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IS IT TRUE August 17, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE August 17, 2012

IS IT TRUE that a couple of CCO Moles have received messages and emails were sent out today announcing a fund raiser for Republican candidate for the Indiana Senate, Vanetta Becker at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)?…the pledge of the new head of the Vanderburgh County Democrat Party Chairman Jack McNeely to put a stop to this sort of stuff seems to have worked for a month or two and now the local Democrats are at each other’s throats and living in a most un-Democrat way once again?…that even the United Mine Workers Union (UMWA) whose very existence has been threatened by the Obama Administration has stopped short of having a fund raiser for Mitt Romney in a union headquarters?…that the Democrats of SW Indiana have devolved into the most devolved in-fighting group in the entire country?…in spite of that the CCO will go out on a limb and predict that the UMWA will be forced by its membership to endorse the Romney campaign for president of the United States?

IS IT TRUE that the outstanding employees of the EVSC will not be getting a pay raise for 2013?…that the reason is because school board members spent hundreds of millions of dollars on capital projects over the last several years and now there is nothing left in the till to give raises to the employees?

IS IT TRUE we know the fate of Roberts Stadium but are wondering what plans the EVSC School Board has for the now vacant old North High School complex located on Diamond Avenue? …we wonder how much it cost the EVSC system per month to secure this multi-million dollar piece of property?

IS IT TRUE that the commercial customers of the monopoly known as the Evansville Water and Sewer Department generates about 70% to 75% of total income for the Evansville Utilities Department?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke is recruiting for Saturday’s Fitness in the Park at Garvin Park from 8-10 am?…this will be the fourth month for Fitness in the Park?…Amy Lutzel will be leading a group from the bandstand near the Garvin Park fountain on a walk along the Pigeon Creek Greenway?…the walk is for people of all fitness levels?… this is mentioned this because it is not on the flyers sent out today by the Mayor’s office?…there will also be a healthy foods cooking demonstration by personal chef Cheryl Mochau?…other activities will include a KidFit Program, plus Zumba and advanced Zumba classes?

IS IT TRUE the pictures of the advances dilapidation taking place at the abandoned McCurdy Hotel has elicited more calls and emails of disgust by the readers of the CCO that nearly anything that has ever been published by this website?…there were also many calls and emails of disgust over the salary adjustments recommended by the Winnecke Administration for a group of only 8 people relative to the entire non union staff of the City of Evansville?…the Golden 10 is now the Golden 8?…the most expressed opinion is that the City of Evansville is low on money, has squandered the future, and that most of the people of Evansville have not seen a 3% raise in years and that there is no reason for a broke city to be handing out 3% across the board increases at all?…the consensus of the people of Evansville on this issue is that the most appropriate raise is a big fat ZERO?

IS IT TRUE that a City of Evansville department head tendered his resignation yesterday at the demand of Mayor Winnecke?…that Brad Mills has served many years in two positions and now he will be seeking employment elsewhere?…the word on the street is that he is alleged to have balked at some back door deals put forward by both of the most recent administrations?…the CCO wishes Mr. Mills well as he will eventually come to appreciate the day he made the decision to leave the employment of a ship that appears to be sinking?

IS IT TRUE that one of the large sources of revenue from the TIF District that was budgeted to pay the note on the Ford Center was the invisible downtown Convention Hotel?…we are safe to assume that there will be no incremental funds coming from the invisible hotel?…we would like to know just how many alternative sourced dollars will be needed in 2013 to make the payments on the Ford Center?

VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

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VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES

This feature is sponsored by Chris Walsh For Vanderburgh County Clerk. Chris Walsh is a veteran county administrator that strongly supports our local law enforcement professionals . Chris is a candidate that possess a non-partisan attitude with a consumer friendly demeanor. Chris also stands against unification of city and county governments.

This ad paid for by the committiee to elect Walsh Clerk,

Evansville, IN – Below is a list of felony cases that were filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, August 15, 2012.

Ryan Hardin Criminal Trespass – Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)

George Smith Domestic Battery – Class A Misdemeanor
(Enhanced to a Class D Felony due to Prior Convictions)
Interference with the Reporting of a Crime – Class A Misdemeanor

Teresa Oldham Theft – Class D Felony

Evans West Theft – Class D Felony

Larry Wilson Operating a Motor Vehicle After Forfeiture of License for Life – Class C Felony

Scott Wilson Theft – Class D Felony (Habitual Offender Enhancement)

For further information on the cases listed above, or any pending case, please contact Carly Settles at 812.435.5688 or via e-mail at csettles@vanderburghgov.org.

Under Indiana law, all criminal defendants are considered to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
SENTENCE CHART

Class Range
Murder 45-65 Years
Class A Felony 20-50 Years
Class B Felony 6-20 Years
Class C Felony 2-8 Years
Class D Felony ½ – 3 Years
Class A Misdemeanor 0-1 Year

Winnecke Budget Requests Raises of over 3% for only 8 Employees

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Link to salary and wage schedule from Winnecke budget.

Salary-Wages_1_of_6

Gallup-Rasmussen Poll Average: August 16, 2012: Romney now leads in electoral college when polls after 8/13 are considered

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The two tracking polls with the best results for predicting presidential contests now have three days of data after the selection of Paul Ryan as the running mate for Mitt Romney in their calculation and and both polls are indicating that the Romney/Ryan ticket is opening a lead on Obama/Biden nationally. The Rasmussen Tracking poll today shows Romney with a 45% – 44% lead over President Obama while Gallup’s Tracking poll shows Romney maintaining a lead of 47% – 45%.

The average of these two polls is now showing the Romney/Ryan campaign with 46% and the Obama/Biden at 44.5%.

The average approval rate for President Obama is now negative 4.5% meaning that 4.5% more of those polled disapprove of the Presidents job performance than approve of it. The average approval rating for the President was 46.0% and the average disapproval was 50.5%. Both items were unchanged from yesterday but for the first time the Gallup Poll reported a disapproval rating of 50% for President Obama.

Electoral college polls all still show President Obama with a lead over Romney on the basis of having strong leads in the big city dominated states of California, New York, and Illinois. The current safe electoral counts for President Obama and Mitt Romney are 201 and 181 respectively with 156 electors considered to be either toss ups or within the margin of error. The gap for Obama in the toss up states of Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia, & Florida have closed to be within one percent with Obama still clinging to a lead in Wisconsin and the other states all now barely in Romney’s camp.

In an examination of all polls published after August 13th and applying them to the elector count, if the election were held today and the most recent polls are accurate Romney would win the presidency over Obama by an electoral vote of 282 – 256

Forbes Article Predicts GM will be back in bankruptcy before 2016.

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiswoodhill/2012/08/15/general-motors-is-headed-for-bankruptcy-again/

IS IT TRUE August 16, 2012 Part 2: Raises and Neglect

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IS IT TRUE August 16, 2012 Part 2

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke has submitted a budget to the City Council that has the salary increases for the “Golden 10” included?…the budget also includes a 3% across the board raise for City of Evansville employees in 2013?…this caused a bit of an uproar at the Council meeting last night as a motion by Dr. Dan Adams to limit increases to 3% for all ended in a tie with John Friend, Dan McGinn, Jonathan Weaver, and Council President Connie Robinson?…the vote was 4 – 4 as Conor O’Daniel was absent?…this is an interesting quagmire for the City Council to deal with as across the board increases almost always result in the best employees leaving and the worst staying forever?…that all people may be created equal but they surely do not perform equally?…to appease the bad at the expense of the good guarantees long term mediocrity or worse?…Jack Welch, the legendary CEO of General Electric to it the other direction by firing the bottom 10% of performers every year?…while Jack ran GE it became the most valuable company on earth?…since his departure GE has softened up and fallen in value by over 60%?…that maybe the City Council should consider capping the cumulative raise pool at 3% to reflect the City’s ability to absorb higher salaries but leave the distribution of these raises up to department heads?…this does not necessarily mean that the “Golden 10” are really golden or even top performers but it does create the freedom for city management to identify and incentivize top performers even if there are more than 10 of them?…it also give the City the ability to send a strong message of NO RAISE to marginal and poor performers?

IS IT TRUE that maybe the reality of the situation is that the City of Evansville can’t afford any raises at all at this time?…that a true leader would transmit that information in a way that most top performers would stay and in a way that the poor performers would be forced out?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke has also decided to move forward with a so called jobs plan that includes much of the Johnson Controls Contract that he is rebranding as a Smart City Initiative?…the Mayor claims that his Smart City Initiative will create 170 jobs and that it is an evolution in progress from the Weinzapfel Administration?…that it is an accepted fact that every job created by government requires the taxes from 7 private sector jobs to support it?…using this math that the 170 jobs that will supposedly be created by the Mayor’s Smart City plan will require 1,200 new private sector jobs of the type that actually pays taxes to support this spending?…we must ask the question, where are those 1,200 jobs coming from when things like the Champion Labs move their headquarters out of Evansville and their manufacturing out of the Tri-State altogether?…that an expansion of government in a contracting economy is a formula followed by Greece, Spain, France, and Ireland?…that Mayor Winnecke and former Mayor Weinzapfel must have attended the Barack Obama School of Economics when it comes to having any concept of reality when it comes to balancing government and private spending?

IS IT TRUE that it has come to our attention that the McCurdy Hotel is becoming a target for graffiti and is rapidly deteriorating without being secured?…the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s website still reports that City Centre Properties LLC of Carmel, IN owns the McCurdy and that the taxes are more than a year into delinquency?…that it seems as though the age old practice of DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT is being utilized on the McCurdy?…there is local precedent and expertise in the practice of getting something on the list for the wrecking ball by neglecting to maintain?…the old Skora Building and Roberts Stadium are two recent examples of DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT?…in the case of Roberts that this practice was orchestrated by the government of the City of Evansville but in the case of the McCurdy it just seems to be happening on its own?…that the historical society should be looking into why the McCurdy is being DEMOLISHED BY NEGLECT and do everything in their power to reverse this travesty?

IS IT TRUE August 16, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE August 16, 2012

IS IT TRUE buried in the meeting in which it was decided that Roberts Stadium had to be on the receiving end of the wrecking ball by May 1, 2013 was a couple of adjustments to the refurbishment efforts of the Gresham House?…that the CCO fully supports the refurbishment of the Gresham House to honor the first US serviceman killed in WWI?…when such things are done it is most favorable to return the homes to the most like they were at the time the honorable deed was done?…that in the case of the Gresham House the City of Evansville is discussing moving some of the “most valuable” antiques to the Evansville Museum?…this does violate the spirit of authenticity that should be driving the refurbishment of the Gresham House?…the reason behind such a move may be driven to keep the things of value from being stolen as the crime in Evansville has been rising and unoccupied homes are frequently targeted for theft of valuable things including air conditioner parts and aluminum siding?…it is a sad reflection on Evansville if the antiques in the Gresham House have to be moved to protect them from thieves?…that maybe this refurbishment needs one more change order for a security system to be installed?

IS IT TRUE that after yesterday’s announcement regarding the discovery of an original piece by Pablo Picasso in storage at the Evansville Museum we sort of wonder if the museum has what it takes to protect and display things of very high value?…it has been disclosed that the Evansville Museum has an original and unique piece of art by Picasso that was donated many years ago that has been in permanent storage and never displayed to the public?…some original Picasso pieces have brought over $100 Million at auction?…there is not yet an estimate on the Evansville Picasso but it will certainly be in the millions?…the current plans are to sell this piece of art to a museum that has “the wealth to display and preserve it correctly”?…that selling such a piece may be a gut reaction to a bean counter but to an appreciator of art this is enough to make one want to vomit?

IS IT TRUE that rare art has consistently been one of the highest appreciating investments even in a recession?…big museums like the Met, the Getty, or several others with jump at the chance to buy this at auction but also routinely enter into long term lease agreements for important pieces of art?…the cash stream from a lease on this Picasso could be bonded to complete the upgrades to the Evansville Museum while keeping the wealth of an original Picasso under local ownership?…seeing a Picasso with a plaque on it stating “owned by the Evansville Indiana Museum” may even promote some tourism to Evansville by people of means?…it seems that even our museum can’t seem to manage wealth so soon the proceeds from the sale of this appreciating asset will be traded for a depreciating asset?…the Museum had better keep its guard up if it gets its hands on $100 Million because local elected officials will be wearing the town out trying to find a way to get their hands on that money?

IS IT TRUE that Olympic champion and the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt was asked at the Olympics why he does not race in England more often?…Bolt candidly answered that he tax laws in England are why he will never ever race there?…the tax laws were lifted for the Olympics or many potential Olympians would have refused to compete?…that England taxes the worldwide earnings of athletes in a proportional manner if these athletes compete in England?…in the case of Mr. Bolt who gets paid appearance fees of $250,000 per race but has an endorsement contract worth $7 Million with Nike, running in England would make is Nike earnings subject to British taxes on roughly $1 Million that would cost him just over $500,000 in taxes to earn $250,000 that would in turn trigger another $125,000 in taxes?…that running one race in England would cost Bolt over $500,000 and that this idiotic tax policy costs the people of England the ability to see the fastest man on earth and costs the British government the taxes that could collect on gate receipts, concessions, and travel which would certainly exceed $500,000?…the British tax policies after 236 years are still designed in a way that the world’s best talent will not work there?…the United States, that was formed to escape the British government should take notice of what Britain’s insane tax policy has done for competition on their soil?

Terry White on Requiring Seatbelts in School Buses

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Today I would like to address the issue of school bus safety by requiring seat belts in school buses for all of our students in Indiana. The single biggest school bus safety concern for parents is the lack of seat belts according to an American School Bus Council Poll. In that poll, 80% of all parents surveyed believe that all school buses should be equipped with lap/shoulder belts. 60% do not believe that riding on a school bus is as safe as riding in a car.
Research by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concludes that compartmentalization is incomplete in a bus and does not protect school bus passengers during lateral impact with vehicles of large mass and in rollovers. Second in the minds of parents is a concern about discipline problems, an issue that has proven to be strongly impacted by the addition of seat belts. Keeping students in their seats also helps stop the bullying problems that many times occur on the bus.
For most children, their first ride on the school bus is the first time they ever ride unrestrained in a motor vehicle. In other words, the only place a child is taught to not wear a seat belt is in school transportation. To allow school bus passengers to remain unrestrained gives a contradictory message to our children that seat belts can be unnecessary inside a moving vehicle. When our children get on the bus and don’t buckle up, the habit of seat belt use is not reinforced and we miss a prime training opportunity. School buses can be important extensions of the classroom for training children to build this critical life-long habit.
According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) report, every day there are over 144 school bus accidents, 26,000 per year in America and more than 9,500 children are injured in school bus accidents each year. An average of 21 school-age children die in school transportation related crashes each year. An even more alarming set of statistics come from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In that survey, there were an estimated 61,000 school bus related injuries treated in the U.S. emergency department from 2001-2003, which averages to approximately 17,000 children injured in school bus accidents each year.
At least six states require large school buses to come equipped with seat belts (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Texas). There are a number of other states in the nation looking to require seatbelts in buses as well.
Now as to Indiana, let’s discuss what has happened to us much closer to home.
Last march, Donesty Smith, age 5, died from a crash when her school bus, which was without seatbelts, carrying 50 children to Indianapolis Lighthouse Charter School collided with a concrete bridge pillar. Ten more students were injured. One of the children broke his leg when he was hurled out of his seat and slid beneath several rows of seats. If he had just remained in his seat, he wouldn’t have been hurt.Those poor kids became human missiles. Many other kids had leg and ankle injuries and post-traumatic stress because there were no seat belts on the bus. This is a tragedy that would have and could have been avoided if Indiana had just required seat belts on our school buses.
There is a total 16,353 buses in Indiana at the current time. Approximately 13,000 are owned by the school systems or government, and 2,000+ are owned by private contractors. Because the average lifespan of a bus is 14-15 years old, there are approximately 1,000 new buses a year put into the market. It costs approximately $8,000 per new bus to put these shoulder and seatbelts in, which equates to $121.00 per child.
Seatbelts for buses in Indiana have been around for over 10 years. Many counties utilize seatbelts in their buses to some degree. Bartholomew County is a flagship school district that is implementing seatbelts in all of their school buses. Because I believe it is cost prohibitive to change out all 16,000 buses in one fell swoop, my proposal is to require seat belts in each of the new buses as they come off the assembly line, thus providing a line item expenditure of approximately $6.4 million public dollars per year until all of the buses are in compliance.
Proposing legislation for school bus safety is one more way I will fight to protect the rights of working families in Southwest Indiana as your next State Senator.

State to begin payment of $6 million to State Fair claimants

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Private company withdraws offer; public funds to be paid on time, via arbitration

INDIANAPOLIS – The State of Indiana will proceed with distributing its $6 million in supplemental relief funds to victims of the State Fair stage-rigging collapse now that one company has withdrawn its part of a $7.2 million private settlement offer after not reaching agreement with enough claimants by today’s deadline, Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced.

Two companies named as defendants in State Fair lawsuits, Mid-America Sound Corporation and James Thomas Engineering Inc., had offered a combined private settlement of an additional $7.2 million in their insurance funds, in exchange for a sufficient number of State Fair victims releasing both companies from lawsuits. Under a settlement plan facilitated by the Attorney General’s Office, claimants were invited to share in the public and private funds, a total $13.2 million, if enough accepted the companies’ terms. Although 51 of the 62 eligible claimants agreed to the proposal, 11 declined or did not respond, and Mid-America decided not to exercise a waiver option and announced that the requisite threshold was not met in order to proceed with its tendered offer. With one company withdrawing its private funds, the Attorney General’s Office will proceed with distributing $6 million in State-only funds to eligible claimants as set out by statute, and will seek to facilitate discussions between claimants and the second company, JTE.

“Because State Fair victims said they needed financial assistance sooner rather than later, my office made an effort to facilitate a private settlement to increase the relief available. It was worthwhile to try to bring the claimants and defendant companies together; but since the parties did not reach an agreement, we will move to distribute the original $6 million the Legislature appropriated, well before the January 2013 deadline, and we will continue to look for opportunities to serve the victims,” Zoeller said.

As the lawyer for state government, the Attorney General’s Office defends the State and its funds from lawsuits, but Zoeller said his mission also was to attempt to do more for the victims. In March, the Legislature approved a bill, House Enrolled Act 1376, that had two objectives: It set aside $6 million in state funds as supplemental relief for State Fair victims, and it gave the Attorney General the flexibility to attempt to resolve indemnification claims made by Mid-America against the State. (Mid-America claims in legal pleadings that the State must cover its legal costs in lawsuits related to the stage-rigging collapse, a contention the State denies.) The bill included wording the Legislature passed requiring claimants who receive supplemental funds to not sue the State under an indemnification claim.

In the meantime, State Fair victims and their attorneys indicated they needed funds promptly for medical and financial needs and could not wait for several years while the State and Mid-America were in litigation. Under the proposed public-private offer, Mid-America would release the State from indemnification claims and offer its available insurance funds if the claimants would release Mid-America from their lawsuits, meaning the Attorney General then would be able to make available additional money for victims on an expedited basis.

The other defendant company, James Thomas Engineering Inc., did not have any indemnification claims and is not suing the State, but it also agreed to participate in the conditional settlement offer.

The Attorney General’s Office negotiated with the consortium of claimants’ attorneys and the two defendant companies, and Zoeller on June 22 publicly announced the combined settlement proposal with the included resolution to the indemnification issue, and the mutual release requirements. Claimants had until August 1 to submit their signed release forms, and Mid-America and James Thomas Engineering had until midnight tonight, August 15, to review the claimants’ releases and determine whether a sufficient number and ratio had joined to make settling cost-effective or otherwise appropriate for them, rather than continued litigation.

As of Wednesday night’s deadline, with 51 claimants signed, Mid-America Sound Corporation could not agree to tendering its insurance funds and withdrew its offer, meaning it is not released from lawsuits. Claimants still can pursue suits against that company or against other defendants in the State Fair disaster that were not part of settlement discussions.

By contrast, James Thomas Engineering Inc. did not make a claim of indemnification against the State. Zoeller said the Attorney General’s Office is willing to continue to facilitate discussions between claimants’ attorneys and JTE in hopes of reaching a resolution that might benefit victims.

Next, the Attorney General’s Office intends to distribute the State money to each of the 62 claimants who agree to the terms included within House Enrolled Act 1376, and will provide them instructions soon for obtaining funds. Though the withdrawal of Mid-America’s private settlement offer means that its indemnification claims in multiple lawsuits are not extinguished, the State will continue to oppose Mid-America’s legal assertion of indemnification in court. Zoeller is confident the State’s case is strong and that the State is prohibited based on applicable statutory and constitutional provisions from indemnifying the company for any liability or legal expenses in claimants’ lawsuits, though it could take years for that litigation to conclude.

Last December, Zoeller’s office with the assistance of victim-compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg distributed the first round of expedited relief: $5 million in tort claim funds to claimants, representing the maximum in state liability. This year, the Legislature passed House Enrolled Act 1376 to provide $6 million in supplemental relief beyond the liability cap to victims of the State Fair tragedy. The Legislature gave the Attorney General a deadline of January 2013 and flexibility to distribute the supplemental money through an arbitration process.

A three-member arbitration panel already has started its work reviewing the claims victims submitted to determine specific amounts they will receive out of the $6 million. Participating estates of fatality victims will see their amounts increased from approximately $300,000 the State paid them last year to $700,000 each. The statute also says that claimants with non-permanent physical injuries will be reimbursed for 100 percent of their out-of-pocket medical costs, after insurance, and taking into consideration the 65-percent payments made in December. Arbitrators will calculate individual amounts for claimants with permanent and non-permanent physical injuries. Checks will be issued this fall, before the January 2013 deadline. In the meantime, Zoeller’s office will explore other options for assisting victims.

“No amount of money ever will replace the lives lost or alleviate the anguish suffered by families in the State Fair tragedy. Some said we should have distributed the $6 million and walked away, but we had a duty to do more for the victims and try to secure additional funds to assist them with their substantial financial needs. We worked with a large group of claimants’ attorneys in structuring a reasonable and equitable settlement proposal,” Zoeller said.

“On a personal note I will admit to some disappointment, but I believe the public-private effort was nonetheless worthwhile. Without putting the State at any risk, we provided an opportunity to speed more than twice the funds to the victims, which has always been my focus. It’s not my role to assign blame that an agreement was not reached, but I will continue to offer whatever assistance my office can provide,” Zoeller added.

The Attorney General’s Office will circulate additional information to eligible claimants and their attorneys by the end of the week.

Mayor Touts Job Creation Initiative

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EVANSVILLE, IN – Mayor Lloyd Winnecke announces his response to today’s Indiana Utility Regulatory
Commission (IURC) decision on the Smart City initiative by unveiling his new program, Positive Progress
for a Smart City. The Positive Progress for a Smart City initiative, which is expected to create more than
170 jobs and support local business development in Evansville, is an evolution of the previous
administration’s initiative.

Positive Progress refocuses the project to maximize economic development opportunities, while
investing in our city’s energy, water, network infrastructure, and operational improvements for the
Evansville Water and Sewer Utilities (EWSU).

“I think it is imperative that the city move forward with this initiative to replace aging infrastructure and
automate EWSU water meters to ensure equity in billing by more accurately measuring the amount of
water used by utility customers,” Mayor Winnecke said. “The initiative will not only improve the
accuracy of water meters, but more than 90 percent of the dollars spent on this project will stay in the
community in terms of materials and labor needed to complete the work.”

Local contractors and engineering firms, including minority- and women-owned businesses, will be used
to perform the installation and upgrades featured in the initiative. The program was developed in
collaboration with Johnson Controls, a global leader in energy efficiency and employer of more than
1,200 Indiana residents.

Investing in Infrastructure:

A state-of-the-art Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system replacing water meters citywide
that are more than 5-years-old will enable EWSU to streamline operations as well as bill and
collect for actual usage, eliminating the need for outdated, inaccurate, manually-read meters.

“For residents, the new automated meters will provide our customers with a way to better
understand and measure your home’s water use, eliminate estimated readings, and provide
more accurate billing,” said Allen Mounts, director, EWSU.

Creating Economic Development Opportunities:

The creation of a fiber optic network will support the EWSU’s AMR system and future needs for
other voice and data applications. The enhanced fiber optic ring will also be a new economic
development tool in the City’s efforts to attract new or expanding businesses that may desire
connectivity.

“Connectivity is critical in today’s economy and as our region is in the bottom tier for broadband
coverage and speed, this initiative will propel us straight to the top,” stated Greg Wathen,
President and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. “Only a
handful of cities are currently participating in a program comparable to this; and, as far as future
businesses become interested in our region, it’s a definite game changer.”

Cleaning-up our Waste Water Treatment System:
A new FOG (fats, oils and grease) program will collect fats, oils and grease materials, currently
put into the landfill, and use them to create 500 kilowatts (KW) of green methane that will be
used to power EWSU facilities.

The Positive Progress for a Smart City initiative differs from former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel’s Smart
City program in that the wireless municipal network portion of the original program has been removed,
while the city explores the community’s connectivity needs. The decision coincides with similar feedback
the IURC released at its biweekly conference earlier today. The IURC chose not to approve financing of
the original contract signed in December of 2011.

“Now is the perfect time to support a new approach that focuses on job creation and economic
development as we address the City’s and EWSU’s infrastructure needs. That’s something we can all
agree on,” said Mayor Winnecke. “I anticipated the IURC’s concern regarding wireless services as part of
the original contract, and our changes are a result of positive negotiations with Johnson Controls. This
administration is committed to assessing the community’s need and developing the right solution to
address it.”

Pending a review and final approval from the IURC on this new initiative, the contract will be financed
and guaranteed through the performance contracting model. With performance contracting, savings
and increased revenue will pay for the project over the term of the contract. If the savings are not

realized, Johnson Controls pays the difference between the value of the measured and verified
consumption and the guaranteed consumption under the contract.

The administration intends to make a full presentation to the Evansville City Council in the near future to
continue the dialogue on this important opportunity for the City of Evansville.

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