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.