April 30, 2007 05:34 pm
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1. Smoking ban; expand it, keep it the same, or rescind it?
This ordinance is, perhaps, the main reason I decided to run for City Council. Not because of the desired goal, but because of the way it came about. I don’t smoke, and I work in an oncology clinic, the Hansen Center. I see the horrible effects of smoking in the oncology setting every day. However, tobacco is still a legal substance in the United States and the decision to go smoke-free as a community should have been made through a voting mechanism. If a vote on this issue is not possible for municipalities in Indiana, I would accept reliable polling data, taken from the an independent organization, to guide the decision. For a small elected body to determine how businesses and private clubs treat a legal substance, in what was a very short period of time, seemed very “Orwellian” to me.
I feel a Greensburg smoking ordinance would certainly pass, in some form, if put to a vote. However, if a smoking ordinance was voted on by the electorate, as in Ohio, the means with which the goal had been achieved would not be in question, and as such, the decision to comply would be less traumatic.
2) TIF District’s 3.6 million windfall and future use of TIF districts.
I believe, after attending the TIF meeting on April 25, that this will no longer be a question that the community will have to ponder. The taxpayers were overcharged, and they are due a refund. This is not only the right decision, it is the only decision, in my opinion, and apparently, it seems to be the newest opinion of the Department of Local Government and Finance (DLGF).
Until the problem that occurred with the calculation of TIF funds for the Lincoln Street project is resolved, it seems silly to be discussing future TIF districts. Again, from the TIF meeting on April 25, the City of Greensburg was “not guilty” of making any errors, and Gary Malone, from the accounting firm, Umbaugh and Associates, stated that his company simply used the figures that were given to them. With this as background information, how could we have confidence in the amount of funding available in a TIF fund for current or future infrastructure projects? I support the concept of Tax Increment Financing as dedicated funding for local projects, but would like to see our current process of auditing the fund reevaluated.
3) Airport - Expand, Move, or Shelve the Project?
I am in favor of an airport that will meet the needs of our community. If that means an airport that will need to grow, I am in favor of an alternative site from the current location. I am not in favor of using Eminent Domain for this project, in part, because even with Eminent Domain the airport would still be “land locked” to some extent. Before we assume the expense of maintaining an airport, we certainly need to be aware of the anticipated costs, which would require some study. At this time, without knowing Honda’s needs or projected area growth, I would not be willing to commit additional local funds towards this project.
4) Spreading out Contracts Among Several Engineers and Financial Advisors?
I am in favor of the highest quality product for the lowest possible cost. Sometimes bidding out projects or consulting contracts accomplishes this goal, and sometimes it is more cost effective to use a single vendor for multiple projects. I would like to see consistency and a universal vision for our local projects, but cost must be an overriding concern. Regardless, if a vendor is confident in their products and abilities, they should welcome an open, advertised bidding process.
5) Selecting Board Members and Acting on their Recommendations?
In the past, there have been members of appointed boards that were re-appointed over and over again, often times without much public knowledge of the re-appointment. I feel any organization needs new people to bring fresh ideas to the table. I would encourage anyone to seek board appointments, if they are interested, and have a desire to serve. However, I would like council representation on the boards as well, for liaison purposes. The council members are the elected officials, and are ultimately responsible to the public that the board serves. In turn, many of these boards are appointed by, or report to, the City Council, and as such, their recommendations should be carefully considered before action is taken on issues reviewed by these boards.
6) The Negotiations between City and Rural Water on Zone 5?
The rural and city water dispute may be beyond repair and in need of third party mediation at this point. I believe if the city and county officials had been working more closely this entire fiasco could have been avoided. Hopefully, we will find a resolution to the water situation in Zone 5 and future city and county elected officials will be able to learn from the mistakes that were made in this process.
7) Will the City take an Active Role in Helping the County make Decisions on Outlying Growth?
The city will have to take an active role in helping the county, just as I anticipate the county will be helping the city with decisions in the next few years. With the anticipated changes in our community, I feel the city and county will have to approach our challenge of growth as the team that we are, rather than as independent entities. In the past, bantering between city and county representatives has existed, but has been relatively harmless to local commerce and growth. As the recent events concerning water in Zone 5 have shown, that is no longer the case.
8) Should there be Changes Regarding the City Department Heads?
While these decisions are made by the Mayor, usually with the approval of the Board of Public Works, I would like the city departments heads to be judged on merit, and have evaluations based on the meeting of specified goals. I believe there should be input from the public on how certain departments perform since, after all, they are the customers for these public services. I believe all of the current department heads should have the chance to be evaluated by a newly elected mayor for a period of time before a decision on their performance is finalized.
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