Jon Murray Tracks Down SuperBowl Ring Mystery

The mystery of the Value of the SuperBowl ring has been solved by IndyStar's City Beat reporter, Jon Murray.

As you will recall, Gary Welsh of Advance Indiana, discovered a gifted Super Bowl ring, reported by Mayor Greg Ballard on his 2012 'Statement of Economic Interest' form, was valued at only $400, when such things normally go for $5000.

Well Murray reports on his blog, Deep Fried Politics, that the ring's not the real McCoy.  He quotes the Mayor's spokesman, Marc Lotter, as saying

 “There’s no real gemstones or anything along those lines in (the ring),”

Seems the rings a commemorative reproduction.  Here's a link to Murray's piece, so you can get all the details from him.

Homestead Credit Commission Meeting Changes

The Homestead Credit Commission webpage has eliminated last night's meeting and moved the first meeting to tonight - the location remains the Perry Township Educational Center.

Jon Murray of the Indy Star has more information.

The panel will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Perry Township Government Center, 4925 Shelby St. Another session is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Municipal Gardens Family Center, 1831 Lafayette Road.
Locations have not been announced for meetings planned for Monday and for June 4, June 5 and June 24.

A Lot of Questions Arising

Yesterday's raid on City Hall by the FBI was attention grabbing, to say the least.  The arrest of two City employees, one who ran the Land Bank (Reggie Walton), and one who had worked as a special assistant to Mayor Ballard himself (John Hawkins) and more recently as an aide to Walton, demonstrated how high up the alleged scheming crept.  Of course, the investigation continues and the recent cacophony of shoes dropping could continue apace.

U.S. Attorney, Joe Hogsett, held a press conference yesterday afternoon, part of which you can watch atop Jon Murray and John Tuohy's IndyStar article, and which I have embedded below.  If you can't watch all 5 minutes, I suggest tuning in at minute marker 4:15, where Hogsett sends a very clear message to those for whom corruption is a companion, beginning with "the era of corruption is over".

 

 

 

There are many things in this world I do not understand, but today I want to mention a few arising from yesterday actions and inactions.

 

Why do officials sell out for so little?  One of the charges alleged against Walton is that he took a $500 bribe.  It is almost heartening that the FBI believes the total take for all 5 people arrested may have topped $100,000.  Still, why would folks put themselves in line to go to prison for non-life-changing sums?

 

I suspect the answer lies in the culture of corruption itself and the individuals involved - some of whom may have more good than bad in them, but a powerful ability to rationalize their actions as just part of the game of 'public service'.  We all talk about the powerful folks putting certain folks into office so that the real gravy train of millions continues to flow to a handful of well connected individuals.  I look forward to the day when those people's fancy offices are subject to a warrant search.  But, for those lower on the food chain, the idea that the cracks in public policy should be exploited, not fixed, surely must fall out of the culture set by the big dogs.

 

I further have to wonder why any of the alleged sales of City-owned properties continued AFTER the IBJ article, written last November by Cory Schouten, exposed the Land Bank actions.  In fact, here is how Schouten's article began:

Reggie Walton sat down at his desk on the 20th floor of the City-County Building a few days after he signed off on the deal, and the thought hit him.

I just made someone a millionaire.

Once the light of day was shed on the Land Bank policy of selling without restrictions, one would have thought that a) restrictions would be placed on sales of City-owned property in the future and b) any corrupt practices would stop due to the exposure.  But, evidently not.  No restrictions were placed on either the policy or the corrupt practices.

On to the press reaction to Mayor Ballard's absence yesterday.  Reported by the Star this morning, is the fact that the FBI informed the Mayor's office Monday night, of its intention to execute a search warrant Tuesday morning.  Ballard and his administration had time to work out how to proceed on Tuesday.  Hiding all day was their answer.  This hiding, by our duly elected but frequently gone Mayor, seems to have stepped over a line for some in the media.  I'm happy that they had a line to step over, but I am kind of stunned that they didn't notice his absence from any real governing heretofore..

So, what's the recent count?  Two City Councillors.  One City attorney who worked as a business partner of a Prosecutor.  A Deputy Prosecutor.  A Code Enforcement Officer having cars towed, crushed, and sold for metal.   All those found or plead guilty.

Hopefully Hogsett and the Public Integrity Working Group will continue the joyful sound of dropping shoes; and do so until even those in high places trading power for millions, will take pause and wonder if its worth it to continue bilking the Citizens of Indianapolis.


Is it Most Sincerely Dead ? Airport Chief Says Lawsuit Over Fast Park To Be Withdrawn

In an exclusive this afternoon, Jon Murray, IndyStar reporter, quoted Indianapolis Airport Director, Bob Duncan, as saying the Airport's two year battle to stop a Fast Park facility from locating in Ameriplex, will end.  Murray relays the following:

Authority Board President Mike Wells discussed the issue with other board members and found consensus in support of airport officials’ plans to drop the lawsuit, Duncan said this afternoon.

Coincidence or final straw, this comes as the Council readies for Prop 148 on Monday night.  This Council Resolution chides the airport for continuing to engage in the lawsuit filed to overturn the land use changes, granted by the Metropolitan Development Commission, that would allow a Fast Park & Relax facility to be built on 31 acres just off Ameriplex Parkway.

In keeping with the long strange trip this has been, Murray quotes Councillor Bob Lutz, whose district includes the northern half of the Indianapolis Airport, and who aptly put it :

 “I am so happy and so furious all at the same time!” he wrote in an email to The Star. “All of the wasted effort and taxpayer dollars. Plus the time, energy and money Ameriplex and Chavez had to spend and what was accomplished? Nothing!”

Lutz was the key driver of the Council's decision last fall, to dock the Airport budget by $100,000; the expected cost of the lawsuit in outside attorneys.  He also got 13 Councillors to vote against the entire Airport budget when it came before the full Council.

IBJ reporter, Kathleen McLaughlin, reports that Prop 148 may be withdrawn if the termination of the Airport's lawsuit can be directly verified.

At-large City-County Councilor Zach Adamson, a Democrat, said he would not pull his resolution from Monday night's agenda until Midwest Logistics confirms that the airport will withdraw its appeal. "They had two and a half years to do the right thing, and they refused to do it," he said of the airport authority. "It's criminal what they've done to this business."

Adamson initiated Prop 148 and has been a steadfast opponent of the lawsuit.

Can this day have finally arrived?  I looked on the Airport's website and cannot find any press release.  But, Murray has Bob Duncan's comments and I am hearing of email verifications coming from the Mayor's office and from Mike Wells, President of the Airport Authority Board, as well.

So, just maybe the wicked witch is not only dead, but most sincerely dead !

Budget Prestidigitation - False Long Term Solutions To Be Served Up

One consistent hallmark of all of City budgets since Ballard was elected Mayor, has been the early public relations effort flowing through the press, trying to shape what the public thinks about the budget.  For instance, in the first couple, while revenues were growing, the early press claimed near-crippling shortfalls.  The early press dictated the later press.  As the recession's impact actually began, and election rhetoric was heating up, the early press claimed near dodges of cuts in services - while the administration pulled tens of millions of dollars from the downtown TIF to make ends meet, hoping not to be noticed.

We now enter the post-recession era, as property values are rebounding.  Now what will they blame for any budget difficulties?  Income tax revenues are expected to grow.  Increased property values should lead to fewer people hitting the tax caps.  Budgets, by all revenue accounts, should be getting easier to manage than the past few years.

Yet, where are we?  I point to two news items by IndyStar's excellent City Beat reporter, Jon Murray.  Yesterday Murray reported on the property tax bills that are about to be mailed in "70% of Marion County homeowners to see higher property tax bills".  He writes:

In Marion County, the treasurer’s office estimates that 64 percent of the 366,264 bills it will send out for properties of all types will reflect an increase. The total amount being billed this year, slightly more than $1 billion, is up 4 percent.

There are three sources for the increased bills and the increased total tax collection.  First is the increased assessed value for Marion County property.  Property values outside of TIF districts increased by 1%, according to the budget order of the Department of Local Government Finance.  Second is the increased property tax revenue being requested by the various governmental units.  The third is all property value kept from paying for local government services because they are either consumed by TIF districts or deliberately kept as government-owned, tax-free, property.

Today, Murray's story is about the behind the scenes discussions on the 2014 budget, which are said to be veering necessarily to layoffs of police and fire personnel, among other cuts; "Indianapolis, Marion County leaders are finding $30M in budget cuts a tough task".

Now administration and council leaders are staring at options that range from eliminating vacant positions, renegotiating contracts and making simple accounting transfers to much more difficult considerations, such as cutting back on a parks after-school program or transferring some pools on school grounds back to Indianapolis Public Schools’ control.

Then there are the possibilities of police furloughs and layoffs of firefighters and deputy prosecutors, as well as cutbacks on public defender services.

They want you to blame property tax caps for any coming public safety service cuts.

A new wrench in the debate is recent notification from the state that tax caps were expected to trim $10 million more than expected from the municipal budgets this year, adding more pressure to cut back. 

So, how did property tax cap penalties grow so much?  If the assessed value is rising on 64% of all property owners, fewer people should be hitting the tax caps, and the tax cap penalty hitting local government should be dropping.

The silent player in all of this are the TIF districts - which were expanded significantly this year despite the fact that they accounted for over 40% of the tax cap penalties for local government last year.  The more property value consumed by TIF districts, the higher the hit on local government's coffers.  Its simple.

Any real long term solution will have to put more property value on the non-TIF property tax rolls.

We MUST retire older TIF districts as their oldest bonds become due. 

We MUST call on the Airport to return to the tax rolls, the hundreds of acres it does not need for aviation purposes.

We CANNOT grow fast enough through so-called economic development cash giveaways to compensate for the speed with which we have grown our TIF districts.

Yes, this year they'll blame tax caps, when they have shown no desire to limit the real cause of the post-recession budget difficulties.

Results From Last Night's Council Meeting

Others reported much of this last night - see Gary Welsh over at Advance Indiana's first and second post, and Jon Murray at the IndyStar.

First, Prop 54, which was to be both introduced and heard last night, was instead sent to committee for a hearing, as is the usual procedure.  It has been assigned to the Rules committee, which will take the matter up at its March 12 meeting.  Many thanks to Council Clerk, NaTrina Debow for that information.  Prop 54 seeks to split the proceeds from the two new tax hikes between the CIB and the City (links to prop 54 and exhibit of the agreement between the CIB and OFM).

Second, Prop 48, which seeks to change the organization responsible for administering the Crime Prevention grants from the Indy Parks Foundation to the Central Indiana Community Foundation, was pulled from the agenda entirely.  Both this blog and Advance Indiana commented on the conflict of interest resulting from Council President Maggie Lewis being both the sponsor of this proposal and Executive Director of a grant recipient organization.

Third, Prop 33, which seeks to apply $3 million from RebuildIndy funds toward infrastructure improvements in the Meadows/Avondale area with the ultimate goal of enticing a grocery store to locate in the area, failed to muster a majority vote either for or against.  Democrat Vop Osili and Republican Ben Hunter were absent from the meeting.  The vote was 14 for and 13 against Prop 33.  Democrat Angela Mansfield joined all the Republican Councillors in opposing the proposal.  Since there was no majority, the Proposal is still alive and can be voted upon again at the next full Council meeting, February 25.

Miles the Moocher - Beggin' For Speedway Handout

Anyone without a lobotomy knew this was coming.

Miles was put on the Board of the Speedway.  That famed, holy, altar to, well, speed.  Four wheel.  Two wheel.  Iconic.  American.  Speed.

But, Miles the Moocher; his appointment signaled a change of course that would embarrass most Hulmans.

It turns out, the Speedway wants Irsay's deal.  They want the Simons' deal.  They want $100 million.

Pay up Hoosiers.  Otherwise it is end times for Indiana itself.

In an exclusive - intrepid IndyStar reporter Jon Murray and his bi-line co-author Alex Campbell, report that the Speedway has taken the road more travelled - the road paved with taxpayer dollars - and are requesting a modest $100,000,000 dollars from you and me.

Feeling tapped out by the Pacers and the CIB's secret agreement?  Feeling unsympathetic because of the Irsay deal under Peterson?  Feeling verklempt at the thought of a new soccer stadium of all things?  Well, know that I feel your pain.

Just get on the damned phone and tell your State Legislature - un-ahh, no-way, not-happening.

Geez.  I'm going to go throw up now.

Could See This One Coming for Years Now

Anyone who remembers that the CIB bailout from a few years ago contained two delayed opportunities to increase taxes, knew those two taxes would be on the table.  Will someone please explain to me why we go through this charade of 'well, maybe we won't need the money'.  The city mothers and fathers never let a chance to raise taxes fall to the wayside.

Today's Indy Star holds the 'revelation' that there is intense consideration by the CIB and Mayor Vaughn and Council President Lewis, to raise the admissions tax by an additional 4% and the car rental tax by an additional 2%.  Reporter Jon Murray has a great article, and one that has a host of information in it.  Last night fellow blogger Paul Ogden commented on it over at Ogden On Politics.  This morning, Gary Welsh adds his thoughts on Advance Indiana.

The additional taxes could raise about $7 million in additional funds to the CIB each year.  The CIB was funnelling $10 million a year, $8 million of which came from property taxes through the Consolidated Downtown TIF, for the past three years.  They are now in 'negotiations' to hand over even more cash to the Pacers.  Since they continue to receive the $8 million from property taxes, an additional $7 million might leave a $5 million 'surplus' (after what I assume will be a 'negotiated' deal to continue the $10 million extra funding to the poor Pacers).

But wait - there is a new twist.  After cutting the Council budget off at the knees because the Democrats placed a $15 million PILOT obligation on to the CIB, Mayor Vaughn is apparently interested in syphoning off some of the CIB's new tax revenue for the City.  The shell game is such that the City would ask the CIB to pay for the public safety services it receives from the City; services that are now provided free of charge.  So, the City can get a new stream of tax revenue by raising taxes for the CIB.  Since the super bowl supposedly cost $4 million in public safety, this new shell game could not possibly cover the true cost of services provided to CIB-run facilities throughout downtown.

While Mayor Vaughn refused to fund recruit classes for IMPD and IFD and says the city budget must be lean, he continues to foist more TIFs on the taxpayers, push for even more corporate handouts of tax dollars, and craft ever greater sweetheart deals with multi-millionaire sports team owners.  Priorities in this City are out of whack.  Our City government has become hardly much more than an extension of the Chamber of Commerce.

Thank Goodness Jon Murray Is Back

Jon Murray, City Hall beat reporter for the Indy Star, is back from vacation.  And, its about time, I tell you.  Now we can get some real information about what's going on behind the scenes with the budget.

I've not been able to post about the last couple of night's meetings, and will catch up with that after I tell you what Murray is reporting about tonight's important CIB budget meeting.

The Democrats haven't collapsed after all - as seemed at last night's Public Safety committee meeting.  They are still eyeballing the CIB for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT), and in addition, are lusting after some of the $80 million Rebuild Indy stabilization fund.

Murray reports:

Already, moves by the council — including a successful bid by a committee Tuesday, with help from Republicans, to save a property tax credit targeted for elimination — have rattled the Ballard administration.

Thursday, another committee could vote to extract a $10 million to $15 million payment from the city’s sports and convention board.

Council Democrats’ aim: to sock away money to help pay for recruit classes of 50 police officers and 30 firefighters next year as the city contends with declining ranks.

The latest estimates pin the cost at $4.2 million for the police officers and $500,000 for the firefighters. (The Indianapolis Fire Department is seeking a federal grant to cover most of its cost.)
....
Council President Maggie Lewis said that besides the CIB payment, Democrats also are eying about $13 million that remains in the city’s rainy day fund, as well as a stabilization fund that contains $80 million. Ballard created that fund last year using money from the utilities sale to help maintain the city’s AAA credit rating.
 

The image that has been developing in my head is one of a leaky boat with a captain who is using the spare wood to build a tiki bar.  That kind of sums up what I see the Ballard administration doing by creating TIFs to capture known private investment (aka Mass Ave TIF) instead of letting the coming property taxes flow to the schools and city alike, by not sunsetting TIFs, by the airport holding on to land that should be turned over to the tax rolls.  I think Ballard/Vaughn's game plan is to allow deterioration of police and  fire numbers in order to get the public to back new taxes.

I was disheartened after last night's budget amendments didn't contain any contractual raises for IFD and IMPD, nor funding for any recruit classes either.  While Murray doesn't note the raises, at least he let us know that the Democrats leading the Council are all for keeping the IFD and IMPD head counts from dropping further.

The CIB budget hearing will be held in room 107 of the city-county building, beginning at 5:30.  The DPW budget will be discussed at the same time in room 260.

Now, if we can only talk Murray into coordinating his time off with slow need-to-know news weeks....

Huber Cashes Out of One Government Job to Another

IndyStar reporter Jon Murray is reporting that Deputy Mayor Michael Huber is leaving his post with the City and taking a spot at the Airport that pays a whopping $190,000 a year.  Deron Kintner, currently Director of the Bond Bank, is being supported by Mayor Ballard to step into Huber's old post.

So, Huber is moving from selling taxpayer assets, creating TIFs, and spending excess TIF funds on the projects of favored developers --- to -- keeping hundreds, if not thousands of acres of land OFF the tax rolls so that the airport can make $65 million more a year in clear profit.  This is the airport city concept I have mentioned before, that is a shell game swapping private property taxes paid by private entities on private land ---  for ----  airport profits from land leases of government owned property for private businesses that have no need to be located at an airport, nor which assist the airport in its mission of providing air transportation functions.

Its a double dip that keeps taxpayers digging deeper into their pockets, while favorite local developers become accustomed to large handouts and forgiven taxes.

Edited to add: I guess they didn't clear those folks out of the airport in order to save money after all.  The $200,000 'saved' is just about Huber's salary.

Is Anyone Really Surprised? Parking Meter Deal Nets Less Than Expected

Its not like the Ballard Admininstration truely sold the residents of Indianapolis on the desirability of leasing our parking meters to an ACS group for 50 years.  Its more like they forced it through simply because the Republicans held the majority on the Council and they could.

Still, they made representations.  Turns out, those representations didn't hold water, even for the very first year.  Is anyone really surprised?

Jon Murray did an excellent job of running through all the numbers he could get his hands on in this morning's IndyStar ("Indy parking revenues fall short of projections") - the ACS group, ParkIndy, will not open their books so that the public, or even Mayor Ballard himself, can review the numbers for accuracy.

Murray reports:

The first year of Indianapolis' 50-year parking meter lease brought doubled rates in some areas as a tradeoff for a wholesale upgrade of equipment and the convenience of paying by credit card or smartphone.

Was it worth it?

New financial data provided by the city shows its share of revenue from the vendor in 2011 -- nearly $1.4 million, or 30 percent -- fell well short of the city's own projection of $2.1 million.

And the city didn't end up seeing the full amount: After the vendor subtracted $286,000 in charges to compensate for the city closing metered spaces, often for RebuildIndy road construction work, the city pocketed $1.1 million.

The budget for last year relied upon revenues of $2.4 million from 'charges for services' and $1.8 million from 'fines and penalties' for a total of $3.2 million - a far cry from $1.1 million.  That budgeted amount was not just a gravy account, as $3.8 million was being used to help fund IMPD that year.  (2011 budget - Prop 2010, 234 -- p 22 and 59 of pdf)

The budget for 2012 reflects the drop in revenue the Ballard administration fully expected from the parking meter contract.  Instead of the roughly $3.2 million revenue budgeted year before year earlier, the 2012 budget only anticipated $1.25 million from 'charges for services' and $0.5 million from 'fines and penalties' plus a bit more for a total of $1.8 million.  (2012 budget - Prop 2011, 241 -- p 25 and 62 of pdf)

Mayor Ballard, however, tries to low ball the profit to the City prior to the sale of the parking meters :

Ballard cites an $87,000 profit for 2010 -- the last year before ParkIndy's contract began -- but that figure overstates the tightness of the margin. It reflects the spending of some proceeds on street improvements.

Looking only at that year's operating costs -- $3.2 million -- the city pocketed a modest $600,000 profit, according to Darrell Fishel, an assistant public works administrator for the city.

Murray mentions the street improvements, for which $327,200 was appropriated that year, but his report does not bring up the $1.75 million that went to IMPD that year and what actual police ticketing costs were.  (2010 budget - Prop 2009, 321 -- p 22 and 56 of the pdf)

ACS/ParkIndy made out well from what numbers Murray could get:

The vendor, ParkIndy -- a trio of local and national companies led by Dallas-based ACS, a Xerox company -- kept more than $3.5 million.

 Mayor Ballard also cites the $20 million up front payment made by ACS/ParkIndy as part of the deal.  Murray has new information about that money, as well.  In a side panel in the paper version, Murray shows the following expenses paid from the $20 million (my wording):

$6.4 m - Broad Ripple Parking Garage
$5.9 m - road and infrastructure repairs downtown
$3.5 m - transition and advisor costs covering the parking meter deal itself
$3.8 m - to IMPD

The transition costs included $2.9 million to pay the high priced lawyers who cut and pasted the Chicago deal and those who were hired to be proponents of the sale and market the sale to the public (unsuccessfully, I might add).  The last charge, to IMPD, may sound familiar.  Above I noted that the 2011 budget called for $3.8 million to go to IMPD from the parking meter fund.  With the budget under pressure, the parking meter fund doubled what it usually sent to IMPD.  But the Ballard administration is now spinning it to be "reimbursement to IMPD for assisting with parking meter enforcement going back several years".   Shameless.

So folks, of the $20 million up front fee, all you really got was the Broad Ripple Parking Garage boondoggle.  Oh well.  Easy come, easy go.

Murray's article quotes City-County Council Vice President, Brian Mahern:

Mahern was among vocal critics who noted many large cities have modernized their meters by borrowing or striking shorter-term contracts. 

"We should have just worked with a vendor to provide us the service for a fee," he said, "rather than granting somebody an equity stake for what is a basic service."

Absolutely right.

Super Bowl Costs FINALLY Beginning To Be Revealed

Thanks to all of my alert readers who have sent me links to news items reporting that some of the costs of the Super Bowl are FINALLY being revealed.  So, lets move forward here by listing our references and listing the costs now being reported.  To put it into perspective, the 2012 Super Bowl bid was submitted in April, 2008, and its terms are what are falling out into public view just 19 days before the event.

Articles of interest used for this blog entry in the order I received the links from alert readers:
Scott Olson, IBJ,  1-16-12 -- "CIB expects to lose money during Super Bowl"
Jon Murray, IndyStar, 1-17-12 -- "Super Bowl 2012 will drop Capital Improvement Board for a loss"
Mike Corbin, WIBC, 12-21-11 -- "Super Bowl Host Committee Releases Final Numbers"

Let's start with the last one and the claims of the Host Committee CEO, Mark Miles.

He claims that the "they've raised and are investing $154 million for some 250 housing units as part of the Super Bowl Legacy Project."  Well, as I recall, federal funds coming to the City were the bulk of the money being invested in the near eastside neighborhood.  Those funds were augmented by the NFL, but a clear accounting of the exact dollar amounts supplied by taxpayers but not credited to them has not been forthcoming.  From what I have heard, the lion's share of the investment comes from the taxpayer, not the host committee or the NFL, yet they are the ones getting nearly all the credit.

Also claimed is that the Host Committee "has also raised close to $27 million, surpassing the $25 million goal needed to host the 2012 Super Bowl."  No mention what that money was spent on.

And finally, this nugget: "Committee officials also say the city has fixed the Pan Am Garage which has been plagued by structural and water issues."  I recall news accounts of the Department of Code Enforcement closing parts of the underground garage at Pan Am Plaza until repairs could be made.  I thought that the garage was owned by someone other than the City and our MDC gave Pan Am Plaza to the Indiana Sports Corporation years ago now.  I certainly hope that the implication that the City paid to fix the garage and shore up the Plaza is erroneous.

The two stories on the costs and revenues of the CIB have overlapping figures.

NET - CIB
The CIB will lose $810,000

EXPENSES - CIB
$4 m to the City to pay for police overtime
$2 m for CIB employee overtime and temp hires
$794,000 paid to State to be applied toward stadium and convention center debt

REVENUES - CIB
$2.4 m hotel tax from visitors - not NFL employees
$440,000 food and beverage taxes - but none from LOS or ICC
$100,000 car rental tax - but none from NFL employees
(figures above are from IBJ and total $2.94 m - Star reports total estimate of $3.1 m from these taxes)
$4.1 m from NFL for labor costs due to Super Bowl events

EXEMPTIONS FOR NFL
hotel tax
restaurant tax
fuel tax
car rental tax
admissions tax
Star reports that "State lawmakers exempted the NFL and its affiliates from paying nearly all state and local taxes in connection with the Super Bowl".

LOST REVENUES - CIB
The NFL will get the food and beverage tax revenue for concessions sold inside LOS and ICC, instead of that money flowing to the CIB.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
between $150 m and $300 m in direct spending by visitors

NOT REPORTED
NFL gets proceeds from parking lots owned and operated by State and Local government entities - the full extent of this agreement has not yet been divulged
DPW, DCE, IMPD, IFD real costs associated with events - IMPD already spent at least $500,000 in 2011 in preparations and the City already spent $600,000 to provide free Wi-Fi in the mile square
Income lost to taxpayers in City's Georgia Street giveaway to Indianapolis Downtown Inc., not to mention loss of that entire asset which just saw $12 m taxpayer renovation (bipartisan vote of Council, by the way)
Cost to Indy-Go for free bus service for visitors

Democrats' Power Grab Belies Words Of Interest In Cooperation

The Democrats, led by Councillor Vernon Brown and supported by Council President Maggie Lewis, have ignored the electorate and composed Council committees to the super advantage of the Democrats.

Reported last Thursday by the Indy Star's Jon Murray on his blog Deep Fried Politics, the Council's committee on committees voted to increase all committee memberships by one Democrat.   This gives the 'edge' to the Ds by 5 to 3.  This is in addition to the outrageous 6-2 composition of the Rules Committee that was sprung on the Rs during a scheduled recess of the first Council meeting of 2012.

Why?

Nobody pays attention to the vote in committees.  When someone does pay attention, it is just to note that a proposal got out of committee with a 'do-pass' recommendation.  So, when there is a party-line vote, which happens somewhat often, a proposal will either die in committee ('nough said) or it will move out of a committee with a 5-3 vote instead of a 4-3 vote.  Big deal.

Maybe its so that the Ds can make even 'more' money through extra per meeting monetary compensation.  Again, big deal.

The real cost is any high ground the Ds had coming into 2012 and split government.  It no longer exists.  The Democrats have, through their own actions, painted themselves as petty, power hungry, officeholders who put the party and the trappings of power over the people.

It is a sad day for the Democratic Party in Marion County, as our standard bearers prove themselves to be not ready for prime time.

Seeds of Hope

Jon Murray, Indy Star reporter, has another good article in today's paper about the drama over competing expansions of Indy's smoking ban.  See "Smoking ban gets unlikely support" for the entire piece.

What could have shaped up as a lose-lose head butting contest, may instead hold the seeds of hope for working government in Indianapolis.

As noted two days ago, there are two competing proposals - one to be introduced by Council President Ryan Vaughn at the next Council meeting, and one to be introduced by Councillors Angela Mansfield and Ben Hunter in January, after the Democrats gain control of the Council.  Both would bring significant enhancement to the current smoking ban, extending the ban to all bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and other public gathering places.  Vaughn's proposal would continue to exempt private organizations, tobacco shops and tobacco bars.  The Mansfield / Hunter proposal would exempt only tobacco shops.

As Murray writes:

Anti-smoking advocacy group Smoke Free Indy, which backs only the comprehensive plan [Mansfield / Hunter] so far, estimates 370 bars and other establishments still allow smoking. Most likely would be covered under an expanded ban.

By the group's count, Vaughn's proposal would exclude about 60 from the smoking ban: nearly 20 cigar and hookah bars, five retail tobacco shops, and 35 nonprofit private organizations, including country clubs, social clubs, fraternal organizations and veterans halls.

Only the retail tobacco shops would be exempted by the proposal outlined by council members Angela Mansfield, a Democrat, and Ben Hunter, a Republican.

The rub is, Vaughn can get his ordinance signed by Mayor Ballard, but may not get enough Democrat votes to get out of the Council and on to Ballard's desk.  The Mansfield / Hunter proposal could be passed by the Council, but is not likely to be signed by Ballard - and they likely don't have the votes to overturn a veto.

So, the upshot of it all could very well be that nothing gets done by those who agree on an extension of the ban to cover about 310 of the approximately 370 locations that currently allow smoking.

However, Murray's article contains the seeds of hope, not only for a more comprehensive smoking ban in Indianapolis, but also as a harbinger of working government for the next 4 years.

Mansfield expressed hope that Ballard would sit down with her and Hunter "to see exactly where he is on the issue." Marc Lotter, Ballard's spokesman, said such a meeting shouldn't be a problem in coming weeks, as long as Vaughn also is at the table.
****
"We're both open to compromise," Hunter said. "We'll look at (Vaughn's) language when we get it in the next 24 to 48 hours."
****
Mansfield, Hunter and Vaughn all say they want to rid bars of smoking before Super Bowl activities begin in late January, but Mansfield amended that goal Thursday: "I'd much rather see a good, comprehensive proposal in place, even if it's after the Super Bowl."

Vaughn said earlier this week that timing was the reason for his surprise push. He sees a requirement for a period of published notice as a stumbling block before the Super Bowl. Mansfield disagrees that it would be.

But Vaughn said supporters of a more comprehensive ban should support his proposal as an "interim step."

[edited to correct mistake in original Star posting]

IURC Takes Utility Sale To The Community For Comment

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has taken up the issue of Indianapolis' sale of the water and sewer utilities to Citizens Energy. Still pending a final decision by the IURC, is the older request for a 35% rate hike, the outcome of which will decide whether Citizens Energy pulls the plug on the deal itself.

Jon Murray, IndyStar reporter with the City Hall beat, has been doing an exceptional job covering the hearings conducted by the IURC on the utility deal (see "IURC begins hearing on proposed sale of utilities", "Public hearing set on Indianapolis' utilities sale", "Can city sell the IURC on utility deal?", and the latest, "Fee to sell utilities is focus of submissions"). His series illuminates a vigorous debate by consumer advocates and City officials before the IURC. The idea that the IURC could trim back or deny the sale is even in the air as a slim possibility.

Murray reported yesterday:

The ratepayer group, represented by Indianapolis attorney John Price, disputes the city's decision to pay Veolia to end its 20-year contract early. It argues there was ample cause to cancel the contract without payment because of performance problems and other violations.

One possibility is highlighted in new testimony by Tom Plummer. The ratepayer group member and a longtime water utility operating supervisor repeats allegations that Veolia, formerly US Filter, falsified records to receive some incentive payments from the city.

"Several Indianapolis Water employees told me that they were asked by USFilter/Veolia personnel to alter records in order to make it appear that USFilter/Veolia had earned an incentive payment when in fact the unchanged records would not have supported the claim for the incentive payment," Plummer testified.

In 2005, federal authorities investigated similar allegations of falsified water records. No charges were filed.

The ratepayer group also objects to the utilities transfer based on deep cuts to nonunion employees' benefits -- despite city leaders' assurances at the time -- after the city bought the water utility in 2002. A lawsuit filed by employees about the same issue failed several years ago.

The IURC has announce a field hearing for next week, and the Office of Consumer Counselor, which represents the interests of ratepayers before the IURC, will take comments through their website and via fax. Again, from an earlier Murray report:

On Jan. 5, the IURC will have the public hearing at Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School, according to a news release today from the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor.

An information session will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the public comment portion of the hearing will start at 6 p.m. The school is at 1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St.

The consumer counselor's office also is accepting comments via its website, www.in.gov/oucc. Click "comment on a case." You can also send a fax to (317) 232-5923 or mail a comment to Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, PNC Center, 115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 South, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Include the case number: 43936'