WEEKEND: IS IT REALLY TRUE?

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    IS IT TRUE we feel compelled to comment on the latest bit of news concerning more surprises for the Evansville Water and Sewer customers?  …we are referring to the conveniently well timed distribution of letters styled by Evansville Water Superintendent Mike Duckworth recently sent to 1000 plus Evansville Water Department customers?   …that Mr. Duckworth informed Water and Sewer customers that during the installation of new “smart water meters” the city has discovered water lines leaks?   … we hear costs estimates to repair leaky water lines will be in the range of $1,500 to $4,500 per water customers? …we hearing from highly reliable sources that the City of Evansville had an additional couple of thousand plus letters concerning water line issues and leaks scheduled to be mailed out? …our reliable sources also told us that city put a hold the mailing of these additional letters out until another time because of the political fire storm the first mailing caused? …we say stay turned and watch your mail? 

    IS IT TRUE that Allen Mounts Director of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility recently disclosed to the City Council that the Utility’s service authority reaches beyond the city limits of Evansville?  …county water and sewer customers pay Evansville Water and Sewer department a surcharge of 35% more than folks living in the city?

     
     IS IT TRUE that according to State Statute only the Chief Executive of Evansville (Mayor) appoints all members on the Utility Board?  …the  Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board has no appointees from the Evansville City Council, Vanderburgh County Council, nor the County Commission?  
     
    IS IT TRUE that the President of the Vanderburgh County Commissioners is considered the Chief Executive officer of the County and we wonder why he isn’t a voting member of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board? 
     
    IS IT TRUE that when the Johnson Control multi million dollar “Smart Water Meter” contract was approved, Steve Titzer-CPA was President of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board?  …Mr. Titzer at that time this contract was approved lived outside of the city limits of Evansville?
     
    IS IT TRUE that Barry Russell, the head of Laborers Local 561 Union when he voted on the Johnson Controls multi-million dollar “Smart Water Meter” contract he lived in Newburgh, IN? …we wonder if any members of the Laborers Local 561 or Plumbers and Steamfitters local 136 are doing any installation work on the City of Evansville multi million dollar “Smart Water Meter” project? 
     
    IS IT TRUE that the other members of the Utility Board at the time of the signing of the Johnson Control Multi Million Dollar ‘Smart Water Meter”contract was Dr. Tina Murphy,  James Gribbins and Jeff Hatfield were living outside of the city limits except for Dr. Tina Murphy?
    IS IT TRUE that we predict that City of Evansville may soon be defending a multi million dollar class action lawsuits filed against them by disgruntled Evansville Water and Sewer customers? 

    RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

    44 COMMENTS

    1. The water dept. self assured attitude that they have no liability in this issue is what amazes me. They seem to have no doubt the customers are responsible for these repairs. It would seem to most people the party working on the project would have some liability.

    2. Editor:

      Do your job and EDIT.

      The name is Titzer, not Tizter and not Tiizler.

      Thanks.

      Problem has been corrected.

      EDITOR

      • Look, everybody knows I’m a grammar-Nazi, but sometimes content trumps form. I think this is one of those times.

    3. Is it not true that the first 40% of meters installed there were at no cost to the customer on the customers connection side because of a built in repair fun? Now the fund is exhausted, and the other 60% must now pay?

      Is it not true the 35% surcharge is actually for the sewer, and not the supplied water to the county residents? Is it not true the sewer rate is based off of the amount of water used? Is it not true that there can be two meters on a property, one that leads into the building that has the sewer rate attached? The other meter is for their irrigation of landscape?

      Is it not true the Evansville Water Department is just that, a city owned entity and that county government has no ties to it? Is it not true that the Haubstadt, Ft. Branch, Toyota area is being serve by a supply of wholesale Evansville water thru a third party? German Township Water is the same. These two “third parties” connects to a agreed upon trunk line of Evansville water and is responsible from there on?

      Is it not true as mention in the IIT, that the mayor thru his appointments, is responsible for all of the good and bad that comes from these boards?

      Could it be true that the editor is upset that Local 561 and Local 136 could be on those smart meter installation project? Would the editor rather have Electricians Local 16. Bricklayers local 4, Carpenters local 224, Sheet metal local 20, Operators local 181, Teamsters local 215, Roofers local ,ect installing these meters?
      Would a bus load of illegals be satisfaction, similar what was pulled on the new Owensboro Hospital?

      Is it true that unions are the target here, while the bankers, chamber of commerce members, business leaders, ect., who are more behind the scene and mostly invisible get there take?

      Is it not true that members on these boards are there for a reason? Hopefully it is for their knowledge in the area that they where appointed to? Which with knowledge, comes the past experience which some can see as baggage? Is it not true there is a lot more out there in this ‘”global economy”(false supply/demand) robbing your wallet/purse then this issue of building trade members being on these boards?

      • My Dear A…

        Regardless if the 35% is on Sewer or Water, the fact of the matter is those poor individuals in the county have sip for representation and what’s so concerning is anybody that sits on any board should not have any direct or indirect economic advantages, i.e. Mr. Russell, not only lives in Newburgh, of all things, but, the Business Agent of the largest union in the region, maybe more interested in providing jobs for his members vs. concerns about agreeing to sound contracts and the Johnson Control contract does not appear to be sound. Of course, we have Mr. Titzer, the then President of Harding Schymaski CPA’s on the day of the Utility Board agreed to the Johnson Control Contract agreed to pay Harding Schymaski as it has been reported, 71,000….Hollywood can not make this crap up…naturally, Mr. Titzer sat on the sidelines, while the remainder to the board members smiled voted for the payment to HS, of course, as it has been report…people, just do a Foia request for the minutes of the utility board on November 17, 2011…..

        • Ben,

          Sounds like you already have a FOIA on the November 17, 2011 utility board meeting. What does it say ?

          Are you saying that Harding & Shymanski was performing professional services for the utilities whilst Mr. Titzer was President of the Board ? If this $ 71,000 was for professional services, wouldn’t this be a conflict of interest ?

          Also, Weinzapfel leaving office about 6 weeks after this Utility Board approval . . . do I smell fish cooking ?

        • Mr Russells “is” a member of a union, but those union members “are not” license thru the local government regulations to preformed “legal” plumbing work in this city/county which includes installing those smart meters. The perfect situation would had the city water department do the change over of which someone mention that 10% of meters are/were replaced annually. 10 years and done. This would not achieve the dumping of all meter readers at once which they were wanting!

          I don’t recall us having a discussion of addressing me with “My Dear”, although it is appropriate using it in a “letter form”!

          As for as the boards appointment and conflict. Conflict of interest is throughout our local government if one follows it closely. I feel that union “bogeyman” is your driving point!

          • Simply speaking, like corporate board members, the CEO is elected by those members, however, the CEO sits on boards that he/she elected the CEO of that particular corporation..in other words, corporate incest for economic gain….Unions are NOT immune from such activities…sitting on those boards by either corporate or labor work hand and hand…if the project needs to done, then so be it and should be performed by skill labor, no problem with that, the problem is marginal projects, needs vs. wants…much like when organized labor came walking into one of the Council meeting toting buttons saying “Build them Both”…what the hell, they had NO idea how this community could finance the hotel as originally proposed and the IU Med School…I do not have any beef about labor promoting their skills, I do have issues with both corporate and labor sitting on boards where their decisions may not be objective, much like the new legislation that forbids individuals to be on elected bodies that the body determines their salaries, for instances, police officers and firefighters on city councils….

    5. If all of these “community leaders” find it so distasteful to reside in Evansville, then they clearly have interests other than loyalty to their neighbors and city for serving on these boards. It is time to pass Councilwoman’s proposed ordinance, and do it unanimously!

    6. Is it true that every hydrant on the system that is accessible by a simple wrench should also be fitted with a meter? Maybe then some of the unaccounted for water could be accounted for.

      I was given to understand that previously the water department had a goal of replacing 10% of the meters per year, so that in 10 years time all would have been replaced as a matter of course. At a time when the real problem is CSOs and crumbling sewer infrastructure, what sense did it make to expedite the placing of new meters at all city residences when a plan was already in place to do just that?

      So now, just because someone is in a hurry to place all these new expensive “smart” meters, bonding has taken place to fund the new smart meters, which was not really a priority that even came close to the CSO and infrastructure problems.

      This is the sort of stuff that can happen when the city continually ignored, year after year, the SBOA audit exceptions concerning the revenue from the water dept. being placed in the city general fund, where the possibility of some of those water revenue funds finding their way to another pet project, at the expense of modernizing the water dept. infrastructure, was much more likely to take place.

      • Excellent points, Press. I hadn’t really considered the fire hydants, but they should surely be metered!

        • Legitimate contractors do use meters when they hook onto those hydrants. The contractor I had work for 38 years used one!

      • Hydrants: I have been told by several people that the sewers in Evansville don’t have enough slope built in, so “solids” just sit there in the summer when there is no rain. Guess what, they stink ! So the solution is to open the hydrants and attempt to flush out the solids when rain water comes up short.

        Wonder how much this design FUBAR costs us each year ?

        • Keep in mine that the Evansville area is basically flat, In the day when the old brick sewers were put in they just dumped into the ohio river/ pigeon creek. If 1/8 to 1/4 fall per foot fall is applied, would not take long for it to be come out of the ground! a short distance away!

          As far as just siting in the sewer, go past Mead Johnson on Ohio Street. After a short time without rain, you can smell that milk laying in the sewers!

    7. I see where C&P were doing damage control for the water department again in the editorial section.
      Pushing the blame to the 60% that does not have theirs install, while never mentioning the funds that took care of the first 40% !

        • I can’t stand the people that run the Evansville Courier and Press. Especially that Ethridge dude.

          • You mean the Sport Editor? And they wonder why they are losing 71k per month, as the rumor mill has it….

          • Do you mean the current propaganda minister and establishment shill? Herr Ethridge?

      • Wonder about the 250 k Johnson Control offered up to the utility…great timing…worthy of investigating the campaign contributors to the Mayor when his report is made public…?

    8. Is it true there has been a final nail in the coffin to the Benghazi cover up scandal and the liars who perpetuated the story are of course not reporting it? Do we need to spend a few more million investigating? Nah, the election is over.

      • The crazies are already yelling for a Senate investigation and banging the drum about more Lois Lerner emails being found. One election is over, but there is a big one looming, you know.

        • Do you seriously think the IRS should be used as a political weapon? Crazy is allowing this to get a pass knowing what may happen if a Tea Bagger ever comes to power. How about you get over the politics and start advocating for basic rights like equal protection under the law. Make no mistake, IRS abuses of power and CIA snooping are the biggest threats to our collective freedoms. And please don’t justify it with the ” Nixon did it too” bullshit. Nixon was wrong and he paid the price. If the IRS allegations are proved someone should pay a price too. By the way, I don’t think this will lead to the President but it likely will lead to his worshippers in the White House.

          • Bi-partisan committee is working on this issue. It is all we can ask for unless one “is” injecting politics into it!

          • Do you seriously think the IRS was used as a political weapon? You may want to recognize that the only questionable organization to be refused 501 (c) (3) status was a liberal one before you hit the panic button.

            • How about we digest what is in the 30,000 previously missing emails before jumping to such a conclusion? Can’t you even get on board with that. If it turns out to be all squeaky clean then that is one more witch hunt you can blame republicans for.

          • You are quite naive. Progressives like Elkaybee and myself know that power not only grows out of the barrel of a gun, but from petty and not-so-petty harassment of right-wingers and their families. Equal protection is a bourgeois superstition. Class enemies like conservative Republicans should have every weapon of state power used against them when progressives are in power. It is very encouraging to see that our great leader President Obama has ordered those like Lois Lerner to break the law and to cover it up. I believe that he is finally hitting his stride when it comes to disregarding laws that conflict with progressive goals. I just wish that he would get going on the planned arrests and internment of Republican leaders.

            J. Coddington “Comrade Hugo” Fetlock IV
            Maximum Co-coordinator
            Organizing for Idiocy
            Evansville Cell

      • A regime change in Washington would be less expensive. It might even produce some new people with backbone enough to come clean with the American public about the Benghazi and the IRS scandals.

    9. As has been disclosed, Mt. Vernon, IN replaced their meters with the same type and one out of seven failed which Johnson Controls, according to their contract had to make good on those repairs…naturally, armed with this experience, these sort of things were omitted during their discussion with Titzer, Russell, and the like when negotiating our contract…now, if we have approx 47k of meters to replace, 47k divided by 7 = 6,700 nearly the number of intended letters the CCO indicated was earmarked to be send out…of course only 1,000 made it before the crap hit the fan….now, we have two republicans disguised as democrats on the Council that wish to allow the utility to loan the funds to the customer and take a lien against their property…so, lets see what the potential might be: 6,700 x $2,750 = $18,425,000…the $2,750 is determined by the low of $1,500 and highs around $4,000 = $5,500 / 2 = $2,750….question: were is the Utility going to obtain this sort of funding to loan to the customer…of course, more current debt which may mean a lowering of our debt rating…remember the negative trend Standard & Poor referred…. AND REMEMBER THE LETTER THAT MS. MOSBY WROTE AFTER HER APPARENT MARCHING ORDER INSTRUCT FROM MARK BEARD, THE LABOR LEADER OF THE CARPENTERS….maybe this is why Ms. Mosby originally voted for this damned thing in the first place…from crony capitalism to big labor, the taxpayers and ratepayers don’t have a change!!!! ps: Kudos to Ms. Robinson, she openly omitted regret for voting on the Johnson Control rip-off!!!

      • Danceswithwolves,

        The Weaver/Mosby solution sounds unworkable to me. So, if the Utility “loans” the pipe repair funds to the homeowner, over 10 or 20 years, and the City takes a lien–what happens if the homeowner defaults on their mortgage loan ?
        Then you have the Bank with a lien, and the City with a lien. Sounds like a bunch of red tape and problems down the road.
        My vote, and I mean that literally, is that the City absorbs 100 % of the repairs for any citizen who is currently receiving water, getting billed for water, paying for water. In other words, the repairs were solely for supporting the Smart City project, not due to homeowner negligence.

        • As has been reported, Johnson Controls was on the hook for the repairs in MT.Vernon…and likewise, should be in Evansville…looks like Winnecke’s more concerned about protecting JCI then the homeowner, the fixed income retire fellow…let em eat cake, the mantra of Winnecke? and now we have Ms. Mosby and her sidekid, Dream Weaver, suggesting that those fixed income people take out a loan, what a bunch of horse%^%$ that is….never heard a peep out of both of them when Robinson admitted that she was wrong about voting for this piece of crap in the first place…special interest rules the day!!!

      • If Councilwoman Mosby heeds the warning she got from Mr. Beard and votes against the ordinance, she will be doing Steve Davis a huge favor. If she gets her pal, Councilman Weaver to vote with her, they’ll both have some explaining to do.

    10. The water dept. had a two person dept that did nothing but change meters. Wonder what they are doing now or were there jobs done away with? I do not know how the contract is written but the meter supplier usually will replace the meter if it fails but the utility is on the hook for taking out the defective one an putting in a new one.

      • That would be 3 meters changed a hour for that crew with traveling included!
        60,000 meters, 6,000meters is 10% a year, 3 meters per crew on a 2000 hr year, 50 weeks of 40 hrs per week.

        • Each man changed over 20 a day. If the line broke while they were working on it the water dept. fixed it.

          • They did good! Were you by chance tied to the water department somehow for being “in the know” in this area? This is based on early post we had as well.

            • I spent most of the eighties an ninety’s working in all phases of our local operation. I saw it public, private an public again. As H.S.T. would say a long strange trip.

            • Stonedreamer, I recall seeing a well kept operation at the water plant up to the time the city decided to turn it over to a “for profit” company. I recall seeing it go to he** for lack of maintenance over those years as well. Was involved with some expensive repair with stuck valves, very expensive hot taps to alleviate some of the those also. Had the normal exercising of all the valves on a regular bases as the city had done before, a lot of money would not had to be spent on costly repairs. Their was a heavy cost for the city to try to go cheap. There was piping/valves pulled out of the sub basement last couple years with 1880’s stamped on them, so they do last! Then there was the issue of not being able to drain and clean the some of the settlement tanks because of the above mention as well.

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