Saturday, December 31, 2011

HERE'S HOPING FOR A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 

Please remember what Christmas is all about and have a happy and peaceful holiday.

Friday, December 16, 2011

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 12/15/11 GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK

Last night was the last of the regularly scheduled City Council meetings for 2011 and the last meeting for this term.  There will be a special meeting 12/28/11 for the third reading of the Ordinance to refinance the bond for Christian Academy. The city is only allowed to issue $10,000,000 in bonds per year and this needs to be passed in 2011.

Other agenda items included CM Coffey's G-11-16, the third reading on the Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance which passed 9-0.

And finally CM Price's G-11-17 third reading on the Noise Regulation Ordinance it also passed 9-0.

Mr. Ed Wilkinson gave a report on the Sewer Dept. There have been many improvements to our sewers in the last year and we are in much better shape financially.  There has been another $200,000 + collected from delinquent bills, this is in addition to the previously reported $750,000.  Great job Ed!

This meeting was also short and sweet, or maybe bittersweet.  Mr. Gahan thanked the council for their service this last year.  Mr. Messer thanked the council for their help in the last eight years and expressed how much he appreciated his time in office.  Mr. Price had a different goodbye message.  He thanked the council for "putting up with him" for the past eight years.  This, of course, brought laughter to an otherwise solemn moment.

Prior to the council meeting, the Police Dept. had a meeting at Scribner Jr. High School concerning artificial marijuana and cocaine.  This is a very serious subject and was well presented by Chief Bailey.  Unfortunately it was poorly attended.  The Chief thought this was because the seminar was not well advertised.  I don't know what happened but I hope they have another presentation because this is very valuable information for all the parents and family members in New Albany.

I don't know what 2012 will bring.  There will be a lot of changes, I just hope and pray that New Albany will continue to grow and prosper.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy Holidays.

Shirley

Monday, December 5, 2011

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 12/5/11

Tonight's city council meeting was relatively quiet. I guess everyone wants to end the year on a positive note, or they are thinking about the holidays.

First of all I want to commend Josh Lawrence, an Eagle Scout candidate who changed those ugly rocks on the hillside near the river from "welcome" to a beautiful sign spelling New Albany.  If they ever re-open the Sherman Minton Bridge we will have to pleasure of seeing this sign daily.  Josh was helped by his father, Asst. Police Chief Mike Lawrence and members of his troop.

Now back to the meeting:

R-11-31 Benedetti
Cost of Living Recognition Payment for non-bargaining employees.  The amount was determined by their years of employment. The funds were part of an appropriation from the EDIT Fund which has been left unused. For 49 employees the total of the bonuses was $45,750. Instead of the usual show of hands CM Coffey asked for a roll call. It was passed with 5 Yay votes and 3 Nay (Coffey,Price,McLaughlin) (CM Messer was absent)

G-11-16 Coffey 1 & 2
Amendment to the Abandoned Vehicle Non-Reverting Fund.  The proceeds from the fines will be used to pay the expenses for a tow-in-lot and offset fuel costs for the police and fire departments. Passed 8-0.

G-11-17 Price 1 & 2
Amendment to the noise regulation. This was a clarification to the original ordinance with specific fines for each offense.
$50.00 1st offense, $100.00 2nd offense. Passed 8-0

G-11-18 Coffey 1 & 2
This was the Ordinance authorizing $6,000,000 in  Sewage Works Revenue Bonds.CM Coffey tabled this for now and asked to chair the standing committee.

A-11-26 Coffey 2 & 3
Ordinance for the Appropriation of Rainy Day Funds $500,000 for MVH (Street Dept.) and $100,000 for the Parks Dept. Passed 7-1 CM Zurschmeide cast the Nay vote.

A-11-27 Caesar 3
Final vote on the Ordinance for the Appropriation of EDIT Funds. This was the 2.3 Million dollars transferred to the General Fund to balance the budget.Passed 6-2 with CM Price & CM Zurschmeide voting Nay.

There were a few tabled Ordinances which were withdrawn. 

The meeting went pretty smoothly, especially considering the lengthy agenda.  Let's hope this trend continues.

Friday, November 11, 2011

THANK YOU

I want to thank everyone who voted for me again.  I promise to be prepared, work hard, and listen to the people of New Albany.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A BIG ThANK YOU

I want to thank everyone who supported and voted for me.  We Dems need to join forces and  look forward to a big win in November.

I also want to congratulate all of the candidates who ran. It takes a lot to put yourself out there and run for office.  The races were very close, and that shows what good candidates we have.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT

The "Tribune" posted a notice in Sunday's edition about a community block grant totaling $1,765,894. The proposed activities included:

HOUSING PROJECTS

1) Minor Housing Rehabilitation $250,000.
2) Concentrated Code Enforcement $60,000
3) Direct Down Payment Assistance $35,000
4) Dilapidated Housing/Structure Clearance $60,000
5) Optional Relocation Program $35,000
6) Linden Meadows Project Acquisition/Rehab: $100,000
7) Acquisition $50,000
PUBLIC FACILITIES PROJECTS
8) North Y Preliminary Engineering $50,000.
9) Sidewalk Spot Improvements $653,894
10) Public Facility for NSP Support $30,000
PUBLIC SERVICES
11) Repair Affair $15,000
12) First Time Home Buyer Program $21,500
13) Community Youth Asset and Step Ahead Program $30,000
14) NA-FC Park Department Youth Enrichment Program $30,000
15) Additional Youth Program $10,000
16) Recidivism $15,000
17) Property Disposition Initiative $500
PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
18) General Administration $320,000
The Redevelopment  Department stated that these funds will benefit low and moderate income people.  Although they did list places to view the entire plan they did not indicate how to apply for these programs.  I assume that these funds are in addition to the regular funding for these plans. For further information please see the city's website www.cityofnewalbany.com

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Sunday, February 27, 2011

BUDGET WOES

As expected, the State has cut our city budget again this year. This year we could be over as much as 3 million dollars.

Naturally this is a major concern for all of us and difficult decisions must be made.  There has been a lot of talk about cutting expenses or raising taxes, and naturally neither option is appealing to anyone.  Now is certainly not the time to raise taxes with the economy in the shape that it is in.  So that leaves cutting expenses.  Where should we begin? 

I don't have the answer to that question but I want to find out.  I think the City Council needs to hold a series of budget meetings to go over the budget line by line and see where cuts, if any, can be made.  The public should also be allowed to view this information either on line or in print.  This is our money and our budget.  Yes, I know we are legally entitled to this information.  But we need easier access.  Not everyone has the opportunity to attend meetings or visit the Controllers Office during business hours.  We hear a lot of talk about transparency, I think the City of New Albany needs more transparency.  The more knowledge people have the better they become at decision making.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

LET'S GET THE WORD OUT

The "Tribune" reported that residents will be able to receive funding to repair their homes even if they are still living in them. 

New Directions Housing Corp. is making funds available for emergency repairs.  The amounts go up to $5,000 and are available to homeowners with a combined household income totaling 80% or less than the New Albany average.  That comes out to $49,450 for a family of four, per Daniel Suddeath's article.  Deputy Mayor Carl Malysz encourage residents to contact the New Directions office for more information.
Their number is (502) 589-2272.

This is administered through the New Albany Redevelopment Commission (812) 948-5333. So I would suggest that homeowners call each department to obtain as much help as is available.

Executive Director Joe Gleissner spoke about obtaining additional grant funding during the 2/7/11 city council meeting.  CM Messer asked about the homeowners who needed repairs to their roof or other areas.  He said that the grant funds should be shared with these people.  Mr. Gleissner said that legally the funds must be used only for vacant properties.  He offered to make an effort to let resident of the SEJ neighborhood know what funds are available to them.

We need to help Mr. Gleissner with this effort.  And we need to tell residents in other neighborhoods about New Directions.

Monday, February 7, 2011

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 2/7/11

There was a lot of discussion about the budget tonight and how to make it balance.  In fact there were two resolutions with opposite opinions on how to accomplish this feat.

R-11-05 Resolution to Not use EDIT Funds for Anticipated 2011 Budget Shortfalls. CM Benedetti talked with someone in the office of the DGLF who said they would send down a budget whether or not there was a deficit in the General Fund.

A-11-02 Ordinance For the Appropriation of EDIT Funds CM Ceasar wrote an Ordinance which was the total opposite of CM Benedetti's. 

Both failed.  It was that kind of night.  However CM Gahan called for a work session for the 2011 budget process to begin.

There were a couple of positive steps, though:
  1. We will have metal detectors in the City-County Bldg. with guards on duty.
  2. There will be a Board set up to determine how to combine our city and county 911 systems.
  3. CM Gonder will replace CM Price (with his permission) to the Historic Preservation Committee. Also the Mayor will send letters to all residents in historic districts to advise them that they live in an historic district.
Yes, there were several things accomplished but the meeting was still too long, 7:30 to 10:00.  The members are going to have to manage their time a little better.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Warren Nash

With all of the buzz about the candidates running for Mayor or City Council, one important topic has been slightly overlooked.

And that is the systematic effort to sabotage Warren Nash's career.  Mr. Nash has done a fine job as the Director of Solid Waste for several years and now for no apparent reason he was told that his services were no longer needed.

I don't know the reasoning behind this, but from what I have read there is no good reason.  If it's politics, the Democrats need to step up to the plate and defend member who has served the party for all of his life.  If it's his age, then everyone, even young people, should be up in arms  because if we live long enough we all may be subject to age discrimination.

Either way, this puts a black mark on the citizens of New Albany.

Monday, January 31, 2011

UNPAID TICKETS

I just can't get over the article in the"Tribune" about the unpaid parking tickets.  The part that got to me was when Marcey Wisman-Bennett said that some people had to count out their change to pay their tickets.  That just broke my heart.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

HEY BUDDY, CAN YOU SPARE $100,000?

I arrived late at the City Council meeting last night.  Sheriff Mills was at the podium talking about the plan for metal detectors  for the City-County Bldg.

The Council did approve a non-binding Resolution which basically says they agree that they are needed.  CM Coffey abstained because he did not see a need for the Resolution since an Ordinance will be ready for voting at the next meeting.

The doors facing Hauss Sq. would be open to the public and where we will have to pass through the detectors.  The employees will be given cards so they can scan them to enter the other doors.

I have been very vocal about my support for this measure and applaud Sheriff Mills for taking the initiative and securing all of the equipment.  The $100,000 will be used for salaries for four additional security officers for this year.  After that the Building Authority will add this cost to the rent.  My husband suggested  that the city and county ask for donations from the Floyd County residents to help pay the cost.  Not a bad idea in my opinion.

Daniel Suddeath has an excellent article in today's "Tribune" with more details.

Monday, January 24, 2011

TOASTING LETTY

I had the honor and priviledge to be in attendance for the Toast for Letty Walter this evening at the Culbertson West. 

It was part of the Business and Professional Women's annual scholarship fundraiser.  And it was the  best event I have witnessed in my five or so years as a member of BPW.  Some of my sister members who have been in BPW far longer also said it was the best event we have ever held. 

Culbertson West was filled to capacity with 250 or so of Letty's closest friends and relatives.  Suellen Wilkerson and Rosalee Dowell (who flew home from Florida) were the chairpersons of our committee, and they did a fantastic job, as did our President, Sarah Ring and all of the other committee members.  The Hon. J. Terrence Cody was the emcee with several of New Albany's civic leaders speaking in tribute.  Mayor England declared today "Letty Walter Day" and Commissioner Mark Seabrook read a resolution making January 24 "Letty Walter Day" in Floyd County from now on.

Carl Holliday and Steve Goodman were excellent hosts, as usual and provided a beautiful dinner.

I have not know Letty for as long as many other guests.  But to know Letty is to love her, and she makes everyone feel that they are lifelong friends. 

Saturday, January 15, 2011

HOUSE BILL 1022

Rep. Tom Saunders R-District 54 has introduced a bill which would ban employees from serving in two capacities in the city or county.  In other words, Councilmen Jack Messer and Ted Heavrin would not be able to retain their positions as police officers and run for public office.  I think this is a bill that should have been passed a hundred years ago.

Now readers, before you get all upset, let me explain that I was only using CM's Messer and Heavrin as examples.  I have nothing against either of these men personally but they are city and county police officers and currently serve on the city and county councils respectively.

As you probably know, any Federal employee cannot serve as an elected public servant.  If a postal worker cannot be an elected official why should a police officer, or a city sanitation worker, or street department employee?  I have always thought this was unfair.  To me it seems like a conflict  of interest.  I know the above mentioned council members always abstain from voting on matters such as salary, but they are still drawing two paychecks from the same local government, which I have heard many people refer to as "double dipping".

So, I want to say that I am thankful to Rep. Saunders for introducing this bill and Rep. Ed Clere for his support.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

THE DOWNTOWN PLAZA

I am still trying to get my head around the idea of the city having to foot the 12 million dollar expense for a parking garage on the riverfront.

The idea of a plaza with condos, stores, and other businesses right in the middle of our downtown is certainly exciting.  It will create a lot of jobs and boost our local economy, no argument on that.  It will also be a huge money maker for Jack Bobo and other realtors and developers. 

We all know there will be large tax incentives for everyone involved also. 

So would someone please explain to me why Mr. Bobo insists that he cannot make all of this come true without the help of the city (read New Albany taxpayers)?  Yes, the city will receive tax dollars over a 20 year period but Mr. Bobo and friends will make huge profits all along.  He said that he would not ask the city to contribute more than it would gain.  Would he make an investment in someone said to him, "Jack, I'm not asking you do contribute more than you would gain".  He would probably tell them thanks but no thanks, since the plan would call for him to break even.  He did not get where he is by only breaking even.

I don't claim to be an accountant or financial wizard but I just don't see why Mr. Bobo and friends can't build this building, complete with garage, without asking for the help from the city. 

Monday, January 3, 2011

AND WE'RE OFF!

Apparently most of the important business was settled in the 48 hours prior to tonight's meeting.  Jeff Gahan was the only nominee for Council President.  John Gonder took his gavel and name plate and resumed his previous spot between Diane Benedetti and Jack Messer.

After that there was a lot of discussion on which committee each member would serve.  It basically came out to about the same except that Diane Benedetti is off of  the Fire Dept. Committee and on the Police Dept. Committee.

A couple of contracts seem to be up for renewal, namely Mathew Lorch, the council attorney and Ed Wilkinson, the Stormwater Engineer.  It looks like both gentlemen will keep their jobs since they have done well and no one is eager to replace them.

Maybe our next meeting will have more on the agenda and thus be more entertaining.  There was a woman taping the meeting.  Unfortunately, I did not meet her or get her name but I was told that she is working on a documentary about local government and plans to tape the council meetings in the area.  Maybe next time we will give her a good show.