I would have preferred a Tribune link, but ... the C-J is first past the post.
New Albany to investigate validity of no-bid contracts, by Dick Kaukas (The Courier-Journal).
The New Albany City Council last night authorized legal action to determine if two no-bid contracts, one for $3.3 million a year to run the sewer system and the other for $507,000 annually for storm drainage operations, are valid ...
... The resolution passed last night authorized a suit to be filed in Floyd Circuit Court, asking a judge to give a "declaratory judgment" and determine the validity of the contracts.
The vote was 5-3 with one abstention.
Those in favor were Dan Coffey, Steve Price, Beverly Crump, Jeff Gahan and Donnie Blevins.
Opposed were Jack Messer, Kevin Zurschmiede and Larry Kochert. Zurschmiede and Kochert also are on the five-member sewer board that voted without dissent to award the contract to EMC on July 3.
Bill Schmidt, the council's ninth member, abstained from voting after saying that many people had told him EMC was "doing a good job."
That's another in a long series of strange abstentions, and one issued for precisely the same muddled reasons that impelled the council president Kochert to defend the body’s chronic failure to redistrict on grounds that so long as the blessedly lame duck Schmidt continues to do a “good job” in his indefensibly bloated district, overarching legalities need not be observed.
It seems to me that whatever one’s position on the efficiency with which EMC is doing its job, the legal issue at hand has nothing to do with the strength of the company’s performance. Rather, it has to do with whether such a no-bid contract as that awarded EMC is in fact permissible.
And what better way to fritter away more time that we can’t afford to waste than by assigning teams of lawyers the task of cleaning up after public servants on all sides who’ve consistently avoided communicating with each other?
Indeed, now more than ever, New Albany is a state of mind.
But why?
I'm back to thinking we need to shut down the council or the entire city county building...this is ridiculous! It's so painfully clear in just this transaction what has ruined this town over the last few generations. Nearly complete dysfunction as a political body. I worry one or two reformers, and thankfully we do have some good candidates stepping up to the plate, will just become mired in this cesspool of in-fighting we call city government. I'm a taxpayer, I love the town I was raised in, and I'm soooooooooooooo fed up with the shananigans AT MY EXPENSE. I mean where is our Mayor - what exactly does he do? We have all these economic and development employees and a town slowly dying for 50 years. Every time I call the street dept for a garbage pick-up I feel berated. Oh, by the way, the town has trash lying all over it and it's disgusting. I don't want to live in a white trash mecca. We have so many unique resources and assets here that have been absolutely squandered since I was born. Why? Why?
ReplyDeleteArrived 7:00 about 1/2 way through a committee meeting on the ordinance to abolish the Storm Water Board(SWB). Appeared that Mr. Price was chairing. The committee decided that they needed another meeting so they would table the ordinance(G-07-12)for the full Council Meeting. At the beginning of said meeting, President Kochert announced that G-07-12 was being tabled and was no longer on the night's agenda. Mr. Price was confused and asked which ordinance was being tabled. Now, go back and read the 2nd sentence in this paragraph. That's right.
ReplyDeleteNext there were a couple tax abatement compliance votes. Mr. Price took this opportunity to say that this issue of abatement's needs to be looked at or "sumpin'". People are mad that their property taxes are going up 24%. Fair enough. Although, IMHO, even the complete abolition of abatements would not lower property taxes as much as many believe and the long term cost would be even worse.
"Communication from the public" and now the real fun begins. VA researched and concluded that the SWB, itself, is not mandatory. She believes fees could be paid out of Rainy Day or Riverboat funds.(somehow it is okay for her to raid these funds but not other people). EMC is a very wasteful company and brought out the litany of wasteful spending complaints aired quite some time back. VA then basically accused the boards of being bribed by EMC. She even found a definition of bribery on Wikipedia and read it the Council. She asked if anyone had been offered a job. Mr. Blevins answered in the affirmative(he turned it down). "Anyone else" she queried. No answers. "How about big fancy meals?" No answers.
YK(fiscal conservative demo) spoke about never wanting a SWB to start with. She did not want to add another layer of government. Also spoke on the inefficiency EMC.
There was more. An EMC employee spoke at length(and length)about how they try to fix drainage problems and how they could do better if they had more control. He met some resistance from some in the crowd with shouts of "liar" and such.
More and more. Believe it or not, I have left out much of what I observed last night. The room was packed and it was a little difficult to hear everything, especially with all the "cackling" going on behind me. I left at 9:15 and they were still not close to voting on anything.
I am sure Maury will have a much better recap(he also spoke last night)on his blog "New Albany Today"
Twas good to meet you, IAMHOOSIER. Thank you for introducing yourself.
ReplyDeleteSame here, Yvonne. While we may disagree at times, it as you said the other night in your comments, "It's not personal".
ReplyDeleteNope, best not say it aloud.
ReplyDelete"Nope, best not say it aloud."
ReplyDeleteNow I know why it is so damn hot!!
I also met Shirley Monday night. We left at the same time. Nice lady.