Council Obfuscapalooza, Part Three: Making Georgetown do the sewer backstroke, and a garbage rate flip-flop.

This is the third part of my city council notes from September 17. For our Georgetown readers, and as a prelude to what follows, consider Bluegill's recent, brilliant encapsulation of sewer fixations as offered by councilman Jeff Gahan.

"CM Jeff Gahan says that the City Council maintains the authority to set sewer employee salaries and should continue to subsidize the sewer utility with EDIT funds as a function of the Council setting sewer rates and that neither he nor the Council is responsible for sewer related issues because the sewer board is autonomous."

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R-09-22 A Resolution Seeking to Establish a Full-Time Position Or Office to Pursue Grant Funds … Gonder

Self-explanatory, but City Clerk Wisman reads the resolution, which charts the importance of grant writing in the context of federal aid and stimulus packages.

Coffey: We should be using free-lance grant writers who work on a percentage basis.

Gonder: Agreed, but citing a recently pursued grant that would not have been approved had “we” known a match was required, prefers a more coordinated effort.

Coffey is condescending with him, and Gonder endures it. That’s what bullies and the bullied do, isn’t it?

Coffey: We’re in agreement it is needed, but let’s not preclude using free lancers.
Gonder: The resolution doesn’t specify all this. It’s just a step in the right direction.

That surely dooms it. Are steps in the right direction permitted in New Albany?

Bob Caesar: “Would not have to be a forever position” (?) He counsels making it temporary to see if it works, lest we pay someone not to do something.

Like occupy a council seat? I wonder why Bob Caesar hates downtown so much. His business is there, and yet he consistently opposes the place where he works. Is this an improvement over Bill Schmidt?

All vote in favor except Benedetti and Zurschmiede, who vote against, without explanation.

A-09-11 Ordinance Appropriating Funds for One Time Cost Of Living Recognition Payment and Setting Amount Of Payments … Caesar 2

The usual tired arguments from Price. We have nothing, we can never have anything, we pay people too much, I’m impoverished and everyone should be dragged down to my underachieving level … which, when you come to think of it, is the essence of Communism in its real-life application. Fancy that. My councilman is more of a Commie than me.

All are in favor except the congenital no, Price.

G-09-19 An Ordinance to Reflect Technical Changes Necessary As a Result of An Agreement With the Town of Georgetown … McLaughlin 2

Here goes the sewer merry-go-round for another trip, with the 6th district's circus ringmaster at the helm. City attorney Shane Gibson steps up to explain.

Gibson: “It’s not here to ask you to bless anything … it’s the requirement of the state statute.” Says that language has been cleaned up. Wants the council to know that it need not bless the Georgetown agreement, just approve the sewer board’s completion of the negotiation and agreement. STATE STATUTE – if not, Shane would not bring it to the council.

Gahan has many questions and a few disagreements. Did Gtown pay the penalties?

Gibson: All except what was renegotiated. Roughly $800,000 worth paid. His ordinance doesn’t have the ability to affect NA citizens at all; the only wholesale customer the sewer utility has is Georgetown.

Gahan: It says it will not impact NA – I wanna know where the original 1.9 million went (?)

Gibson: $1.9 million was the price for Gtown to be on the city sewers forever. A year after that was negotiated, there was a new agreement because Gtown said it would build its own plant … so, the $1.9 million is all about the original state of affairs, with the reduction made because Gtown would no longer be using the capacity charted for the $1.9 million.

KZ: In my mind, Gtown is no closer to a new plant today than before, and now we want to give them more time. Why?

Gibson: Gtown has paid $900,000 already … the reality is, we can’t shut them off. The city doesn’t have the option to do that.

KZ: (glowering) Hold Gtown accountable for the agreement, irrespective of the people now in office there!

Gibson: They have made progress. The county is helping them. Two sites have been located, and they’re moving on them.

Benedetti: (yet again trying to be reasonable amid the bedlam of grudges past) They can’t do anything until we approve this -- approve the authority for the sewer board to do this – and give the sewer board the authority to do this.

For the umpteenth time, Gibson patiently repeats that the council is being asked to do this because the state requires it, not because the council is being asked to bless the sewer boards negotiation with Georgetown. Gibson doesn’t want to speak about the specifics of the negotiation because the sewer board is not present, but he hazards the view that the current negotiated settlement is incentive for Gtown to get off the system.

Gahan: (Chihuahua-like) Adamant about the $400,000 that he states Gtown is being forgiven, and says that this sum might well impact NA ratepayers because it “all comes from the same pot.”

ALL OF IT, EXCEPT THE EDIT RATE SUBSIDIES IN NA, THAT GAHAN FAVORS, AND THAT RESULT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MONIES BEING EXPENDED AS POLITICAL SUBSIDY FOR THE CONCIL’S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS.

McLaughlin: $400,000 is a balance, not a fine.

Gibson: They paid $800,000. The bodies involved agreed to the compromise on the negotiation.

McLaughlin: “It’s hard for us to do this too.”

Yep, it doesn’t seem to get any easier.

Benedetti: Says that this ordinance should go through because it makes no sense to bankrupt Gtown in order to collect from them.

Clerk Wisman: (I didn’t catch all of this) If Gtown gets off the system, they don’t owe us the $450,000, because the pipe doesn’t have to be made larger to handle their flow.

KZ: Objects once again to the agreement reached by the sewer board.

This being the board that is NOT HERE to discuss the SPECIFICS of it.

Gahan: Would the city attorney “guarantee no rate increases in 2010” right here and now?

In effect, Gibson laughs at him.

Last meeting’s vote on this ordinance was sizably against. Same thing tonight.

For: Caesar, Benedetti
Against: Price, McLaughlin (intones something about it being only the 2nd reading), Gahan, Gonder, Messer, KZ, Coffey

Coffey says he has more questions for Gibson but will ask them later, out of earshot of the public. A guy from the audience asks if he may comment. Coffey says no, only the council president can violate council protocol with impunity.

G-09-17 An Ordinance Authorizing Modification Of Certain Provisions Of The Economic Development Revenue Bonds, Series 2004A (Christian Academy Of Indiana, INC Project) of the City Of New Albany … Price 3

8:45 pm. Things seemed to be going so well there for a while.

No comments. Unanimous in favor.

Z-09-10 An Ordinance For The Vacation Of An Existing Easement Pursuant To A Petition Filed By Carl Holiday And Stephen Goodman … Zurschmiede 3

Unanimous, in favor. Carl and Steve don’t have to sit through this any longer.

G-09-16 An Amendment to Ordinance §50.08 Regarding User/Service Fees for Collection of Refuse, Garbage And Yard Waste … Messer 3

As amended with much theatrics last time, with the amendment being a $2 raise with cost of living increases written into it in the future.

Coffey: No committee for this one ‘cuz the nasty administration first proposed it.

Price: Believes in other options. This bad contract “isn’t our fault” because of the former administration did it. “I’m real uncomfortable with that yearly, I know how that goes, people are hurting.”

Messer: Could cost us twice if we don’t deal with the current contract.

Benedetti: has nothing to do with EcoTech – this is to bring us back even with cost of living increases and avoid the subsidy under way currently. Former mayor Garner negotiated the best deal he could, absorbing the employees and trash haulers and bad trucks. She defends this ordinance.

Caesar: $2 is for the consumer price index increase. Get the CPI straightened out with each contract. The increases have been less than a dollar per year – three increases of less than dollar, and so if it is written in to reflect this, there’ll be only cents increases, but now, “wow we have to throw two bucks at everybody.”

Two bucks. Geez, Caesar’s such a political coward.

McLaughlin: Reads verbatim from the contract to the effect that the trucks are not supposed to LEAK bad liquids in places that smell, but they do, and what are we going to do about that?

Everyone: BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS. Thank you.

Gibson: Can’t fix it if you don’t give me details, Pat.

McLaughlin: Complains about garbage cans as stated in the EcoTech contract … mentions recycling, but it appears it is recycling the cans?

Gibson: Differentiates between city obligations and contract stipulations.

Benedetti: Just about the two dollars.

Gahan: But there’ll be a surplus?

Gibson: The 50,000 surplus is for the neighborhood cleanups that everyone wants – yes, it adds up to more, but not very much more.

Price: “One more point and I’ll shut up. “It’s a mute point.” We should be able to make money on garbage as a city, just like the private businesses make money from it. Put it back in-house.

Price now joins Erika in advocating taking EDIT money away from economic development and giving it outright to “people who are hurting – that’s what I say.”

Vote taken:

For: Caesar, Benedetti, Gonder, Messer, KZ
Against: Price, McLaughlin, Gahan, Coffey

It is approved. Who flipped? Gotta look that one up, but I wasn’t here when the 2nd reading took place. I had been removed from that one.

MISCELLANOUS ITEMS:
Nothing of consequence, so we stop. Knitting needles through the eyes.