Monday’s Evansville City Council Meeting was probably the most frustrating one for me to watch, all year. I witnessed a handful of outgoing council members manipulate the council meeting process for their own political gain and to fulfill their personal agendas.
What SHOULD have happened:
At the start of the meeting, an immediate vote should have been called. That vote would be to determine whether or not to approve the Mayor’s adjusted budget. That never happened.
What DID happen:Â Conor O’Daniel quickly started going through his proposed amendments and sweeping cuts to the city’s budget. He quickly asked for votes on amendments and none of the other 8 stopped him. What is most sad is that Mr. O’Daniel (and his “special interest council mates”) waited until Monday’s meeting to spring this proposal onto the group. He failed to reach out to the Mayor’s office, earlier in the week, to try to negotiate. I find his behavior and actions to be very unbecoming of an elected official. Again, he had backing on that council and he did not act alone! Evansville is better off with the “special interest council mates” not being on the board, next year.
What stood out to me the most were these items:
1) Overtime cuts for Fire, Rescue, Police. Hopefully, if our house catches on fire, it doesn’t happen at the end of a payroll period. Natural disaster? Good luck, everyone.
2) Sweeping cuts over over 40% to funding of community nonÂprofits. Voices, UNOE and several others. Very sad.
3) Moving $730,000.00 into the police vehicle budget, bringing it to $1 million. For some reason, the “special interest council mates” felt that leasing was bad and buying was better. I would have to get more detail, but there is hopefully some major financial benefit that I don’t see, otherwise this was a terrible idea.
4) The 9 members of Evansville City Council, though very much partÂtime, all receive full Health Care Benefits. That cost is nearly $180,000.00 per year to the tax payers (this according to a fine citizen who spoke at city council  Conor O’Daniel responded and never attempted to correct the figure, so I am assuming that it is accurate). This makes no sense at all. The members are all retired or practicing doctors/lawyers/CPA’s or they are real estate agents. They don’t NEED the health insurance, do they?
When I am elected, I will do what none of the 9 current members did last night, I will absolutely call for a vote to end paying the health insurance for Evansville City Council Members.
What was the solution and how could these cuts have been prevented?
The solution wasn’t waiting until the end of their 4 year term to slap these insane cuts onto the City of Evansville. The solution was to work harder to increase revenues coming into the City of Evansville. The board should have found ways to add more homes with values of over $200k in order to increase the overall tax revenue income. The board should have found ways to attract more businesses to bring in more tax revenue. The board should have worked with the revenue generating entities, such as the pools and golf courses, to help them increase revenues. That makes them self sufficient and lessens the burden on the budget. The majority of this current Evansville City Council has shown their failure of doing any of these things, over the past 4 years. Many of them have spent the last 4 years causing the ship to begin sinking. Now, several are jumping off of the ship but not before poking major holes into the hull and ripping the sails just before jumping into their life boats.
It is time to add a member to Evansville City Council that understands business, budgets and has a plan to increase tax revenues without increasing tax burdens to the businesses and citizens of our fine city! It is time to have someone who knows how to work with the Mayor, department heads and fellow city council representatives in a way that brings prosperity. It is time to stop the childish bickering during city council meetings by unqualified and immature representatives.
Robert Myers
Candidate for At- Large City Council City Council
Mr.Myers, did you just arrive in Evansville yesterday?
I have been here just over two years and have seen this budget issue battle shortly after arrival without even having to go look for it.
Maybe you waited until Mondays meeting to be concerned and thought it was a surprise. That meeting was the final standoff of of a battle that was being fought for the last several months. No surprise that something had to be cut. Would you have preferred to cut city jobs and laid a few off.
Your idea of finding ways to build more $200k homes is unfounded. You must have just arrived on the government finance scene and do not understand that would not increase revenues because there is a tax cap on the total levy. A broader base would spread the burden a little but we are currently raising the maximum amount allowed under law. Let me try to explain this a little simpler. The city is already taxing the property owners the most they can because the state legislature put a freeze on the total $ amount that can be raised. This amount increases each year (with an approved budget) at the rate of wage increase for the state. Your houses will add to the tax base, lower the tax rate but not increase how much money is available to the city.
You are apparently new to city government. It is not the council members responsibility to propose a budget. The council members can only approve what the Mayor recommends or cut it from the budget. You should have attended the initial budget meeting, the early battles, and have had an understanding of how we got to where we were to have any credibility with me. I don’t recall seeing you or Mayor Winnecke there.
Thank you to Councilman O’Daniel for the great Job as Finance Chairman.
Thank you. I’m warming to your activism. +1000
I sounded to negative with my first comment. Let me try again.
I am trying to get away from the negativity. As I read your closing statement:
“It is time to add a member to Evansville City Council that understands business, budgets and has a plan to increase tax revenues without increasing tax burdens to the businesses and citizens of our fine city! It is time to have someone who knows how to work with the Mayor, department heads and fellow city council representatives in a way that brings prosperity. It is time to stop the childish bickering during city council meetings by unqualified and immature representatives.”
You are positive and may appeal to other positively, Without A Clue Onlookers (WACO) individuals.
George – If I am not mistaken, I believe that candidate Robb Myers relocated to Evansville from WI, he is not a native Evansvillian – like you (I’m assuming). I for one, think we need some new and fresh voices on the Evansville City Council. As with most folks around here, you are quick to criticize and offer little in the way of solutions to the problem. You must like Rieckens then. It’s time for some fresh perspective and new (bi-partisan) leadership on the council. like Robb Myers. Just my opinion.
Patrick, I agree with you except for offering solutions. I am quick to be negative, that is my nature. I also think new faces are needed weather they be from here or other parts of the world. I seldom support a second term for an elected official and never a third term. If Winnecke was running against an incumbent Riecken I would probably be negative on the incumbent Riecken and supporting a change. The grass is always greener on the other side. If people are truly interested in serving they will become involved, serve a term, and then keep serving, even if not reelected. Term Limits – Reelect no one.
I am offering much in the terms of solutions. Please comment, pos or neg, on my work at letsfixthat.net. I appreciate your opinion and hope you become a regular here on this blog.
I apologize to Mr. Myers for jumping to a negative position. I thought I was following the election but I don’t think I have heard of him before today. Not knowing any thing about him and knowing barely a little more about the other at large candidates, he has my support. I will campaign for him in 2019 if he makes himself know over the next four years as a person looking out for the interest of other rather than the chosen few. I agree Evansville needs new leadership. Especially some partisan leadership to get people involved in their government and almost as important – Identify who belongs to which party.
My thought too George. These council members have tried to work extensively with the mayor for quite a long tome to lower expenditures for the city of Evansville but this has not worked. In such cases someone has to stand up and say no to excess spending.
What we’ve seen from afar if someone does stand up the next day the mainstreams execute their orders and flat out castigate who ever stood up. That’s a sorry situation and the blame goes to those taking the marching orders in the mainstream media there.
cas·ti·gate
ˈkastəˌɡÄt/
verb formal
reprimand (someone) severely.
“he was castigated for telling the truth”
synonyms: reprimand, rebuke, admonish, chastise, chide, censure, upbraid, reprove, reproach, scold, berate, lambaste.
I would say if this guy could replace that ass clown weaver then you all should vote for him, if only just for that fact. A banana eating chimp would be a better choice than that female exploiting pig weaver.
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