SEVERAL DIFFERENT ISSUES PERCOLATING IN NEW ALBANY

We decided to talk about several issues that have come up in the past couple of weeks.

Rental Registration...What the hey is rental registration? The County Auditor can tell you which houses are rental properties (said so in the paper once people complete their homestead exemption papers). Township Assessor has a computer where you type in the address and up comes the owners of any and all properties you may be interested in. So why the bull crap? It's not like it's called rental inspection, huh? Isn't that what everyone was clamoring for? It's just another layer of government for England, more people to hire and more money from taxpayers. But, maybe those progressive type peoples don't understand the difference, who knows? That's right. We're stupid.

Benedetti claiming the past due sewer bills can't be seen by the public nor the Council. Who is she kidding? Councilman Schmidt and Darlene McCoy (use to be Treasurer) kept a running tab along with the names and addresses in a shoe box and every month Bill took that shoe box in to the Treasurer and he and her marked off the ones paid. Benedetti said it would be too embarrassing. For who I wonder! These records are public and even we can put our hands on them. I, for one, think they ought to publish them in the paper; but as Wilkinson said you might be surprised at the names on there. Is he kidding, too? When someone does get their hands on them I bet you a dollar they get published on one blog or another.

I hear someone is getting ready to publish all the big tax dodgers on property taxes. Now, that should read as a who who. I hope they go for it. We all know how bad Doug needs the revenue.

All of the people who have been slamming Price and I'll be durned if the Council is actually agreeing with him now. Are the SOB's who have been slamming him for the worry he's had about the finances going to SLAM the whole Council now?

Remember how some people got upset (me included) for them using the Fire Department to hang the Christmas lights downtown on PRIVATE BUSINESSES? They really thought we had something against the Fire Department. No, we knew the Fire Department DIDN'T HAVE THE GAS MONEY NOR THE PAYROLL FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS to be able to do this. Guess we were right. Those big ladder trucks they have to keep the engine going to get that ladder up that high (and you see how much gasoline they are over on). Don't you think DNA should have paid for this service? Can we bill DNA now?

Now that the Windsor has shut, Connor's Fish shop shut, other places that couldn't succeed, what do you think is up with that? Someone said New Albanians just aren't willing to support down town businesses. Yeah, right. Word on the street is Studios is next. They stopped making payroll and if you want to work there you have to work for tips only. Think they are next? I do.

The chickens are coming home to roost and they sure are going to crap on a lot of people. Some deserve it, some don't.

Another word on the street is John Mattingly is going to pay for a poll, or survey, to see if Doug can get re-elected. If he can't, guess who they are going to throw up for Mayor? Carl. Can you imagine? He's a worse nightmare than England and that's saying a mouthful.

Anything you all would like to add? Feel free.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Yeah, it hurts attending the Council meeting. I'm not sure if it's the frustration of watching agendas being pre-approved and hashed out before the meetings or the lack of knowledge or caring about our finances.

I still hope to see you tonight at 7:30. I don't know anyone who can change the Council or England's mind(s) about bidding out the sanitation contract. No one will address the simple question about the cost of diesel fuel and how the garbage rates are going to go up nor how Rumpke says they would do it cheaper.

There will probably be a protest, too, about Messer. Cousins is one to talk, though. He sure has baggage with his gun(s) and the projects. But, I forget how tight he and Coffey are. Let's not forget how he was rewarded for bad behaviour by getting the Precinct seat and his two daughters working in the city-county building. Memories are short here in New Albany, alas.

NEW ALBANY NEEDS THE JOBS AND MONEY

At breakfast yesterday, we were talking about all of the no bid contracts let out by New Albany and we decided to ask WHY?

Other blogs are talking about keeping buying at the local level, i.e., school books, beer, restaurants, etc. Buying local is a good thing and all but why not keep the jobs local too so people have the money to buy.

The issue of no bid contracts for changing the traffic lights came first and then the paving. Mention was made a company from the Michigan Indiana border (Michiana) got the traffic lights contract (and might we add some of them we actually get out of the car and push the walk button to trigger the light so we can go). The paving contracts got the most flak because of the lack of quality in the asphalt and the delay on getting projects finished, especially in the Daisy Lane/Mt. Tabor Road areas.

A business owner was speaking about the need, especially in this day and age, of no bid contracts and what was or could be in it for our local government. Don't they realize people are hungry to work and how the economy is in the tank? Why the shoddy work and low grade asphalt being laid? The conversation steered to the sidewalk curbs being redone down Market street and evidently we have an outside business on a no bid contract performing this job, too.

We were talking about the high dollar amounts for these contracts and questioning why? We all felt the money and outside people were ridiculous. There are plenty of local businesses ready and able to step in and get the work at probably half the cost. Mention was made of a tailor in Louisville making the Mayor's suit and how one guy knew you simply had to go over and put money down on the account in order to get a bid. (I don't know if that's true but why would someone bring that up at breakfast if it wasn't?)

We were also talking about the no bid sanitation contract and how England has already renewed the contract without bids even though it didn't expire until 2013. And then, they wanted to know why.

So, we are asking New Albany's illegal Assistant Deputy Mayor and Mayor to stop the no bid contracts and bring the jobs back locally. Too many people need the work and as one business owner said, "The boys are hungry".

Let's put the horse before the cart about buying locally and stop the no bid contracts/work first so we can bring/keep the money in our community so we can shop locally. Stopping this mess would help our economy and local business tremendously. Don't you think so?

ETHICS - - IN NEW ALBANY? YEAH, RIGHT.

We have lobbied over several years time to try and get the City Council of New Albany to pass ETHICS laws. We watched other cities, including Indianapolis, pass this legislation. This issue is harder to talk about than Code Enforcement. I wonder why!

Wouldn't you like to see no Nepotism? Wouldn't you like to see disclosures of who is in business with who and why only certain ones, over and over, are given certain jobs in this fair City?

Can you imagine England not being able to put his wife on all those boards and other people with great ideas not beholding to him put forth new ideas for our City? Yeah, right.

Can you imagine being able to talk about developments, etc., without having to figure out which ones England is in business (bed) with?

Can you imagine finding out why our illegal Deputy Mayor makes more than the Mayor? Somehow you know that can't be true because England would never allow such a thing to occur and has to be making the money up somehow. Why won't the Council come forward and tell Citizens why they never approved this position and yet let it happen year after year? Why does a City this size even need a Deputy Mayor?

The proposed riverfront development comes to mind. Two people mentioned in the paper proposing development on the River are in business with England on the Box Tree Inn. Does the Box Tree Inn ever do any business except on Derby?

Are the chickens coming home to roost in the Building Commissioner's office with another business partner of England's being hired? Another travesty.

We agree with the Tribune about City employees not serving on the City Council. It is a big conflict of interest and to us, flat out wrong. We also agree the Police should not be into Politics.

Oh, well. We can dream about new ideas and new people and no one beholding to the Mayor, can't we?

We would call the answers to the above questions true Accountability, a thing not heard of in this fair City. What do you think?

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY (AND KITCHEN TABLE CRUMBS)...

INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

Happy 4th everyone! Here's to hoping everyone gets lots of hotdogs, beer and fireworks. You may need to throw a baseball game in too as baseball seems like a great thing to do for the 4th.

We've had some crumbs laying around on our kitchen table. I thought we'd touch briefly on those crumbs...

First off, the Tribune reported Messer ran a plate number for an abandoned car at his wife's business. Nope, not his wife's business. Zurschmeide's Asian Spa was the location; Messer's wife works for Zurschmeide and Zurschmeide asked her to call Jack and have the plate ran. The person called the Chief of Police and reported this. This is probably why some feel England has Messer and Zurschmeide right where he wants them.

Another crumb laying around is the annexation issue. How can property on Charlestown Road go into the 1st District (Coffey's)? Is this annexation coming in through Eagle Lane? If so, boy, a major sewer contract with Ruckman is/will be affected. Is this why Fifer said we would take a hit on the sewers if the annexation went through?

Well, have a great 4th of July and be safe y'all! God Bless.