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