IS IT TRUE that over on Adams Avenue between Kentucky Avenue and Kerth that there is a Front Door Pride type of project that is being carried out that sounds like it may just be sustainable and have a long term chance to make a positive change?…that the thought behind this program is to go block by block and take out ALL of the dilapidated homes before proceeding to build anything new?…that when the new house are built that they are being built at price points that are compatible with the incomes of the target market?…that these houses are built for the same price that they are sold for and that number is in the $129,000 range for a 1,200 square foot home?…that rather than building a boat load of these homes and then hoping that they sell that the developers have a list of interested and QUALIFIED buyers right up front?…that these homes improve the neighborhood but do not resemble the McMansions that the City of Evansville have randomly planted around abandoned shotgun houses in the Front Door Pride district?

IS IT TRUE that the practicality of appropriate products for the target market wins every time in the free market system?…that trying to change a massive ghetto by building a few palaces in it is always a waste of money and only benefits a few at the expense of many?…that if you want to see a program that needed very little seed money and is based on practicality and sustainability you need look no further than the 1,000 block of Adams Avenue near Akin Park where the Reverend Adrian Brooks and the Memorial Community Development Corp. along with Evansville City Councilwoman Connie Robinson are doing this right?…that when dedicated people get together and use their minds that programs that are capable of big improvements can be done with nominal seed money?…that the formula of spend $500,000 followed by sell for $500,000 can be repeated indefinitely?…that the Front Door Pride formula of spend $3 Million and sell for $1.5 Million can only be repeated until one gets to the bottom of the money barrel and then the “MONEY PARTY” is over?

IS IT TRUE that programs like Front Door Pride, Vision 1505, and a host of other “affordable housing” initiatives are nothing but expensive handouts and squander taxpayer dollars?…that such wasteful programs that defy the free market and rely on irrational decisions by buyers give housing programs a bad name?…that programs like the one on Adams Avenue give community development a good name?

IS IT TRUE that the IDEA HOME at 620 Washington Avenue has finally attracted a buyer?…that Jody and Vacharaporn Phillips are the proud new owners of the former IDEA HOME?…that the sale price of this home is recorded on the Vanderburgh County Assessors website as $165,000?…that this house that was sort of a speculative venture funded by much public money has been reported to have cost between $400,000 and $500,000 to refurbish from its formerly dilapidated condition?…that this is an extreme example of a Front Door Pride type of endeavor that lost approximately a QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS of taxpayer dollars?…that Mr. Jody Phillips is a member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission?…that the Phillips family is to be congratulated on their good negotiating that secured a very well refurbished home for them alone at a massive discount to the cost to do such a job on the open market?

IS IT TRUE that as taxpayers the City County Observer reiterates that such programs are not wise or sustainable?…that this is a link to the house on the Vanderburgh County Assessors website where all of the information was found?

http://www.vanderburghassessor.org/Default.aspx?PID=82-06-29-023-033.016-029

IS IT TRUE? PART 2 May 16, 2011 City Budgets?????

IS IT TRUE that the 2010 budget for the City of Evansville was $214,612,824 and that every one of those dollars should have been spent for the benefit of the 117,429 citizens that make the City of Evansville their home?…that simple mathematics reveals that the City of Evansville spent $1,827.60 on each citizens behalf in 2010?…that the budget for Vanderburgh County for 2010 was $91,832,809?…that the unincorporated part of Vanderburgh County was home to 62,274 people?…that the same simple math reveals that the County spent $1,474.65 for each citizen?…that it seems that the spending to population ratio of the City of Evansville is 24% higher than it is for Vanderburgh County?…that if the spending per person that Vanderburgh County does per person was used by the City of Evansville that consolidation would save $41.5 Million?…that if the consolidation committee could identify that kind of savings that they may actually be taken seriously for their financial projections?

IS IT TRUE that this budget to population ratio curiosity was inspired by a concerned citizen who pointed out a discrepancy in the spending per person between Evansville and Fort Wayne?…that the City of Fort Wayne has a budget of $134.9 Million to spend on behalf of 253,691 citizens?…that the spending per person in Fort Wayne calculates to only $531 per person per year?…that if Evansville would spend at that rate that it could save $151.8 Million?….that Fort Wayne is apparently 70% more efficient than Evansville at the delivery of government services?

IS IT TRUE that the City of South Bend has a budget of $63.3 Million to spend on behalf of 101,168 citizens?…that the spending per person in South Bend calculates to only $625 per person per year?…that if Evansville would spend at that rate that it could save $141.2 Million?….that South Bend is apparently 66% more efficient than Evansville at the delivery of government services?

IS IT TRUE that the City of Terre Haute has a budget of $30.3 Million to spend on behalf of 60,785 citizens?…that the spending per person in Terre Haute calculates to only $498 per person per year?…that if Evansville would spend at that rate that it could save $156.4 Million?….that Terre Haute is apparently 73% more efficient than Evansville at the delivery of government services?

IS IT TRUE that it is quite disturbing to see that the level of spending by the City of Evansville per person is so much higher than it is in comparable Hoosier cities?…that when the same calculation is done for the City of Indianapolis that the spending is still only $1,515 per person or 17% lower than Evansville’s spending?…that the same calculation for Louisville reveals spending of $1,482 per person that is 19% lower than Evansville’s spending level?

IS IT TRUE that going out of state to the City of San Jose that was smaller than Evansville in 1950 but has grown to be nearly 1 Million people with an intellectual property based economy we found a budget for the City of San Jose that spends only $871 per person per year?…that the delivery of government services in San Jose cost each citizen less than half of what it costs in Evansville, Indiana?…that growth and vibrancy has its benefits but that South Bend has neither yet still spends at a small fraction of the spending rate in Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that we did find one rapidly shrinking city that spends more than double the dollars per citizen than Evansville does?…that the City of Detroit that lost more than a quarter of a million people in 10 years has a bloated budget of $2.91 Billion to serve the 713,777 citizens left behind?…that our simple calculation yields a spending per person of $4,081 for the City of Detroit?…that Evansville is apparently 55% more efficient than Detroit and that Detroit could save $1.61 Billion if it would just do things the way they are done in Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that bloated spending per person figures seem to be an artifact of shrinking populations that lack the political will to downsize spending to match the population losses?…that any business that operates by the principles of growing government with declining revenues and population would not be in business any longer?…that people should expect corporate level oversight and stewardship from local government?…that if Evansville were vibrant and growing with pristine parks and a prosperous economy that maybe the extra money would be worth it?…that to spend this way for what we have just makes no sense?…that department by department analysis needs to be done to identify areas for rightsizing and that a competent consolidation committee should have been all over these large differences?

IS IT TRUE that we would appreciate as much readership help identifying the areas of bloat as we can get?

IS IT TRUE that it has been nearly a year now since the water supply of the City of Evansville that is used in Vanderburgh County and some places beyond spent the late summer of 2010 tasting rather nasty?…that the blame was placed upon low river levels that allowed sunlight to stimulate the growth of an algae that needed to be treated to keep the water safe to use?…that this treatment may have made the water safe but it made it pretty nasty to drink?…that this lasted for about a month and that the people that are dependent on the City of Evansville’s water had to either drink the nasty stuff or buy bottled water?…that the rains that were flooding us out in the spring coupled with the balanced rainfall have thus far spared us all a repeat performance of the Summer of 2010 and its nasty water?…that the next four days have rain in the forecast and that these rains may just get us over the hump?…that we can all thank Aqua Buddha for sending the rain at the right times so that our water supply is not disrupted this year?

IS IT TRUE that having a great drinkable water supply has a significant economic impact on any community?…that the tab for 200,000 people each drinking 4 bottles of water per day at even the big box retailer rate of 25 cents per bottle is $6 Million per month?…that is money that can be spent on food, gasoline, or other necessities of life and that we appreciate the fact that for the most part Evansville has good drinking water straight from the tap?

IS IT TRUE that there is a picture circulating that was taken of the new large Ford sign at the D-Patrick downtown lot with the Ford Center in the background?…that this particular picture makes the Ford Center look like the “World’s Largest Showroom”?…that D-Patrick’s downtown dealership and the new Ford Center look pretty good together?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has been taking on the task to join the education effort with respect to the scourge of meth in Evansville?…that we are sort of confused as to how anyone with two brain cells and even a little bit of awareness does not already know that meth is at epidemic proportions here?…that if a house explosion every week or so is not enough to get it through someone’s thick head that meth is a problem here that they are just not going to get it?…that with all of the explosions and possession arrests that it is no wonder that our new jail is full?…that we have been asked by a reader to start looking into what the results of all these meth arrests are?…that some go to jail, some plea down, and some get a slap on the wrist?…that we are hoping to see more tangible evidence that these meth cookers who endanger entire neighborhoods are being dealt with so that they do not become repeat offenders?

IS IT TRUE that today is Friday when the “Skinnys” and “Badgers” of Evansville tend to shop for meth making materials?…that we have a challenge for all of the retail outlets in Vanderburgh County that sell products that contain pseudoephedrine?…that our challenge to you merchants of the supply source is to just take the stuff off of the shelf?…that voluntarily removing the supply from the shelves of the stores for an extended period of time could make a positive difference?…that it is your businesses or your big box employer’s businesses but that this is a difference that you can make?…that we wonder if the profits that are made from the non-medicinal sale of pseudoephedrine based over the counter products is really worth what meth is costing this community?…that this is an opportunity to do something right?

IS IT TRUE that according to the gentleman from Hunden Strategic Partners who spoke at the Evansville Redevelopment Commission meeting on Tuesday August 16, 2011, today is the day that the VETTING PROCESS will be getting down to the brass tacks of a face to face meeting with one of the companies that responded to the RFP with a proposal?…that we are not sure whether the Kunkel Group or Prime Lodging is in Mr. Hunden’s spotlight today and that we would choose not to publish that information even if we did know?…that Mr. Hunden stated that the next face to face meeting has been scheduled for next Wednesday the 24th?…that he stated that after these meetings and some follow up questions have been answered that he should be in a better position to advise the ERC on what the options really are?…that in the name of fairness and in giving this VETTING PROCESS a chance that we shall not address this issue again until after the results of the VETTING interviews have been made known in a public meeting?

IS IT TRUE that after examining the final results of the year and a half of work done by the consolidation committee that the only conclusion possible is that the sales pitch for next year’s election will be “WE SPENT 18 MONTHS AND HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED ANYTHING OF SUBSTANCE THAT WILL RESULT IN ANY COST SAVINGS BUT WE RELLY REALLY THINK THAT CONSOLIDATION IS A GOOD IDEA SO TRUST US AND VOTE YES”?…that from an intuitive perspective consolidation does indeed seem like it should allow the people of Evansville and Vanderburgh County to benefit from economies of scale?…that this committee has not only failed to recommend any real actions that will save any money, but they are actually putting language into the proposal that will prohibit even considering changing some of the largest departmental budgets that exist?…that this seems to have been more of an exercise in protecting the sacred cows than it has been in evolving local government to a better and more efficient form of governing?…that this is truly disappointing as according to the budgets of other comparable cities there should be some very substantial savings that could have been identified?

IS IT TRUE that we are hearing from the Mole Nation that there are some considerations being given to investing some of the cash surplus held by the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau to repair some of our dilapidated parks?…that wise investments of this nature in parks that are not likely to be subject to instant vandalism will indeed improve the quality of place which will in turn promote tourism?…that we applaud and support well thought out and cost effective investments in the Evansville Parks System by the CVB?…that we will be on the lookout for $250,000 swing sets and $150,000 dugouts though so please exercise good fiscal judgment CVB?

IS IT TRUE that it has been revealed by the United States Secret Service that the $1.1 Million tour bus that President Obama is touring the Midwest in was MADE IN CANADA?…that we are sure that is comforting to the unemployed and underemployed people who are attending his events to hear about his soon to be released JOBS PLAN?…that Kid Rock, David Lee Roth, and Kenny Rogers are former owners of tour busses from the Quebec based company called Prevost?…that we have no problem whatsoever with the President of the United States spending $1.1 Million or more on a tour bus?…that we do wish that whomever made that purchasing decision would have considered a US based business like Hemphill Brothers Coaches of the “Right to Work” state of Tennessee?…that the City County Observer is a supporter of BUY AMERICA POLICIES and wish that our government would spend our tax dollars at home too?

IS IT TRUE that yesterday was one of those days that saw the Evansville news community all worked up over an issue that will be nothing more than trivia in a few months?…that a news release regarding the naming rights for the now christened Ford Center was sent by the Mayor’s Office to a number of providers with an embargo time of 1:00 pm attached to it?…that a news embargo is a request by a source that the information or news provided by that source not be published until a certain date or certain conditions have been met?…that the understanding is that if the embargo is broken by reporting before then, the source will retaliate by restricting access to further information by that journalist or his publication, giving them a long-term disadvantage relative to more cooperative outlets?…that during 2011 the Office of the Mayor of Evansville has preemptively kept the City County Observer out of the distribution for news releases thus whatever advantages that we may have had by being in the official loop was restricted long ago by the Weinzapfel Administration?…that back in the days when we were being provided press releases we never ever violated any embargo condition?

IS IT TRUE that yesterday’s article in the CCO announcing that Ford was the buyer of the naming rights for the Ford Center became the most viewed story we have ever published in the first 24 hours eclipsing the previous record by a couple of hundred views?…that we would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Mayor Weinzapfel for keeping us off of the distribution list so that we were not subject to any embargo?…that we would also like to thank the Mole Nation for helping us scoop this story?…that this was a great little bonus to the CCO that should be filed under unintended consequences by the Office of the Mayor of Evansville?…that we are certain that when either a Mayor Davis or Mayor Winnecke takes office that we shall be included in the distribution list for press releases?…that as much as we do look forward to that day, the cat and Mole game of scooping those who are using embargo techniques to unlevel the playing field of the local news business has been fun?

IS IT TRUE that embargo of news is a mechanism used by private businesses to protect commercial product announcements and by governments to provide security for time sensitive information?…that the most recent significant news embargo was that Sunday night when President Obama announced the killing of Osama bin Laden?…that the bi-weekly press briefings of the International Monetary Fund are always embargoed?…that the Federal Reserve Bank routinely embargoes news regarding interest rate changes?…that all of these news embargoes have a purpose?…that the name of the Ford Center really does not stack up to events of national security and world financial speculation?…that the only reason for yesterday’s embargo was to create “one shining moment” for Mayor Weinzapfel?…that in a week no one will remember who broke the story or that the embargo even happened?…that this deal has been done for a while, that the CCO had known the outcome for a few days and that in the big scheme of what Evansville really needs, the time of day that the naming rights were released does not mean spit?

IS IT TRUE that the whole hubbub of yesterday just indicates a 24 hour virus of misplaced priorities on the part of the Weinzapfel Administration and the entire Evansville news community including the CCO?…that on a day when it was revealed that poverty among children is rising in Vanderburgh County, that over half of the students in EVSC are on reduced lunch programs, that the birthrate among unwed teenagers has increased again, that college attendance rates are dropping, and that the number of juveniles sent to prison from this county increased by 49% we were all obsessing over what time the Ford Center announcement would be?

IS IT TRUE that we all have more important things to spend our time on than worrying about photo-ops, trivia, and our big new temple to sport?…that we encourage the candidates for Mayor of Evansville to concentrate their thoughts and efforts on solutions to the real problems that face this community?…that we promise to publish any and all plans of substance from all of the 2011 candidates and to provide a level playing field and fair editorial analysis for their plans?