The Metropolitan Development Commission is slated to hold a public hearing this Wednesday, September 2, on the proposed abatement for 450 E. Market Street. You may recall that this abatement is the central feature in a complex deal between the City and TM Miller Enterprises to rehab the old Bank One Operations Building into apartments and retail. Through the deal the City would become owner of the parking garage just north of the block TM Miller Enterprises would get for free.
Even if all goes as hoped for with the planned development, there will be a net loss of property tax revenues reaching over $1 million in the first two and half years and a net loss of property tax revenues of $43,000 each year after. In addition, the Capital Improvement Board stands to lose $800,000 per year in revenue from the surface parking lots it owns on the old Market Square Arena site, if the City gets its wish that a variance to avoid paving those lots is denied an extension. It is unclear how profitable the parking garage can be without the surface lots closure, driving customers to the garage. More on how these number are calculated in a later blog entry.
See here for a description of the deal. The hearing would begin at 1:00 pm in the Public Assembly Room of the City-County Building.
Friday, August 28, 2009
City-County Council Meeting - August 31, 2009
The City-County Council meets this Monday night. In addition to the all important public hearing on the various budgets now working their way through Council Committees, there are two interesting Proposals to be voted on and several that seem interesting that will be introduced and assigned to a Committee for consideration.
Up for a vote again is Prop 237, that would limit solicitation at intersections. This Proposal, sponsored by Councillor McQuillen, has been before the Council two other times.
Also up for a vote is Prop 292, that would reduce the pay of Township Assessors to the lowest allowed by State law. This Proposal was sponsored by Councillors Lutz, Mansfield, and McQuillen.
To be introduced on Monday are the following that struck me as interesting.
Prop 332 -- sponsored by Councillor Cockrum -- would join with the County Auditor and Treasurer in recommending that the Department of Local Government Finance allow property owners with a homestead deduction to pay their property taxes over more than two payments, beginning with the taxes coming due this year. -- referred to the Administration & Finance Committee which next meets on Tuesday night, but this Proposal is not listed on the public notice for that night.
Prop 337 -- sponsored by Councillor McQuillen -- would allow the Library to refinance three series of outstanding bonds which have an aggregate outstanding balance of $43,605,000 with a new bond issue totalling $48,000,000. No exact savings are mentioned in the Proposal text, but it does seem to suggest that the interest rate can be no more than 6% and it must be at least 3% lower than the rate on the current bonds. -- referred to the Municipal Corporations Committee which next meets on Thursday night, but this Proposal is not listed on the public notice for that night.
Prop 344 -- sponsored by Councillors Adams and Hunter -- approves two amendments to the agreement between DPW and United Water for the operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment facilities and the wastewater and stormwater collection facilities. These amendments were approved by the Public Works Board in December, 2008, and February, 2009, and seem to have something to do with insurance and vehicles. The language is a bit indeterminate and I'll leave you to peruse the Proposal for yourself. -- referred to the Public Works Committee which next meets on September 17.
Up for a vote again is Prop 237, that would limit solicitation at intersections. This Proposal, sponsored by Councillor McQuillen, has been before the Council two other times.
Also up for a vote is Prop 292, that would reduce the pay of Township Assessors to the lowest allowed by State law. This Proposal was sponsored by Councillors Lutz, Mansfield, and McQuillen.
To be introduced on Monday are the following that struck me as interesting.
Prop 332 -- sponsored by Councillor Cockrum -- would join with the County Auditor and Treasurer in recommending that the Department of Local Government Finance allow property owners with a homestead deduction to pay their property taxes over more than two payments, beginning with the taxes coming due this year. -- referred to the Administration & Finance Committee which next meets on Tuesday night, but this Proposal is not listed on the public notice for that night.
Prop 337 -- sponsored by Councillor McQuillen -- would allow the Library to refinance three series of outstanding bonds which have an aggregate outstanding balance of $43,605,000 with a new bond issue totalling $48,000,000. No exact savings are mentioned in the Proposal text, but it does seem to suggest that the interest rate can be no more than 6% and it must be at least 3% lower than the rate on the current bonds. -- referred to the Municipal Corporations Committee which next meets on Thursday night, but this Proposal is not listed on the public notice for that night.
Prop 344 -- sponsored by Councillors Adams and Hunter -- approves two amendments to the agreement between DPW and United Water for the operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment facilities and the wastewater and stormwater collection facilities. These amendments were approved by the Public Works Board in December, 2008, and February, 2009, and seem to have something to do with insurance and vehicles. The language is a bit indeterminate and I'll leave you to peruse the Proposal for yourself. -- referred to the Public Works Committee which next meets on September 17.
Budget Hearings - This Week Includes Full Council
The budget hearings include a public hearing by the full City-County Council this week.
Monday -- August 31 -- 7:00 pm -- Public Assembly Room -- full Council public hearing on all budgets, including those not yet heard by committees -- this will not be the meeting where a vote will be taken, but it is your chance to speak to the entire Council about any budget item that interests you
Tuesday -- September 1 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- budgets for County Administrator, County Treasurer, County Commissioners, County Auditor, and Bond Bank and Debt Obligations
Wednesday -- September 2 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- budgets for IMPD and IFD
Thursday -- September 3 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- budgets for Capital Improvement Board and Airport Authority
Monday -- August 31 -- 7:00 pm -- Public Assembly Room -- full Council public hearing on all budgets, including those not yet heard by committees -- this will not be the meeting where a vote will be taken, but it is your chance to speak to the entire Council about any budget item that interests you
Tuesday -- September 1 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- budgets for County Administrator, County Treasurer, County Commissioners, County Auditor, and Bond Bank and Debt Obligations
Wednesday -- September 2 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- budgets for IMPD and IFD
Thursday -- September 3 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- budgets for Capital Improvement Board and Airport Authority
Monday, August 24, 2009
Budget Hearings for This Week
Here is the schedule of budgets up for review this week:
Monday, August 24 -- 5:30 pm -- room 118 -- Department of Code Enforcement
Tuesday, August 25 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- Information Services Agency/CIO's Office, County Assessor, Telecom & Video Services Agency, Building Authority
Tuesday, August 25 -- 5:30 pm -- room 118 -- Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo), Indianapolis Marion County Public Library Board, Health & Hospital Corporation
Wednesday, August 26 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- Marion County Public Defender's Agency, Department of Public Safety (excluding IMPD & IFD), Office of the Director, Emergency Management, Animal Care & Control Division
Monday, August 24 -- 5:30 pm -- room 118 -- Department of Code Enforcement
Tuesday, August 25 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- Information Services Agency/CIO's Office, County Assessor, Telecom & Video Services Agency, Building Authority
Tuesday, August 25 -- 5:30 pm -- room 118 -- Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo), Indianapolis Marion County Public Library Board, Health & Hospital Corporation
Wednesday, August 26 -- 5:30 pm -- room 260 -- Marion County Public Defender's Agency, Department of Public Safety (excluding IMPD & IFD), Office of the Director, Emergency Management, Animal Care & Control Division
Friday, August 21, 2009
Notes on the Budget Hearings - August 20
Just some stuff I thought was interesting and not a list of the important issues discussed.
Last night the budget hearing for the Department of Public Works was on the agenda. The committee was chaired by Councillor Ben Hunter. The meeting went on an hour and forty-five minutes before it was time for public comments. Three of us spoke. Before the 2nd member of the public commented, Hunter noted that he should be aware a 'few of us up here have a commitment at 8:00'. I was the third speaker. Now, I have no problem with the length of time allotted for public comments, and I was actually done with mine when Hunter abruptly thanked me and Dave Sherman, head of DPW, as a way to cut us off.
Now, silly me, I just thought they were working so hard they actually had another meeting to attend yet last night. Until, that is, I saw the traffic backed up on I-70 at the Lucas Oil Stadium exit. Guess what started at 8:00 ? That's right, the Colts game. It must have been Council appreciation night. Hope they enjoyed the free tickets and the great seats and the swell food all paid for by the overly generous taxpayers.
[edited on August 24, 2009, to add: I received a private email from Councillor Hunter who explained that, although he did attend the Colts game, his reference to a 'few of us up here have a commitment at 8:00' did not include any other Councillors attending the game, rather they had different personal commitments. He specifically named Councillors Speedy and Adams as having the personal commitments to which he was referring, and he noted that he did not know of any other Councillor from his Committee that attended the game that night. The issue of free tickets to sporting events, especially in this time of CIB bailouts, is a particularly hot one. I was too overly broad in my assumption connecting Hunter's comment and the fact that the game began at 8:00. I'll be keeping this episode in mind for some time as I review my blog entries for assumptions vs. verifiable facts.]
Last night the budget hearing for the Department of Public Works was on the agenda. The committee was chaired by Councillor Ben Hunter. The meeting went on an hour and forty-five minutes before it was time for public comments. Three of us spoke. Before the 2nd member of the public commented, Hunter noted that he should be aware a 'few of us up here have a commitment at 8:00'. I was the third speaker. Now, I have no problem with the length of time allotted for public comments, and I was actually done with mine when Hunter abruptly thanked me and Dave Sherman, head of DPW, as a way to cut us off.
Now, silly me, I just thought they were working so hard they actually had another meeting to attend yet last night. Until, that is, I saw the traffic backed up on I-70 at the Lucas Oil Stadium exit. Guess what started at 8:00 ? That's right, the Colts game. It must have been Council appreciation night. Hope they enjoyed the free tickets and the great seats and the swell food all paid for by the overly generous taxpayers.
[edited on August 24, 2009, to add: I received a private email from Councillor Hunter who explained that, although he did attend the Colts game, his reference to a 'few of us up here have a commitment at 8:00' did not include any other Councillors attending the game, rather they had different personal commitments. He specifically named Councillors Speedy and Adams as having the personal commitments to which he was referring, and he noted that he did not know of any other Councillor from his Committee that attended the game that night. The issue of free tickets to sporting events, especially in this time of CIB bailouts, is a particularly hot one. I was too overly broad in my assumption connecting Hunter's comment and the fact that the game began at 8:00. I'll be keeping this episode in mind for some time as I review my blog entries for assumptions vs. verifiable facts.]
Notes on the Budget Hearings - August 19
Again - not a list of the important items, just what struck me as interesting.
This one should be subtitled: Down the rabbit hole with Alice. Bizarre, odd, unnerving, curious, weird, and absurd.
After a long evening of budget hearings, the last one, for the Marion County Sheriff's Department, began. Rolled through the presentation and Council questions okay enough. Then it was public comment time. I rose and spoke first. Then, Paul Ogden, identifying himself as an attorney, began to comment on some of the numbers that were stated during Sheriff's Department presentation and also the practice of assigning violent offenders to Jail II in contradiction of the terms of the use of Jail II for non-violent offenders only. This is something Ogden has blogged about just recently -- see here. He later also commented on a contract for inmate phone service between the company providing the service and the Sheriff's Department - the money going into the Commissary Fund, which oddly enough, is not reviewed as part of the Sheriff's Department budget, even though money comes and goes into this Fund from service provided by the Sheriff and to expenses paid by the Sheriff.
Here's how things appeared from my seat in the very back of the room. A fellow in a suit moved to just ahead of the side door to the room, a move common when a person does not want to be missed by the Chairman of the Committee as desiring to speak. Good, I thought. More people giving input. I like it. After a moment, the fellow moved forward to about three feet behind Ogden. Again, not uncommon when the person in line wants to be sure they are seen by the Chairman who this night was Ryan Vaughn. After Ogden's first couple of points were made, this fellow was asked to answer for the Sheriff. He identified himself as Kevin Murray, also a lawyer. He moved very, very close to Ogden. Within inches. It was so close that it was, in animal behavior terms, a threatening distance. Several times he tried to stop Ogden from continuing his comments. He hovered just behind/beside Ogden while there was a second microphone just on the other side of where Sheriff Anderson was seated. A person who tries to bring forward information during public comment time should not be dogged like this fellow dogged Ogden.
see here for Ogden's recap of that night's events
see here for the Channel 16 archive of the hearing -- click on "Public Safety & Criminal Justice, Part 2 of 2 --- Aug 19, 2009" and forward the video to about time stamp 11:30
Take a look at the video and come to your own conclusions. But, for my money, when a member of the public believes that there are things happening in a City or County Department that ought not be happening, they have every right to bring it up when the Council is considering allowing the Department to spend more taxpayer money. And a lawyer for that Department should not be allowed to stand so close or interrupt the speaker as was allowed that night.
This one should be subtitled: Down the rabbit hole with Alice. Bizarre, odd, unnerving, curious, weird, and absurd.
After a long evening of budget hearings, the last one, for the Marion County Sheriff's Department, began. Rolled through the presentation and Council questions okay enough. Then it was public comment time. I rose and spoke first. Then, Paul Ogden, identifying himself as an attorney, began to comment on some of the numbers that were stated during Sheriff's Department presentation and also the practice of assigning violent offenders to Jail II in contradiction of the terms of the use of Jail II for non-violent offenders only. This is something Ogden has blogged about just recently -- see here. He later also commented on a contract for inmate phone service between the company providing the service and the Sheriff's Department - the money going into the Commissary Fund, which oddly enough, is not reviewed as part of the Sheriff's Department budget, even though money comes and goes into this Fund from service provided by the Sheriff and to expenses paid by the Sheriff.
Here's how things appeared from my seat in the very back of the room. A fellow in a suit moved to just ahead of the side door to the room, a move common when a person does not want to be missed by the Chairman of the Committee as desiring to speak. Good, I thought. More people giving input. I like it. After a moment, the fellow moved forward to about three feet behind Ogden. Again, not uncommon when the person in line wants to be sure they are seen by the Chairman who this night was Ryan Vaughn. After Ogden's first couple of points were made, this fellow was asked to answer for the Sheriff. He identified himself as Kevin Murray, also a lawyer. He moved very, very close to Ogden. Within inches. It was so close that it was, in animal behavior terms, a threatening distance. Several times he tried to stop Ogden from continuing his comments. He hovered just behind/beside Ogden while there was a second microphone just on the other side of where Sheriff Anderson was seated. A person who tries to bring forward information during public comment time should not be dogged like this fellow dogged Ogden.
see here for Ogden's recap of that night's events
see here for the Channel 16 archive of the hearing -- click on "Public Safety & Criminal Justice, Part 2 of 2 --- Aug 19, 2009" and forward the video to about time stamp 11:30
Take a look at the video and come to your own conclusions. But, for my money, when a member of the public believes that there are things happening in a City or County Department that ought not be happening, they have every right to bring it up when the Council is considering allowing the Department to spend more taxpayer money. And a lawyer for that Department should not be allowed to stand so close or interrupt the speaker as was allowed that night.
Notes on the Budget Hearings - August 18
Again, not a list of the important issues discussed, just what caught my attention otherwise.
Administration and Financing committee was up again on the 18th.
Not on the notice of the meeting was Prop. 292 regarding the pay for Township Administrators, but that did not stop Councillor Pfisterer, who Chaired the committee, from bringing it to a vote nonetheless. The idea that the public might actually look at the published agendas that also serve as the legal notice of the meeting seemed to escape the logic of those who wanted to hear the Proposal again, right then. Only one person spoke to the Proposal itself, and that was Wayne Township Assessor, Mike McCormick. I spoke to the lack of proper notice and the public's ability to have input when it does not realize an item is back on the agenda for discussion and vote. Also related, the cc: list at the bottom of the Committee agenda did not list the Township Assessors as a courtesy, even though they are duly elected officials who otherwise would have received that courtesy.
During the public comment discussion by the Marion County Recorder, Julie Voorhies, it was mentioned that the Recorder's website has a link for property owners to sign up for email notice should any document be submitted for recording regarding their address. This is part of the effort Voorhies has put into fighting those who would try to commit the fraud of pretending to have purchased a property in order to obtain mortgage loans tapping the equity of that property. Here's the link so you can get notice for any activity on your home -- http://www.indy.gov/eGov/County/Recorder/Pages/MCROFraudAlert.aspx They are also working on a twitter notification system, but it is not yet up and running.
Administration and Financing committee was up again on the 18th.
Not on the notice of the meeting was Prop. 292 regarding the pay for Township Administrators, but that did not stop Councillor Pfisterer, who Chaired the committee, from bringing it to a vote nonetheless. The idea that the public might actually look at the published agendas that also serve as the legal notice of the meeting seemed to escape the logic of those who wanted to hear the Proposal again, right then. Only one person spoke to the Proposal itself, and that was Wayne Township Assessor, Mike McCormick. I spoke to the lack of proper notice and the public's ability to have input when it does not realize an item is back on the agenda for discussion and vote. Also related, the cc: list at the bottom of the Committee agenda did not list the Township Assessors as a courtesy, even though they are duly elected officials who otherwise would have received that courtesy.
During the public comment discussion by the Marion County Recorder, Julie Voorhies, it was mentioned that the Recorder's website has a link for property owners to sign up for email notice should any document be submitted for recording regarding their address. This is part of the effort Voorhies has put into fighting those who would try to commit the fraud of pretending to have purchased a property in order to obtain mortgage loans tapping the equity of that property. Here's the link so you can get notice for any activity on your home -- http://www.indy.gov/eGov/County/Recorder/Pages/MCROFraudAlert.aspx They are also working on a twitter notification system, but it is not yet up and running.
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