2010 OH, WHAT A YEAR IT WAS

As 2010 comes to a close I have been doing a little reminiscing.  It was a good year for some and a bad year for many.  Our economy is still in a mess, we are fighting two wars and may even be involved  in a third one soon if North Korea has it''s way.

And on the local scene we have had a tough year too.  I went back and checked out old articles and have listed the  topics in sort of a chronological order.  I'll keep my comments to a minimum but invite everyone to add their own.

• Flooding was a major problem for residents in several ares of town.  The sewers and storm drains were cleaned out and this seemed to have helped.
• Sewer rate increases:  We didn't want this to happen but it passed anyway.
• Delinquent sewer bills. Some progress has been made but we still have a long way to go.
• Annexation.  Put off another year.
• LOIT tax. Another unpopular topic.
• Historic Preservation, the commission was saved.  But we will always have controversy.
• Grant for the S. Ellen Jones/Midtown neighborhood.  Dilapidated homes are being repaired or torn down and more local residents are being employed to help.
• Combine the 911 city and county call centers. 
• P.O.P. more concentrated police presence in various areas of town.  Seems to be working, especially with the 20 arrests on the apartment complex on Green Valley Rd.
• Globe Mechanical expanding and adding 40 jobs.
• The election.
• Bridge tolls.  Why can't they just build the east end bridge and see what happens? 
• New Albany's Budget.

Here's hoping that 2011 finds everyone working and living in safe warm homes with plenty of food.  I know that is not possible but let's see how close we can come.

        HAPPY NEW YEAR
        NEW ALBANY !!!!!!

SEE YOU LATER, BARON

Baron Hill  is visiting every county in the 9th District, but not to say goodbye.  He started this morning in Salem, and is ending the day in Clarksville, visiting 10 cities in 48 hours.  He called it his "See You Later" tour.  

He stopped by the Floyd County Democratic Headquarters this evening to have a quick but meaningful visit with some of his constituents.  He was very frank and open, as always, and answered our questions. 

He is very concerned about Congress, as are many others.  He said the new Congress Members are mostly newly elected as are many other elected officials, including clerks.  The clerks, many which are untrained, will be in charge of the 2012 elections and there will be mistakes. (Thankfully the voters of Floyd County have re-elected Linda Moeller so we are in good shape.) The untrained Congress Membership is much more frightening.  It's going to be totally new territory for many. 

Baron is unsure about his own future but he has been talking to a lot of people and he is very hopeful. (He did say, however that Betty wants him to stay off the campaign trail for a little while). He promised to stay informed politically and keep us here in New Albany informed as well.  He was happy to say that his staff members are finding new positions, both locally and in Washington.  As he said, that just shows what a good reputation his employees enjoy.

I just want to wish Baron the best here on this blog as I did downtown. Hopefully soon we will have to opportunity to welcome him back into public service. (fingers crossed) 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  Please be safe and take care of each other and yourselves. 

LET'S GET ON WITH IT

It looks like Globe Mechanical wants to purchase the buildings which were formally occupied by the street department. The asking price was $300,000 and Globe is offering $225,000. Yes the bid is much lower than the asking price, but  these days no one can sell for asking price.  And besides, no one else is interested in these buildings.

Globe Mechanical wants the space so they can expand and hire 40 more workers.  I say sell the buildings already and let them put 40 people to work.

"POP' GO THE BAD GUYS

New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey held a meeting last night at the New Albany Public Library which was well attended. There were members of a couple of neighborhood associations and other interested citizens. We all came away with a feeling of hope for our fair city. Although the program will begin in the SEJ neighborhood, the whole city will be covered. And other neighborhoods are scheduled to be part of the POP plan also.

Chief Bailey began by saying that he was a native of New Albany who lives on Elm St. with his family. He also expressed a great concern for the community. He has only been chief for eight weeks but he is eager to make changes.

The police force will be working in a different way from now on. They will be pro-active instead of reactive, and will also be ready and willing to listen to our concerns. The new plan is called "Problem Oriented Policing" or "POP".

There was also a slide presentation with information which is listed below:

• New policing concept designed to attack crime in problems areas of town.
• Replaces outdated process of simply responding to crime in the community.
• Will deal with quality of life issues such as loud music, code issues, juvenile problems, vandalism, thefts, graffiti and drug and alcohol matters.
• "POP' works hand in hand with "Intelligence Oriented Policing".
• Interviewing known criminals and analyzing data to pinpoint trouble and to direct strategy.
• We will seek your input and suggestions regarding some of the problems to solve.
• Police personnel will engage in "POP" activities daily beginning Jan. 1, 2011.
• Our Night Shift will implement the program with tactical operations in the SE Jones area and surrounding areas.
• Additional community problem areas and problem topics will be immediately addressed.
• ZERO TOLERANCE

This is just a part of the information on the slides. They went on to ask everyone to get involved and join neighborhood watch groups, which will be re-instated. He also gave NAPD contact information.

• Emergency 911
• Non-Emergency Dispatch 944-6411
• Non-Emergency Administration 948-5300
• CRIME LINE 948-NAPD (6273)

The crime line is for callers to leave tips, and they do not have to give their name, but it is preferable to identify yourself and be a witness in court if necessary.

The police also have a Facebook page and will soon have twitter and a web page.

Chief Bailey thinks that things don't need to be done a certain way just because that's the way things have always been done.

Building Commissioner David Brewer was also present and he is eager to make changes also. He said the previous Code Enforcement Officer only had the authority to send letters to offenders. The city council has approved the hiring of another code enforcement officer, one to handle problems in the office and another to be out looking for violations. He promised that from now on issues will be taken care of instead of just sending letters.

As I said earlier, the people in attendance were excited about making New Albany safe again. Everyone was asked to complete a short questionnaire listing problems in their neighborhood and asked to participate watch groups. I encourage everyone to help with this endeavor.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 12/6/10

The Mayor was the first to speak at the podium Monday evening. These are the points he made:

• The city will continue to pick up leaves until 12/23/10
• There is a study being done on our ambulance service.
• We need to combine the city and county 911 systems.

CM Coffey asked Atty Rick Fox to explain the judgement on the sewer utility against the city. Our City Attorney, Shane Gibson, helped explain the situation. There is a judgement and they want to collect. There have been negotiations with Gibson and Fox and others and it will soon be satisfied. CM Coffey wants to pay and then sue the sewer utility for the money. Mr. Gibson thinks this is silly and added that he hoped to have a resolution by the next council meeting.

Building Commissioner, David Brewer spoke about our code enforcement. With our two officers there have been 68 issues, 35 called in, 3 by email, and 2 in person. All have been resolved. Additionally, there are 18 buildings which may be demolished if they are not repaired.

The only speaker from the public was Peter Farmer, president of Main St. Preservation. He spoke against G-10-21 (Dissolution of the Historic Preservation Commission)

Next up were the votes:

A-10-13 Transfer 1.7 million from EDIT for General Fund expenses. The reason being that TIF funds cannot be used for certain projects. The vote was 6 yes and 3 no (CM's Coffey,Price, and Gahan). Same results on the second reading.

A-10-12 Ordinance for the transfer of $200,000 from the Cumulative Capital Improvement Fund to the General Fund. (Goes to cash deficit, not an appropriation, money goes to the rolling deficit) This was the 3rd reading and it passed 9-0

G-20-21 Dissolving the Historic Preservation Commission: failed 7 no, 1 yes, CM Price, and 1 abstain CM Coffey.

Finally the Resolution to adopt a Fiscal Plan for the Annexation passed 7 yes and 2 no CM Coffey and Price. The annexation will not take effect until January 1, 2014.

On a personal note, the meeting went pretty smoothly. The microphones seemed to have been set at a lower volume, or maybe it was just my imagination.

SEE YOU AT THE LIBRARY

Chief Todd Bailey will host a meeting this Wednesday at the Library at 7:00. He will be starting a new program called Problem Oriented Policing program on January 1, 2011.

He wants to start more neighborhood watch groups. I hope the people will be more receptive this time. Becky Roy started a neighborhood watch group several years ago (West End) but attendance was very limited, same with the Friends and Families of the West End group.

Please check the "Tribune" for more details.

SEWER LINE SNAG

I read in today's "Tribune" that the developers are discovering problems with the Mid-town aka. S. Ellen Jones neighborhood's outdated sewer lines. It seems that the sewer department used to allow two homes to be hooked up to the same line back in the 1920's and 30's. Since there are probably several more of these "Y" connections in the area this needs to be addressed.

Apparently Jon-Paul Inc. did not add the cost of sewer lines in their original bid for the project. Hopefully this cost will me minimal so the project does not go far over budget.

Another problem is the cost of sewer hookups which run $1650 each. This is one case where I think the City Council should waive the connection fee. This is not a new development of expensive homes. These homes will be sold to lower income residents and costs need to be kept as low as possible. New Albany was fortunate to have this grant and we should do everything we can to keep the project going and sell these homes as quickly and economically as possible.

A THANKSGIVING WISH

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

Please remember the many people serving in the military who are sacrificing during this special day.

And we who have a place to live, eat, and sleep need to remember those who don't.

We all have much to be thankful for. May God Bless everyone and may He hold each of you in the palm of His holy hands.

Shirley

COUNCIL MEETING 11/18/10:SAD DAY FOR NEW ALBANY

Thursday's city council meeting began on a high note with the Mayor encouraging everyone to participate in the Holiday Fest on Saturday after Thanksgiving. He went on to say that it is good to see New Albany having parking problems.



He discussed combining the city and county 911 operators, this will have to be done by 2014 anyway.

He also suggested a meeting with the City and County Councils in addition to the Commissioners. Additionally, CM Benedetti asked for a cost analysis of the budget.

In regard to the Ordinance to disband the Historic Preservation Commission, he suggested forming a mediation committee of council members from each district, the council president, the building commissioner and 2 members of HPC.

The next speaker was Chief Bailey who said there are plans for forums on crime prevention planned for next year and the citizens police academy will be offered again.

There were several citizens speaking against G-10-21 the Ordinance Dissolving the Historic Preservation Commission... and one person speaking in favor.

The discussion between the council members was quite heated but eventually CM Gonder called for a vote: The first and second readings had the same result, 7 nays, 1 aye ( CM Price), and 1 abstain, (CM Coffey)

The other ordinances were handled swiftly and quietly: G-10-12 (Ord. to transfer $200,000 from the Cumulative Capital Improvement Fund to the General Fund passed 9-0
Z-10-05 The new medical building on the corner of Daisy Lane and Green Valley Rd. passed 5-4 after CM Messer changed his vote from abstain to aye.

I had commented on other blogs, etc. about the behaviour of some of the council members last night. I know everyone jokes about the city council meetings being a 3 ring circus, but last night I was truly ashamed of our council. The room was filled to capacity and it was a sad sight for all of us to see.

LET'S SAVE OUR HISTORY

I have been very concerned about the Ordinance to dissolve the Historic Preservation Commission. Not that I am directly involved, living in an apartment complex not located in a historic district. But if we live in an historic home or not, all citizens of New Albany are involved.

There have been several historic buildings destroyed in the 1950's and 1960's, and several near misses.

When I was taking a tour of the Culbertson Mansion the tour guide told us that the home was almost torn down at one time. Can you imagine? Tearing down the Culbertson Mansion? And more recently, the Cardinal Ritter Home was saved from the wrecking ball.

I am not a member of the Historic Preservation Commission and I don't know all of the issues but I was told by a former member that their approval rate is 83 out of 84. I know there are a couple of citizens who have had problems but hopefully a compromise can be met.

As far as CM Price, the author of the Ordinance, I have known him for about seven years, and have always known him to be an honorable person. Even when we disagree, our disagreements are friendly and civil.

It appears that the meeting room in the City County Building will be crowded this Thursday. So if you plan to attend the meeting, get there early.

"I HAVE NO PLANS TO RESIGN"

Those were the words John Wilcox used when I asked him about all of the rumors about he and the rest of the Central Committee.

I had asked other members previously but had not had the chance to ask John until last night. I was not able to speak to Sam Locke but John said Sam had not expressed any desire to quit either. John went on to say that next year's election should run more smoothly since only local candidates will be running and national issues will not play a big part. He added that people tend to get more involved with local elections.

We discussed how difficult it is to find people willing to help with campaigns. I must admit that I am guilty in that respect also. There is much more that I could have done had I taken the time. But I cannot fault the Central Committee. Those people worked their buns off this year.

Being a member of the Central Committee is an unpaid and (I'm sure) a thankless job. No matter to which party a person belongs.

THERE IS NO CRABBY ROAD IN INDIANA

There was an editorial cartoon in today's "Tribune" which really made me mad. It was a "take off" of the Beatles' Abbey Road album. It showed four donkey's dressed as John, Paul, George and Ringo with the caption reading "Crabby Road". They were headed toward a sign which read "leaving DC" and the donkeys had @#%$& type symbols over their heads.

Each of our Indiana Democrat candidates posted statements on Facebook and sent emails thanking their supporters. They all said they had done their best and appreciated what everyone had done for them. This is what is known as class.

I know this is just a silly cartoon but the author, Jerry Holbert, obviously felt that this was the general mood of our candidates. I don't know where Mr. Holbert lives, this may have been written thousands of miles away but our local newspaper agreed with him. This is just plain wrong.

GO VOTE

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY, PLEASE VOTE.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 11/1/10

Last night's City Council meeting ran rather briskly compared to previous meetings.

Carl Malysz spoke first asking the Council to table R10-29 & R10-30 until after the Planning Commission has their meeting on 11/18.

CM Ceasar asked which streets are scheduled to be paved out of the appropriated million dollars. (I have been wondering that myself. Daisy Lane is still a mess between Green Valley and the top of the hill and now they are milling Coyle Dr.?)

CM Coffey asked Atty Lorch about the research on the TIF districts, if there are leftover funds and how they can be used. He will send his report in the form of a memo. He also wants annexation to be put back on the agenda for the next meeting.

CM Gahan suggested that the unused TIF funds be used for pavement and some of the pavement funds can be moved to public service.

CM McLaughlin asked Mr. Ed Wilkerson (sewer board) about the summer watering program. Mr. Wilkerson replied that the current ordinance is outdated. The Sewer Board is in the process of writing a new ordinance and will be completed in January.

Next were the comments from the public: Maurice King took issue with the changes in the way the Sewer Board plans to change the watering program. He said that people seldom refill their in-ground swimming pools, they add chemicals as necessary. And if they do refill their pools it is done in May rather than June. He wants the watering program to remain from May through September. He also noted that watering one's lawn or garden does not affect sewers in any way.
He went on to say that a $5.00 increase in sewer bills would add over $700,000 to the sewer department's income.

CM Coffey thinks that it is unethical for the same people to sit on the Sewer and the Strormwater Boards.

Next the Resolutions were introduced:

Z-10-05 Plans to build a one story doctors office building on the corner of Daisy Lane (north) and Green Valley Rd. Paul Collings from the Green Triangle Group brought a visual of the proposed building. He said that the drainage problem will be taken care of underground and the present creek will remain with a small bridge for crossing. This received a 9-0 favorable rating from the Planning Commission. CM Benedetti wants to look into the drainage solution before voting to approve.

Votes on first reading 7-2 with CM's Benedetti and Gonder voting no. The second reading produced the same results.

G-10-17 (Ordinance regarding the Historic Preservation Commission) tabled until next meeting.

G-10-20 Synthetic marijuana passed 9-0 on third reading.

R-10-29 and R-10-30 both regarding incentives for companies to install new HVAC systems in two industrial areas. Both failed with a 0-9 vote.

R-10-38 The Budget. tabled until the next meeting because he Council wants to do final tweaking. I told CM Price that I was glad that they take home police car policy will be amended. He said that was one of several money saving measures. I'm proud of our council for taking responsibility with our tax dollars.

I HATE NEGATIVE ADS. HOW ABOUT YOU?

I don't know about you but I am sick of all of these negative political TV ads. The "Tribune" ran an editorial the other day stating they did not know who started the negative ads between Shane Gibson and Ed Clere. Really. Everyone knows which party sent the negative mailings again this year just as in previous years. I have heard many people discuss their dislike of such ads but everyone agrees that they work.

I have a novel thought. Let's not vote for the party which starts throwing rocks at the other candidates.

JIM FRIEBERGER ON THE LOIT TAX

Floyd County Council candidate, Jim Frieberger answered my inquiry about the LOIT tax. With his permission I am posting his email.

"After having talked to numerous voters in my District, an overwhelming majority do not want a new tax passed at this time. So I have committed, as my opponent, not to vote in favor of the LOIT Tax if it resurfaced. In articles I have read, close to 50% of the people are being affected by the current economic downturn right now. Either them or their spouses being unemployed, having their hours reduced, taking a pay cut, or at the least, having a pay freeze, which doesn't allow them to keep up with current inflation levels. A majority of the people are cutting back during this downturn and feel that the Government should do so as well. They feel that the Council and County Government need to stay within their budget for now and unfortunately, make the tough decisions necessary to continue staying within their budget until the economy improves."

"I am hoping with my financial background and experience, I will be better equipped than my opponent to look a the currenct office budgets and try to find the best way to support the offices or programs that are essential to the county. One thing I would like to try to look into is the County Council itself being offered full Healthcare benefits for them and their family. I don't think this is reasonable for a position that is only a part-time job. This is the type of item I would like to dig into and see if there are some savings I can find for the county. We also have some tremendous inefficiencies in the County Sheriff Department due mainly to the overcrowding and ineffective lay-out of the jail. We are spending too much money on Deputies to guard prisoners when looking at typical guard to prisoner ratio's for the state, but we are being forced into for safety issues as well as keeping down our liability risk issues. We really need to push for building a new jail and using those funds that would be saved on Deputy salaries to be used for other public safety purposes."

He also added:

"I was disappointed with the Courier Journal article because it only covered about one fourth of our interview. It dropped all of my issues about the economy and me against voting in favor of a new LOIT Tax but that's what led into my support of pushing for a new jail because it is the greatest opportunity for cost savings for the county that can be used for other safety issues or projects. I think the editor didn't have enough space since he was covering three races instead of one as in his other articles (which I feel was a disservice to all of the candidates) and that he was trying to differentiate Dana Fendley and myself as much as he could."

Mr. Frieberger asked how I stood on this issue. If I have not made it clear before I will say again that I am also against the LOIT Tax. I know the city and county are in financial trouble but we must look for ways to cut expenses at this time. We taxpayers are in a financial bind ourselves and we don't need additional cuts to our net pay.

COUNCIL MEETING 10/3/10 YES, IT WAS A LONG ONE

We had another marathon city council meeting again tonight.

The first topic of discussion was the newly released audit from the State. Since some of the members had only received their copy today, Mr. Coffey asked for a meeting on a Saturday to go over the budget. The date and time decided on were 10/16/10 at 10:00AM. I do not know if this will be a closed meeting or if we the public are allowed to attend.

Mr. Zurschmeide asked Mrs. Garry when the decrease would take effect on the sewer bills. She said it will be on the November statements since sewer bills run a month behind water bills.

Mrs. Benedetti asked why there has been no paving since the council appropriated the 1 million. Mr. Rosenbarger said the milling person is working on a large project in Louisville but will get to us next week.

Next were the comments from the public. Several business owners spoke about how 1SI had helped them get started. Most prominently was John Van Cleave from T G Missouri. They plan a large expansion costing 3 million dollars, they will also hire 30 more employees. More on that later.

Agenda items:

A-10-10 Ordinance for Appropriation and Tax Rates (this is the budget)

Mr. Caesar thinks the next year will be better for the budget since the only wage increase is the 1% longevity for the police and fire depts. The budget is based on the current insurance plan, if the employees accept the new plan there will be more savings. He also cannot understand why the city and the county each have a 911 system.


The vote was 3 yays Ceasar, Messer, Gonder, and 6 nays.


The second reading was the same.

A-10-11 An Ordinance to Fix the Non-Reverting Budgets for the Year 2011

The first and second votes were 1 yay Gonder, and 8 nays.

The council will have their meeting before voting on the third reading.

Then the real fun started:

A-10-08 Ordinance For The Appropriation of EDIT Funds

This was 1SI's request for $70,000. Mrs. Benedetti asked for an amendment which would reduce the amount to $30,000. The amendment passed.

Mr. Gahan brought up the recent political endorsements made by 1SI. He asked how endorsements made our city more attractive to new businesses, which is what he thought was the job of 1SI.

Mr. Dalby went to the podium to answer questions. He said the endorsements were made by a separate committee. He said the businesses wanted a voice and this is how it is expressed. Mr. Price questioned Mr. Dalby and 1SI's position on bridge tolls. Mr. Dalby said he did not want tolls either, he just wants the bridges built ASAP however that can be accomplished. Mr. Dalby went on to say that 1SI helped create 1,600 jobs and expanded the tax base by 80 million. He added that 90% of their funding is from private donors and the public funding can only be used for economic development.

The Ordinance passed 5 yays Coffey, Caesar, Benedetti, Messer, Zurschmeide and 4 nays.

Mrs. Benedetti tabled the next resolutions. Regarding the reserved parking places for residents, she wants to change from street signs to stickers for the cars.

Regarding T G Missouri, she tabled the tax abatement and the request for $150,000 matching funds for a new HVAC system until they can be amended. The council wants to put a time limit on the non-reverting fund for businesses to purchase equipment, make sure they purchase energy efficient equipment and use only local contractors.


When I left Chief Juliot was at the podium explaining to the council the request for matching funds to purchase radios, software, etc. Guess you'll have to read Daniel's report in the "Tribune" for that one.

NO ANNEXATION, BLANK AGENDA

Tonight the City Council had scheduled a special meeting regarding the annexation of the Charlestown Rd. area. As the "Tribune" stated, the Mayor asked for the ordinance to be tabled for an indefinite period of time. The paper said he wanted to postpone the ordinance until an effective date of 2013, but Mr. England said he wanted a postponement until 2014. I don't know which date he actually meant. I guess we'll just have to go with what the "Tribune" said.

The Council did table the ordinance after a lengthy discussion. Mr. Price was concerned about the budget for the police department. After the annexation, there will be a need for additional officers. This will play havoc with our budget. He is also concerned about the number of people losing their homes due to the economy. He said New Albany may eventually be a city of tents. He also took exception to the Mayor's comment about how the Council "trashes" the police department and accuses them of overspending. Mr. England and Officer Haub, President of the FOP, agreed that the police are not given the budgeted amount needed. Things got a little heated after the meeting.

The other item on the agenda concerned the salaries for the non-bargaining employees. The ordinance was amended to state that no promotions or salary increases were allowed and no new hires. This passed 6-1, Mr. Price voted no, and Mr. Caesar and Mr. Messer were absent.

PIES AND POLITICS

I just came from a get together with some of the Democrat candidates, both local and statewide.

It was a fun time for everyone, good fellowship and great desserts.

Several of the candidates were there and gave a short talk, and talked with each of us individually.

• Sam Locke, a very busy man, is having a bowling fundraiser next Wednesday 9/29 at Hoosier Lanes, 7:00.
• Shane Gibson has been going door to door and has a couple of commercials showing on local TV stations.
• Jim Frieberger and Dan Voyles have been campaigning in their districts for the County Council.
• Patty Walker is having a hat show/fundraiser at the Division St. School, this Saturday 9/25.
• Chuck Frieberger was not present but his campaign manager was. I asked where Chuck stood on the tolls for the bridges and his answer was a resounding NO TOLLS. Chuck sensibly believes that it is unfair to ask Kentuckiana residents to pay for bridges when the funds are already in place, besides who can afford to pay $6.00 a day just to go to work?
• Vop Osili, candidate for Secretary of State will be at Schad & Schad Law Firm offices tomorrow 5:30 to 7:30 for a meet and greet.

Stacy Deck, VP of the Floyd County Central Committee, believes that we have a great slate of candidates and I agree.

We need to support these people with our votes and donations &/or volunteering if possible. But most importantly our votes.

COUNCIL MEETING 9/16/10

I was a surprisingly short City Council meeting tonight. There was a news crew from Fox 41 News but they had nothing to report, so they packed up early.

The big news, of course, was G-10-18: The Ordinance setting salaries for the year 2011 for the Police and Fire Depts. The Council let the Administration know where they stood on this on. They noted NO. Mr. Zurschmeide was absent but the rest were all on the same page.

Up next was G-10-19 (non bargaining unit employees), this one was tabled.

Then we had the resident only parking areas ordinance G-10-01. Surprisingly, there was a lot of discussion on this one. It was finally tabled until the council can agree on the initial fee, fines for non-compliance, and other issues.

After that CM Messer motioned for adjournment, I don't know who seconded because everyone was making a bee line for the door, me included. The time was 8:29.

"FAIR TAX"???

There was a letter in Sunday's Tribune from David B. Patterson, IN-9 Director for Fair Tax, New Albany. The letter interested me because I was unsure of what the term fair tax actually meant.

Mr. Patterson questioned why Baron Hill would not admit that this tax would help save our Social Security system and reduce our debt. On the surface this proposal sounded intriguing. He went on to urge everyone to read the 133 pages of HR25.

However, Mr. Patterson left out an important part of this resolution. Since there would no longer be an income tax, the replacement would be a 23% sales tax. This tax would be levied on every purchase, even food. So a $1.00 loaf of bread would cost $1.23 and a $2.29 gallon of milk would cost $2.77. Now who do you think would be most hurt by this tax? A person making over $500,000 a year or a person making under $30,000 a year? Maybe the person with the higher salary would purchase more big ticket items (or maybe not) but the person on the lower end of the scale must purchase food, gasoline, cleaning products, etc.

If Baron Hill is hesitant to support this tax I don't blame him. And I am glad that he is not in support of such a rip off on the middle class and working class people.

Personally, to be fair, I think that no one making under $30,000 a year should have to pay any income tax. And the people making more would only pay tax on the amount over $30,000. That is what I call a fair tax.

THIS 'N THAT

Well, I have a new computer and am back on line. In trying to write my first article in several weeks I could not decide on a subject so I will discuss several different ones.



The Tolls: Maybe you are tired of reading all of the newspapers and blogs about this subject but it is important and we need to keep letting the Bridges Coalition or whoever know we mean business and will not allow these tolls to be shoved down our throats. If anyone wants to organize a protest please let me know and I'll be there.



Sewer Bills: Today's Tribune had an article about liens being placed on properties where the sewer bill is over 90 days past due and foreclosures are forthcoming. Although I agree in the idea, I think each case should be judged individually. If a homeowner is actually trying to keep up with their obligations and cannot help from being past due, maybe we should not rush to foreclose if they have a good reason, loss of job for instance. But the homeowner should take the initiative and contact the Sewer Dept. and explain their circumstances, not just sit back and do nothing.



The Home Tour: I had purchased a ticket but unable to make it. But the weather seemed to have cooperated and the Farmers Market looked pretty crowded this afternoon so it looked like it was a success. Thanks to all of the homeowners who allowed strangers to come in an tour your lovely homes, see you next year.



Men of Distinction: This was the reason I was not able to participate in the Home Tour. I had purchased tickets for both events without realizing they were taking place at the same time. A couple of friends told me that they would disown me if I did not attend so the choice was made for me. But it was a wonderful event with Dawne Gee as the emcee and the men who certainly deserved the honor.



The Democrat Picnic: The annual Floyd County Democrat picnic takes place tomorrow at Garry E. Cavan Park aka Edwardsville Park in Georgetown tomorrow. Please come if you can. It will be a great time with good food and good fellowshop. And a big thank you to our hosts, Sheriff Darrell Mills and Linda Moeller.
Please tell them how much you appreciate their hard work when you see them tomorrow.

ANNEXATION MEETING 6/29/10

The council approved the Resolution to proceed with the process of annexation.

There were several issues but the summary is this:

• The 219 acres contain mainly commercial property and very few residents. This makes it easier to annex since there is no need for an annexation committee to oversee the funds received.
• CM Messer said the police will not be overburdened since the "crime" will mainly consist of parking violations and speeders, and a few shoplifters.
• The Grantline Rd. firestation will be the main source of fire protection with the Twin Oaks station being the backup.
• Northside Christian Church was not annexed because churches are tax exempt and will generate limited revenue plus there was concern about the number of people who would be included in the annexation.
• The $700,000 gained by the city will not be a loss to the county because the property taxes are based on value. The taxes are layered in such a way that the county will still receive it's share and the city will receive the rest.

MORE QUESTIONS CONCERNING ANNEXATION

After posting the previous topic about annexation I have read your comments and talked to a few people.

The previous article was written in haste without a lot of thought about the ramifications of annexation. Several questions have come to mind which I would like to share at this time. As always your comments and concerns are welcome. All I ask is that everyone keep on topic and do not result to name calling.

1. If the city will gain approx. $700,000 from the annexation, will the county lose by that amount?
2. Since the city will lose $40,000 in sewer revenue will our rates go up? Remember the meeting where Mr. Skomp was asked about that and Mr. Fifer said there would have to be a re-negotiation?
3. What about property tax rates? Aren't they different for the city and the county?
4. Will this area be incorporated into an existing district? Or will it become District 7? If so how will it be represented?
5. How can an area be annexed but property inside this area be excluded ie. Northside Christian Church?
6. Since our police and fire departments are already stretched to the limit, how will the new area of the city be protected? Will a new fire station be needed? If so, how will this be funded?

As I said after careful consideration and reading every one's comments on the previous article, and talking with people who are not on the councils, or hold political offices, these questions came to mind. So far I have not heard clear answers. I know the special council meeting Tuesday is to get the ball rolling but I think we citizens need to ask these questions and I'm sure more that I have not thought of. After all it is our money that will be used. When I wrote the previous article I wanted to start a dialogue. I know I came out in favor of the annexation but now I am having doubts and I think my doubts are justified.

ANNEXATION: YES OR NO?

Happy Friday everyone.

Since my sinus infection still persists, I was not able to attend the special council meeting last night. Thanks to the "Tribune" though I was able to read the results. As you probably know, the annexation vote was defeated by one vote.

Again according to the "Tribune" annexing part of the Charlestown Rd. area will net the city $700,000 a year, sounds good to me. Since there will be another special meeting Tuesday I hope it does pass, providing all of the council members take the time to read the 21 page report and show up for the meeting.

Personally, I believe that if people are elected to an office they should show up for "work" and do their homework. Even if they do not support the item(s) on the agenda they should do their job. I'm not a speed reader but I think I can read 21 pages in less than 48 hours even with a full time job. This is why we voters elect people to office, not to skip meetings or complain about the lack of time to do research. If the council members think annexation will be good for the city they should vote yes, if they don't then they should explain why they voted no. I don't believe in voting no as a protest. If a person wants to protest about the lack of transparency they should do so in other ways, such as telling the administration members directly.

TOWN HALL MEETING, ETC.

Hi everyone,

The Town Hall meeting is 6:30 to 8:00 in the library tonight. Hope to see a lot you there. Judging from the comments on this blog and the new "Kitchen Table Issues" blog people have a lot to say. I just hope they show up and ask the questions.

Tomorrow is the Exclusively New Albany event and I will be one of the volunteers, so of course cannot attend the city council meeting. Someone please post comments and tell us what happened.

So this posting will be open to anyone and everyone who wants to comment on tonight's meeting, the council meeting or Exclusively NA. Or any other topics of general interest.

later,

Shirley

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6/7/10

The first speaker was the Mayor who mentioned a couple of public forums. The first being at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on June 8. This will be to discuss the McDonald Lane Federal improvement project. The second will be at the library on 6/16. Both meetings will begin at 6:00PM.

He added that the funds are there to finish Daisy Lane from Green Valley Rd to the top of the hill due to stimulus funds. Mt. Tabor Rd. will be repaired with Federal Funds also. There will be a meeting at IUS to discuss this but there is no date set as yet.

As far as the rest of the paving, there are no funds available yet but he is hoping to use Riverboat and EDIT. He needs $5,000,000 for city wide paving but can make do with $500,000 from Riverboat and $500,000 from TIF.

Kay Garry was the next speaker. She asked that all department heads turn in their budgets for 2011. She added that representatives from DGLF will meet in her office on 6/15 @ 9:00AM and hopes to obtain the 1782 form for the 2010 budgets at that time. She also wants to meet with department heads on 6/21 to discuss budgets. The council decided to meet for 90 minutes for two days for budget discussions.

Shane Gibson was up next. He said that the yard waste and other trash pickup are not in the sanitation company's contract. The street dept. is now picking up these items when people call. The sanitation company wants to make a deal to include these pickups in their contract and lower their fees in order to extend their contract for another three years. Mr. Price and Mrs. Benedetti disagreed. They want more transparency for the citizens and therefore more open bids.

David Brewer (Building Commissioner) spoke about our problems with dilapidated homes and code enforcement. He hired an additional code enforcement officer, John Berger (sp). This department also has a "hot line" for complaint calls. In the last two months there have been 225 complaints on grass and weeds. Out of that they are unable to locate the owners of 95 homes. He is looking at re-doing the ordinances and added that the city needs a vacant housing ordinance.

Public comments:

David Shireman, VP of the Firefighters Union said that as of 1/1/11 the number of people off will go from 4 to 3. This will help cut back on overtime.

Jameson Bledsoe first thanked the Mayor for setting up the forums and went on to discuss the demolition of houses. He asked if there were standards set to replace these homes. Many times the newer structures seem to be sub standard and out of place with the rest of the neighborhood. He also noted that if there is a house with the siding falling off this is not against code unless there is a hole in the outside wall. He also asked for the city to consider setting up a commission to establish more strict guidelines. Mr. Coffey stated that the Building Commission and Planning Commission should be sufficient to handle these matters.

The Ordinances and Resolutions:

G-10-14 Health Dept. inspection fees. Set up a standard annual fee for vendors at Farmers Markets instead of charging them for every time they set up. Passed 8-0. CM Caesar was absent.

G-10-15 Regulating the disposal of dead animals. Passed 8-0.

Z-10-02 Variance to change property on Grantline Rd. North of 265 from industrial to residential to accommodate the Struble family.
Passed 5 to 3. Mrs. Benedetti, Mr. Zurschmeide, and Mr. Gonder voted no.

A-10-06 Appropriation of $350,000 from paving funds from 2009 to establish handicap ramps. Passed 7-1 Mr. Price voted no.

R-10-15 Increase Housing Board by 2 seats.
Failed 2-6 All voted no except Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Gonder.

R-10-16 Stormwater Master Plan
I did not stay for this vote but the "Tribune" article by Daniel Suddeath stated that it passed.

Sorry this was not posted sooner, blame Blogger.

PLEASE STAND BY

I did attend the city council meeting last night. Since I arrived home late, I did not post the report but hopefully that will be taken care of later today.

thanks

THANK A VETERAN

As everyone knows, Monday is Memorial Day. Yes it is a good day for picnics and most of us get a holiday but we should remember what the day celebrates.

My father was a proud WWII veteran and he taught us about honor and love for our country. He always participated in the Memorial Day events with the VFW Hobart Post. He was very patriotic and taught us to be so also. He passed away over twenty years ago but he lives on in our memories.

So this Memorial Day please remember all of our service people those who are with us and those who have passed. And if you see a veteran or someone still in the service please remember to thank them.

DOWNTOWN HAPPENINGS

The weather should be good for this weekend and all of the activities.

• This Friday and Saturday there will be concerts at the Amphitheater.
• This Saturday, start your day with a trip to the Farmer's Market to load up on great food.
• Then go down to the Scribner House for a tour of the home and the beautiful new garden.
• After that Historian Dave Condra will be presenting a tour of Mansion Row.

It will be a great weekend to get out and enjoy the sunshine and get some exercise before loading up at all of the Memorial Day barbecues.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

REGARDING ST. MARY'S CHURCH

As a member of St. Mary's I must speak out. There has been a lot of outrage about the removal of the Bradford Pear trees along Eighth St. The "protesters" seem to be mainly non members.

First of all, the trees were not the right type to be planted in such a small area. They became too tall for the space and the falling leaves were lying on top of the church roof, causing damage. The trees on Spring St. were growing through the power lines. Additionally, the roots were encroaching on the water and sewer lines under the sidewalk and also damaging the sidewalk itself.

Yes, the steeple was taken down without the removal of any trees but it was cut into sections before removal and done under emergency circumstances. Duke energy would not allow the repaired steeple to be put into place from the Spring St. side because the crane would have to cross the power lines. The only solution would have been to shut down the entire grid during the process.

The only solution was to drive the crane over the sidewalk on Eighth St. and onto the side lawn. The trees were removed by St. Mary's and new more suitable trees will be planted in their place, also paid for by St. Mary's. The city was not charged a dime.

Irvin Stumler explained all of this at the city council meeting on May 20. He also attended every Mass over the weekend of May 22 and 23 and explained all of this to the church members. I talked to our church secretary after the 11:30 service and she said the calls made on the day of the tree removal were positive. Everyone understood the need for this and were glad that more suitable trees would be planted in replacement.

LET'S STILL DEBATE OR AT LEAST HAVE A DISCUSSION

Steve Price still wants to debate. He would like to have a discussion/debate in the meeting room on the third floor of the city county building before a council meeting.

He asked me to relay this message to everyone concerned.

Mr. Price and two others will be there in addition to a moderator. I am not personally involved but will be in attendance.

As before please contact Mr. Price or myself if you are interested in debating or if you have any questions.

thanks

Shirley

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 5/20/10

There was a lengthy but orderly meeting last night.

Carl Malysz started things off by representing the Mayor regarding the Greenway Project. There will be Federal matching funds if the city can provide approx. $1,225,000. It just so happens that there are funds left over from Phase 1 of the Scribner Project so it looks like we will have a walkway that extends past Loop Island and goes to Silver Creek.

Ed Wilkinson reported on the Sewer Board. He gave out reports to the council members showing the cash on hand in addition to the receipts and expenditures. He said the report was pretty straight forward since he is not a CPA. He added that the sewer liens are being paid but he does not have an exact amount now because the funds are being deposited in the bank. He promised more information later.

Although there were several Ordinances and Resolutions the rest of the meeting went smoothly for the most part. All members were present except for Mr. Caesar.

A-10-06 Additional Appropriation in an Amount of $350,000 From EDIT Fund to Build Handicapped Ramps in the City of New Albany. 2 readings
votes 7 yes, 1 no (Mr. Price)

G-10-13 Ordinance to allow the YMCA to refinance their bonds, the city is only the conduit and not financially involved. votes 8 yes, 0 no.

G-10-12 An Ordinance Establishing Certain Financial Controls and Reporting Requirements for the New Albany Municipal Sewer Utility. (Hire a CPA for the Sewer dept.)
7 yes, 1 no (Mr. Price)

R-10-11 Community Block Grant Program: show of hands 7 yes 1 no (Mr. Price)

R-10-12 Using redevelopment funds to help keep sewer rates down: show of hands 6 yes, 2 no
(Mr. Gahan and Mr. McLaughlin)

R-10-13 Use Riverboat funds transfer 2010 de-icing salt costs from the LRS Budget: show of hands 8 yes, 0 no.

R-10-14 Use Riverboat funds to purchase street sweeper. Will replace funds when tax revenue comes in : show of hands 8 yes, 1 no. (Mr. Price)

PUBLIC MEETING RE: RAMPS 5/20/10

The meeting took place before the regular council meeting and it concerned sidewalk ramps for handicapped people. Here are the hi-lights:

• Must be built by the same contractor and not with new money. The ramps were funded by part of the two million dollars appropriated in 2009. $643,932 was carried over and after paying the final bill for Gohmann paving there was $350,00 left over. ADA mandates that the ramps be up to code.
• CDBG funds cannot be used because CDBG is for low income properties only.
• The cost of each ramp is between $1,000 and $2,000. There will be 300 to 400 ramps built.
• There will be a list of all ramps, locations and cost furnished per Mr. Coffey's request.

LET'S DEBATE

I just talked to Councilman Steve Price concerning his reply to Matt Nash's article in the "Tribune" last week.

Since he has replied via a letter to the Editor we decided that posting the reply on this blog would be redundant. So he asked me to post this instead:

He wants to set up a debate, he will choose two people and is asking Roger Baylor or Randy Smith to also choose two people in addition to the moderator.

Anyone who wants to participate is asked to reply by comment on this blog or contact Mr. Price. The time, place and names of participants will be disclosed as soon as I know.

Sounds interesting.

COME ON DOWN

Members of Develop New Albany will be downtown tomorrow. We will meet at 9:00AM at the Farmer's Market to clean up, plant flowers, etc.

Please come down if you can and bring your gardening gloves and tools. Show your pride in our city and help make New Albany beautiful.

thanks

Shirley

PS: you don't even need to eat first, food and beverages will be sold at the Farmer's Market and various restaurants.

THANK YOU (NOT MY MAN) MITCH

I just read in the "Tribune" that there will be major cutbacks at Life Spring. This will begin in July due to changes in Indiana Medicaid.

Fifty people will lose their jobs and up to 1,500 patients will lose their coverage.

Personally I think this is a tragedy and I am so sick of cutbacks, I could SCREAM.

2012 Please hurry.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

To all mothers and potential mothers, have a wonderful day and take care of yourself.

This was sent to me by email, I don't know who the author is. This is too beautiful not to share.

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"
God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."
"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, "You will simply call her, Mom."

GET OUT AND VOTE

JUST A REMINDER, TODAY IS ELECTION DAY.

I'LL NOT LIST THE CANDIDATES DUE TO TIME RESTRAINTS BUT THEY ARE LISTED ON THE FLOYD COUNTY WEBSITE.

PLEASE GO VOTE TODAY. REMEMBER, IF YOU DON'T VOTE YOU CANT COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. :)

SEWER LOAN AND AN ATTORNEY/GRANT WRITER

Due to other obligations I did not attend the special city council meeting last night (4/27). But I did read Daniel Suddeath's columns regarding the sewer loan and the hiring of Mr. Lorch as a full time council attorney and grant writer.

I agree with both decisions.

Please add your comments which agree or disagree.

NO FREE TAP-INS FOR LINDEAN MEADOWS

First of all I want to say that I am in total support of the development of Linden Meadows. There was an article in the "Tribune" on 4/22/10 which explained that the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) will partner with a developer, Captains View LLC, to purchase and rehab 11 homes to resell.

This all sounded great until I read the part about the Sewer Board considering waiving the tap-in fees for these homes. The Sewer Board just received a large fee increase with another increase in two years. It is not fair to us, the citizens, to have an increase in our bills and watch a wealthy developer receive a free pass on the hook up fees.

The "Tribune" article also said that, "...the city will look to upgrade paving and drainage, as well as expand street lighting along Linden Meadows Court." The city will also "...implement a concentrated code enforcement sweep along Olive and Linden streets leading into Linden Meadows, and expedite the building permits and inspections for the development." This is a great gift to the developer in my eyes, this area needs better lighting and drainage and these steps will benefit the entire area around Linden Meadows. Enough is enough.

EQUAL PAY DAY

This past Tuesday, April 20, was Equal Pay Day. This means that women must work 16 months to make the same as men make in 12 months. So on April 20, we women finally made up the 22 cents of the dollar that we were short in 2009.

The New Albany Business and Professional Women Board of Directors (Kim Martin-Dawkins, Sarah Ring, Rosalie Dowell, Connie Enlow, Terri Tock, Suellen Wilkinson, Ann Windell and Suzy Higdon) had an excellent article in the Tribune this Tuesday and everyone should check it out.

COUNCIL MEETING 4/15/10

Hello everybody. I missed the first part of the council meeting last night so I did not get to hear the mayor speak. I heard that he told there were death threats. That is deplorable. I hope these people get arrested and convicted of terroristic threatening.

The bill that no one really wanted to pass did pass. Of course I'm talking about the sewer rate increase. Even the council members who voted for it said they did not like it but it was the lesser of two evils. Mr. Skomp said again how antsy the SRL is getting. He said their emails are getting pretty curt. He also admitted that if the city went into receivership our sewer rates could double. I don't like it either but we taxpayers paid this company to research and find the best solution for us. From what I understand they still need to pass G-10-10 which determines from which TIF districts the money will be taken. This meeting will take place on April 27. Since I have a prior commitment I will not be able to attend.

In other news, the position of full time attorney/grant writer passed the first two readings with 5 aye's (Ceasar,Benedetti, Messer, Zurschmeide, and Gonder), 3 nay's (Price,McLaughlin, & Gahan), and one abstention (Coffey).

Finally the whole council came together and voted unanimously to appropriate $100,000 from the Riverboat funds to demolish those 14 unsafe houses and buildings. All of us in attendance held our breath but thankfully the building did not fall on our heads.

MEET THE CANDIDATES DINNER

Did you attend the "Meet the Candidates" dinner at the Knights of Columbus last night? I thought it went very well.

What are your thoughts? Suggestions?

WHO IS PAUL ETHERIDGE?

That question was asked on this blog a few weeks ago. So I sent Mr. Etheridge an email with several questions regarding his bid for Mayor of New Albany. He replied with answers to all of my questions so I have posted them here.

1. Why are you running for Mayor? "I am running for Mayor of New Albany because I care and love this community and I want to get the city back on the right track for the future. Our city must move forward, no backward to achieve goals like fixing our sewers, revitalizing our downtown area and cleaning up our streets and neighborhoods. I am a common person with a common cause who has visions and goals for New Albany and is not in the race for just a paycheck."
2. What special qualifications do you bring to the position? "I bring 27+ years of Supervisory experience with the maintenance department of the Indiana Department of Highways. I have experience with the maintenance of our sewers and drainage on our roads. I am also a small business owner with management and budgeting skills."
3. How will you balance the budget? Or at least reduce the deficit? "Our city has a "control/spending problem" that needs to be solved to balance our budget. We need to eliminate non-essential positions within the city, reduce spending and find ways through grants and other sources to bring in more revenue to our city."
4. What will you do to improve code enforcement? "There should be a Code enforcement Office with a qualified code enforcement officer will deal with all code violations within our city. This person must be able to work hand in hand with the public and be experienced and knowledgeable of Indiana Law, city codes and ordinances. This person will also be assessable to neighborhood associations for their problems and concerns. Public outreach programs will also be established to help educate the public on codes and ordinances. The Code Enforcement office will work as a team with other departments to fix and solve the problems that are presented."
5. How do you feel about our sewer situation? What can be done to improve them? "As Mayor, I will look to revamp the current sewer situation. The 2009 flooding proved that our infrastructure needs to be looked at and examined closely. Preventive maintenance of all pipes, which has not been done by previous administrations, needs to be implemented. I feel that the Sewer Department which is currently outsourced to EMC, needs to be brought back inhouse and work closely with our Stormwater department as a team effort to handle issues such as preventive maintenance for all pipes in our city. I also feel that we need to look at a possible expansion of the Sewer plant by placing another plant on the wast end of our city to accommodate the flow."
6. Do you think the victims of the Aug. 09 flood are being adequately helped? What would you do? "I feel the flood victims have not been adequately helped. The management of maintenance of the pipe and ditches in our community were neglected throughout of the years. This needs to be done as a preventive measure daily, allocate money to fix the problems, and not just put a band-aid on the situation pacify the ones who were affected."
7. Do you think we have too many T.I.F.'s? "Yes, that statistics show that New Albany has more TIF's than any other city in Indiana."
8. What are your thoughts on revitalizing downtown? Do you think we need the 12 million dollar parking garage? "We need to revitalize our downtown before it becomes a ghost town. As Mayor, I plan to use the floodwall to attract restaurants and businesses, like our sister city Jeffersonville has done. Once this is established, people will utilize our downtown area, revenue will increase, businesses will flourish and downtown will once be what it was, a town that is alive. This city does not need another 12 million dollar parking garage at this time. We need to look at parking in the downtown area and work on other solutions instead of using our tax money."
9. How do you feel about changing Spring St., Elm St., and Market St. to 2 way? "Changing Spring St., Elm Street, and Market Street to two-ways would be a great idea for the flow of traffic into New Albany. The downside of this would be that these streets have been one way for so many years and changing these could cause more accidents. I feel that the city needs to look to see if it would be feasible to create this change."
10. What is your position on the Police and Fire Depts? Do you think 85% is too large a portion of the budget to be allotted to these departments? "85% of the city's budget is too large of an appropriation for public safety. Our Fire and Police Departments are crucial to our city and public safety, but as Mayor, I will look t the contracts, meet with the unions and see if an agreement can be made between the city and union on a feasible appropriation without hindering these very important city services. I will also look at each department so see if cost efficient measures can be implemented to reduce their budget. It is very important that the Mayor and the Unions work together as a team for the city of New Albany."