I Am Going To Run for Council

I have been reluctant to post much in the last few days, as I have decided to make a run for City-County Council. Last night I announced my decision at the Decatur Township Civic Council meeting and resigned as Chair of the Land Use Committee. I am likewise resigning from McANA - as neither of those fine organizations need to have their independence tainted with 'politics'.

I have not yet decided whether I will run for the District 22 seat, currently occupied by Councillor Bob Cockrum, or for an at-Large position.

I am tending toward keeping this blog up for the duration, but I did want to be sure I extended full disclosure to my visitors so that they could read into it what they will.

It is obvious to me that the Council has been on a fast paced spending spree, looting every dime from TIF districts instead of paying off debts, selling assets that will cause long term cost of living increases and which amount to picking the pockets of future generations just so we have more money to spend today. The focus is on making a few well connected people and companies financial winners, while shorting the governmental functions that would make Indianapolis an even better place to live.

Cybershame Post to Be Temporarily Removed

Two days ago I posted about the Indiana Department of Revenue's Cybershame list, where they post online, the names of businesses that have not paid their sales taxes. That list is required by law, by the way.

In that post, I gathered 10 names that caught my eye from over 400 Marion County businesses listed as delinquent. In just two days, two of those have added comments that they are incorrectly on the DOR list.

I am pulling that post so that I can contact DOR about the accuracy of their list and expressly ask about the ten businesses.

I should think that the state law intended that the list be accurate. I'll be back with more information as soon as I can get it.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone

Another Thanksgiving Day is upon us. This one just might be my favorite. Thanksgiving has somehow eluded the commercialization that other holidays have encountered. It remains about family, family traditions, and being thankful for all that life has provided to us.

On this day, I hope your family is near, happy, and healthy.

Schedule of Hearings for City's $98 Million Loan (Plus $45 Million Incidentals) for No-So Project

The sweetheart deal proposed for the developer of the North of South project, is working its way simultaneously through the Metropolitan Development Commission and the City-County Council.

See my October blog entry for more details of the project ("North of South - Details of the Proposed Deal"). Briefly, the deal is this: the City will float a bond up to $98 million, loan the No-So developer up to $86 million, pay the first three years of interest only payments from the proceeds of the bond, put in $9 million of infrastructure, pay Eli Lilly $14 million from an old loan on the Harding Street TIF (which Lilly will give to the developer), turn over its $5 million in proceeds from the area being designated a 'Certified Technology Park' to the developer, and help the developer pay the loan back by applying 100% of all property taxes collected in the area for 10 years. This is the project that was rejected by all financial institution(s) approached by the developer. The City would get a first mortgage on the development, but Eli Lilly would retain ownership of the land - so if there is a default by the developer, the City would become owner of partially completed buildings and have to pay the bonds off from property taxes collected elsewhere in the consolidated downtown TIF.

The MDC will take up the issue at its Economic Development Committee meeting at 8:30 am, Wednesday, December 1, 2010 (room 2001 of the CCB). They are expected to consider and vote on the deal that afternoon at 1:00 pm at their regularly scheduled MDC meeting (public assembly room of the CCB). The rezoning of this property will not be heard until December 15. The reason the zoning is claimed not to be required prior to voting on the deal, is that there is no abatement involved. Because Mayor Ballard's crew simply decided not to call the 10 year, 100% return of property taxes, an 'abatement', allows them to slide on the laws regulating such things, and to avoid protections built in for the taxpaying public.

The Memorandum of Understanding underlying this deal is posted here (you will have to put in a google account to access - so if you prefer, just email me at hadenoughindy@gmail.com and I'll send you a copy directly).

The Council has already introduced Prop 292, and assigned it to their Economic Development Committee, which next meets on December 15, 2010 (5:30 in room 260 of the CCB). The full Council would presumably take it up at its December 20 meeting - just in time for opening presents by Lilly and the No-So developer, but not the taxpayers of Indianapolis.

Elected Officials Who Didn't Pay Their Taxes

While they are usually happy to raise YOUR taxes, some elected officials around Central Indiana aren't paying what they owe.

WRTV reporter, Kara Kenney, ran a story on Monday night, listing 8 Central Indiana officials who had not paid their own property taxes and fees and were in arrears by $1000 or more. (click here for transcript and video) Kenney has previously reported on the $21,000 owed by Wayne Township Trustee, David Baird, who has since paid up. Of the 8 Kenney followed on Monday night's report, 2 hold office in Marion County - both school board members - Cathy Wiseman of Decatur Township and Scott Veerkamp of Franklin Township. Roughly half of all property taxes paid in Marion County typically go to the schools -- and the School Boards are the ones that vote to raise those taxes.

Kenney reports:

Decatur Township School Board member Cathy Jo Wiseman’s home was sold in a tax sale when she didn’t pay $3,427.24. Her home phone was disconnected, and she did not respond to e-mails. Her husband told 6News he hadn’t worked in two years.

and

Scott Veerkamp, a realtor and Franklin Township School Board member, owed more than any other official we found. As of the end of October, he owed $7,825.82 on his Beech Grove business and $922.23 in sewer bills on three other properties. His house was all paid up.

"He's taking care of his own property, making sure it's current, but he's not taking care of the other things," said Creasser [Marion County Deputy Treasurer].

Veerkamp refused an on-camera interview but wrote in an e-mail, “As I am sure you are aware, school board members are paid a meager amount of money to serve public $3,000-$4,000 per year. In the full time job that I hold, real estate sales, it has been a pretty tough road the last few years, as you know. That being said, we are doing our very best as we navigate these challenging economic times.“

All but Wiseman and Schmidt paid their property tax bills as soon as 6News started asking questions.

Veerkamp paid some, but not all of his property tax bills.

and

Veerkamp told 6News via e-mail, “Our company has remitted payment for the property taxes on our building located at 626 Main Street,” but Creasser said Monday that Veerkamp still owes $7,632.24 in taxes and penalties on his Beech Grove business, which includes the 626 Main St. address.

In Wiseman's case, she has voted to raise taxes by some astonishingly high percentages in the last few years. In 2007, she voted to raise the property tax rate for the Decatur School District by 46% for the following year. (see Department of Local Government Finance tax rates for Marion County 2007-2010) At that point, the State of Indiana took responsibility for paying the operating expenses for all Indiana School Districts. Of what remained, Wiseman voted in 2009 to raise the property tax rate by 14% for taxes collected this year. If she could not afford to pay the huge tax bills, why did she foist them on others in our Township?

Parking Meter Deal - How They Voted

I've been off on vacation and now I'm playing catch-up. Here's how the vote came down Monday night on Prop 229 - the 50 year lease of the parking meter system to politically connected ACS.

Voting in favor : Democrat Councillor Bateman joined all but one Republican to generate the 15 votes needed for passage. Those Republicans voting in favor were Councillors Vaughn (who declined to recuse himself even though he is chin deep in conflicts of interest in this matter), Cain, Cardwell, Cockrum, Day, Freeman, Hunter, Lutz, Malone, McHenry, McQuillen, Pfisterer, Rivera, and newly appointed Sandlin (who replaces Speedy on the Council).

Voting against : One Republican, Councillor Scales, joined lone Libertarian Councillor Coleman and all but one Democrat. Those Democrats voting against the proposal were Councillors Brown, Evans, Gray, Lewis, both Maherns, Mansfield, Minton-McNeill, Moriarty-Adams, Nytes, Oliver, and Sanders.

Council Meets Tonight - Parking Meter Lease Up

The City-County Council will meet tonight, beginning at 7:00 pm. On the agenda is the 50 year lease of the parking meter system to politically connected ACS.

This effort to privatize a publicly owned monopoly is far from being in the best interest of the citizens of Indianapolis. The City can easily take $8 million from the downtown consolidate TIF district, where there will be nearly $100 million in excess cash by year's end, and pay for the meter upgrade themselves. We would then be able to collect twice the amount of money we would get under this deal - even after spending $10 million every ten years for newer technology.

There is nobody who can predict what new advances will come along that the City could turn to advantage by retaining our parking meter system and adding the new features.

If you are just now tuning into this matter, I would recommend you read my blog entries here and here, some from Ogden on Politics (here, and here), a couple from Advance Indiana (here and here ), as well as a couple from IndyStudent (here and here). As well as urban experts, Aaron Renn of the Urbanophile, and Dr. Phineas Baxandall, of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Hopefully the Republican caucus will vote as individuals and in the best interest of the community -- and not as a rubberstamping caucus who just do what they are told.