IS IT TRUE August 22, 2011 Early Evening Edition (Budget Hearings)

IS IT TRUE that the Evansville City Council will start the 2012 budget hearings from 3:30 to 5:30 and the it will be televised on WNIN?…that there are several issues that we at the City County Observer along with some City Council members are just itching to see brought up?…that we are predicting a healthy level of discomfort as some of the questions or possibly even inquisition level issues are brought up?

IS IT TRUE that with respect to the plan that is required by the EPA to be completed and submitted for approval by the end of 2012 that there had better be some money allocated to make the plan and verify the technical feasibility of the plan?…that failure to do this will result in the future administration being fined up the wazoo just like the Weinzapfel Administration was last year to the tune of $490,000?…that if this ball gets dropped after the 20+ times that the City County Observer and other news outlets have reported on it then someone or some group on the City Council need to be gone?…that we will be watching closely and reporting on this situation?

IS IT TRUE that City Councilman John Friend, CPA who heads the Finance and Budget Committee is spoiling for action on two fronts?…that Councilman Friend has been adamant that the $160,000 that has been verbally committed to audit the IT Department of the City of Evansville be included in the IT budget as opposed to an independent line item that may magically disappear later?…that Councilman Friend also has some serious questions regarding the choice of London Witte as the lead Vettor of the proposals for the downtown Convention Hotel?…that in 2010 London Witte made a campaign contribution in the amount of $8,500 to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign?…that Councilman Friend is intent on having assurances that the vetting process is not compromised or even appear to be compromised by any previous work that London Witte had done for the City of Evansville or by any political contributions of any kind?

IS IT TRUE that last October was when City Councilman Dan McGinn received the commitment that he would be provided with all of the details and line items associated with the full legal services spending by the City of Evansville?…that it has now been 10 months and Councilman McGinn has not received the information that he requested?…that the firm of Jones and Wallace LLC, and David Jones, one of its partners made political donations to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign in 2010 in the total amount of $13,200?…that this is the firm that has been under contract to represent the Mayor’s office and to do other legal work on an hourly basis?…that the people of Evansville deserve to know exactly what is being spent and where when it comes to legal services?…that until this information is provided and made public the legal budget for 2012 should be set aside?…that maybe it would even be worth considering freezing further spending in 2011 until Councilman McGinn is provided with the information that he requested?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer would once again like to express our appreciation to the Office of Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel for keeping us off of the distribution list regarding the Bob Seger concert to open the Ford Center?…that the Mayor’s policy toward us just inspires the CCO and the Mole Nation to work even harder to scoop Evansville on every embargoed piece of information that there is?…that Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel is perhaps the biggest contributor to the juggernaut of growth that the CCO has experienced?…that the City County Observer, its owners, and its principle writers contributed exactly ZERO DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS to the “Weinzapfel for Mayor” campaign in 2010?

IS IT TRUE that the late 80’s and early 90’s big city practice of the “Drive By” played itself out on Evansville’s Riverside Drive yesterday near Morton Avenue?…that for those of you who are not familiar with the term “Drive By”, it refers to a car, a gun, a bullet, and a supposedly random victim?…that when a car filled with bad folks with a gun “drives by” a person on the sidewalk and shoots them that is a “Drive By”?…that this was not the first “Drive By” in Evansville as one happened downtown on the corner of Main Street and 3rd Street during the winter of 2009-2010?…that we do not have them often and hope that the EPD catches the shooter(s) and jails them quick before this becomes habit?

IS IT TRUE that the London Witte Group of Indianapolis that was recently hired by the Evansville Redevelopment Commission to VET the proposals for the downtown Convention Hotel made a donation to the Weinzapfel for Mayor campaign in 2010 in the amount of $8,500?…that as reputable of a firm as London Witte is reported to be this political donation still casts a pall and a bunch of questions on just how the hiring process for VETTING the proposals was carried out?…that as City Councilman John Friend asked the ERC back in July “who is vetting the vetters”?…that vetting the vetters is a very relevant topic for Mr. Friend and the Evansville City Council?

IS IT TRUE that about four years ago we had one summer in which our weather was pleasant and moderate nearly all summer long?…that we believe that it was either the summer of 2007 or 2008?…that it was so nice outside that it was reminiscent of living in a coastal climate?…that even the humidity gave us a break that year?…that during a typical summer in SW Indiana we experience quite allot of days with temperatures over 90 degrees and sticky humidity?…that is why we typically dread going to the mailbox and finding the Vectren bill as much in summer as we do in the winter?…that in that magical Mediterranean summer that our Vectren bills were comparatively low because air conditioning was not needed often to keep our homes comfortable?…that is was a real bonus to get a spring or fall type of Vectren bill in the summer?…that one summer of perfect weather has turned out to be very costly to the people of SW Indiana who are in Vectren’s service area?

IS IT TRUE that Vectren asked for and was granted a price increase based on the fact that we used less electricity during our nice summer?…that they used our one summer when less electricity was used to push through a rate increase that will last forever?…that for three months of good weather we will pay a higher rate to Vectren for the next 30 years?…that we have had some very hot weather with high electrical use this year resulting in Vectren bills that are 50% higher than last year’s were?…that if the past is prologue that we should legitimately expect that VECTREN WILL PETITION THE IURC FOR AN EMERGENCY RATE DECREASE due to our excessive use of electricity this summer?…that we had better not hold our breath on that happening?…that the old trick of “heads they win and tails we lose” is getting tiring?

IS IT TRUE that maybe the excessive electrical rates are contributing to the declining population of Evansville and the loss of nearly 10,000 jobs in the last decade?…that if every time the population shrinks the use goes down and then the rate is increased that I would hate to be among the last people left in Evansville?…that the last person left in Evansville will have a Vectren bill of $10 Million per month to make up for the declining demand of a shrinking population?