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?
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76 comments:
They are all running unopposed except for one spot. How could it be anything to write about?
Democrats, right? Or could you tell?
Which ever party suits them they run on their names, forget the platforms. Benedetti said she isn't worried about the Democrats the Republicans in her area want her back in office. I can't tell if she really believes this or if she expects us to believe.
A Google and State of Indiana business search reveals no business named Mainland Properties and Jack Bobo. Anyone have background information? Anyone?
there are 49 other states where it could be registered. the article said bobo lives in DC area.
I know Roger can't contain his excitment at the prospect of the city council forking over another $12million to help him improve his prospects of selling more swill. The other city begger Randy Smith will be swooning, cause he too will peddle more tabloids.
Aint it great to be good democrats!
Ah, pan- handling has never been better in the River City! "If only we could convince the council we want to share the wealth.... "I got it Randy, if we get this $12 million of public money pushed through, maybe we can go in together and sponser a Wednesday night bowling league team. That 'll show 'em we mean to put the peeps first in Nawbany!"
gag me
LOL
geez the last comment shows the how stupid some people are.
THERE'S NO $30-$40 MILLION DOLLAR BUILDING THERE RIGHT NOW.
the parking garage will be paid for ONLY with taxes on the new $30-$40 million building.
if there's no garage, there's no building. if there's no building, there's no extra tax revenue.
YOU'RE NOT LOOSING A PENNY!
Yeah that's what they said with the last parking garage fiasco and taxpayers are still owed the edit money and we are still paying bills. We got it.
correction "the bills"
Another downtown parking garage will do nothing to improve the quality of life to the residents of New Albany. Benefits the few, not the many. How about a landfill in the middle of downtown - we do need someplace to sump our trash. As a citizen, business owner, I am against a large scale downtown garage.
300 or 850 spaces. Which is it?
Who does this project benefit? Currently the property is worth and taxed at $1m? Add $30m building and you have a $31m property. Since this is in one of the many TIF areas the tax on the increased value, $30m, does not benefit the city as a whole. The taxes on the increased value $30m will go to the TIF fund. No additional monies for our general fund to support the additional police and fire protection that will be needed or any of the other general fund services that this project will use.
I’m beginning to understand the rational for property tax caps. It is to help prevent local government from pushing more and more of the general fund tax burden on just a few so that select others can greatly benefit from it.
Who does this property benefit? How can a large parking garage benefit only a select few?
How about if the project benefits ALL of us? How about anyone who wants to drive downtown can use the parking garage(s)?
How about for once, infrastructure will be put in place to handle potential future growth as spurred by the Civic Plaza development?
How about if there is a large parking garage closer to the river, then we could attract bigger ticket concerts, plays and acts to the riverfront amphitheater?
Dare we even dream that if there are reasons to actually stop in downtown we can capture some of the revenue that is funneled through downtown to get to the boat?
Maybe, just maybe, if people begin stopping at the civic plaza, and maybe, just maybe if we can get some bigger acts at the riverfront, maybe some more businesses will open up downtown...
Perhaps business can be drummed up for the bed and breakfasts a little further up on Main street...
Maybe a shop can open up and stay open where Shirley can by a gift bag :)
There is too much near sightedness going on around here, it really is not about the "now", it’s about planting the seeds for a better city tomorrow, a stronger local economy... But that would make way too much sense for this one horse town, huh?
(let the beatings begin)
Using public money to build another parking garage for downtown is wrong. There are many urgent needs that deserve public funding,but another parking garage is not one of them.
This is not the first time that taxpayers have subsidized the developers here.
Last parking garage was with (EDIT Funds)and in this case, the new parking garage would use tax increment financing (TIF) and ask for an exemption. Few people understand TIF, and most people's eyes glaze over if you try to explain them.
In short, both subsidies shift the tax burden to others. It's not as if the developers don't have enough money, they want us to bank roll them to increase their profit.
We need revenue now not several years down the road. TIF couldn't be used for sewers but it needs to go to this $12 million parking garage. Tells me everything I need to know.
You have an extremely limited view of other needs of New Albany, Christopher. Your obvious vindictive bias nearly cause me to laugh off your post, but I thought otherwise, because many buy into the false downtown assumptions propogated in similar to yours.
Some of you guys talk like we live in a little village, (village being downtown) where the doctor is around the corner, and the general store is up the street. When in real life the grocery store is six miles away, and your bicycle basket only holds an oven roast and a gallon of milk. And your doctor? He's on the highrise on State Street or downtown Louisville.
Yell, let's waste more money on another parking garage downtown.
Not everyone wants to shop, stay or drink beer in downtown New Albany.
9:09
#1 I do not live downtown
#2 I quit Mountain biking when my leg blew up.
#3 Your extremely limited knowledge of my previous posts (in order to blast me with vindictive bias) failed to recall my calling for re-using some of the abandoned strip malls for the sports complex they want to put on state street.
#4 you obviously missed or ignored my support for the development of the woodland park in west end, support for the greenway project, and for the creation of a tech business incubator "park" at the Hoosier Panel lot, oh yeah, the senior condos and improvements to the Mosier leather tannery.
#5 And in all of my "downtown" bias, in your assumptions you failed to realize for my produce I walk to Shireman’s when open, not drive 6 miles to a grocery, we by our meat products from Karem’s (usually on my wife’s way home from work)
#6 My doctor is not in Louisville, nor the Professional arts building, he has a small private office in the north end of town.
#7 I have another "general" store I go to when I need a what ever that is locally owned and operated, and the same goes for my pharmacy. Hardware store? Ace, I can walk there as well, an again locally owned and operated.
So my anonymous friend, I digress back to the downtown hot button... We choose to go to restaurants that are locally owned and operated, so yeah, we go out downtown a lot. Art supplies? Preston’s. Looking for some cool old cd's or vinyl, book and music exchange. My daughters’ music lessons, Jimmy's on Market and a Private voice instructor on Captain Frank. So if I have a bias it is for keeping my money in the local economy, and supporting as many locally owned and operated businesses as possible, which keeps the money and those jobs here. Which saves me money, gas, time, and benefits the community.
Your assumptions about me being strictly about "downtown" are wrong. And if you want to try to insult me, please at least get it at least a little close to truthful because you embarrass yourself when you go out on the wrong limb and breaks on you.
Using public money to build another parking garage for downtown is wrong. There are many urgent needs that deserve public funding,but another parking garage is not one of them.
This misses one big point. We only get the extra TIF money if there's something NEW to tax. If we don't have Bobo's $30 million development, there is no new money to spend on the "many urgent needs."
Glad to see we have an expert in New Albany about building issues.
"This misses one big point. We only get the extra TIF money if there's something NEW to tax. If we don't have Bobo's $30 million development, there is no new money to spend on the "many urgent needs."
You miss the point! We dont get the extra money at all! Only the TIF district gets the money, so still no new money to spend on the many urgent needs of the entire city. The rest of the citizens not in a TIF area get to pay for all the urgent needs and all the extra governmental costs that comes with the project (ie additional police, fire)
We dont get the extra money at all!
As though those 500 extra residents don't pay taxes, spend money in the community and contribute to a larger pie, which in turn provides assistance all across the board.
Darn, that's slightly better than a trailor park.
be honest, you know that no additional property tax money would be generated that goes to the the general fund. the general fund is where all the costs of basic government services are paid from. Those 500 people would get all those services for free while the rest of us have to pay for them. guess that is why you want to move into one of those condo. you like free.
12:39: We were all under the impression that you guys hate the police and fire, and think they should lay them all off anyway. But now you want to use them as a bargaining chip in your debate?
Twist however you like -- that's the specialty of the chronically anonymous.
Hundreds of residents in a development like that, in the center of what previously was a doughnut hole, is desirable. Period.
Next?
Avoid the question as usual. I take your lack of response to the actual question an agreement that no new property taxes would be generated from the project that would provide additional property taxes to the general fund and therefore those 500 people get the general fund services for free while the rest of us pay.
That is the problem with people like Roger. He is unwilling to accept facts that contradict his desires. Facts are Facts. It is no wonder why there is never any productive dialog; there is a complete avoidance of the facts. Only with facts can you come to rationale, logical, and progressive resolutions.
So true, 2:25. Some cannot, or will not, draw the tif circles on a local map and see how much of the free services we are offering while we pay. Irrational thoughts from ignorant people. Frustrating.
You miss the point! We dont get the extra money at all! Only the TIF district gets the money, so still no new money to spend on the many urgent needs of the entire city. The rest of the citizens not in a TIF area get to pay for all the urgent needs and all the extra governmental costs that comes with the project (ie additional police, fire)
You're ALREADY paying for them. If people move from Charlestown Road and Grantline Road areas to next to the YMCA, there is NO INCREASE in police and fire costs. It does not cost you a penny.
There are numerous facts. The desirability of a populated downtown is one such fact. You can argue what you, as a citizen, perceive as the most desirable way to bring about the desirable. But the desirability is beyond dispute, unless you wish to rzae every building and return the downtown to hardwood forest.
Is that it, anonymites?
That is the problem with people like Roger. He is unwilling to accept facts that contradict his desires. Facts are Facts. It is no wonder why there is never any productive dialog; there is a complete avoidance of the facts.
To paraphrase a local Professor, "Forget evidence, I'll show you when I'm good and ready."
Is there SERIOUSLY a legitimate argument to MAYBE up to 500 people (now remember, not all those 500 will be taxpayers, oh, what do you call them, kids, children, rug rats, whatever)
But again, SERIOUSLY, you want to draw circles on a map of who pays for city services and who will get them for "free".
What about local income taxes? Or what do we ever do with those freeloading children? I mean they use the Library, public schools, school transportation, I have even seen them on the sidewalks, and in our parks, and they do not pay a penny in taxes. How is that fair to rest of us rate payers?
Hey, what about the renters in town who do not personally pay property taxes for where they live? How do we know the landlords are using the same funds the tenants pay them to pay the property tax? If that is true then all of the renters are technically hogging up our services and not actually paying for, the are passing the bill along to someone else to pay it for them!!!
And how about those pesky people who are driving through town and do not live here, using up our streets, maybe using our police when they get in a wreck, bunch of free loaders!
(Look at it like that and one can quickly realize how petty that whole arguement point is)
Roger, Roger, Roger,
Also known as "king of the swill" or "the only guy with a skin in the game"
Everybody is on to you....."Milk the tax payers so their money is used to help build your sud fest business downtown". That way, public dollars go to feather your nest, so you can even give less to the community. You didn't invent this, you are just the most shameless at it...
You have taken pan-handling to a whole new level here in NA. Maybe if you blog enough, you can even get more money......But then again, there is that pesky city council again, doin' their job and not giving you any hand-outs without a little work......Blast those city officials!
Heh Heh
3:51 Are you as mentally unstable in real life as you are on here? What a scarey and dark little world you must be trapped in inside that scrambled brain of yours.
Christopher D. is it really petty that our general fund is so far in the red and all we are doing is making it worse by creating increase demand for general government services but not doing anything to increase the tax base to support it?
I don't expect to hear you b@tch any more about police and fire needing more funding.
Christopher D. is it really petty that our general fund is so far in the red and all we are doing is making it worse by creating increase demand for general government services but not doing anything to increase the tax base to support it?
Wow, if we run New Albany into the toilet, then half the people will leave. When they're gone, we won't need as many police and fire.
Geez, that's the most civic pride I've seen all year!
Christopher D. is it really petty that our general fund is so far in the red and all we are doing is making it worse by creating increase demand for general government services but not doing anything to increase the tax base to support it?
Wow, if we run New Albany into the toilet, then half the people will leave. When they're gone, we won't need as many police and fire.
Geez, that's the most civic pride I've seen all year!
Christopher D. is it really petty that our general fund is so far in the red and all we are doing is making it worse by creating increase demand for general government services but not doing anything to increase the tax base to support it?
Wow, if we run New Albany into the toilet, then half the people will leave. When they're gone, we won't need as many police and fire.
Geez, that's the most civic pride I've seen all year!
"Milk the tax payers so their money is used to help build your sud fest business downtown". That way, public dollars go to feather your nest, so you can even give less to the community. You didn't invent this, you are just the most shameless at it...
Man, sounds like Roger's got a good racket going.
Tell me how my tax dollars I pay end up feathering Roger's nest? I got to hear this one.
4:07 - It's obvious. Roger got one free patio already. If they build the $30 million condos with TIF money, then Roger get's a new free patio by the river. What are you blind?
DUH!
4:00pm,
Ok, I will take the bait here, exactly HOW much revenue do you think we will be "screwed out of" if the property taxes for the condos are funneled into a TIF fund?
Seriously, you said 500 people, right, and if the median family size in New Albany is 2.5 as reported on the last census, that gives us 200 condos (which is an extremely generous number if one were to ask me), So how much do you think we will get screwed over on annually as "rate payers"?
But wait, don’t answer just yet, please remember to offset your final answer by any increase in funding by way of income taxes generated by attracting new residents... If you figure that up, even being very liberal with the numbers, it does not amount to that much by way of comparison with the size of the general fund. Not even enough to make a dent in that red ink is it?
What about their garbage?
What new residents?
If a bullfrog had wings he wouldn't always bump his *ss.
If this and if that. We need basic essentials, like roads paved. Maybe, if, we had new residents they would like to drive down the road to the grocerie.
That's If.
Do you think the only people living in the Condos are moving here from Chicago and Detroit?
No, they're going to move here from here.
If you want essentials like roads paved, why don't you use EDIT money on roads instead of to subsidize the sewers? Or, how about you support a gas tax that pays for roads?
Sorry Charlie. If the best argument you have is saying that all those people driving to and from the condos are going to tear up the roads, your arguments are pretty lame.
Man, if a big employer like GE ever tried to build a factory here, people would b!tch and complain about all those new trucks on the road. Never mind that they'd bring great paying jobs.
More people living downtown will mean more people walking to work, restaurants, shops. More people walking means fewer people driving. Bobo's project could mean less wear and tear on the roads and save the city money.
4:28 you are now a financial wizard. Where have you been hiding? Gosh, give up your paper pushing job please!?! Just think folks, if we hire Chris for Ast. to Deputy Mayor between Carl and him all our financial problems will be solved.
I HAVE A THOUGHT, HOW ABOUT A REFERENDUM IF NEW ALBANY CITIZENS WANT A NEW PARKING GARAGE AND IF THEY WANT TO PAY FOR IT. LETS PUT IT ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT?
ANY THOUGHTS OR IDEAS WHAT WE CAN DO TO STOP THIS PROJECT.
Says a downtown plaza only benefits down residents is like saying a downtown ymca only benefits downtown residents. The plaza will support new offices and shops downtown. People from outside of downtown will work and do business there. Besides, the garage will pay for itself. More development off charlestown rd will require the city to build more streets and sidewalks off charlestown rd.
Build 200 houses and put new businesses anywhere and it cost money for infrastructure. At least downtown we already have roads built to handle it. It costs more to build off charlestown road.
Financial wizard Christopher D. said "But wait, don’t answer just yet, please remember to offset your final answer by any increase in funding by way of income taxes generated by attracting new residents..."
Hey wizard, news flash! The general fund is not supported by income tax!
Wouldn't it be much better if the city focused on projects that actually increase the value of property that provides property taxes designated for the general fund? If the property tax base for the general fund were increased then the income tax base would naturally increase also. This would maximize the benefit to the city as a whole with no one unjustly benefiting at the expense of others. It’s too bad the financial wizards operating this city aren’t progressive enough or capable of doing just that.
Erika, did you threaten to kill over sewer rates or was it one of your buddies? You do have a history of quoting Hitler and saying government shouldn't feel safe.
9:36, a plaza condo deal will increase the value of neighboring properties that do pay into the general fund.
Anon, you keep calling chris "financial whiz". What are your credentials? I guess you have a ph.d in economics too?
I just do not see as such a big deal to raise that much stink about it.
I mean come on, it doesnt take a financial genius to figure out that if one of those 500 people pays $500 a year in property taxes (lets go after the police and fire at what, 80% of the general fund, that leave $400, divide that by 365, (you know how many days are in a year in the real world), we are talking about "the rest of us being "ripped off" by about $1.90 per day....$1.90 per day per condo on this proposed development. Thats what about $1.27 per cents per day per unit for the police, 64 cents a day for fire, and 27 cents per day per unit for the general fund?
Is it really worth trying to put a stop to this for that? How much more will it cost us "rate payers" for the city to mount a defense against the eternal nay-sayers?
My God, at least come up with an argument worth while.
Weak case Mr. Christopher. Your math is as fuzzy as England's. If Bobo wants a parking garage let him foot the bill not us.
1. 85% of our general fund goes to police and fire.
2. If he gets a tax abatement we lose money.
3. If we bond the project and they lease it and do maintance why not let them foot the bill?
4. Wht should we use TIF money for them?
Common sense tells you it is not a good business decision. Also it tells me that they want us to do a bond either because 1)he doesn't have the money to build the $12 million parking garage or 2)he has cut a deal with England.
If I was a betting person I'd go with curtain number 2 Bob.
Weak case Mr. Christopher. Your math is as fuzzy as England's. If Bobo wants a parking garage let him foot the bill not us.
1. 85% of our general fund goes to police and fire.
2. If he gets a tax abatement we lose money.
3. If we bond the project and they lease it and do maintance why not let them foot the bill?
4. Wht should we use TIF money for them?
Common sense tells you it is not a good business decision. Also it tells me that they want us to do a bond either because 1)he doesn't have the money to build the $12 million parking garage or 2)he has cut a deal with England.
If I was a betting person I'd go with curtain number 2 Bob.
Thankfully you were able to correct my budgetary example. That TRULY makes a difference.
I mean after all 85% vs. 80% of $500 is a huge $25 gain, making it $425.
(And yes my math was fuzzy as I was figure that up on the fly, the original per diem rate should have been $1.09 per day, so to correct it to your standards that would make it $1.16 per day per unit for police and fire, 17 cents per day for the rest of the general fund.
Thank GOD for stout watchdogs like you, that quarter can go a long way!
As to your other items, hyper critical thinking like yours is some of the reasons why Jeffersonville has seen growth and cleaning up the way it has, reaching back to antiquity, thinking like that is why Clarksville landed River falls (which was the anchor point for the veterans parkway development. (Could have been Grant Line Road)
Whilst we squabble over these kinds of scraps here, other cities are feasting on an economic growth buffet, While we face set back after set back due to arguments over pennies a day, both Clarksville and Jeffersonville have moved their city government offices, and are now sitting on gold mines and the properties they developed for city halls.
And what is one of the main reasons other communities in similar size and geographical locations are experiencing this growth (and maintaining jobs and property values?) because they do not hesitate to use incentives to attract developers, businesses, and residents.
And here we sit, always thinking of what could be, listening to the same tired worn out record stuck in the same groove about how broke we are, have you ever stopped to consider why that is? ( Sorry I do not buy into the conspiracy theory that the administration is fleecing our coffers to make underhanded, shady deals to line the politicians pockets with our tax dollars)
We are broke, and we are stuck in that same groove in the vinyl spinning around, but never advancing because of eternal nay saying, and nit picking over crap like this. So keep on spinning your record, and keep us in that same groove. Meanwhile everyone else around us is growing, building, fixing, cleaning.
We will just sit here and throw around death threats to our administration when they do what they have to do to even keep our poop piping in line with federal standards.
Common sense tells you it is not a good business decision. Also it tells me that they want us to do a bond either because 1)he doesn't have the money to build the $12 million parking garage or 2)he has cut a deal with England.
HEY BROKEN RECORD.
I'M STILL WAITING ON THE EVIDENCE THAT ENGLAND CUTS DEALS LIKE THIS.
PUT UP OR SHUT UP.
Christopher D...You are so full of BS. You think you know how government operates but the sad truth is you don't. Guess that comes with being a know it all egotistic wannabe.
Christopher D...You are so full of BS. You think you know how government operates but the sad truth is you don't. Guess that comes with being a know it all egotistic wannabe.
Nice Coffey tactic.
If you can't win with reasoning, facts and logic, call 'em names and hurl insults.
"Guess that comes with being a know it all egotistic wannabe."
Guess thats why I am in charge of a lot of government money, and government mandated programs.
Guess thats why the company I work for runs very fiscally efficient.
Guess thats why we operate with very little if any overtime.
Guess thats why I can do more with our programs than most private for profit companies can do in this field for far less money with out compromising quality of service.
As far as a wannabe, I am exactly where I wannabe. Guess thats why I do exactly what I wanna be doing.
but true to form, you get backed into a corner with counter points that you can not defend against and you resort to petty, immature, juvenile insults.
Again, you disservice yourself and your cause by your inability to rationally debate.
toot your bubble all you want, if that's what it takes to make you feel so superior over others. kudos and accolades to you!
apparently you have forgotten that it is the working citizens who pays their bills and taxes that have enabled you to have a job and provide free services to your underprivileged clients. think of how much more could be done with our money if you were actually being paid to work instead of blogging all the time! in private business most employees would be fired for doing such. guess since you feel you are doing such a fabulous job with our tax money you feel you are "entitled" to get paid with our tax dollars to also blog. it is not a wonder why you have no problems our tax dollars being used to provide handouts to developers and other select view.
that was touching. made me cry. forget the homeless, i really feel sorry for people with homes and jobs. they really are the worst off.
unfortunately none of this has anything to do with a parking garage.
i'm sure one of denhart's loony buddies will threaten someone if they build the plaza.
might makes right, says the professor.
this is suppose to be about "Meet the Candidates" not chris's facebook page.
"apparently you have forgotten that it is the working citizens who pays their bills and taxes that have enabled you to have a job and provide free services to your underprivileged clients"
Wrong, so wrong.... The services are not free. I do not get paid with tax payers money, my salary is from a private foundation grant.
"it is not a wonder why you have no problems our tax dollars being used to provide handouts to developers and other select view."
Actually, your tax dollars for the Stimulus monies went to 98% locally owned and operated companies, who bid along side with other local and national companies for my business, and after passing inspections, clearance from the exclusion lists, liability standards, I put a lot of local people to work for the last year. They were opne bids solicited in a legal manner where all were free to submit, and the final choices were made by our board of directors made up of patients, community leaders, & community advocates, based on the recommendations from me after checking previous worksites, and references.
Oh yeah, as far as the facebook thing, I will defend myself, and my company when morons try and slander me and the company when they no nothing of which they speak. I just am in the mood to point out what ignorance they have.
(PS, not on the clock either)
i bet the candidates are more likely to have a position on the garage than on chris's writings.
I'm bet all the candidates are consulting with Chris. He has done such a great job with representing Clark Memorial's values which appears to consist of allowing employees to post political opinions while on the clock and at the same time get paid with donations designated for patient healthcare.
Christopher does not work for Clark Memorial. Why dont you leave him alone for once. You have to constantly hack on him because he will stand up to you, don't you? you don't even know the first thing about him. He would give even scum like you the shirt off of his back.
I'd like my legal bagel with cream cheese and a touch of caper.
Turns out that thunder over Louisville is little more than the anonymous flatulence of wannabeens.
Sorry, oldsters. Time's passed, and irrelevance has set in. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get all smashmouthed.
I'm bet all the candidates are consulting with Chris. He has done such a great job with representing Clark Memorial's values which appears to consist of allowing employees to post political opinions while on the clock and at the same time get paid with donations designated for patient healthcare.
he does not work at Clark Memorial, loser.
I'm bet all the candidates are consulting with Chris. He has done such a great job with representing Clark Memorial's Foundation values which appears to consist of allowing employees to post political opinions while on the clock and at the same time get paid with donations designated for patient healthcare.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I do not work for, or at, or represent CMH.
But you know they do have medications there that can help you with your obsession with me.
Glad to hear that it's not Clark Memorial that your painting a negative image for. Always found them to be a pretty top notch outfit and would find it hard to believe that they would tolerate employees bloging on work time while being compensated with donations designated for patient healthcare.
Too bad I wasnt at work Jackass
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