care of by our local veterans organizations. The rest of the areas in both of these cemeteries should be acceptable to no one.

As someone who has a great amount of respect for the veterans, the icons, and the residents of Evansville’s great past, I refuse to allow these cemeteries to remain like this, and I would hope the city of Evansville would refuse to allow this condition to get any worse than what it currently is. What kind of message do our cemeteries convey to our guests, visitors, and outsiders about the way Evansville views its deceased?

In order to get these cemeteries turned around, I have made the decision to do everything in my power to get the word out about the condition of our public cemeteries. First of all, I have created the blog- http://agraveinjustice.blogspot.com/ – so that residents can view pictures of what the cemeteries look like as well as receive updates on them 24/7 from the comfort of their own home. Secondly, I will be asking local lawmakers for their support in making sure these problems don’t continue to unattended to. I will be asking local residents to voice their concerns about these two cemeteries. I ask that any and all residents who are embarrassed by these horrendous conditions will write into our local media as well as our local leaders.

Yes, we have a tall task ahead of us in making sure that all of the deceased have a proper headstone surrounded by a lot that is maintained. But we can, and we will, accomplish this goal if our city is willing to take pride in both its past and present cemetery grave sites.

Finally, want to stress that the horrible condition that our two city cemeteries are in was not caused by our new Mayor or his staff but the blame for this problem is on the backs of past elected officials.

EPD Seeks Help Finding Suspect in Downtown Stabbing Attacks

07/16/2012
0

News Release

Type of Crime: Stabbing
Date of Crime: 071612

SUMMARY

Evansville Police have identified a â€œPerson of Interestâ€ in the stabbing at the METS station.
BRIAN K. POWERS is a white male. He is 6â€™00â€ and 175lbs. HE is 49 years old with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Anyone with information on his location is asked to call 911.

IS IT TRUE July 16, 2012

07/16/2012
23

The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE July 16, 2012

IS IT TRUE the rest of the Evansville mainstream media was a couple of days late on publishing or broadcasting the fact that a closed door meeting was held by the Winnecke Administrationâ€™s hand-picked salary review committee to select 10 people to be recommended for some pretty hefty raises?…while this action may have some more information that has not been disclosed that may come out at the City Council meeting where the approval will be sought, the optics on this particular action are just terrible and send the wrong message?…that the judgment of handing roughly 1% of a workforce a big fat raise without considering any actions with respect to the overall competitiveness of the compensation package for the entire workforce is simply impaired?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing from reliable sources that the Vanderburgh County Commission is reneging on the commitment they made to Evansville City Councilman and Budget Chairman, John Friend, CPA to help fund the much needed Information Technology Assessment Audit?…several CCO Moles are telling us that the County Commissioners are now wanting to contribute about a mere $10,000 towards this audit?…the extent of political malfeasance that goes on so some people can continue to feed or protect their sacred cows can be absolutely disgusting at times?

IS IT TRUE Microsoft has announced that it is divesting and pulling out of the partnership that it has had for reporting the news with NBC for the last 16 years?…Microsoft has given one reason as having been handcuffed by the deliberate decision of MSNBC to present the news with a liberal bias?…this decision was made to counter the conservative reporting style of Fox News that dominates the ratings at the expense of MSNBC and CNN?…we can expect a new entry into the distribution of news coming from Microsoft in the near future that will be internet heavy but will take on the cable news services with hopefully two sided reporting that is both proportional and fair as opposed to pandering to either extreme?

IS IT TRUE that it was reported by the Evansville Police Department last week that the City of Evansville has had 6 murders so far in 2012?…the murder rate by that metric is exactly one murder per month?…the 10 year murder rate for the City of Evansville only averages 6 per year with a high of 12 per year in 2003 that was followed by ZERO in 2004?…the long term murder rate in Evansville is 5.1 murders per 100,000 people?…the short term murder rate in Evansville is now over 10 per 100,000 people?…that the murder rate for Los Angeles is most recent year is 7.6 per 100,000? ?…that the murder rate for New York City is most recent year is 6.4 per 100,000?…that the overall crime rate for Evansvilleâ€™s most recent year is 343.6 which is 41% higher than the 243.6 in New York City for the same year?…the CCO is willing to bet that most people in Evansville would be shocked, amazed, and in major denial at the statistical fact that New York City is a much safer place to live than Evansville, IN?…at least we can take refuge in the fact that Gary, Indiana is much more lawless with a long term murder rate that is over 50 murders per year per 100,000 people?…we wonder where did our small town way of being go and when did it leave?…that our crime index and murder rates have been stable for well over 10 years so the whole small town image must either be a result of denial or just an urban myth?…that if Evansville wants to do something to be attractive to business that getting our crime rates reduced to be in line with New York City and our murder rates down to be in line with Los Angeles are a good place to start?

Memorial Community Developmnt Corp. Dedicates a Home Constructed as Part of Glenwood Redevelopment Project

07/16/2012
1

The Memorial Community Development Corporation, in partnership with the City of Evansville, today
dedicated a new home constructed as a part of the Glenwood Redevelopment Project.

The newly constructed home, built in an effort to revitalize the Glenwood Neighborhood, was unveiled
today at 1702 S. Elliott St., Evansville, IN.

The home was allocated $179,000 in Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Home Investment
Partnership Program funds from the City of Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development,
receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

â€œItâ€™s a continuing commitment of the MCDC to facilitate development for both business and housing in
the center city of Evansville.â€ Said Rev. Adrian M. Brooks Sr. â€œWe all know the challenges, but we want
to be a part of the solution. The Bible says â€˜Faith without works is dead,â€™ therefore we will work for the
solution.â€

The new housing development complements the continued efforts of the Glenwood Community
Development Initiative, a collaboration among community partners to revitalize the Glenwood
Neighborhood.

The proceeds from the new home sales will replenish a revolving fund that will be used to construct
additional homes in the Glenwood Neighborhood.

Outside of the housing development project, Memorial Community Development Corporation and
Memorial Baptist Church offer an array of other services ranging from health care to childcare, personal
financial management training, counseling, nutrition, fitness, tutoring, a community garden market,
youth employment program and much more.

Fact Sheet
The initial phase of the project will include a new Neighborhood Stabilization and Home Investment
Partnership Program-funded home as well as two additional homes that have been allocated $453,691
in HOME Investment Partnership Program funds from the City of Evansville Department of Metropolitan
Development along with Community Development Block Grant, and Evansville Housing Trust Funds.

Project goal is to stabilize the neighborhood by replacing blighted structures with new energy-efficient
homes and to continue the revitalization effort in the Glenwood area.

Homebuyers are subject to income limits. The current new home will be available to buyers with an
annual gross household income of up to 50 percent of the area median income – that would be a limit of
up to $31,900 for a family of four. Subsequent homes will be available to buyers with an annual gross
household income of up to 80 percent of the area median income – that would be a limit of up to
$51,050 for a family a four.

Additional funds may be available to assist in purchasing the homes in the form of a forgivable second
mortgage. Live in a new energy-efficient home for just over the typical monthly rent for a three-
bedroom apartment.

In addition to meeting income requirements, buyers must participate in at least 8 hours of homebuyer
counseling and must use the home as their primary residence.

Project Partners

Developer: Memorial Community Development Corp. in partnership with the City of Evansville
Department of Metropolitan Development

Architect: Donovan and Donovan Associates, Inc. – current home

Builder: Badger Construction, Inc. â€“ current home

Funding: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Neighborhood Stabilization
Program and Home Investment Partnership Program (current home)

Additional Support:
o Glenwood Neighborhood Association
o Memorial Baptist Church
o Barbara Woodruff, Just Faux It

Realtor:
o James Sutton, F. C. Tucker Emge REALTORS

ABOUT THE NEW HOME
ï‚· Asking price: $94,000

ï‚· Three bedrooms, two baths

ï‚· 1203 square feet

ï‚· Single-story design, open floor plan, 9-foot ceilings

ï‚· Master bedroom with two closets

ï‚· Master bath with double vanity

ï‚· High efficiency gas furnace and central air conditioner with fresh air system

ï‚· Stainless steel Energy Star appliances

ï‚· Low-E, Energy Star Windows

ï‚· Energy Star-related lighting

ï‚· Energy efficient Icynene spray foam and cellulose insulation

ï‚· Water-conserving faucets and fixtures

ï‚· Tankless water heater

ï‚· Low maintenance exterior with fiber cement Hardie Plank siding and vinyl

porch railing

ï‚· Security system

ï‚· Front porch and patio

ï‚· Corner lot with large backyard

ï‚· Professionally landscaped

ï‚· One-car garage with automatic garage door opener

EPD Activity Report: July 14, 2012

07/15/2012
0

EPD Activity Report June 14, 2012

City Council to Hear Recommendations for Salary Increases for Select Staff Members

07/15/2012
33

MINUTES Salary Administration Committee

The Salary Administration committee met on June 25,2012 in the Mayor’s Conference room. In attendance were the following:

. Lloyd Winnecke, Mayor
. Russell Lloyd, City Controller
. Dan McGinn, City Council
. Connie Robinson, City Council
. John Friend-CPA, City Council
. George Fithian, Administrative Services
. Carol McMichael, Administrative Services

After a discussion of salary changes, the committee approved the following increases for 2013:

SAC-12-001 Levee Authority
Supervisor 111-The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $49,588 annually.
. Mike Feller is in this position.
. Salary from $47,588 to $49,588.
Hourly from $22.8789 to $23.8403
. Difference is $2,000

SAC-12-002 Building Commission
Project Manager-The committee approved the change from an lnspector’s position to that of Project Manager, a non-exempt position.
The committee approved the salary far this position to increase to
$46,300 annually.
. Roseann Young is in this position.
. Salary from $34,985 to $46,300.
Hourly from $16.81 98 to $22.2596.
Difference is $11,315.

SAC-12-003 Departmemt of Metropolitan Development
Committee Development Coordinator-the request was to increase the salary to $49,155 annually.
The committee agreed to defer this decision until a later date.

SAC-12-04 Water and Sewer Utility
Staff Accountant-The committee approved to change this position from an Account Clerk to a Staff Accountant.
The approved salary will be $52,000 annually.
. Currently this position is vacant

SAC-12-05 Administrative Services
Payroll Supervisor-The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $46,163 annually.
. Vicki Pinnell is in this position.
Salary from $41,968 to $46,163
. Hourly from $20.1769 ta $22.1937
. Difference is $4,195

SAC-12-06 Administrative Services
Deputy Director-The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $52,981 annua1ly.
. Carol McMichael is in this position.
Salary from $45,855 to $52,981
. Hourly from $22.04 56 to $25.4716
. Difference is $7,126

SAC-12-07 Department of Metropolitan Development
Senior Project Manager-The committee approved to change this position from Redevelopment Specialist to Senior Project Manager.
The approved salary will be $49,369 annually.
. Lana Abel is in this position.
. Salary from $44,477 to $49,369 Hourly from $21 ,3831 to $23.750
. Difference is $4,892

SAC-12-08 Mayor’s Office
Cammunications Director-The committee agreed to change the titie to Communications Director from Executive Secretary. The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $48,000 annualiy.
Ella Johnson-Watson is in this position.
Salary from $37,217 to $48,000
Hourly from $17.8929 to $23.0769
. Difference is $10,783

SAC-12-09 Mavor’s Office
Chief of Staff-The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $75,000 annually.
. Stephen Schaefer is in this position.
. Salary from $63,818 to $75,000
– Hourly from $30.588 to $36.0576
. Difference is $11,182

SAC-12-10 Mayor’s Office
Coordinator-The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $38,450 annually.
. Michelle Kerr-Heuck is in this position.
Salary from $35,275 to $38,450
. Hourly from $16.9591 ro $18.4855
. Differ:ence is $3,175

SAC-12-ll Controller’s Office
Accountant III/BudgetManager and Intemal Auditor. The committee agreed to change the title to Accountant III/Budget Manager and Internal Auditol from Accountant 1ll/Internal Auditor.
The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $41,189 annually.
. Tammy Masden is in this position.
. Salary from $42,899 to $47,189
. Hourly from $20.62 45 to $22.687
. Difference ts 4,290

SAC-12-12 Controller’s Office
Account Clerk II-The committee approved the salary for this position to increase to $30,464 annually.
. Anita Martin is in this position.
Salary from $28,739 to $30,464
. hourly from $13.8171 to $14.6461
. Difference is $1,725

FOOT NOTE: Changes are to be made after City Council Approval

Source: Mole #74

Nationally Syndicated Political Cartoons

07/14/2012
0

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