NEW ALBANY — The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated school board accepted Superintendent Bruce Hibbard's initial proposal which as to close four area schools.The Courier-Journal's Harold_Adams tweets: "NA-Floyd school board votes 5-2 to close four elemtary schools. Wiseheart and Gardenour were the dissenters."
The schools to be closed are Silver Street, Galena, Children's Academy of New Albany and Pine View elementary schools will be closed.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Tribune reports: School board votes to close four schools.
From the Tribune:
SWAT: Sisto, Wheeler, & Tiemann Jazz Trio tonight at Bank Street Brewhouse.
Tonight at NABC Bank Street Brewhouse: SWAT ... The Sisto, Wheeler, & Tiemann Jazz Trio, live from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Doesn't Jack know that "them people" is Coffey's trademark line?
The single most ironic thing about this development is that as soon as the first registered New Albany Democrat in living memory concedes that he isn't really a Democrat after all (how many really are?), the transition to Republican values has occured with such lightning speed. Too bad about that, because Jack Messer, the anti-Price, has been right far more times than he's been wrong during his council tenure.
Remark prompts sensitivity training for New Albany police, by Harold J. Adams (Courier-Journal).
A New Albany police officer’s racial remarks have prompted the chief to schedule sensitivity training for the entire department ...
... Messer said those who make an issue of what he said are politically motivated. He was elected to the city council as a Democrat but has stated his intention to switch to the Republican Party. “Apparently somebody is trying to politically try to ruin me, I guess,” Messer said.
“I am going to run for mayor next year,” he said. “I’m not lining up with the Democratic Party anymore.”
Gonder: Yellow Peril is catching.
Perhaps someday more of the many organizations and individuals I've approached about it will take sustainable land use and transportation policy more seriously as a central part of their missions rather than waiting for self-inflicted crises to occur but, until then, it's encouraging to see City Council President John Gonder join in the call for more equitable transit, particularly as it relates to educational and employment opportunities within our community. - Jeff
Republished in its entirety from his blog:
When the School Corporation sneezes, the City catches cold.
One step the school board could take to ameliorate the funding mess it faces is to downsize or eliminate the large school bus program.
The City faces two problems related to the transportation system currently in place, ie., transporting of students via buses owned and operated by the school corporation:
1. It is a costly service which subsidizes the choice of some parents to live in non-walkable neighborhoods, which causes the well-planned inner city neighborhoods to further deteriorate as essential services such as neighborhood schools are eliminated. This degrades the general quality of life within the older neighborhoods of town, and the entire community suffers.
2. The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is being forced by a variety of factors to cut service throughout its service area, including New Albany. Because of these cuts the already meager bus system is pushed closer to the brink. The city is deprived of a viable system of public transportation, such a system can benefit the the community at large through greater access for all its citizens, better air quality and a residential pattern. Such a pattern allows the city to operate more efficiently as infrastucture is used to its greatest advantage, rather than having it spread thin in a costly advance toward the the sprawling edges of the community.
If the school corporation would eliminate the school bus program and instead rely on non-corporation-owned buses, it should realize a sizable savings. If TARC were presented with a daily cadre of student bus riders it would go a long way toward building a base of ridership to rationalize a comprehensive general public transportaion system for the entire community. The transportaion system would benefit the community as a whole and the presevation and revitalization of inner city schools would, likewise, benefit the community as a whole. The savings would allow the school corporation to focus its funds on its true mission --educating students, enriching the community, ensuring a sound future for our city-- which is a better use of scarce educational funds.
Republished in its entirety from his blog:
When the School Corporation sneezes, the City catches cold.
One step the school board could take to ameliorate the funding mess it faces is to downsize or eliminate the large school bus program.
The City faces two problems related to the transportation system currently in place, ie., transporting of students via buses owned and operated by the school corporation:
1. It is a costly service which subsidizes the choice of some parents to live in non-walkable neighborhoods, which causes the well-planned inner city neighborhoods to further deteriorate as essential services such as neighborhood schools are eliminated. This degrades the general quality of life within the older neighborhoods of town, and the entire community suffers.
2. The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) is being forced by a variety of factors to cut service throughout its service area, including New Albany. Because of these cuts the already meager bus system is pushed closer to the brink. The city is deprived of a viable system of public transportation, such a system can benefit the the community at large through greater access for all its citizens, better air quality and a residential pattern. Such a pattern allows the city to operate more efficiently as infrastucture is used to its greatest advantage, rather than having it spread thin in a costly advance toward the the sprawling edges of the community.
If the school corporation would eliminate the school bus program and instead rely on non-corporation-owned buses, it should realize a sizable savings. If TARC were presented with a daily cadre of student bus riders it would go a long way toward building a base of ridership to rationalize a comprehensive general public transportaion system for the entire community. The transportaion system would benefit the community as a whole and the presevation and revitalization of inner city schools would, likewise, benefit the community as a whole. The savings would allow the school corporation to focus its funds on its true mission --educating students, enriching the community, ensuring a sound future for our city-- which is a better use of scarce educational funds.
Today's Tribune column: "Censor me this, Cappuccino."
More from the Open Air Museum's prevailing idiocracy.
BAYLOR: Censor me this, Cappuccino
Now, in order to preserve the sanctity of the information that his sworn enemies at City Hall refused to give him, he was compelled to remove any chance that his Internet readers might offer additional information of their own, which in fact he regarded as misinformation and maybe even disinformation, such was its stark divergence from the information he already didn’t know, and because he didn’t know it, needed to protect.
BAYLOR: Censor me this, Cappuccino
Now, in order to preserve the sanctity of the information that his sworn enemies at City Hall refused to give him, he was compelled to remove any chance that his Internet readers might offer additional information of their own, which in fact he regarded as misinformation and maybe even disinformation, such was its stark divergence from the information he already didn’t know, and because he didn’t know it, needed to protect.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Mayor England: "I am fearful that their closure will have detrimental impact on the children, families and property values."
Thanks to the Bookseller for posting this as a comment, and apologies for being away when it came through the pipeline.
---
City of New Albany, Indiana
DOUGLAS B. ENGLAND
Mayor
March 10, 2010
Mr. Roger Whaley, President, Board of Directors
Dr. Bruce Hibbard, Superintendent
Board Members
New Albany Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation
2801 Grant Line Road
New Albany, Indiana 47150
Re: New Albany Floyd County Schools Restructuring Plan
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am writing to express my official position regarding the proposed Budget Reduction Information/Plan for which the NAFCCSC Board will be asked to approve this coming Thursday, March 11, 2010, to-wit:
I would like to thank Dr. Hibbard for meeting with me on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 to explain the contents of the plan and his pending recommendation. While I do not envy the fiscal predicament that the NAFCCSC finds itself, I understand the difficult choices you must make to manage your fiscal affairs. You have my unqualified empathy, and I encourage you to make decisions that will benefit our community in the long-run.
There are four aspects of the Plan that cause me pause:
1. Being the husband of a retired teacher with 42 years of experience and service, I am concerned about the proposal to move 5 th graders to the middle schools. I will not belabor the specific reasons why, as they were well articulated at your public hearing on Monday, March 8, 2010.
2. The NAFCCSC is a diverse socio-economic community. Like many metropolitan communities, it contains many races and ethnicities. It would be a tragedy to abandon the resources currently allocated by the NAFCCSC to its diversity staff.
3. From the information provided, it is difficult for me or citizens to understand what savings, reserves and rainy day funds would be used to shore up the recommended option. Without this information, it is difficult to understand why no other restructuring alternatives exist—ones that could save a central city school or perhaps two.
4. I am also concerned that the recommended option will close three elementary schools within the City of New Albany. In particular, the Children's Academy and Silver Street are essential facilities to the vitality of the neighborhoods that surround them. I am fearful that their closure will have detrimental impact on the children, families and property values. The fact is many households have made significant investment choices to reside in these "walkable" neighborhoods because of the proximity of the schools that are slated for closure.
With respect to Silver Street School and the Children's Academy, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the City of New Albany is currently in the process of developing a new five-year plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. While the City cannot utilize the CDBG Program to fund the operating costs of a neighborhood school, the City could make a financial contribution to implement accessibility improvements (elevator, ADA improvements, et cetera) to Silver Street School and/or similar improvements to the Children's Academy to avoid closure.
Finally, a common refrain heard at the Public Hearing was the rather short period of time allowed for the public to understand and comment on the recommended option or other alternatives. If the Board of Directors is interested in the City's participation through the CDBG Program, I would suggest a discussion with the City Staff before making a final decision.
Thank you for your consideration.
Douglas B. England
Mayor
cc: The Tribune and Evening News
The Courier Journal
---
City of New Albany, Indiana
DOUGLAS B. ENGLAND
Mayor
March 10, 2010
Mr. Roger Whaley, President, Board of Directors
Dr. Bruce Hibbard, Superintendent
Board Members
New Albany Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation
2801 Grant Line Road
New Albany, Indiana 47150
Re: New Albany Floyd County Schools Restructuring Plan
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am writing to express my official position regarding the proposed Budget Reduction Information/Plan for which the NAFCCSC Board will be asked to approve this coming Thursday, March 11, 2010, to-wit:
I would like to thank Dr. Hibbard for meeting with me on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 to explain the contents of the plan and his pending recommendation. While I do not envy the fiscal predicament that the NAFCCSC finds itself, I understand the difficult choices you must make to manage your fiscal affairs. You have my unqualified empathy, and I encourage you to make decisions that will benefit our community in the long-run.
There are four aspects of the Plan that cause me pause:
1. Being the husband of a retired teacher with 42 years of experience and service, I am concerned about the proposal to move 5 th graders to the middle schools. I will not belabor the specific reasons why, as they were well articulated at your public hearing on Monday, March 8, 2010.
2. The NAFCCSC is a diverse socio-economic community. Like many metropolitan communities, it contains many races and ethnicities. It would be a tragedy to abandon the resources currently allocated by the NAFCCSC to its diversity staff.
3. From the information provided, it is difficult for me or citizens to understand what savings, reserves and rainy day funds would be used to shore up the recommended option. Without this information, it is difficult to understand why no other restructuring alternatives exist—ones that could save a central city school or perhaps two.
4. I am also concerned that the recommended option will close three elementary schools within the City of New Albany. In particular, the Children's Academy and Silver Street are essential facilities to the vitality of the neighborhoods that surround them. I am fearful that their closure will have detrimental impact on the children, families and property values. The fact is many households have made significant investment choices to reside in these "walkable" neighborhoods because of the proximity of the schools that are slated for closure.
With respect to Silver Street School and the Children's Academy, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the City of New Albany is currently in the process of developing a new five-year plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. While the City cannot utilize the CDBG Program to fund the operating costs of a neighborhood school, the City could make a financial contribution to implement accessibility improvements (elevator, ADA improvements, et cetera) to Silver Street School and/or similar improvements to the Children's Academy to avoid closure.
Finally, a common refrain heard at the Public Hearing was the rather short period of time allowed for the public to understand and comment on the recommended option or other alternatives. If the Board of Directors is interested in the City's participation through the CDBG Program, I would suggest a discussion with the City Staff before making a final decision.
Thank you for your consideration.
Douglas B. England
Mayor
cc: The Tribune and Evening News
The Courier Journal
I call this team "Blame the Victim."
A purely hypothetical situation:
Let's say that a school board member and GOP candidate for higher state office advances the notion that there are cuts that can be made that might forestall school closings.
Let's say that these cuts primarily have to do with reducing health insurance benefits to teachers and employees.
What would I say to that?
I'd say that is doesn't surprise me when the same people fighting tooth and nail against universal health care in America regard it as a wonderful idea to cut health care benefits and help "solve" the problem they've done so much to create.
I'd say that if I could find a Bible passage to illustrate this, I would. Oddly, I'd probably be able to find substantiation in Marx, Engels, or both -- but as a capitalist pressed to the wall, there's no time for that.
That's what I'd say. Since the situation is only hypothetical, I don't have to.
Let's say that a school board member and GOP candidate for higher state office advances the notion that there are cuts that can be made that might forestall school closings.
Let's say that these cuts primarily have to do with reducing health insurance benefits to teachers and employees.
What would I say to that?
I'd say that is doesn't surprise me when the same people fighting tooth and nail against universal health care in America regard it as a wonderful idea to cut health care benefits and help "solve" the problem they've done so much to create.
I'd say that if I could find a Bible passage to illustrate this, I would. Oddly, I'd probably be able to find substantiation in Marx, Engels, or both -- but as a capitalist pressed to the wall, there's no time for that.
That's what I'd say. Since the situation is only hypothetical, I don't have to.
NA-FC schools ... the ol' "cut and run"?
With the clock ticking, a Tribune reader offers a relevant timeline.
LETTER: Reader: People of New Albany owed more than a ‘cut and run’ plan, by Norma Condra.
... I note the lightening speed to which this process has been presented to the public. On Wednesday, Feb. 24, the corporation alerted the media they would reveal the details of their Expenditure Reduction Plan on March 4, conduct a public hearing, a.k.a. a formality, on March 8 and vote on the plan on March 11. Interestingly, the deadline to file for school board candidacy for the May primary was Feb. 19. Is the implementation of the plan all sewn up, to include preventing angry parents from running for available school board seats?
Will City Hall be taking a position on the school closing crisis?
Kathy at the gang at Save Silver Street Elementary blog has the best available compendium of information pertaining to the school closing crisis. NAC is doing what it can to play a supporting role in this, so please check SSSE for up-to-date news.
The comment below was posted here at NAC yesterday:
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor told me they were there to listen to the public's - - that this was the public's time to speak, and after listening to everything, he (the Mayor) plans to hold a press conference (today I think). I do not know if they were there for the entire hearing, as it ran from 7 PM-11:30PM.
"Today" was Tuesday. Today's Wednesday, and tomorrow on Thursday evening is the scheduled school board vote.
Will City Hall be taking a position on the school closing issue?
It has before. From the NAC archives, dated June 25 2008: Good news from City Hall: Silver Street supporters, New Albany's mayor join forces.
The comment below was posted here at NAC yesterday:
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor told me they were there to listen to the public's - - that this was the public's time to speak, and after listening to everything, he (the Mayor) plans to hold a press conference (today I think). I do not know if they were there for the entire hearing, as it ran from 7 PM-11:30PM.
"Today" was Tuesday. Today's Wednesday, and tomorrow on Thursday evening is the scheduled school board vote.
Will City Hall be taking a position on the school closing issue?
It has before. From the NAC archives, dated June 25 2008: Good news from City Hall: Silver Street supporters, New Albany's mayor join forces.
School budget solutions? Send to ...
(From Kathy Ayers)
I just set-up a gmail account for all community members to deposit their NA-FC school budget solution ideas. While "I don't want my school closed because..." is valid, it is not a solution.
Our School Board members need to know what all the great minds of New Albany and Floyd County can offer to turn this boat around! Please send your ideas, no matter how small or how large or how obscure to:
NAFCrecommendations@gmail.com
I just set-up a gmail account for all community members to deposit their NA-FC school budget solution ideas. While "I don't want my school closed because..." is valid, it is not a solution.
Our School Board members need to know what all the great minds of New Albany and Floyd County can offer to turn this boat around! Please send your ideas, no matter how small or how large or how obscure to:
NAFCrecommendations@gmail.com
Open thread: School board school closing vote, procedurally speaking?
Two comments are elevated to the marquee. Apologies for taking the "open thread" route, but I'll be out of Internet earshot until around 1:00 p.m., although iPhone monitoring isn't out of the question.
The topic: The school board's vote tomorrow night, coming exactly one week after the school closing plan was announced, and procedural ramifications therein.
---
Nccondra has left a new comment on your post "Why us? Because Pogo was right, that's why.":
School board president Roger Whaley told Fox 41 News before the public hearing that it was possible at least one fellow board member would ask to vote separately on parts of the plan, particularly the closing of Galena Elementary School.
Has a decision already been made? “Particularly the closing of Galena Elementary School”? After the hearing was adjourned, board member Rebecca Gardenour asked if the board would vote for the entire recommendation or if items could be voted on separately, and Whaley responded that the board would have to have at least 4 members vote to separately vote on items.
Staged much? I shouldn't be surprised, because this is Floyd County, after all. The meeting hadn't even occurred, yet one board member was already planning to make a motion to vote separately on the closing of Galena. What voting separately on sending 5th graders to middle school? All of us completely understand the pain Galena parents are experiencing, and the frustration that it came so unexpectedly, with a very short time frame to respond.
However, it is downright vile that after over one year of gathering hundreds of signatures on petitions, attendance at three public hearings, a multitude of yard signs, and letters and calls of protest by citizens of New Albany to keep Silver Street open, Silver Street will probably not be afforded this consideration.
---
The Bookseller has left a new comment on your post "Why us? Because Pogo was right, that's why.":
Nccondra, your points are germane, and I'll vouch for your NAC bona fides (NAC?). You've provided information I did not know previously.
But, just as with the current sewer imbroglio, it's all of a set, and each separate vote has a corresponding consequence. I can't imagine that pandering to a particular school zone would be considered viable or honest.
I'm hard to convince, and no one has yet convinced me that Silver Street's sitch is anything other than a manufactured plan to intentionally gut a neighborhood and county treasure.
"I won't maintain this school. I won't fund this school. I must close this school because correcting my neglect would cost too much."
Even the pretended "reason" is specious. "Too much?" Even with the intentional neglect, the cost is not too much under any analysis.
The topic: The school board's vote tomorrow night, coming exactly one week after the school closing plan was announced, and procedural ramifications therein.
---
Nccondra has left a new comment on your post "Why us? Because Pogo was right, that's why.":
School board president Roger Whaley told Fox 41 News before the public hearing that it was possible at least one fellow board member would ask to vote separately on parts of the plan, particularly the closing of Galena Elementary School.
Has a decision already been made? “Particularly the closing of Galena Elementary School”? After the hearing was adjourned, board member Rebecca Gardenour asked if the board would vote for the entire recommendation or if items could be voted on separately, and Whaley responded that the board would have to have at least 4 members vote to separately vote on items.
Staged much? I shouldn't be surprised, because this is Floyd County, after all. The meeting hadn't even occurred, yet one board member was already planning to make a motion to vote separately on the closing of Galena. What voting separately on sending 5th graders to middle school? All of us completely understand the pain Galena parents are experiencing, and the frustration that it came so unexpectedly, with a very short time frame to respond.
However, it is downright vile that after over one year of gathering hundreds of signatures on petitions, attendance at three public hearings, a multitude of yard signs, and letters and calls of protest by citizens of New Albany to keep Silver Street open, Silver Street will probably not be afforded this consideration.
---
The Bookseller has left a new comment on your post "Why us? Because Pogo was right, that's why.":
Nccondra, your points are germane, and I'll vouch for your NAC bona fides (NAC?). You've provided information I did not know previously.
But, just as with the current sewer imbroglio, it's all of a set, and each separate vote has a corresponding consequence. I can't imagine that pandering to a particular school zone would be considered viable or honest.
I'm hard to convince, and no one has yet convinced me that Silver Street's sitch is anything other than a manufactured plan to intentionally gut a neighborhood and county treasure.
"I won't maintain this school. I won't fund this school. I must close this school because correcting my neglect would cost too much."
Even the pretended "reason" is specious. "Too much?" Even with the intentional neglect, the cost is not too much under any analysis.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Bank Street Brewhouse closed tonight, to resume normal hours on Wednesday.
Sometimes you just can't buy a break. You just have to laugh it off.
We can't open NABC Bank Street Brewhouse tonight (Tuesday) because the toilets are malfunctioning. Plumbers are on the way, but it looks to be a longer fix than a merely temporary closure. We'll be back tomorrow morning and try again.
Verily, this s**t is getting old (pun fully intended).
Good news: Indiana American Water is investigating last Friday's water outage calamity at the Pizzeria & Public House. So is our attorney.
We can't open NABC Bank Street Brewhouse tonight (Tuesday) because the toilets are malfunctioning. Plumbers are on the way, but it looks to be a longer fix than a merely temporary closure. We'll be back tomorrow morning and try again.
Verily, this s**t is getting old (pun fully intended).
Good news: Indiana American Water is investigating last Friday's water outage calamity at the Pizzeria & Public House. So is our attorney.
Why us? Because Pogo was right, that's why.
Was City Hall in attendance, and did anyone from local government speak? What is the effect of this proposal on neighborhood revitalization? Are we at the crisis saturation point where there are simply too few (and far too exhausted) activists favoring a civil (as opposed to troglodyte) society to overcome the obstructionist looters?
Hundreds attend NA-FC's meeting on proposed school closures, by Tara Hettinger (Tribune).State Representative Ed Clere's viewpoint was written prior to the meeting and published today.
Parents came to the New Albany High School Auditorium on Monday night, with many opposed to a plan by the school system to close elementary schools because of budget constraints.
CLERE: Let's point forward instead of fingersFinally, here is Shane Gibson's take. Gibson will be Clere's opponent in the House election this coming November.
... The state has accepted responsibility for funding schools, and we must fulfill that commitment. We cannot, however, deny economic reality. We're in the deepest recession since the Great Depression. The last time we experienced such economic challenges there was a striking Richardsonian Romanesque elementary school at the corner of Vincennes and Shelby streets.
Gibson on education: Takin' it to the state.
The Indiana Legislature in the final days of session is attempting to develop solutions to the education funding fiasco created by themselves and the recent cuts in education from Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Gibson on education: Takin' it to the state.
To my knowledge, this is city attorney Shane Gibson's first Tribune contribution since being offered what amounts to "equal time" (whether or not is is being defined explicitly as such) by Coach K.
Note that this even matters because Gibson (D) is contesting the House seat currently held by Ed Clere (R). I've spoken to both candidates during the past few days, and foresee an entertaining and informative race come summer.
Note that this even matters because Gibson (D) is contesting the House seat currently held by Ed Clere (R). I've spoken to both candidates during the past few days, and foresee an entertaining and informative race come summer.
GIBSON: All schools should be created equal, by Shane Gibson (Tribune).
... In simple understandable terms, does anyone think that a 4.5 percent decrease in funding is going to have the same effect on the daily operations of the Monument Lighthouse School who received a 45.17 percent increase for the year 2010 when compared to New Albany-Floyd County Public Schools? Monument Lighthouse will now only see about a 40.67 percent increase. On the other hand, New Albany-Floyd County Schools, after being shoved a .20 percent increase in comparison, will now have a decrease in funding for the year of -4.30 percent.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Final Monday reminder: Proposed school closing discussion.
Rather than confuse matters by starting a new thread, please revert to this post to join the discussion: Troubled by proposed school closings?
If I had the time to do more right now, I would. Work just has to come first. Sorry about that.
If I had the time to do more right now, I would. Work just has to come first. Sorry about that.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Reminder: Proposed school closing discussion.
Rather than confuse matters by starting a new thread, please revert to this post to join the discussion: Troubled by proposed school closings?
Troubled by proposed school closings? Meeting today, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Destinations Booksellers to organize, exchange & strategize.
Sorry if a garble something here, but this is breaking as I write, and I want to get the message out.
Destinations/Dueling Grounds is making space available from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. TODAY (doors open a bit before and after these times) for a meeting for ANYONE to come and organize/discuss ideas/exchange strategies about prospective school closings. Drinks will be available from the cafe.
Note that NA Confidential is happy to offer this blog space for publishing anything that neighborhood organizers wish to disseminate.
Destinations/Dueling Grounds is making space available from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. TODAY (doors open a bit before and after these times) for a meeting for ANYONE to come and organize/discuss ideas/exchange strategies about prospective school closings. Drinks will be available from the cafe.
Note that NA Confidential is happy to offer this blog space for publishing anything that neighborhood organizers wish to disseminate.
Consistency the chief casualty as Tribune editorial savages council, coddles school corporation.
In today's Tribune editorial, the editorial board offers yet another scathing take on the city council's persistent "penny foolish, pound foolish" approach to its duties.
TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: New Albany Council’s votes are limiting our options.
The editorial makes clearer than ever before the dimensions of the council's emerging anti-modernity bloc. Dan Coffey and Steve Price are givens, but Jeff Gahan and Pat McLaughlin both have consistently joined with the know-nothings in impeding legislative rationality.
CM Gahan opted for scattershot indecipherability a long time ago, and lacking any coherent, stated notion of where he's coming from and why, we can only surmise that agreeing with Coffey this often constitutes a full-scale descent into the depths of the Dark Side, where CM McLaughlin -- whose picture currently adorns the Webster's Dictionary entry for "disappointment" -- also seems to have taken up residence.
But of more immediate significance is this section, wherein the editorial board commends school administrators:
What's this analogy intended to convey, Coach K? That it's bad to dither, and therefore, it's far better that potentially catastrophic long-term decisions are reached quickly and confidently, even if they're tragically mistaken?
A fairly bad analogy, guys. While we're on the subject of sidesteps, has any editorial board discussion of the bridges project yet been undertaken?
TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: New Albany Council’s votes are limiting our options.
The editorial makes clearer than ever before the dimensions of the council's emerging anti-modernity bloc. Dan Coffey and Steve Price are givens, but Jeff Gahan and Pat McLaughlin both have consistently joined with the know-nothings in impeding legislative rationality.
CM Gahan opted for scattershot indecipherability a long time ago, and lacking any coherent, stated notion of where he's coming from and why, we can only surmise that agreeing with Coffey this often constitutes a full-scale descent into the depths of the Dark Side, where CM McLaughlin -- whose picture currently adorns the Webster's Dictionary entry for "disappointment" -- also seems to have taken up residence.
But of more immediate significance is this section, wherein the editorial board commends school administrators:
New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. Superintendent Bruce Hibbard, and his administrative team, recently announced recommendations to close four elementary schools and make other cuts that will impact and anger many. Right or wrong, these were not popular decisions, but they were necessary. School administrators didn’t sit around and blame each other for the $6.6 million deficit that was thrown in their lap. They made, what they believed, were the necessary cuts.There it is, and you can take it to the bank, folks: The Tribune will be punting when it comes to the impending school closings.
What's this analogy intended to convey, Coach K? That it's bad to dither, and therefore, it's far better that potentially catastrophic long-term decisions are reached quickly and confidently, even if they're tragically mistaken?
A fairly bad analogy, guys. While we're on the subject of sidesteps, has any editorial board discussion of the bridges project yet been undertaken?
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Normal hours at the Pizzeria & Public House today, and HBG at Bank Street until 4:30 p.m.
NABC's Pizzeria & Public House is open from 11:00 a.m. today (Saturday, March 6) for business as usual.
NABC Bank Street Street Brewhouse is hosting a private party for the visiting busload of Hoosier Beer Geeks (Indianapolis) during lunchtime today, and will be open for business at 4:30 p.m.
If you are an employee of Indiana American Water, you'll be charged an additional 300% at both our locations to help begin recouping the money lost owing to your company's incompetence yesterday. Thanks for understanding.
NABC Bank Street Street Brewhouse is hosting a private party for the visiting busload of Hoosier Beer Geeks (Indianapolis) during lunchtime today, and will be open for business at 4:30 p.m.
If you are an employee of Indiana American Water, you'll be charged an additional 300% at both our locations to help begin recouping the money lost owing to your company's incompetence yesterday. Thanks for understanding.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Consider downtown New Albany tonight.
If you are reading on Friday afternoon, and were planning on coming out to the Pizzeria & Public House tonight, you cannot, because we're closed for Friday owing to a water problem in the neighborhood.
No State Police poaching at the Pizzeria & Public House tonight, because IN-AWC learned "routine" in Pyongyang.
I'd like to suggest that instead of abandoning the drive to New Albany, consider coming downtown and exploring the eateries and watering holes that have come into existence the last few years.
I say this less because our Bank Street Brewhouse is downtown, although it is, and more because perhaps not all readers have yet experienced what downtown New Albany has to offer. I'm thinking River City Winery, and Steinert's, and Wick's, and Connor's Place, and Windsor, and Studio's (all with adult beverages, and still others without for dining).
If our usual Friday night crowd at the Pizzeria & Public House came downtown and dispersed among the establishments there, not only would our regulars have a good time. They'd get a chance to see what we've all tried to achieve in the historic core of the city.
Think about it. Thanks.
No State Police poaching at the Pizzeria & Public House tonight, because IN-AWC learned "routine" in Pyongyang.
I'd like to suggest that instead of abandoning the drive to New Albany, consider coming downtown and exploring the eateries and watering holes that have come into existence the last few years.
I say this less because our Bank Street Brewhouse is downtown, although it is, and more because perhaps not all readers have yet experienced what downtown New Albany has to offer. I'm thinking River City Winery, and Steinert's, and Wick's, and Connor's Place, and Windsor, and Studio's (all with adult beverages, and still others without for dining).
If our usual Friday night crowd at the Pizzeria & Public House came downtown and dispersed among the establishments there, not only would our regulars have a good time. They'd get a chance to see what we've all tried to achieve in the historic core of the city.
Think about it. Thanks.
No State Police poaching at the Pizzeria & Public House tonight, because IN-AWC learned "routine" in Pyongyang.
The NABC Pizzeria & Public House will not reopen on this, customarily our busiest day of the week, during this, usually one of the biggest weekends of the year.
Bank Street Brewhouse operates normally, in spite of troglodyte indifference to Progressive Pints.
Hats off to Indiana American Water for making something called "scheduled maintenance" from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. (which we were not once told was even happening) into a neighborhood catastrophe lasting all day on Friday. If they were in a mood to return phone calls, I'd give you their side of it.
The Pizzeria & Public House will work normal hours on Saturday.
I think. Ask IN-AWC. Wait. There are no humans there with whom to speak.
Bank Street Brewhouse operates normally, in spite of troglodyte indifference to Progressive Pints.
Hats off to Indiana American Water for making something called "scheduled maintenance" from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. (which we were not once told was even happening) into a neighborhood catastrophe lasting all day on Friday. If they were in a mood to return phone calls, I'd give you their side of it.
The Pizzeria & Public House will work normal hours on Saturday.
I think. Ask IN-AWC. Wait. There are no humans there with whom to speak.
Water's off, so the NABC Pizzeria & Pub closed until around 5:30 p.m.
2:15 p.m. update: Semi-official word is, no water service at the Pizzeria & Public House until somewhere around 5:30 p.m. Suggestion is they were routinely checking hydrants, found a leak, and are fixing it. There goes the after work crowd. We think we'll be good by 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. with no ill effects after that. I will be back to update you.
As of 12:30 p.m., water service has been cut off at the Pizzeria & Public House in what Indiana American Water's far-off customer service representative describes to me as scheduled maintenance. For three hours.
That's right. For three hours. On a Friday. With no warning whatsoever.
I'll be back to let you know when the coast's clear. I hope we're open again by 4 p.m., but we're at the mercy of the water company, and I'm waiting for a call back from some poor unfortunate whose ass may well get ripped.
Bank Street Brewhouse is open.
As of 12:30 p.m., water service has been cut off at the Pizzeria & Public House in what Indiana American Water's far-off customer service representative describes to me as scheduled maintenance. For three hours.
That's right. For three hours. On a Friday. With no warning whatsoever.
I'll be back to let you know when the coast's clear. I hope we're open again by 4 p.m., but we're at the mercy of the water company, and I'm waiting for a call back from some poor unfortunate whose ass may well get ripped.
Bank Street Brewhouse is open.
A little Clere-ity, please.
I have become increasingly perplexed with State Representative Ed Clere's usage of the free weekly campaign ad space afforded him by the Tribune.
In his latest column, Clere defends his support of property tax caps in relation to proposed school closings by claiming that "property tax caps have almost nothing to do with it."
What he fails to mention, however, is the school funding scheme changes that were necessary to facilitate the property tax caps. Realizing that schools would suffer from the caps, the governor and some state legislators changed the funding stream that supports school systems' general funds. Instead of being supported partially by local property taxes and partially by state revenue as they had been in the past, a decision was made to make state revenue the only source of school general funds so that local property taxes, which would be lessened by the caps, could be removed from that particular equation.
In order to gain support for the caps, citizens were promised by cap advocates that a 1% sales tax increase would help cover school funding deficits created by the loss of property tax revenue. Opponents of the change warned that sales and income taxes, the major components of state revenue, were too unstable a source to make school funding dependent on them, particularly during difficult economic times. Those warnings were ignored and between 2008 and 2009, the NA-FC School Corporation's local property tax levy was reduced by 47.9% as Indianapolis took control of school general funds statewide.
Unfortunately, during that same period of 2008 to 2009, state revenues declined despite the sales tax increase. Projections at the time predicted that revenue would continue to decrease through 2011 and still do, with an additional $1.85 billion drop recently predicted for 2010 and 2011. In other words, concerns about the instability of those funding sources were proven valid. Armed with that knowledge, however, property tax cap supporters, including Clere, continued to advocate that the caps be made permanent. Since nearly half the property tax allotment had already been removed from the school corporation's budget and intended replacement revenues were plainly not materializing, it's difficult to believe that local cap advocates did not envision substantial school cuts and/or potential closings resulting from their favored policy.
So while Clere notes that property tax caps have little to do with impending school closings, that's largely because the forced cuts are being made to the NA-FC general fund which, in accordance with policy he supports, is no longer directly connected to property tax revenue in the first place. It makes for nice rhetoric, but confuses rather than clarifies the issue as the caps changed the entire way funding occurs.
Ironically, Clere also says that "legislation I supported last week would allow the schools to replace up to 100 percent of the amount the governor cut. The replacement cash would come from funds that normally are restricted." Though again unmentioned, all but one of those other restricted school funds are still supported by local property tax dollars. In combination, his recent statements suggest that when the sales tax revenue stream doesn't work as tax cap advocates said it would, we should use property taxes again as a solution while simultaneously claiming that property taxes have little to do with the situation. Notable, too, is that the cash in question will not "replace" the money being cut. If I lose a $10 bill, moving another, completely different $10 bill from one pocket to the other obviously does not get me the $10 I lost back, regardless of how well I describe the pocket swap.
Perhaps even more generally confounding is that while Clere and other state level cap advocates suggest that putting more money in the classroom is their ultimate goal, they've chosen to marry teacher salaries, paid out of the general fund, to the verifiably unstable sales tax revenue stream while leaving capital, debt service, and other funding tied to the more stable property tax source. Governor Daniels, too, has made much of exorbitant new school construction as a waste of resources. If that's the problem, why not just purposely cut capital and/or construction funding instead of threatening teacher and aid positions? Exurban demographics and party allegiance provide clues to a possible answer, but I'm not sure that alone is enough to explain such a convoluted approach to stated goals.
It's clear that Clere's a talented writer. What's less clear as a result of that writing is what his intentions regarding our local schools actually are. I think we deserve a much better explanation than what we've gotten so far.
In his latest column, Clere defends his support of property tax caps in relation to proposed school closings by claiming that "property tax caps have almost nothing to do with it."
What he fails to mention, however, is the school funding scheme changes that were necessary to facilitate the property tax caps. Realizing that schools would suffer from the caps, the governor and some state legislators changed the funding stream that supports school systems' general funds. Instead of being supported partially by local property taxes and partially by state revenue as they had been in the past, a decision was made to make state revenue the only source of school general funds so that local property taxes, which would be lessened by the caps, could be removed from that particular equation.
In order to gain support for the caps, citizens were promised by cap advocates that a 1% sales tax increase would help cover school funding deficits created by the loss of property tax revenue. Opponents of the change warned that sales and income taxes, the major components of state revenue, were too unstable a source to make school funding dependent on them, particularly during difficult economic times. Those warnings were ignored and between 2008 and 2009, the NA-FC School Corporation's local property tax levy was reduced by 47.9% as Indianapolis took control of school general funds statewide.
Unfortunately, during that same period of 2008 to 2009, state revenues declined despite the sales tax increase. Projections at the time predicted that revenue would continue to decrease through 2011 and still do, with an additional $1.85 billion drop recently predicted for 2010 and 2011. In other words, concerns about the instability of those funding sources were proven valid. Armed with that knowledge, however, property tax cap supporters, including Clere, continued to advocate that the caps be made permanent. Since nearly half the property tax allotment had already been removed from the school corporation's budget and intended replacement revenues were plainly not materializing, it's difficult to believe that local cap advocates did not envision substantial school cuts and/or potential closings resulting from their favored policy.
So while Clere notes that property tax caps have little to do with impending school closings, that's largely because the forced cuts are being made to the NA-FC general fund which, in accordance with policy he supports, is no longer directly connected to property tax revenue in the first place. It makes for nice rhetoric, but confuses rather than clarifies the issue as the caps changed the entire way funding occurs.
Ironically, Clere also says that "legislation I supported last week would allow the schools to replace up to 100 percent of the amount the governor cut. The replacement cash would come from funds that normally are restricted." Though again unmentioned, all but one of those other restricted school funds are still supported by local property tax dollars. In combination, his recent statements suggest that when the sales tax revenue stream doesn't work as tax cap advocates said it would, we should use property taxes again as a solution while simultaneously claiming that property taxes have little to do with the situation. Notable, too, is that the cash in question will not "replace" the money being cut. If I lose a $10 bill, moving another, completely different $10 bill from one pocket to the other obviously does not get me the $10 I lost back, regardless of how well I describe the pocket swap.
Perhaps even more generally confounding is that while Clere and other state level cap advocates suggest that putting more money in the classroom is their ultimate goal, they've chosen to marry teacher salaries, paid out of the general fund, to the verifiably unstable sales tax revenue stream while leaving capital, debt service, and other funding tied to the more stable property tax source. Governor Daniels, too, has made much of exorbitant new school construction as a waste of resources. If that's the problem, why not just purposely cut capital and/or construction funding instead of threatening teacher and aid positions? Exurban demographics and party allegiance provide clues to a possible answer, but I'm not sure that alone is enough to explain such a convoluted approach to stated goals.
It's clear that Clere's a talented writer. What's less clear as a result of that writing is what his intentions regarding our local schools actually are. I think we deserve a much better explanation than what we've gotten so far.
This being America, it's too bad we aren't allowed to vote on it. Are the little people outraged yet?
I prefer option two, below, which our new school superintendent has chosen not to attempt.
A referendum would permit a person like me, who has no children of his own, to nonetheless vote with my wallet in favor of the principle of secular public education, because I believe that secular public education is one significant hallmark of a diverse and civilized society. I do not believe that a diverse and civil society is furthered by fragmentation into various tax-supported Madrasahs.
My guess is that in terms of property tax, it would cost me a dollar a day for the entire year to keep neighborhood schools open. A referendum would also permit us to identify quite clerely who supports a diverse and civil society, and who isn't sure. This would be instructive, allowing us a chance to debate openly the nature of selfishness as furthered by tax "rebellion."
A referendum would permit a person like me, who has no children of his own, to nonetheless vote with my wallet in favor of the principle of secular public education, because I believe that secular public education is one significant hallmark of a diverse and civilized society. I do not believe that a diverse and civil society is furthered by fragmentation into various tax-supported Madrasahs.
My guess is that in terms of property tax, it would cost me a dollar a day for the entire year to keep neighborhood schools open. A referendum would also permit us to identify quite clerely who supports a diverse and civil society, and who isn't sure. This would be instructive, allowing us a chance to debate openly the nature of selfishness as furthered by tax "rebellion."
Superintendent asking board to close four schools, by Chris Morris (Tribune).
Option two would have been to go to the public with a referendum to raise property taxes — which would have been on average of $225 a year on a $100,000 house ...
Thursday, March 04, 2010
As expected: School corporation to suggest closing four schools.
It looks like Mitch Daniels is winning: Children's Academy, Galena, Pine View and Silver Street (Tribune breaking news).
It should be interesting to observe the spin on this one. In fact, ever since the leaks began, the silence has been fairly deafening.
If the recommendations are to be made this Monday, that's leaving very little wiggle room.
It should be interesting to observe the spin on this one. In fact, ever since the leaks began, the silence has been fairly deafening.
If the recommendations are to be made this Monday, that's leaving very little wiggle room.
For the record: Matt at the meeting.
A Tribune reader implies that she didn't see Matt Nash at the infamous sewer rate information meeting a short time back, but as this photo shows, he was there.
Today's Tribune column: "No EPA receivership for hypocrisy overflows."
More on sewers, the New Albany Syndrome, and a local preference for malice.
BAYLOR: No EPA receivership for hypocrisy overflows
None of this is going to endear me to those area residents who have determined that anger, and anger alone, is somehow the proper cure for what ails them. So be it. I'd rather be in this together, seeking constructive dialogue and substantive solutions, but that seems unlikely. Defeatism is in the water here. I'll drink beer, instead.
Facts, not jihads: More required reading on sewers.
Randy Smith boils down his sewer series to talking points ...
To make a long story short... and explains why certain EDIT-based "relief" proposals stem from intended cultural jihads, not the hard facts about the sewer utility.
I’ll admit it. I write “long.” I try to be careful with my writing and I try to be complete. When I write about public policy matters, I choose my words carefully, try to address even the most esoteric of possible objections, and strive to accommodate readers who may just now be paying attention.
Accordingly, sharing facts and opinion with a wider audience is often prevented by the sheer length of what I write.
So, let’s try to boil my recent 5-part essay into its essence, shall we? Here are the elements.
A sewer fix we can accomplish now
Let’s be clear about one thing right off the bat. I would not fault any city council member for calling “time out” when asked to increase the $5.04 per unit sewer rate by another $1.81. There’s nothing insignificant about that.
But when any council member tries to blind us from the facts with irrelevancies, personal grievances, and boogeymen, I call foul.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
A reader submission: "Fractious Fractured Fairytales."
The following was submitted by Kathleen Martin. Readers, feel free to discuss.
---
FRACTIOUS FRACTURED FAIRYTALES
[Recommended: Read the text below with Mr. Peabody's voice in mind.]
Today's episode: Robbin' the Hoodwinked or What's That I Smell?
Once upon a time, very recently in fact, a wealthy landlord purchased a sizable piece of property. It included a big house in front, which he leased to a college fraternity (henceforth the FRATS), with a cozy guest cottage behind just right for the little old lady (LOL) he rented it to. Before any residents moved in, the owner bought a washing machine he felt suitable for the two households to share between them, but he quickly needed to recoup his expenses for this amenity.
So the landlord added to each household's lease the same "minimum use" charge of $10.08 per month and gave the FRATS and LOL each a debit card to activate the washer. A swipe of the card allowed each separate household two wash loads a week, per the "minimum use" clause, and any use beyond that would cost $1 per extra load and charged to the household's card.
Now the LOL only had one load to wash each week, so the minimum fee worked out to about $2.30 for each use of the shared washer. The first two FRATS living in the big house were splitting that $10.08, so their weekly loads cost them just $1 apiece. As the FRATS added tenants, one by one, they were pleased when the cost per load was further reduced, and soon the washer was working away as hard as the students partied, which was a considerable amount. Still, the landlord's smile only grew wider as his revenues mounted on the debit card of the FRATS.
By the time five FRATS had moved in, however, they decided their household deserved a volume discount for all the extra $1 loads expensed to their card. The landlord figured it was a fair enough request -- after all, he wasn't getting anything beyond the $10.08 minimum from his deadbeat LOL tenant -- and so he reduced the price of loads beyond the two minimum a week down to 80 cents, six beyond to 60 cents, ten beyond to 40 cents, and so on. With this volume deal for the FRATS -- now numbering eight -- well, whew-ee, that washer was agitating night and day, often spinning a solitary puked on t-shirt just because it was so dirt cheap. The FRATS continued to party hard, while the LOL could hardly find a time the machine was free for her single load each week.
It turned out the skinflint landlord unfortunately had not purchased a Maytag -- he heard of a real steal on a machine advertised as "worth every penny" -- so by the time there were ten FRATS in residence, the overworked washer broke down one day while the LOL was doing her weekly load. The landlord now had repair bills to pay and replacement parts to purchase, so he felt he had no other choice but to raise the monthly minimum on both households to $20.
The LOL found the new minimum use fee a terrific hardship, but made no protest since she couldn't afford to move from her cozy cottage. She cut corners by taking half doses of her prescribed medicine and buying twice the cat food, though people noticed she didn't even own a cat. The FRATS coped by adding two more tenants and continuing to split the increases, but a month later the newly repaired machine broke down again, and it continued to break down from overuse on a regular basis. The landlord and FRATS remembered the quickest way to pay for repair expenses was again increasing the minimum use fee to both households equally. The LOL was too weak by now to disagree.
Now I'd like to say the landlord, the LOL and the FRATS all lived happily ever after, but that would be a lie. [At least I can reassure you the little old lady wasn't mutilated late last night.] Finally the cottage's tenant stopped taking her medicine altogether, hoarding the pills so that after she'd cut the very last corner she possibly could, she had the means to go peacefully to sleep one night and forget her troubles forever.
The big house tenants graduated and dispersed to places far and wide. Some enjoyed Maytag machines at their new households, and a few of them even learned the high price of not paying for playing. And the landlord? Sadly, no one wanted to lease his cottage due to its inequitable minimum use fee, which he stubbornly refused to see as unfair. The big house also couldn't be rented, because the party-hardy FRATS had trashed it so badly. So, he learned his lesson the hard way. He finally sold the vacant property at a great financial loss, and spent his final years neglected by the staff of a dirty and decrepit nursing home.
The story's moral? Now I'd like to say it's "Waste Not, Want Not," but this fairytale didn't really wind up that way, especially for the LOL. Perhaps instead it's no Bullwinkle, Sherman, that our sewer system and fee structure is on the precipice of a treacherously Rocky cliff. And fixing it revolves around the word "hard": Hardy partying vs. hardship; hardened hearts vs. hardheadedness. From hard choices to hardly caring and from hard sell to hard-pressed. Fix it, yes, but first make it fair.
Kathleen Martin 2/26/2010
---
FRACTIOUS FRACTURED FAIRYTALES
[Recommended: Read the text below with Mr. Peabody's voice in mind.]
Today's episode: Robbin' the Hoodwinked or What's That I Smell?
Once upon a time, very recently in fact, a wealthy landlord purchased a sizable piece of property. It included a big house in front, which he leased to a college fraternity (henceforth the FRATS), with a cozy guest cottage behind just right for the little old lady (LOL) he rented it to. Before any residents moved in, the owner bought a washing machine he felt suitable for the two households to share between them, but he quickly needed to recoup his expenses for this amenity.
So the landlord added to each household's lease the same "minimum use" charge of $10.08 per month and gave the FRATS and LOL each a debit card to activate the washer. A swipe of the card allowed each separate household two wash loads a week, per the "minimum use" clause, and any use beyond that would cost $1 per extra load and charged to the household's card.
Now the LOL only had one load to wash each week, so the minimum fee worked out to about $2.30 for each use of the shared washer. The first two FRATS living in the big house were splitting that $10.08, so their weekly loads cost them just $1 apiece. As the FRATS added tenants, one by one, they were pleased when the cost per load was further reduced, and soon the washer was working away as hard as the students partied, which was a considerable amount. Still, the landlord's smile only grew wider as his revenues mounted on the debit card of the FRATS.
By the time five FRATS had moved in, however, they decided their household deserved a volume discount for all the extra $1 loads expensed to their card. The landlord figured it was a fair enough request -- after all, he wasn't getting anything beyond the $10.08 minimum from his deadbeat LOL tenant -- and so he reduced the price of loads beyond the two minimum a week down to 80 cents, six beyond to 60 cents, ten beyond to 40 cents, and so on. With this volume deal for the FRATS -- now numbering eight -- well, whew-ee, that washer was agitating night and day, often spinning a solitary puked on t-shirt just because it was so dirt cheap. The FRATS continued to party hard, while the LOL could hardly find a time the machine was free for her single load each week.
It turned out the skinflint landlord unfortunately had not purchased a Maytag -- he heard of a real steal on a machine advertised as "worth every penny" -- so by the time there were ten FRATS in residence, the overworked washer broke down one day while the LOL was doing her weekly load. The landlord now had repair bills to pay and replacement parts to purchase, so he felt he had no other choice but to raise the monthly minimum on both households to $20.
The LOL found the new minimum use fee a terrific hardship, but made no protest since she couldn't afford to move from her cozy cottage. She cut corners by taking half doses of her prescribed medicine and buying twice the cat food, though people noticed she didn't even own a cat. The FRATS coped by adding two more tenants and continuing to split the increases, but a month later the newly repaired machine broke down again, and it continued to break down from overuse on a regular basis. The landlord and FRATS remembered the quickest way to pay for repair expenses was again increasing the minimum use fee to both households equally. The LOL was too weak by now to disagree.
Now I'd like to say the landlord, the LOL and the FRATS all lived happily ever after, but that would be a lie. [At least I can reassure you the little old lady wasn't mutilated late last night.] Finally the cottage's tenant stopped taking her medicine altogether, hoarding the pills so that after she'd cut the very last corner she possibly could, she had the means to go peacefully to sleep one night and forget her troubles forever.
The big house tenants graduated and dispersed to places far and wide. Some enjoyed Maytag machines at their new households, and a few of them even learned the high price of not paying for playing. And the landlord? Sadly, no one wanted to lease his cottage due to its inequitable minimum use fee, which he stubbornly refused to see as unfair. The big house also couldn't be rented, because the party-hardy FRATS had trashed it so badly. So, he learned his lesson the hard way. He finally sold the vacant property at a great financial loss, and spent his final years neglected by the staff of a dirty and decrepit nursing home.
The story's moral? Now I'd like to say it's "Waste Not, Want Not," but this fairytale didn't really wind up that way, especially for the LOL. Perhaps instead it's no Bullwinkle, Sherman, that our sewer system and fee structure is on the precipice of a treacherously Rocky cliff. And fixing it revolves around the word "hard": Hardy partying vs. hardship; hardened hearts vs. hardheadedness. From hard choices to hardly caring and from hard sell to hard-pressed. Fix it, yes, but first make it fair.
Kathleen Martin 2/26/2010
Leak the plans, win a hundred bucks.
At his new blog, Dan Coffey wrote:
Fair enough.
Note that the two sentences express very different ideas. The first implies that EDIT money will be spent on one or both conjectured projects. The second sentence expresses the viewpoint that if such projects actually were on the table, other ideas would be better. However, the impact of the second sentence is dependent on the implications of the first being true.
Are there spade-ready concrete proposals for a parking garage and/or city hall? If so, shouldn't we be able to locate them?
I have a hundred dollars for the first person who can provide written proof that any such proposal, either for a parking garage or a city hall, actually exists.
I won't ask for the copies of the city council ordinance approving one or both, because we all know that hasn't happened. Barring any such evidence, we can assume that while Coffey is not lying outright, that he is using scare tactics with no basis in fact. If such evidence exists, then he's nailed it. Which is it?
Also, there are those that want to use the EDIT money for a $12 million parking garage and a multi million dollar city hall. I feel we should use our resources to fix the problems at hand before we bond millions of dollars that we do not have.
Fair enough.
Note that the two sentences express very different ideas. The first implies that EDIT money will be spent on one or both conjectured projects. The second sentence expresses the viewpoint that if such projects actually were on the table, other ideas would be better. However, the impact of the second sentence is dependent on the implications of the first being true.
Are there spade-ready concrete proposals for a parking garage and/or city hall? If so, shouldn't we be able to locate them?
I have a hundred dollars for the first person who can provide written proof that any such proposal, either for a parking garage or a city hall, actually exists.
I won't ask for the copies of the city council ordinance approving one or both, because we all know that hasn't happened. Barring any such evidence, we can assume that while Coffey is not lying outright, that he is using scare tactics with no basis in fact. If such evidence exists, then he's nailed it. Which is it?
Do ward heelers s**t in the woods?
Only if they've lost the only key to the public toilet.
As an experiment, I posted the following as a comment at Dan Coffey's blog.
The comment was quickly removed.
As an experiment, I posted the following as a comment at Dan Coffey's blog.
The sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.
2 + 2 = 4
Abraham Lincoln made a speech at Gettysburg.
The comment was quickly removed.
Let the copperhead have the book, and no one gets read.
(Photo credit: Illustration at left appears all over the Web. I'm not sure where it came from, and will gladly attribute if you give me a tip)Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Rewind to Dan Coffey on blogging, circa 2005: "Anyone can hide behind the keyboard."
Here's the scorecard so far over at The Coffey Corner, councilman Dan Coffey's newly minted blog.
Total posts: 2
Comments made by me: 5
Comments of mine erased: 5
Comments and erasures of others: 1 (the second at any minute)
Comments agreeing with Coffey, therefore not erased: 1
Hmm. That looks, feels and sounds like a small-time tinpot censor hiding behind a keyboard -- but wait, didn't Coffey himself once ... yes, he did. Read on. I doubt the links work, although they really aren't the point, are they?
---
NA Confidential vs. NA Incontinent at Monday's City Council meeting (February 8, 2005).
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
-- Author Ray Bradbury
“What are you reading?”
As opening lines go, this is a fairly innocuous one. Most of us regard it in the same manner as other common greetings, like “how are you?” and “what’s up?”
How is it, then, that a seemingly harmless supposition with respect to one’s view of the act of reading is transformed into an offense, a provocation, a seeming challenge to one’s masculinity?
Mention the words “NA Confidential” to New Albany Councilman Dan Coffey, and you’ll find out what those of us who grew up on a farm have known since childhood.
Wild skunks spray as a defense mechanism when they perceive a threat.
At least one beleaguered local politician has now been observed to display similar characteristics.
At last evening’s City Council meeting, I took advantage of the time allowed for public comment to speak briefly on three matters:
(1) To restate NA Confidential’s opposition to the further expenditure of public monies to fight a losing battle against the 1st Amendment in the New Albany DVD case,
Total posts: 2
Comments made by me: 5
Comments of mine erased: 5
Comments and erasures of others: 1 (the second at any minute)
Comments agreeing with Coffey, therefore not erased: 1
Hmm. That looks, feels and sounds like a small-time tinpot censor hiding behind a keyboard -- but wait, didn't Coffey himself once ... yes, he did. Read on. I doubt the links work, although they really aren't the point, are they?
---
NA Confidential vs. NA Incontinent at Monday's City Council meeting (February 8, 2005).
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
-- Author Ray Bradbury
“What are you reading?”
As opening lines go, this is a fairly innocuous one. Most of us regard it in the same manner as other common greetings, like “how are you?” and “what’s up?”
How is it, then, that a seemingly harmless supposition with respect to one’s view of the act of reading is transformed into an offense, a provocation, a seeming challenge to one’s masculinity?
Mention the words “NA Confidential” to New Albany Councilman Dan Coffey, and you’ll find out what those of us who grew up on a farm have known since childhood.
Wild skunks spray as a defense mechanism when they perceive a threat.
At least one beleaguered local politician has now been observed to display similar characteristics.
At last evening’s City Council meeting, I took advantage of the time allowed for public comment to speak briefly on three matters:
(1) To restate NA Confidential’s opposition to the further expenditure of public monies to fight a losing battle against the 1st Amendment in the New Albany DVD case,
(2) To encourage the mayor (who was absent) and the council to consider setting up public forums for discussion of matters not reserved to the weekly Board of Public Works and Safety meetings, and
(3) To support the March 2 Public Affairs Symposium, "New Visions for Downtown New Albany."
NA Confidential regards these statements as general in nature, fully in keeping with the “respect” factor and time limitations enforced by President Jeff Gahan, and certainly not directed toward any single individual on the City Council.
But Dan Coffey’s immediate, visceral and jarringly defensive reaction was as indicative of an ill-tempered, anti-progressive mindset as one is apt to find without running to the library for transcripts of Senator McCarthy’s 1950’s-era witch hunt hearings in the US Senate.
These hearings might be available on video for the benefit of those who feel threatened by the act of reading.
Coincidentally, Dan Coffey does not read Blogs because “anyone can hide behind the keyboard,” but by means of osmosis or the Vulcan mind meld, he purports to know exactly what is written in NA Confidential.
Dan Coffey, who sits as part of an elected body known as the “city” council, which is charged with matters pertaining to the city as a whole, sees no need to speak with anyone outside his own district, where he holds public meetings six times a year ... and ... hey, you ... outsider … you don’t live here, do you? … well, congratulations, you’ve just been invited not to attend!
Dan Coffey emphatically and abrasively possesses not the slightest intention to attend any town hall, public forum or revival meeting that is not organized by himself in the safety of his own fiefdom, especially if he’s invited only to listen to the taxpayers throughout the city who pay his salary (and whose money he spends) rather than speak himself.
That’s because Dan Coffey, red-faced and sermonizing, is in fact gravely insulted at not being consulted.
By his own admission, he doesn’t read, but also by his own admission, he is one of the select group able to understand the money, who controls the purse strings of the city, who knows how things get done, who certainly doesn’t need the advice of mere "complainers" who should know their place in the back of the cosmos bus or else get up off their laggard butts and run for office – as if there were no other way to participate in the political process in this city.
The meeting room was quiet as the Wizard of Westside self-destructed.
Then, having encapsulated the most virulent form of New Albany’s native disease in far more eloquent fashion than has been attempted in NA Confidential or any other repository of the written word, Dan Coffey ceased his diatribe.
Ten minutes later, Dan Coffey nodded in assent as fellow Councilman Bill Schmidt produced the results of personal research indicating that neither he nor Coffey, or for that matter, anyone else on the City Council really knows how much money the city has borrowed or if it has been paid back.
NA Confidential earnestly hopes that Dan Coffey’s outburst last evening was the result of the stress and strain that doubtless accompany the task of sifting through New Albany’s current budgetary woes. The Courier-Journal’s and Tribune’s coverage of the meeting make clear the extent of the crisis.
But extenuating circumstances aside, Dan Coffey’s performance cannot be allowed to pass without comment.
His narrow parochialism with respect to the responsibilities of elected public representatives is sadly indicative of the discredited “ward-heeler” school of political “thought,” once the norm but now utterly incapable of providing the unifying vision critical in a world increasingly reliant on the very qualities of communication and inter-dependence that Coffey regards with open contempt.
And, for the record, I’m reading “The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History,” by John Barry.
Volunteer Hoosier's essay "Contrapunction" analyzes the February 7 City Council meeting
New Albany budget questions put vehicle requests on hold, by Ben Zion Hershberg of the Louisville Courier-Journal
Outstanding loans force delay in possible purchase of city vehicles, by Amany Ali, Tribune City Editor
Yet another new blog, this one sensible: Impeach Coffey.
As though in response to The Coffey Corner, there's now ...
Sometimes the Open Air Museum is the most entertaining place on earth.
Impeach CoffeyCan we really impeach him, or merely recall him? Is Skittles the Cat coffeyplating another run? Will the huddled, long-repressed Westendians rise up and free themselves from their doltish shackles?
"New Albany has had about enough of Dan Coffey. Under the guise of serving the citizens of New Albany, he has single handedly set our once great city back decades."
Sometimes the Open Air Museum is the most entertaining place on earth.
Indexed: New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010, in five parts, by Randy Smith.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 1 – How We Got to This Point.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 2 – Why This Isn’t a “Crisis” but the Natural Result of City Council’s Irresponsibility.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 3 – Why I Think Council is Digging its Heels.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 4 – Keep your hands off our EDIT!
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 5 – A Modest Proposal to Help out “Aunt Sally.”
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 2 – Why This Isn’t a “Crisis” but the Natural Result of City Council’s Irresponsibility.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 3 – Why I Think Council is Digging its Heels.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 4 – Keep your hands off our EDIT!
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 5 – A Modest Proposal to Help out “Aunt Sally.”
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 5 – A Modest Proposal to Help out “Aunt Sally.”
With Randy Smith's permission, NAC is happy to reprint this series of five articles as counterpoint to the prevailing blather.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010:
Part 5 – A Modest Proposal to Help out “Aunt Sally.”
Despite the fact that the council has signaled its complete willingness to give away the sewer utility and cast it into receivership, one can hope that rational minds will prevail.
What has been offered by our bondholders is a decent, if still painful solution that would require an immediate 36 percent rate increase, followed by a 19 percent increase in 2012. Annual increases of 3 percent would follow through 2016.
This 36/19 plan is simple arithmetic, but it’s hard to say that it is the type of deal that would be negotiated by a truly engaged city council. Before rejecting or accepting any of the three alternatives before it (70 percent now; 36/19; or relinquishing the utility into the hands of an outside sewer czar), why can’t the city council engage in politics the way it was meant to be?
Politics, it is said, is the weighing of competing interests, usually with the result that a majority chooses the weight of those interests.
The council, as I write this, is engaged in the worst kind of politics. They are willing to throw up “straw men” and take ideological stands, but they don’t seem to be capable of sitting down, raising their points, and then crafting a solution that addresses those points.
Blinded by pride, envy, hatred, and distrust of anyone or anything they don’t understand, and fearful of being fooled, the council is acting like 3-year-olds. They’re willing to say “no,” but they aren’t willing to work around the edges to fix the biggest problems. That’s true of most issues, but particularly true on this one.
Now, having thoroughly insulted the council, perhaps I’m not the one to offer an alternative, but here goes.
The “straw-man fallacy” is a tried-and-true technique frequently employed by demagogues. By distorting or mischaracterizing the choices before the council, a member tries to kill a proposal.
A “straw-man proposal,” however, requires members to brainstorm and discuss the pros and cons of a proposal and to inspire new and better proposals. In the U.K., it’s called an “Aunt Sally.”
Let’s dispense with straw men and go right to “Aunt Sally.”
The most common argument against the rate increase is that times are tough, especially for the poor, the unemployed, and those on fixed incomes. Of course, times are tough. They are tough for all of us and they are tough for the government that provides the services we demand. Since we can’t just stop paying for our sewers, shouldn’t we dispense with the “times are tough” argument?
But that doesn’t mean the loudly stated argument doesn’t give us a jumping-off point to craft a slightly better proposal, one that addresses the impact on the poor, the unemployed, and those on fixed incomes.
Let’s talk about Aunt Sally. She is retired, lives alone, and is no longer working. Her income is fixed, whether it’s a social security check or a government check supplemented by pension, annuity, or a drawdown of her savings. If Sally is the right prototype, she’s already paying the minimum charge for her sewer service. That’s currently $10.08 for usage under 200 cubic feet, as measured by her water meter.
Sally would see her sewer bill rise to either $17 or $16.20 by 2012. Even if she uses less water, she can’t evade a bill for this much because that is the minimum charge.
Couldn’t we tell Aunt Sally we understand her dilemma? Couldn’t we freeze her rate at the current $10.08 a month and save her as much as $84 a year?
Of course we could. But we would have to make up that subsidy somewhere else, because our creditors won’t accept the status quo with multi-million dollar deficits and the law won’t allow us to dump tax dollars into sewer expenses.
The best proposal on the table proposes an increase in the minimum charge to $13.85. That means we would have to make up $3.85 that we would have received from Aunt Sally and all those people now using less than 200 cubic feet of water per month.
I analyzed a recent monthy billing summary and discovered that of about 16,500 billing accounts, about 21 percent of them were billed the minimum. Systemwide, no more than 3,200 users are currently being billed the minimum.
We can freeze the rates for all of those accounts, those households, those businesses, and those rental properties, by the simple expedient of adding 15 cents to the rate. If we impose a 40 percent increase today, we can follow that in 2012 with an 18 percent increase. We’d still be paying less than a penny a gallon to safely and effectively move our effluent to the treatment plant. But we’d be saving the lowest-volume users, the poor, and those on fixed incomes from sharing the financial burden with the rest of us.
If Aunt Sally starts to use more than 200 cubic feet of water each month, the subsidy disappears. She joins the rest of us in carrying the burden. But if she keeps her usage down, she would see nothing like the increase the rest of us will.
If I may, I call this the “40/18/Freeze” plan.
It addresses the argument variously styled as “little old lady,” “granny,” etc. It shields those low-volume users on a fixed income. As an unintended, though not unmerited benefit, it allows the owners of vacant rental property to limit their expenses while the property remains unrented. And for some of us, it gives us at least a chance of reducing our sewer bill by implementing dramatic conservation measures that would reduce our usage below 200 cubic feet per month.
I ask the council to think of Aunt Sally. We have to raise the rates. We must make the city-owned sewer utility viable. We must pay our debts. But can’t we actually do so while helping out those who would experience the most pain from the increase?
For the record, my home usage and my business usage are comparable, running between 400 and 600 cubic feet per month. I will not benefit from the “40/18/Freeze” plan.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010:
Part 5 – A Modest Proposal to Help out “Aunt Sally.”
Despite the fact that the council has signaled its complete willingness to give away the sewer utility and cast it into receivership, one can hope that rational minds will prevail.
What has been offered by our bondholders is a decent, if still painful solution that would require an immediate 36 percent rate increase, followed by a 19 percent increase in 2012. Annual increases of 3 percent would follow through 2016.
This 36/19 plan is simple arithmetic, but it’s hard to say that it is the type of deal that would be negotiated by a truly engaged city council. Before rejecting or accepting any of the three alternatives before it (70 percent now; 36/19; or relinquishing the utility into the hands of an outside sewer czar), why can’t the city council engage in politics the way it was meant to be?
Politics, it is said, is the weighing of competing interests, usually with the result that a majority chooses the weight of those interests.
The council, as I write this, is engaged in the worst kind of politics. They are willing to throw up “straw men” and take ideological stands, but they don’t seem to be capable of sitting down, raising their points, and then crafting a solution that addresses those points.
Blinded by pride, envy, hatred, and distrust of anyone or anything they don’t understand, and fearful of being fooled, the council is acting like 3-year-olds. They’re willing to say “no,” but they aren’t willing to work around the edges to fix the biggest problems. That’s true of most issues, but particularly true on this one.
Now, having thoroughly insulted the council, perhaps I’m not the one to offer an alternative, but here goes.
The “straw-man fallacy” is a tried-and-true technique frequently employed by demagogues. By distorting or mischaracterizing the choices before the council, a member tries to kill a proposal.
A “straw-man proposal,” however, requires members to brainstorm and discuss the pros and cons of a proposal and to inspire new and better proposals. In the U.K., it’s called an “Aunt Sally.”
Let’s dispense with straw men and go right to “Aunt Sally.”
The most common argument against the rate increase is that times are tough, especially for the poor, the unemployed, and those on fixed incomes. Of course, times are tough. They are tough for all of us and they are tough for the government that provides the services we demand. Since we can’t just stop paying for our sewers, shouldn’t we dispense with the “times are tough” argument?
But that doesn’t mean the loudly stated argument doesn’t give us a jumping-off point to craft a slightly better proposal, one that addresses the impact on the poor, the unemployed, and those on fixed incomes.
Let’s talk about Aunt Sally. She is retired, lives alone, and is no longer working. Her income is fixed, whether it’s a social security check or a government check supplemented by pension, annuity, or a drawdown of her savings. If Sally is the right prototype, she’s already paying the minimum charge for her sewer service. That’s currently $10.08 for usage under 200 cubic feet, as measured by her water meter.
Sally would see her sewer bill rise to either $17 or $16.20 by 2012. Even if she uses less water, she can’t evade a bill for this much because that is the minimum charge.
Couldn’t we tell Aunt Sally we understand her dilemma? Couldn’t we freeze her rate at the current $10.08 a month and save her as much as $84 a year?
Of course we could. But we would have to make up that subsidy somewhere else, because our creditors won’t accept the status quo with multi-million dollar deficits and the law won’t allow us to dump tax dollars into sewer expenses.
The best proposal on the table proposes an increase in the minimum charge to $13.85. That means we would have to make up $3.85 that we would have received from Aunt Sally and all those people now using less than 200 cubic feet of water per month.
I analyzed a recent monthy billing summary and discovered that of about 16,500 billing accounts, about 21 percent of them were billed the minimum. Systemwide, no more than 3,200 users are currently being billed the minimum.
We can freeze the rates for all of those accounts, those households, those businesses, and those rental properties, by the simple expedient of adding 15 cents to the rate. If we impose a 40 percent increase today, we can follow that in 2012 with an 18 percent increase. We’d still be paying less than a penny a gallon to safely and effectively move our effluent to the treatment plant. But we’d be saving the lowest-volume users, the poor, and those on fixed incomes from sharing the financial burden with the rest of us.
If Aunt Sally starts to use more than 200 cubic feet of water each month, the subsidy disappears. She joins the rest of us in carrying the burden. But if she keeps her usage down, she would see nothing like the increase the rest of us will.
If I may, I call this the “40/18/Freeze” plan.
It addresses the argument variously styled as “little old lady,” “granny,” etc. It shields those low-volume users on a fixed income. As an unintended, though not unmerited benefit, it allows the owners of vacant rental property to limit their expenses while the property remains unrented. And for some of us, it gives us at least a chance of reducing our sewer bill by implementing dramatic conservation measures that would reduce our usage below 200 cubic feet per month.
I ask the council to think of Aunt Sally. We have to raise the rates. We must make the city-owned sewer utility viable. We must pay our debts. But can’t we actually do so while helping out those who would experience the most pain from the increase?
For the record, my home usage and my business usage are comparable, running between 400 and 600 cubic feet per month. I will not benefit from the “40/18/Freeze” plan.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 4 – Keep your hands off our EDIT!
With Randy Smith's permission, NAC is happy to reprint this series of five articles as counterpoint to the prevailing blather.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010:
Part 4 – Keep your hands off our EDIT!
New Albany has a dirty little secret. Residents and elected officials often talk of it, but rarely talk about its implications.
The Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) was created and approved by voters to fund economic development that would ostensibly strengthen the tax base and help the city (and county) to continue to provide services and foster job growth. In fact, Floyd County used it to build and pay for a jail.
Last year, New Albany received about $2.9 million as its per capita share of this county income tax. New Albany can, after 2005 legislation was passed, use that money for just about any lawful purpose. This mayor and the last knew well that relying on property taxes alone would leave the city terribly vulnerable and so both tried to use the EDIT to promote projects that will boost economic activity and provide another tax base to fund city services.
However, to hide the fact that the rates being charged for sewer services were too low, city council, the mayors, and our lenders have diverted EDIT funds to keep rates lower than required.
Using EDIT to subsidize sewer rates is unequivocally against the law. No one will deny that, but still it continues. This year and next, $875,000 of EDIT will be diverted to keep sewer rates artificially low.
The current sewer deficit is 31 percent. That is, receipts from the current rate schedule cover 69 percent of the costs. The proposed rate increase only covers 24.5 percent of the deficit. The remainder, 6.6 percent, is being paid by resident payers of the local income tax.
That’s an appalling subsidy. It’s not just that it is illegal. It’s radically unfair.
To whom, you ask? To you, dear reader.
Let’s imagine, briefly, a situation where all sewer revenues came from the income tax. Let’s imagine that New Albany has “free” sewers. They would be “free” because the taxpayers were paying all the expenses. Who would benefit from “free” sewers and who would be paying all the costs?
Business users would benefit first and foremost. There is no local income tax on businesses, so every gallon of their sewage would be swept away at no charge to the business. The more water the business used, the greater the benefit. One might make the case that this is something that would encourage business and create jobs, but no one has stepped forward to explicitly explain that subsidizing sewer rates with income taxes is, in essence, the same thing.
Industrial and other large users and wasteful users of water would greatly benefit by having taxpayers subsidize their sewer rates. If my neighbor and I have the same income, we would pay the same income tax. But if I choose to consume water with a garden, if I water my lawn and wash my cars regularly, if I shower twice daily, use a dishwasher, and fill my hot tub, I needn’t worry about my sewer bill. I pay no more than my equal-income neighbor who conserves water.
The way the EDIT is distributed in Floyd County is based on population. A household on the sewer system but outside the city’s limits would contribute nothing to the payment of sewer costs. A household inside the city would be paying all the costs for people outside the city, even though the utility is owned by the city.
The imagined example is an exaggeration, of course. Everybody pays something for sewers. But who is paying more than their fair share? And who has their rate artificially subsidized by working New Albanian households?
By dumping EDIT proceeds into sewer operations solely to keep rates artificially low, we not only extract money from New Albany taxpayers to give to non-taxpayers, we begin to cripple the city services that those funds could rightly support.
Accordingly, we have at least 5 fewer police officers on our force because EDIT money that could have paid for that has been transferred to nontaxpayers. We have deteriorating roads, faded street signs, blighted neighborhoods, below-standards fire protection, and increased crime. Instead of improving our city, we have instead decided to handicap our city, all in the name of keeping current sewer rates about 9 percentage points lower.
To the city council, the mayor, the sewer board, and the bondholders I say, “Keep your hands off our EDIT.”
We’re tired of pretending that the EDIT subsidy keeps rates lower. They don’t. We’re still paying the full sewer rate, but this way it’s just New Albany’s income tax payers, not all users of the sewer system.
I will acknowledge that I’d rather not pay more for sewerage service to my home and my business. I will grant that there are some among us who will be hurt badly by any rate increase. But propping up the rate with EDIT funds is not the equitable answer anymore than rejecting the rate increase is a responsible answer.
I know that it’s too late to remove the pledge of an annual EDIT subsidy, no matter how inequitable it is. We’re going to be pouring tax dollars (not ratepayer dollars) into the sewers for years to come.
So how do we make the rate schedule more fair and equitable.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010:
Part 4 – Keep your hands off our EDIT!
New Albany has a dirty little secret. Residents and elected officials often talk of it, but rarely talk about its implications.
The Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT) was created and approved by voters to fund economic development that would ostensibly strengthen the tax base and help the city (and county) to continue to provide services and foster job growth. In fact, Floyd County used it to build and pay for a jail.
Last year, New Albany received about $2.9 million as its per capita share of this county income tax. New Albany can, after 2005 legislation was passed, use that money for just about any lawful purpose. This mayor and the last knew well that relying on property taxes alone would leave the city terribly vulnerable and so both tried to use the EDIT to promote projects that will boost economic activity and provide another tax base to fund city services.
However, to hide the fact that the rates being charged for sewer services were too low, city council, the mayors, and our lenders have diverted EDIT funds to keep rates lower than required.
Using EDIT to subsidize sewer rates is unequivocally against the law. No one will deny that, but still it continues. This year and next, $875,000 of EDIT will be diverted to keep sewer rates artificially low.
The current sewer deficit is 31 percent. That is, receipts from the current rate schedule cover 69 percent of the costs. The proposed rate increase only covers 24.5 percent of the deficit. The remainder, 6.6 percent, is being paid by resident payers of the local income tax.
That’s an appalling subsidy. It’s not just that it is illegal. It’s radically unfair.
To whom, you ask? To you, dear reader.
Let’s imagine, briefly, a situation where all sewer revenues came from the income tax. Let’s imagine that New Albany has “free” sewers. They would be “free” because the taxpayers were paying all the expenses. Who would benefit from “free” sewers and who would be paying all the costs?
Business users would benefit first and foremost. There is no local income tax on businesses, so every gallon of their sewage would be swept away at no charge to the business. The more water the business used, the greater the benefit. One might make the case that this is something that would encourage business and create jobs, but no one has stepped forward to explicitly explain that subsidizing sewer rates with income taxes is, in essence, the same thing.
Industrial and other large users and wasteful users of water would greatly benefit by having taxpayers subsidize their sewer rates. If my neighbor and I have the same income, we would pay the same income tax. But if I choose to consume water with a garden, if I water my lawn and wash my cars regularly, if I shower twice daily, use a dishwasher, and fill my hot tub, I needn’t worry about my sewer bill. I pay no more than my equal-income neighbor who conserves water.
The way the EDIT is distributed in Floyd County is based on population. A household on the sewer system but outside the city’s limits would contribute nothing to the payment of sewer costs. A household inside the city would be paying all the costs for people outside the city, even though the utility is owned by the city.
The imagined example is an exaggeration, of course. Everybody pays something for sewers. But who is paying more than their fair share? And who has their rate artificially subsidized by working New Albanian households?
By dumping EDIT proceeds into sewer operations solely to keep rates artificially low, we not only extract money from New Albany taxpayers to give to non-taxpayers, we begin to cripple the city services that those funds could rightly support.
Accordingly, we have at least 5 fewer police officers on our force because EDIT money that could have paid for that has been transferred to nontaxpayers. We have deteriorating roads, faded street signs, blighted neighborhoods, below-standards fire protection, and increased crime. Instead of improving our city, we have instead decided to handicap our city, all in the name of keeping current sewer rates about 9 percentage points lower.
To the city council, the mayor, the sewer board, and the bondholders I say, “Keep your hands off our EDIT.”
We’re tired of pretending that the EDIT subsidy keeps rates lower. They don’t. We’re still paying the full sewer rate, but this way it’s just New Albany’s income tax payers, not all users of the sewer system.
I will acknowledge that I’d rather not pay more for sewerage service to my home and my business. I will grant that there are some among us who will be hurt badly by any rate increase. But propping up the rate with EDIT funds is not the equitable answer anymore than rejecting the rate increase is a responsible answer.
I know that it’s too late to remove the pledge of an annual EDIT subsidy, no matter how inequitable it is. We’re going to be pouring tax dollars (not ratepayer dollars) into the sewers for years to come.
So how do we make the rate schedule more fair and equitable.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 3 – Why I Think Council is Digging its Heels.
With Randy Smith's permission, NAC is happy to reprint this series of five articles as counterpoint to the prevailing blather.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010
Part 3 – Why I Think Council is Digging its Heels
I think it’s fair to say that the relationship between the current administration and a significant segment of the current council is poisonous. The mayor warns that without proper funding from the council, essential city services will be threatened. Many on the council are wary and distrustful of Mayor England and his staff and can be relied on to oppose practically any solution put forward by the administration.
But residents and ratepayers in New Albany need not take sides on this sewer rate schedule. They need not side with nor trust the words coming from the mouths of the mayor and his administration nor the words emanating from his critics on the council.
New Albany’s city council is the only body that can establish sewer rates. The sewer board, appointed by the mayor and the council, can only recommend a rates schedule.
By law, those rates must be set at a level that covers the expenses of the sewer utility. Those expenses include normal operations and maintenance, an operating reserve, capital improvements, and debt service. Every dollar borrowed by the utility must be repaid to its creditors on a firm and unbending schedule. Every bill must be paid. Specific capital projects must be undertaken.
There simply is no other choice. The revenue from those rates must cover all those expenses. If the utility can lower its expenses, it can save a few pennies on the rates. If the utility can lower its borrowing costs, it can save even more pennies. And if the city can delay or avoid environmental upgrades under the Clean Water Act, even more pennies can be saved.
So, having been told that they have no choice, the council has risen up with a roar and begun to cast vague accusations in every direction.
Rather than try to explain the realities to their constituents, several council members have sought to stir up passions by casting this impending rate increase as some invisible conspiracy by a band of burglars intent on picking our pockets.
Make no mistake. The reason this increase is so large is that the council has refused to address the insolvency. It is most disingenuous of this council to pretend that this is sudden or unexpected.
Wishful thinking won’t take this responsibility away from the council. Accusations of “conspiracy” won’t cover the costs of operations and maintenance, fill the required reserve funds, bring the utility into compliance with the strictures of the Clean Water Act, or pay back the money the utility borrowed to do all of the above.
The (Indiana) State Revolving Loan Fund sits at the table representing our largest creditors. Weeks of negotiation with the bondholders yielded four major concessions for New Albany that the city council has so far rejected.
Our lenders are willing to refinance a significant portion of our debt at a lower interest rate. They are willing to relax debt service reserve fund requirements to let us use our own money for capital projects and they’ll let us take 10 years to replenish that almost $5 million reserve.
In exchange, the utility (through council action) must raise the sewer rates to a level sufficient to make the utility solvent. During this and next year, that requires $3,260,531 in new revenues from ratepayers. Beginning in 2012, that requires $5,563,415 in additional revenues compared to current receipts.
If the council rejects this new recommended rate schedule like they did the original recommendation, they are quite explicitly relinquishing control over rates for years to come and putting this city completely at the mercy of bondholders. In essence, they would be declaring bankruptcy and possible liquidation of every sewer asset this city has paid dearly for over our lifetimes.
I can’t imagine that any council members could survive to be re-elected in 2011 if they continue on their current course.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010
Part 3 – Why I Think Council is Digging its Heels
I think it’s fair to say that the relationship between the current administration and a significant segment of the current council is poisonous. The mayor warns that without proper funding from the council, essential city services will be threatened. Many on the council are wary and distrustful of Mayor England and his staff and can be relied on to oppose practically any solution put forward by the administration.
But residents and ratepayers in New Albany need not take sides on this sewer rate schedule. They need not side with nor trust the words coming from the mouths of the mayor and his administration nor the words emanating from his critics on the council.
New Albany’s city council is the only body that can establish sewer rates. The sewer board, appointed by the mayor and the council, can only recommend a rates schedule.
By law, those rates must be set at a level that covers the expenses of the sewer utility. Those expenses include normal operations and maintenance, an operating reserve, capital improvements, and debt service. Every dollar borrowed by the utility must be repaid to its creditors on a firm and unbending schedule. Every bill must be paid. Specific capital projects must be undertaken.
There simply is no other choice. The revenue from those rates must cover all those expenses. If the utility can lower its expenses, it can save a few pennies on the rates. If the utility can lower its borrowing costs, it can save even more pennies. And if the city can delay or avoid environmental upgrades under the Clean Water Act, even more pennies can be saved.
So, having been told that they have no choice, the council has risen up with a roar and begun to cast vague accusations in every direction.
Rather than try to explain the realities to their constituents, several council members have sought to stir up passions by casting this impending rate increase as some invisible conspiracy by a band of burglars intent on picking our pockets.
Make no mistake. The reason this increase is so large is that the council has refused to address the insolvency. It is most disingenuous of this council to pretend that this is sudden or unexpected.
Wishful thinking won’t take this responsibility away from the council. Accusations of “conspiracy” won’t cover the costs of operations and maintenance, fill the required reserve funds, bring the utility into compliance with the strictures of the Clean Water Act, or pay back the money the utility borrowed to do all of the above.
The (Indiana) State Revolving Loan Fund sits at the table representing our largest creditors. Weeks of negotiation with the bondholders yielded four major concessions for New Albany that the city council has so far rejected.
Our lenders are willing to refinance a significant portion of our debt at a lower interest rate. They are willing to relax debt service reserve fund requirements to let us use our own money for capital projects and they’ll let us take 10 years to replenish that almost $5 million reserve.
In exchange, the utility (through council action) must raise the sewer rates to a level sufficient to make the utility solvent. During this and next year, that requires $3,260,531 in new revenues from ratepayers. Beginning in 2012, that requires $5,563,415 in additional revenues compared to current receipts.
If the council rejects this new recommended rate schedule like they did the original recommendation, they are quite explicitly relinquishing control over rates for years to come and putting this city completely at the mercy of bondholders. In essence, they would be declaring bankruptcy and possible liquidation of every sewer asset this city has paid dearly for over our lifetimes.
I can’t imagine that any council members could survive to be re-elected in 2011 if they continue on their current course.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 2 – Why This Isn’t a “Crisis” but the Natural Result of City Council’s Irresponsibility.
With Randy Smith's permission, NAC is happy to reprint this series of five articles as counterpoint to the prevailing blather.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010
Part 2 – Why This Isn’t a “Crisis” but the Natural Result of City Council’s Irresponsibility
In an earlier note, I gently chastised fellow New Albanians for “not paying attention.” Despite the fact that local media have exhaustively covered the ongoing financial drama of our municipal sewer utility, it seems that most of my neighbors don’t have the energy or interest to monitor how the city’s executive and legislative branches are managing it.
This forgivable lapse in attention by voters has a steep downside, however. The words “rate hike” strike us the same way a mouse scurrying across our kitchen tiles does. Those words startle and frighten even the hardiest among us. Just as with the mouse in the house, we hear ourselves saying “How did that happen?”
More importantly, it leaves us susceptible to falling for just about any explanation. We’re afraid and confused. We’re willing to listen to just about any explanation, no matter how plausible, no matter how absurd. Is it corruption? Fraud? Incompetence?
I’m careful enough not to rule out possible explanations, but isn’t the most likely answer, well, the most likely? Isn’t it most likely that we New Albanians just get to go first and get to pay for decades of inattention to the realities of modern environmental stewardship?
You are hearing your neighbors speculate about the “mouse” and where it came from. More than a few say the mouse is actually a rat!
Of more significance, you are hearing your elected officials on the New Albany City Council expressing their “shock” at the appearance of this “mouse,” or in the alternative, denying that there ever was a mouse in the kitchen.
Not one of the 9 council members can plausibly claim shock. Anyone paying attention, and particularly anyone who reads the paper, much less anyone who attends the bimonthly city council meetings, knew this was coming.
In fact, the council has been warned repeatedly that rate increases were absolutely imperative. Not are. Were. The council has fought vigorously against this reality by cutting and delaying every plaintive request from successive sewer boards to allow them to follow Indiana statutes and make the city’s sole utility enterprise viable and self-supporting.
Well guess what, folks? Mice are the least of our problems. The wolf is at the door.
New Albany’s sewer utility has defaulted on its debts. It undertook considerable debt to begin a program to stop sanitary sewer overflows and to ensure the separation of nasty sewage from stormwater runoff. That program is showing results, but the work is not over. We have to pay for it.
Our city council, however, has emphatically signaled that they don’t care that we are in default. They unanimously rejected a sewer board recommendation to impose the 70% rate hike necessary to cure our default. What’s more, they played illegitimate parliamentary games to prevent the amending of that recommendation to accept a much more palatable offer from the creditors who hold the city utility’s fate in their vaults.
This inexcusable dereliction of their collective duty (not every member was present, but the absentees reportedly would ratify the vote) puts the utility in a dramatically dire situation. The word is “receivership,” often compared to foreclosure. But unlike foreclosure, which, after all, has a relatively rapid conclusion, receivership is more akin to being occupied by a hostile foreign army.
If the council continues on its stated course (and everything I’ve been able to learn says they are hell-bent on giving the creditors a big, fat, hairy signal), what do you think those bankers, public and private, are going to do?
Allow me to enlighten you to the worst case. They will, in short order, ask a judge to appoint a New Albany Sewer Czar to dictate to us the terms under which we will have our effluent flushed and treated. Said czar or czarina will fix the problem in such a way as to guarantee the lenders the full benefits of the return they contracted for when they allowed us to borrow their money.
Will New Albanians win in this scenario? A few might. Those few who somehow managed to acquire New Albany Municipal Utility bonds will see their shaky loan certificates become solid gold. The rest of us will be required to gild them with rates dictated from afar.
Oh, the faces may stay the same. But city council control over rates will, in our city, be something for historians to reflect on. It certainly won’t be anything we’ll have to trouble ourselves with for the next decade.
On our current course, we’ll look back on this “crisis” as the good old days.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010
Part 2 – Why This Isn’t a “Crisis” but the Natural Result of City Council’s Irresponsibility
In an earlier note, I gently chastised fellow New Albanians for “not paying attention.” Despite the fact that local media have exhaustively covered the ongoing financial drama of our municipal sewer utility, it seems that most of my neighbors don’t have the energy or interest to monitor how the city’s executive and legislative branches are managing it.
This forgivable lapse in attention by voters has a steep downside, however. The words “rate hike” strike us the same way a mouse scurrying across our kitchen tiles does. Those words startle and frighten even the hardiest among us. Just as with the mouse in the house, we hear ourselves saying “How did that happen?”
More importantly, it leaves us susceptible to falling for just about any explanation. We’re afraid and confused. We’re willing to listen to just about any explanation, no matter how plausible, no matter how absurd. Is it corruption? Fraud? Incompetence?
I’m careful enough not to rule out possible explanations, but isn’t the most likely answer, well, the most likely? Isn’t it most likely that we New Albanians just get to go first and get to pay for decades of inattention to the realities of modern environmental stewardship?
You are hearing your neighbors speculate about the “mouse” and where it came from. More than a few say the mouse is actually a rat!
Of more significance, you are hearing your elected officials on the New Albany City Council expressing their “shock” at the appearance of this “mouse,” or in the alternative, denying that there ever was a mouse in the kitchen.
Not one of the 9 council members can plausibly claim shock. Anyone paying attention, and particularly anyone who reads the paper, much less anyone who attends the bimonthly city council meetings, knew this was coming.
In fact, the council has been warned repeatedly that rate increases were absolutely imperative. Not are. Were. The council has fought vigorously against this reality by cutting and delaying every plaintive request from successive sewer boards to allow them to follow Indiana statutes and make the city’s sole utility enterprise viable and self-supporting.
Well guess what, folks? Mice are the least of our problems. The wolf is at the door.
New Albany’s sewer utility has defaulted on its debts. It undertook considerable debt to begin a program to stop sanitary sewer overflows and to ensure the separation of nasty sewage from stormwater runoff. That program is showing results, but the work is not over. We have to pay for it.
Our city council, however, has emphatically signaled that they don’t care that we are in default. They unanimously rejected a sewer board recommendation to impose the 70% rate hike necessary to cure our default. What’s more, they played illegitimate parliamentary games to prevent the amending of that recommendation to accept a much more palatable offer from the creditors who hold the city utility’s fate in their vaults.
This inexcusable dereliction of their collective duty (not every member was present, but the absentees reportedly would ratify the vote) puts the utility in a dramatically dire situation. The word is “receivership,” often compared to foreclosure. But unlike foreclosure, which, after all, has a relatively rapid conclusion, receivership is more akin to being occupied by a hostile foreign army.
If the council continues on its stated course (and everything I’ve been able to learn says they are hell-bent on giving the creditors a big, fat, hairy signal), what do you think those bankers, public and private, are going to do?
Allow me to enlighten you to the worst case. They will, in short order, ask a judge to appoint a New Albany Sewer Czar to dictate to us the terms under which we will have our effluent flushed and treated. Said czar or czarina will fix the problem in such a way as to guarantee the lenders the full benefits of the return they contracted for when they allowed us to borrow their money.
Will New Albanians win in this scenario? A few might. Those few who somehow managed to acquire New Albany Municipal Utility bonds will see their shaky loan certificates become solid gold. The rest of us will be required to gild them with rates dictated from afar.
Oh, the faces may stay the same. But city council control over rates will, in our city, be something for historians to reflect on. It certainly won’t be anything we’ll have to trouble ourselves with for the next decade.
On our current course, we’ll look back on this “crisis” as the good old days.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010: Part 1 – How We Got to This Point.
With Randy Smith's permission, NAC is happy to reprint this series of five articles as counterpoint to the prevailing blather.
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010:
Part 1 – How We Got to This Point.
Anyone paying attention recognizes that New Albany’s sewer “crisis” of 2010 is a manufactured dilemma, not some shocking revelation from out of the blue.
I say “anyone paying attention” with intent, by the way. For far too long, rational people with normal lives have turned their eyes away from city government, many repulsed by what passes for municipal policy and politics. But in New Albany, looking away is akin to handing your ATM card and PIN to your ne’er-do-well nephew right after he flunks out of rehab.
Not to be critical of people coming out of rehab. Frankly, the dysfunction of New Albany’s City Council might be ameliorated by replacing some of its members with a Rehab All-Stars Barbershop Quartet.
However, utter the words “rate hike” and everybody starts paying attention.
As Indiana’s first big city in population and industry, New Albany built sewers long ago. They built them well, too, and after a century, many of those original pipes were still doing their boring jobs. But like the world’s oldest woman, those pipes were destined to expire someday. A series of leaders who grew up at a time when the sewer department was little more than a source of patronage jobs suddenly found out that the 19th-Century investment would have to be repeated. Ultimately, at the not-so-gentle urging of the Environmental Protection Agency, New Albany became a part of the first wave of genuine enforcement of environmental laws. The city was, quite literally, dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, again well ahead of its peers.
Accordingly, New Albany has undertaken massive upgrades and incurred massive debt to be the example for the rest of the state of Indiana, resulting in relatively higher sewer rates when compared to comparable Indiana cities.
Some would call us lucky. After all, we’re upgrading our sewers with today’s dollars at a cost that is surely far less than it will be 10 years from now. Others would call us unlucky in that we are shouldering a burden that our sister cities haven’t yet taken up.
Personally, I find it hard to credit those who say the cure is worse than the disease. After all the current “sturm und drang,” after all the investment, New Albany will stand again as a leader and New Albanians will live in a healthier, wealthier, and more attractive city.
But bad habits are hard to break, and the 8 men and 1 woman responsible for maintaining the viability of this essential city utility are starting to pout and whimper, threatening to make “daddy” drag us all, once again, kicking and screaming. This time, however, they are taking us far too close to the edge of the precipice.
For if the council carries out its stated intention of leaving the sewer utility’s bonded debt in default, if it fulfills its threat to call our creditors’ and regulators’ collective bluff, New Albany will lose control of its sewers and its sewer rates. Perhaps some banker in Brussels or some bureaucrat in Boston will become the woman in charge of setting rates and directing projects. Who wants to guess how she’ll “fix” the problem?
New Albany: Sewer “Crisis” 2010:
Part 1 – How We Got to This Point.
Anyone paying attention recognizes that New Albany’s sewer “crisis” of 2010 is a manufactured dilemma, not some shocking revelation from out of the blue.
I say “anyone paying attention” with intent, by the way. For far too long, rational people with normal lives have turned their eyes away from city government, many repulsed by what passes for municipal policy and politics. But in New Albany, looking away is akin to handing your ATM card and PIN to your ne’er-do-well nephew right after he flunks out of rehab.
Not to be critical of people coming out of rehab. Frankly, the dysfunction of New Albany’s City Council might be ameliorated by replacing some of its members with a Rehab All-Stars Barbershop Quartet.
However, utter the words “rate hike” and everybody starts paying attention.
As Indiana’s first big city in population and industry, New Albany built sewers long ago. They built them well, too, and after a century, many of those original pipes were still doing their boring jobs. But like the world’s oldest woman, those pipes were destined to expire someday. A series of leaders who grew up at a time when the sewer department was little more than a source of patronage jobs suddenly found out that the 19th-Century investment would have to be repeated. Ultimately, at the not-so-gentle urging of the Environmental Protection Agency, New Albany became a part of the first wave of genuine enforcement of environmental laws. The city was, quite literally, dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, again well ahead of its peers.
Accordingly, New Albany has undertaken massive upgrades and incurred massive debt to be the example for the rest of the state of Indiana, resulting in relatively higher sewer rates when compared to comparable Indiana cities.
Some would call us lucky. After all, we’re upgrading our sewers with today’s dollars at a cost that is surely far less than it will be 10 years from now. Others would call us unlucky in that we are shouldering a burden that our sister cities haven’t yet taken up.
Personally, I find it hard to credit those who say the cure is worse than the disease. After all the current “sturm und drang,” after all the investment, New Albany will stand again as a leader and New Albanians will live in a healthier, wealthier, and more attractive city.
But bad habits are hard to break, and the 8 men and 1 woman responsible for maintaining the viability of this essential city utility are starting to pout and whimper, threatening to make “daddy” drag us all, once again, kicking and screaming. This time, however, they are taking us far too close to the edge of the precipice.
For if the council carries out its stated intention of leaving the sewer utility’s bonded debt in default, if it fulfills its threat to call our creditors’ and regulators’ collective bluff, New Albany will lose control of its sewers and its sewer rates. Perhaps some banker in Brussels or some bureaucrat in Boston will become the woman in charge of setting rates and directing projects. Who wants to guess how she’ll “fix” the problem?
Troggo-ghostwriting comes to the Tribune, Internet and adjacent toilet paper dispensing stations.
Steve Price had a blog once, too. It lasted a short time, and when the person who knew how to log onto the computer was gone, so was the blog.
Now Dan Coffey hits the big time with The Coffey Corner, in which he drops the names of Jeff Gahan and Pat McLaughlin in a bid for respectability by association (strike one), throws out a red herring aimed at a downtown parking garage that hasn't been approved, much less built (strike two), and conveniently forgets to note that while the various City Hall conspiracies against John Q. Public have been hatched, the diligent Coffey has been right there, on the council, missing every fat one lobbed down the middle of the plate (strike three).
It takes only three strikes to make an out, so I'll stop there.
Coffey also has contributed his (?) second blog post as an op-ed piece to the Tribune. In this vein, it might interest readers to know that a member of the character assassination community recently took the time to question Matt Nash's attendance at a sewer board meeting, as recounted in one of his columns. I'm told that the Tribune investigated (wink wink -- look in the basement -- nudge nudge).
I'll happily follow suit. Can the Tribune prove that Coffey is capable of composition? Did he write these pieces, or did Erika? Can we see a crayon sample, please? I expect Coach K will be asking these questions of the esteemed ward heeler, as with Matt.
Until then, Dan Coffey is a non-entity incapable of original thought, perhaps useful to certain deconstructionists at present, but in the end, absolutely untrustworthy. Even his curent allies grasp the truth: You can depend on the copperhead -- he'll ALWAYS let you down.
Now Dan Coffey hits the big time with The Coffey Corner, in which he drops the names of Jeff Gahan and Pat McLaughlin in a bid for respectability by association (strike one), throws out a red herring aimed at a downtown parking garage that hasn't been approved, much less built (strike two), and conveniently forgets to note that while the various City Hall conspiracies against John Q. Public have been hatched, the diligent Coffey has been right there, on the council, missing every fat one lobbed down the middle of the plate (strike three).
It takes only three strikes to make an out, so I'll stop there.
Coffey also has contributed his (?) second blog post as an op-ed piece to the Tribune. In this vein, it might interest readers to know that a member of the character assassination community recently took the time to question Matt Nash's attendance at a sewer board meeting, as recounted in one of his columns. I'm told that the Tribune investigated (wink wink -- look in the basement -- nudge nudge).
I'll happily follow suit. Can the Tribune prove that Coffey is capable of composition? Did he write these pieces, or did Erika? Can we see a crayon sample, please? I expect Coach K will be asking these questions of the esteemed ward heeler, as with Matt.
Until then, Dan Coffey is a non-entity incapable of original thought, perhaps useful to certain deconstructionists at present, but in the end, absolutely untrustworthy. Even his curent allies grasp the truth: You can depend on the copperhead -- he'll ALWAYS let you down.
Monday, March 01, 2010
When Erika begins throwing her underwear at Elv... er, Price, well, that's when I'm outta here.
As noted here on Sunday, I am unable to attend tonight's city council exercise in futility. There'll be no live blogging tonight. Given the choice between Office Hours at the Public House and a chance to lead discussion on flights of delicious Gravity Head selections, and listening to Steve Price embarrass an entire city ... let's just say that the choice was remarkably easy.
Perhaps Price will bring his guitar and devote comments from public officials to strumming this classic song from the rock group Live's album "Throwing Copper":
Perhaps Price will bring his guitar and devote comments from public officials to strumming this classic song from the rock group Live's album "Throwing Copper":
"Shit Towne"
the weavers live up the street from me
the crackheads, they live down the street from me
the tall grass makes it hard to see
beyond my property
hey man, this is criminal,
this hard line symmetry
of people and pets
we don't bother anyone
we keep to ourselves
the mailman visits each of us in turn
we don't bother anyone
we keep to ourselves
the mailman visits each of us in time
gotta live, gotta live, gotta live
in shit towne
gotta live, gotta live, gotta live
in our town.
British politics heat up, with the occasional eerie American parallel.
For months, the political handwriting's supposedly has been on the wall in the UK: Labour and Gordon Brown were finished, all but beaten, with the Tories notching resounding leads in the polls prefacing an election that must occur on or before June 3.
Now, suddenly, the lead is gone and while some observers are sticking with their predictions of victory for David Cameron and the Conservatives, others are forecasting a Labour win or, far more entertainingly, a hung Parliament.
Will Brown strike now, dissolve Parliament and call an early election? The story's exciting, indeed. Here are three stories from the British press that tell the tale. I keep looking at the third headline and seeing "Dubya" substituted for "Margaret Thatcher," and "(any Republican here)" for "David Cameron."
Now, suddenly, the lead is gone and while some observers are sticking with their predictions of victory for David Cameron and the Conservatives, others are forecasting a Labour win or, far more entertainingly, a hung Parliament.
Will Brown strike now, dissolve Parliament and call an early election? The story's exciting, indeed. Here are three stories from the British press that tell the tale. I keep looking at the third headline and seeing "Dubya" substituted for "Margaret Thatcher," and "(any Republican here)" for "David Cameron."
online.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7044185.ece">Gordon Brown on course to win election (Times of London)So, what has gone wrong for the Tories?
It means Labour is heading for a total of 317 seats, nine short of an overall majority, with the Tories languishing on a total of just 263 MPs. Such an outcome would mean Brown could stay in office and deny Cameron the keys to No 10.
Voters are still unsure about the Tories, admits Cameron; Leader tries to calm party election jitters as poll lead crumbles to two points (Guardian)The last Tory government under John Major stood down in the mid-1990's.
David Cameron was forced to admit today that Britain harbours doubts about the Conservatives and conceded the party still faces a "real fight" if it is to persuade voters that the Tories are ready for government.
Margaret Thatcher's toxic legacy; David Cameron's rhetoric on social justice is worthless given that it was his party which broke our economy (Guardian)
The Conservative economic legacy is a massive transfer of wealth and power away from the majority of the people to capital, away from the poor to the rich, and away from the country to London. The economy has been financialised at the expense of more equitable productive wealth creation. Cameron has no political economy to enact his pro-social politics and his rhetoric of social justice.
Rewind: Bicycles, mopeds and the ordinances not governing them.
It doesn't look it or feel it today, but prime bicycling weather is about to return, and with it the opportunity to revisit this NAC posting from June 27, 2006.
In fact, I just saw my itinerant handyman peddling merrily up Spring Street in the northerly bike lane, going the wrong way, against traffic, oblivious to all and sundry. In other words, just like the drivers. As with the woman previously mentioned here, I'm not sure how we reach him. Perhaps, some day, education and a sense of community will have higher value than rental property ownership and King Larry's stained teacup.
---
Nickels and dimes add up to fifty cents, right?
By popular demand, from the New Albany, Indiana, Code of Ordinances (TITLE VII: TRAFFIC CODE ... CHAPTER 73: BICYCLES AND MOPEDS), here are the bicycle "rules" for the city of New Albany.
***OPERATION OF BICYCLES
§ 73.01 OPERATING BICYCLE AT RIGHT-HAND EDGE OF ROADWAY.
All bicycles shall be operated as near as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway.
('71 Code, §73.12) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.02 EMERGING FROM ALLEY; YIELDING RIGHT-OF-WAY.
The operator of a bicycle emerging from an alley, driveway or building shall, upon approaching a sidewalk or the sidewalk area extending across any alleyway, yield the right-of-way to all pedestrians approaching the sidewalk or sidewalk area. Upon entering the roadway, the operator shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching the roadway.
('71 Code, §73.13) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.03 RIDING ON SIDEWALKS.
(A) It shall be permissible for any person to ride a bicycle within a residential district of the city. Such person shall yield the right-of-way at all times to pedestrians. ('71 Code, §73.14) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
(B) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district. ('71 Code, §73.15) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.04 OPERATING BICYCLE ON CERTAIN STREETS.
No person shall ride or propel any bicycle upon any sidewalk within the city bounded by the west side of State Street or the east side of Bank Street, the south side of Main Street to the north side of Elm Street; nor on Vincennes Street from Oak Street to Main Street.
('71 Code, §73.31) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.05 REASONABLE SPEED.
No person shall operate a bicycle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions then existing. Every bicycle shall be operated with reasonable regard to the safety of the rider and of other persons or property.
('71 Code, §73.19) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.06 OPERATING UNDER INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS.
No person shall operate a bicycle while under the influence of liquor or drugs, or while physically or mentally unfit to safely operate the same.
('71 Code, §73.20) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.07 LEAVING BICYCLE UNATTENDED.
No person shall leave a bicycle unattended upon any sidewalk, in the areas provided in §73.18, unless a regular parking stand is available for the purpose of parking such bicycle.
('71 Code, §73.29) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.08 PLACEMENT OF BICYCLE PARKING STAND.
All such bicycle parking stands must be placed at the outer edge of the sidewalk, and must be removed from the sidewalks at sundown.
('71 Code, §73.30) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.09 BICYCLE TO BE IN SAFE CONDITION.
No person shall operate a bicycle which is not in safe mechanical condition.
('71 Code, §73.07) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.10 BICYCLE WHEEL NOT TO EXCEED CERTAIN DIAMETER.
No person shall operate a bicycle with a wheel diameter greater than 15 inches on any street, sidewalk, alley or other public place, unless such bicycle has been licensed by the city and the proper license is attached thereto as provided by this chapter.
('71 Code, §73.01) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
***LICENSING
§ 73.20 LICENSE REQUIRED BEFORE OPERATING BICYCLE.
No person shall ride or propel a bicycle upon any public highway, street, boulevard or other public place in the city, unless the same shall be licensed as herein provided.
('71 Code, §73.28) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.21 APPLICATION FOR LICENSE.
Application for license shall be made by the owner. If the owner is under 12 years of age, application shall be made by the owner's parent or guardian, in the office of the City Controller upon forms provided by the city.
('71 Code, §73.02) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
§ 73.22 RECORD OF CERTAIN DATA TO BE KEPT.
The City Controller shall make a record of the number of each license, the date issued, the name and address of the person to whom issued and the number on the frame of the bicycle, for which he shall collect a fee for the city of $.50.
('71 Code, §73.03) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
§ 73.23 ISSUANCE OF A BICYCLE LICENSE.
Upon receiving proper application, the City Controller is authorized to issue a bicycle license which shall be valid during one calendar year; provided, however, that it shall be lawful to retain such license of the year last past until, but not including March 1 of the current calendar year, at which time, the old license expires and a new license must be obtained.
('71 Code, §73.04) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
§ 73.24 ATTACHMENT OF LICENSE TO BICYCLE.
The license shall be firmly attached to the rear of the bicycle so as to be plainly visible.
('71 Code, §73.05) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.25 NONTRANSFERENCE OF LICENSE.
Upon the sale or other transfer or destruction of a licensed bicycle, the license shall either be surrendered to the City Controller, or may be assigned to another bicycle upon proper application, but without payment of any additional fee. A license issued for a particular bicycle shall not be attached to a different bicycle.
('71 Code, §73.06) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
In fact, I just saw my itinerant handyman peddling merrily up Spring Street in the northerly bike lane, going the wrong way, against traffic, oblivious to all and sundry. In other words, just like the drivers. As with the woman previously mentioned here, I'm not sure how we reach him. Perhaps, some day, education and a sense of community will have higher value than rental property ownership and King Larry's stained teacup.
---
Nickels and dimes add up to fifty cents, right?
By popular demand, from the New Albany, Indiana, Code of Ordinances (TITLE VII: TRAFFIC CODE ... CHAPTER 73: BICYCLES AND MOPEDS), here are the bicycle "rules" for the city of New Albany.
***OPERATION OF BICYCLES
§ 73.01 OPERATING BICYCLE AT RIGHT-HAND EDGE OF ROADWAY.
All bicycles shall be operated as near as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway.
('71 Code, §73.12) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.02 EMERGING FROM ALLEY; YIELDING RIGHT-OF-WAY.
The operator of a bicycle emerging from an alley, driveway or building shall, upon approaching a sidewalk or the sidewalk area extending across any alleyway, yield the right-of-way to all pedestrians approaching the sidewalk or sidewalk area. Upon entering the roadway, the operator shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching the roadway.
('71 Code, §73.13) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.03 RIDING ON SIDEWALKS.
(A) It shall be permissible for any person to ride a bicycle within a residential district of the city. Such person shall yield the right-of-way at all times to pedestrians. ('71 Code, §73.14) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
(B) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district. ('71 Code, §73.15) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.04 OPERATING BICYCLE ON CERTAIN STREETS.
No person shall ride or propel any bicycle upon any sidewalk within the city bounded by the west side of State Street or the east side of Bank Street, the south side of Main Street to the north side of Elm Street; nor on Vincennes Street from Oak Street to Main Street.
('71 Code, §73.31) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.05 REASONABLE SPEED.
No person shall operate a bicycle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions then existing. Every bicycle shall be operated with reasonable regard to the safety of the rider and of other persons or property.
('71 Code, §73.19) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.06 OPERATING UNDER INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS.
No person shall operate a bicycle while under the influence of liquor or drugs, or while physically or mentally unfit to safely operate the same.
('71 Code, §73.20) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.07 LEAVING BICYCLE UNATTENDED.
No person shall leave a bicycle unattended upon any sidewalk, in the areas provided in §73.18, unless a regular parking stand is available for the purpose of parking such bicycle.
('71 Code, §73.29) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.08 PLACEMENT OF BICYCLE PARKING STAND.
All such bicycle parking stands must be placed at the outer edge of the sidewalk, and must be removed from the sidewalks at sundown.
('71 Code, §73.30) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.09 BICYCLE TO BE IN SAFE CONDITION.
No person shall operate a bicycle which is not in safe mechanical condition.
('71 Code, §73.07) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.10 BICYCLE WHEEL NOT TO EXCEED CERTAIN DIAMETER.
No person shall operate a bicycle with a wheel diameter greater than 15 inches on any street, sidewalk, alley or other public place, unless such bicycle has been licensed by the city and the proper license is attached thereto as provided by this chapter.
('71 Code, §73.01) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
***LICENSING
§ 73.20 LICENSE REQUIRED BEFORE OPERATING BICYCLE.
No person shall ride or propel a bicycle upon any public highway, street, boulevard or other public place in the city, unless the same shall be licensed as herein provided.
('71 Code, §73.28) (Ord. 4120, passed 3-6-39) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.21 APPLICATION FOR LICENSE.
Application for license shall be made by the owner. If the owner is under 12 years of age, application shall be made by the owner's parent or guardian, in the office of the City Controller upon forms provided by the city.
('71 Code, §73.02) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
§ 73.22 RECORD OF CERTAIN DATA TO BE KEPT.
The City Controller shall make a record of the number of each license, the date issued, the name and address of the person to whom issued and the number on the frame of the bicycle, for which he shall collect a fee for the city of $.50.
('71 Code, §73.03) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
§ 73.23 ISSUANCE OF A BICYCLE LICENSE.
Upon receiving proper application, the City Controller is authorized to issue a bicycle license which shall be valid during one calendar year; provided, however, that it shall be lawful to retain such license of the year last past until, but not including March 1 of the current calendar year, at which time, the old license expires and a new license must be obtained.
('71 Code, §73.04) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64)
§ 73.24 ATTACHMENT OF LICENSE TO BICYCLE.
The license shall be firmly attached to the rear of the bicycle so as to be plainly visible.
('71 Code, §73.05) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
§ 73.25 NONTRANSFERENCE OF LICENSE.
Upon the sale or other transfer or destruction of a licensed bicycle, the license shall either be surrendered to the City Controller, or may be assigned to another bicycle upon proper application, but without payment of any additional fee. A license issued for a particular bicycle shall not be attached to a different bicycle.
('71 Code, §73.06) (Ord. G-64-180, passed 11-9-64) Penalty, see § 73.99
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