IS IT TRUE that tonight is the night that the Evansville City Council will have to make a decision with regard to the consolidation plan being adopted to be sent to the voters of Vanderburgh County during the 2012 election?…that as there will be an election for the President of the United States that 2012 is expected to have a good turnout of voters?…that a large turnout for an important decision is a good thing?…that while the CCO accepts the theory that consolidated government should lead to less government we are still not convinced that this plan has even scratched the surface when it comes to taking advantage of potential savings?…that some of the largest line items in the budget are actually forbidden from being discussed for about 10 years?…that leaving opportunities off of the table when it comes to implementing tangible financial benefits is a compromise that was ill informed?

IS IT TRUE that this consolidation plan remains a “buy into the concept now and trust the next generation of leaders and elected officials to get it right” document?…that if this plan would have been crafted in a way that the sacred cows were actually examined and tangible benefits were proposed that the opposition would have very little of substance to stand on?…that if this plan fails at the ballot box that the failure to muster the courage to really look for large savings will be to blame?…that the budget of the City of Evansville is roughly $1,000 per person more than the budget for the City of Henderson?…that these cities are not materially different with respect to services offered?…that we wonder just what we are getting on this side of the Ohio River for that extra $1,000 each?…that if Evansville’s per resident budget was equal to Henderson’s that it would be about $117 Million less?…that given that fact there has to be more places to find substantial savings by consolidation and rightsizing?

IS IT TRUE that some members of the Evansville City Council that have to vote on this tonight have asked time and time again for a definitive and correct tabulation of the cost savings?…that the documents requested have been withheld from our elected officials who are entrusted to cast an informed vote?…that if a COMMITTEE withholds information from a VOTING OFFICIAL that the only informed way to vote is NO?

IS IT TRUE that the streets of Henderson are in about the same kind of shape or better than the streets in Evansville?…that the parks of Henderson are much better kept than the parks of Evansville?…that the crime rates of Henderson are comparable to those in Evansville?…that the City of Henderson to a person unfamiliar with the area would look nearly identical to the City of Evansville?…that given all of this we wonder what the $1,000 per person extra that we spend is going for?…that it can’t all be gasoline and electricity which are always more expensive on this side of the money saving bridge?

IS IT TRUE that the silence is deafening when it comes to an update on the VETTING of the proposals to build a new downtown Convention Hotel adjacent to the Ford Center?…that time is creeping forward and that this decision may just be delayed long enough for this dilemma to be tossed onto the inauguration dinner plate for the new Mayor of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that Mole #27 tells us that there is some backroom arm twisting going on with the newly appointed members of the Board of Directors of the Evansville Convention and Visitors Board?…that there are several pet projects of politicians that are in the consideration loop at the CVB and that we are not surprised that some “last days of the administration” jaw-boning may be going on to spend the last available funds that the old guard will have any say over?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer will be checking everyday from now until Halloween to see if the real estate taxes have been paid on the McCurdy Hotel? …that on the morning of September 26th, parcel #82-06-30-020-005.002-029 also known as the McCurdy Hotel and located at 100 SE Riverside in Evansville, IN indicates that there is still a delinquent tax amount of $12,274.76?…that if we can report that the taxes are paid on this property that the CCO will become more enthused about the proposition of this project moving forward?…that it has now been 6 full days since Mr. Steve Scott was advised that the taxes on the McCurdy Hotel have not been paid?

IS IT TRUE that we learned of a job search that ended for a gentleman who had been searching for a job for an extended period with no success?…that a critical decision was made by this man to alter his resume’ down so as not to be eliminated from consideration due to over-qualification?…that the key to this person’s successful job search was to purge the fact that he had earned a master’s degree from his resume’?…that for a place that cries about brain drain this is truly a tragic story?…that we do however congratulate this man on finding employment and his employer on getting a bargain?

IS IT TRUE that the young lady with the Vectren issue that we profiled on Saturday has informed us that she is now in her Chicago apartment?…that this apartment and its neighborhood are comparable to the one that she had in Evansville?…that the Chicago apartment’s rent includes all utilities?…that her cost of housing will be lower in Chicago that it was in Evansville when the cost of rent and utilities is included?…that it also seems that her base compensation increased by nearly 100%?…that it is not good for this region’s future prospects for our best and brightest young people to have these kinds of experiences?…that it is even worse when long term residents who wish to stay have to understate their qualifications to even get a job interview?

IS IT TRUE that we wish to reiterate our praise for Carl Chapman the CEO of Vectren for his willingness to offer speakers to the community fee gratis?…that we hope to see the many neighborhood association take advantage of this opportunity?…that we hope that these speakers are prepared to answer questions to go along with what we are sure will certainly be well crafted powerpoint presentations?…that this sounds sort of like the town hall meetings that Mayor Weinzapfel has held?…that in the early days the town hall meetings were seen as interactive and productive meetings but as time passed many were poorly attended and opposing points of view have been dismissed?…that we hope to see Vectren emulate the early town hall meetings and not dismiss the tribulations of the people who attend as trivial?

IS IT TRUE that we would like to congratulate GAGE president Debbie Dewey for publicly expressing the intention of GAGE to get on to the business of incubation, tech transfer, promoting downtown development, and business assistance?…that just so people do not forget that this is exactly what GAGE was designed to do at its founding in 2007?…that putting this train back onto the track that it was designed to run on has the potential to promote positive economic benefits as GAGE had until 2009 when the Freedom Festival was placed there?

IS IT TRUE that it is refreshing to read the Community Comment article by Vectren CEO Mr. Carl Chapman today where in the end he commits to send a Vectren speaker to any civic organization, church, neighborhood association, or other concerned citizen group to explain Vectren’s position on pricing, EPA compliance, and we suppose everyday life in the Vectren service area?…that transparency and honesty are admirable traits and that speaking to the community as opposed to having closed door meetings with political appointees for rate increases is a positive step?…that Vectren has had a “request a speaker” button on their webpage for a long time and that this service may have always been an option?…that this time due to the publications over the last year that have brought the people of Evansville to a state of heightened awareness Vectren will finally have to get serious about selling their customers on what they have already done?

IS IT TRUE that we look forward to attending one of these meetings and hearing Vectren address the following questions?
• It has been widely published that Vectren has been a leader in implementing EPA regulations and that is the reason for the fact that electricity is the highest in the state and 212% higher than Henderson? Estimates from utilities in other cities range from 30% to 70% increases coming in the future when they implement hardware to meet the EPA regulations? Explain how in the case of Henderson where a 70% increase would still result in a rate of between $0.08 and $0.09 per kWh leaving Vectren with at least a 50% higher rate assuming that there are no rate increases until Henderson catches up?
• Vectren recently asked for a $1.08 per month fee increase to justify investing in dense pack technology. Vectren projects after some misunderstanding that each rate payer will get back between $1.15 and $1.38 per month from the resulting savings. As a ratepayer and shareholder it would seem as though Vectren would be better off by just doing this and adding the extra $0.07 per month profit to their own bottom line? Why bother to ask for $1.08 then do a bunch of calculations to give us back $1.15 when it would be in Vectren’s best interest to just do this on its own?
• Evansville and SW Indiana share the same airport, roads, workforce, etc. with Western Kentucky. Please explain a scenario where an advanced manufacturing plant that is a heavy user of electricity would be well served financially to choose SW Indiana over Henderson or Owensboro as a location and how Vectren would sell them on that proposition?

IS IT TRUE that we are sure that there will be many more questions that are flat out personal and will tug on people’s heartstrings such as the tale of the young lady we profiled yesterday who is expected to pay for Vectren’s mistakes?…that there have been reports of people moving from Evansville to Henderson over the difference in their utility bills?…that to a working class family the difference in having a $200 utility bill and having a $600 utility bill can be the difference in eating peanut butter or having an adequate grocery budget?…that as much as we and others are likely to understand and believe that Vectren’s rates are higher due to early compliance with the EPA that having better emissions control at the power plant is of little consequence to people who are struggling to survive?

IS IT TRUE that the irony of the situation is that the particulate readings for the air we breathe when compared to Henderson shows no real difference?…that today the Air Quality Index for Henderson and Evansville are identical and are barely within the band considered to be “GOOD”?…that having similar readings are the way it is when it comes to the air that is shared between Henderson and Evansville?…that even with the air we breathe that mixing distributes the particles in a way that there is little difference?… that to have perfect air to breathe (which we don’t) but to still be under EPA order to clean up the Combined Sewer problem is sort of inconsistent?…that this is a case where the stewards of the air may be trying to do their best but the stewards of the sewer are far behind?…that the City of Evansville is the steward of the sewer?

IS IT TRUE that while the City of Evansville has done everything possible to prolong implementation that Vectren forged ahead?…that if we were a wealthy city where several hundred dollars per month made little difference to anyone that paying for both clean air and water is a good investment in lifestyle?…that we are once again faced with a dilemma when it comes to attraction?…that if we assume that the air is clean then we must explain why it smells like a sewer?…that from a homeowners perspective that we seem to have paid for an expensive ionizer to clean our air and neglected the fact that our toilet is overflowing?…that these are serious problems and that we encourage Vectren and the new city administration to work together with others to achieve an affordable balance that really can lead to Evansville being an attractive place to live and work?