Open Forum - An Experiment
OK, my old pal Roger at NA Confidential is taking something called a "vacation," which apparently has something to do with leaving town. Being more of a policy wonk than a polemicist, I tend to post with a degree of seriousness and with less humor and bite than RAB, but for the next week, it will have to do.
Back to politics, of the municipal sort.
Tonight's city council meeting promises to be a dilly, with any number of difficult topics likely to be addressed. For now, we'll just list them in no particular order, but don't be surprised if something else winds up stealing the headlines.
Mayor Garner has boldly declared that the city intends to proceed with authorizing a bond issue for the Scribner Place redevelopment project. You remember that one, don't you. A few dozen folks have rallied around the banner of "no progress," but they are vastly outnumbered by the thousands of New Albanians who are expecting their city to act with vision and make the YMCA, the aquatic center, and the infrastructure for private investment a reality.
Presumably, Larry Kochert's poison pill will be removed from the resolution passed just two short weeks ago, and the 5 council members who voted to support Scribner Place will get this thing rolling.
Interestingly, CM Kochert won't even be in the same time zone when the meeting starts - he may well be sipping mai tais in the noonday sun at 7:30 EDT. It's a coincidence, I'm sure, but this will allow the retired Kochert to enjoy his retirement without ever having to explain either a yes or no vote on Scribner Place.
CM Dan Coffey, the 1st District's resident wizard, will try to cast his spell again. We hear he is introducing a resolution that would simply give the $20 million grant from the Caesars Foundation the proverbial back of the hand. He will ask his fellow council members to kill the idea of a city redevelopment project in the 1st District.
Hey, Dan? We'd love to publicize your "wacky resolution of the month" on all of our Web sites. How about retiring all of the police patrol vehicles and replacing them with saddlebreds?
The building commission and the potential for a new inspector hire are likely to pop up, even if unofficially. Mr. House, who once served as building commissioner, has publicly stated he's coming back, but not everyone is thrilled to hear about it. We hear that Mr. Kochert is sponsoring the idea, but then, he won't be here to defend it.
Continuing woes with sanitation operations may well be part of the non-agenda part of the meeting tonight, too. I hear that some misinformed folks are spreading the word that the city no longer recycles. I checked that rumor out and can tell you - nothing has changed. Equipment breakdowns sometimes dictate that recyclables be mixed with other refuse, but official policy and practice are the same as ever.
I also hear a solution to the equipment problems is being addressed and will be implemented soon. Curious, though, that an appropriation for sanitation equipment has been lying on the council's table since January. What's up with that, Dan?
And be sure to be there sometime around 8 p.m. when CM Bill Schmidt will give us a reading from some arcane letter apropos of nothing on the council agenda. It's always a highlight to hear Mr. Schmidt's disconnected monotone break into the proceedings upon receiving a secret signal from somewhere in the room.
Third Floor Assembly Room, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 21.
Here's the agenda for tonight:
(as provided by City Clerk Marcey Wisman at http://www.newalbany.in.gov/Clerk/City%20Council/)
THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CIVIL CITY OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA, WILL HOLD A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING IN THE THIRD FLOOR ASSEMBLY ROOM OF THE CITY/COUNTY BUILDING ON THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2005.
PUBLIC HEARING at 7:15 p.m. to discuss the following:
A-05-24 Additional Appropriation Ordinance
A-05-25 Additional Appropriation Ordinance
THE REGULAR MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 7:30 P.M.
AGENDA
CALL TO ORDER:
PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
ROLL CALL:
APPROVAL OR CORRECTION OF THE FOLLOWING MINUTES:
Common Council Minutes of July 7, 2005 regular meeting and Public Hearing.
COMMUNICATIONS – PUBLIC:
COMMUNICATIONS – CITY OFFICIALS:
COMMUNICATIONS – MAYOR:
APPOINTMENTS:
APPROVAL OF CF-1 FORMS:
Kempco Food (tenant) Accent Marketing (tenant) and Koetter Development (landlord),Compliance with Statement of Benefits, Referencing R-03-16
INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS:
READING
R-05-16 Resolution To Repay Sewer Fund for Payment to Team Contracting Regarding Clark Street (Seabrook)
R-05-19 Resolution of the Common Council of the City Of New Albany (Messer)
R-05-20 City of New Albany, Indiana Resolution (Coffey)
R-05-21 City of New Albany, Indiana Resolution (Messer)
A-05-24 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Schmidt 1)
A-05-25 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Kochert 1)
A-05-20 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Schmidt 2&3)
A-05-21 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Seabrook 2&3)
A-05-22 An Ordinance Setting Salaries for ASCME Employees, A.F.L.-C.I.O, Indiana Council 62, Local 1861
(Price 2&3)
A-05-23 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. A-04-52 Setting Salaries for the Year 2005 for Sworn Members of the New Albany Fire Department (Blevins 2&3)
Z-05-15 Ordinance Amending the Code of Ordinances of New Albany, Indiana, Title XV, Chapter 156 (DocketP-12-05: J & S Builders) (Crump 2&3)
TABLED ORDINANCES:
A-05-07 An Ordinance to Amend Ordinance No. A-04-56 Setting Salaries for Non-Union Employees for 2005 (H.R. & Benefits) (Kochert)
G-04-17 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. A-04-07 (Messer)
G-04-21 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance Chapter 150: Building Regulations (Messer)
A-05-09 Additional Appropriation (police cars) (Price)
A-05-10 Additional Appropriation (garbage packers) (Messer)
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO MAY REQUIRE SPECIAL ASSISTANCE TO ATTEND THE ABOVE MENTIONED MEETINGS MAY MAKE THEIR REQUEST KNOWN BY CONTACTING THE CITY CLERK IN ROOM 332 OF THE CITY/COUNTY BUILDING OR BY CALLING 948-5336.
You'll notice I've opened the comments section again, this time with no restrictions on who can post. Feel free to report your impressions or predictions for tonight's meeting, but please try to confine your remarks to those issues likely to emerge at the city council meeting.
Back to politics, of the municipal sort.
Tonight's city council meeting promises to be a dilly, with any number of difficult topics likely to be addressed. For now, we'll just list them in no particular order, but don't be surprised if something else winds up stealing the headlines.
Mayor Garner has boldly declared that the city intends to proceed with authorizing a bond issue for the Scribner Place redevelopment project. You remember that one, don't you. A few dozen folks have rallied around the banner of "no progress," but they are vastly outnumbered by the thousands of New Albanians who are expecting their city to act with vision and make the YMCA, the aquatic center, and the infrastructure for private investment a reality.
Presumably, Larry Kochert's poison pill will be removed from the resolution passed just two short weeks ago, and the 5 council members who voted to support Scribner Place will get this thing rolling.
Interestingly, CM Kochert won't even be in the same time zone when the meeting starts - he may well be sipping mai tais in the noonday sun at 7:30 EDT. It's a coincidence, I'm sure, but this will allow the retired Kochert to enjoy his retirement without ever having to explain either a yes or no vote on Scribner Place.
CM Dan Coffey, the 1st District's resident wizard, will try to cast his spell again. We hear he is introducing a resolution that would simply give the $20 million grant from the Caesars Foundation the proverbial back of the hand. He will ask his fellow council members to kill the idea of a city redevelopment project in the 1st District.
Hey, Dan? We'd love to publicize your "wacky resolution of the month" on all of our Web sites. How about retiring all of the police patrol vehicles and replacing them with saddlebreds?
The building commission and the potential for a new inspector hire are likely to pop up, even if unofficially. Mr. House, who once served as building commissioner, has publicly stated he's coming back, but not everyone is thrilled to hear about it. We hear that Mr. Kochert is sponsoring the idea, but then, he won't be here to defend it.
Continuing woes with sanitation operations may well be part of the non-agenda part of the meeting tonight, too. I hear that some misinformed folks are spreading the word that the city no longer recycles. I checked that rumor out and can tell you - nothing has changed. Equipment breakdowns sometimes dictate that recyclables be mixed with other refuse, but official policy and practice are the same as ever.
I also hear a solution to the equipment problems is being addressed and will be implemented soon. Curious, though, that an appropriation for sanitation equipment has been lying on the council's table since January. What's up with that, Dan?
And be sure to be there sometime around 8 p.m. when CM Bill Schmidt will give us a reading from some arcane letter apropos of nothing on the council agenda. It's always a highlight to hear Mr. Schmidt's disconnected monotone break into the proceedings upon receiving a secret signal from somewhere in the room.
Third Floor Assembly Room, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 21.
Here's the agenda for tonight:
(as provided by City Clerk Marcey Wisman at http://www.newalbany.in.gov/Clerk/City%20Council/)
THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CIVIL CITY OF NEW ALBANY, INDIANA, WILL HOLD A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING IN THE THIRD FLOOR ASSEMBLY ROOM OF THE CITY/COUNTY BUILDING ON THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2005.
PUBLIC HEARING at 7:15 p.m. to discuss the following:
A-05-24 Additional Appropriation Ordinance
A-05-25 Additional Appropriation Ordinance
THE REGULAR MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 7:30 P.M.
AGENDA
CALL TO ORDER:
PRAYER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
ROLL CALL:
APPROVAL OR CORRECTION OF THE FOLLOWING MINUTES:
Common Council Minutes of July 7, 2005 regular meeting and Public Hearing.
COMMUNICATIONS – PUBLIC:
COMMUNICATIONS – CITY OFFICIALS:
COMMUNICATIONS – MAYOR:
APPOINTMENTS:
APPROVAL OF CF-1 FORMS:
Kempco Food (tenant) Accent Marketing (tenant) and Koetter Development (landlord),Compliance with Statement of Benefits, Referencing R-03-16
INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS:
READING
R-05-16 Resolution To Repay Sewer Fund for Payment to Team Contracting Regarding Clark Street (Seabrook)
R-05-19 Resolution of the Common Council of the City Of New Albany (Messer)
R-05-20 City of New Albany, Indiana Resolution (Coffey)
R-05-21 City of New Albany, Indiana Resolution (Messer)
A-05-24 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Schmidt 1)
A-05-25 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Kochert 1)
A-05-20 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Schmidt 2&3)
A-05-21 Additional Appropriation Ordinance (Seabrook 2&3)
A-05-22 An Ordinance Setting Salaries for ASCME Employees, A.F.L.-C.I.O, Indiana Council 62, Local 1861
(Price 2&3)
A-05-23 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. A-04-52 Setting Salaries for the Year 2005 for Sworn Members of the New Albany Fire Department (Blevins 2&3)
Z-05-15 Ordinance Amending the Code of Ordinances of New Albany, Indiana, Title XV, Chapter 156 (DocketP-12-05: J & S Builders) (Crump 2&3)
TABLED ORDINANCES:
A-05-07 An Ordinance to Amend Ordinance No. A-04-56 Setting Salaries for Non-Union Employees for 2005 (H.R. & Benefits) (Kochert)
G-04-17 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. A-04-07 (Messer)
G-04-21 An Ordinance Amending Ordinance Chapter 150: Building Regulations (Messer)
A-05-09 Additional Appropriation (police cars) (Price)
A-05-10 Additional Appropriation (garbage packers) (Messer)
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO MAY REQUIRE SPECIAL ASSISTANCE TO ATTEND THE ABOVE MENTIONED MEETINGS MAY MAKE THEIR REQUEST KNOWN BY CONTACTING THE CITY CLERK IN ROOM 332 OF THE CITY/COUNTY BUILDING OR BY CALLING 948-5336.
You'll notice I've opened the comments section again, this time with no restrictions on who can post. Feel free to report your impressions or predictions for tonight's meeting, but please try to confine your remarks to those issues likely to emerge at the city council meeting.
posted by All4Word at 9:24 AM
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