We have a right to give our point of view on the issues.
First of all, we don't give a damn if you are a democrat or a republican.
You were elected to do your job and make decisions and vote on ordinances that affect us.
Now, as they say this is not personal, it's the fact that we have an uneducated council.
Every time we read our local newspaper or attend Council meetings, our local administration and Council members think they have a better solution than we have.
All that seems to come out of the newly elected Mayor's mouth is we need priorities.
As they say there are always two sides to every issue.
The first priority in our point of view is that each Council member should know what dollar amounts we have to work with in each fund.
Instead of teaching our new Council members about TIFs and Tax abatements they should be taught how to read the monthly financials.
Council needs to look at the proposed budget as we wait for State approval of the 2008 Budget.
Anyone connected to our current administration can come before the council and say "This is what's best for New Albany.
But is it really?
The Board members like:
Matt Dennison of the Board of Works, Elizbeth Coyle of Sewer Board and Stormwater Board and John Rosenbarger of Redevelopment Board are only a mouth piece for our mayor!
You 9 council members are the ones who "we should demand accountability" from. You make the laws by Ordinances and you appropriate our tax dollars.
Right now it is so obvious several of our new council members are playing politics.
Roll up your sleeves and start by doing your homework.
Based on your voting records, you council members are really appearing NOT to be informed.
You all sit there knowing you have promised to work with England to even get elected and then you have promised certain neighborhood groups this and the progressives that!
Wake up council members, now is the time to start doing your homework.
How can you make decisions and vote on issues, projects and appropriation of tax dollars when you do not have all your facts?
How many of you 9 council members have even contacted Charlie Pride of Indiana State Board of Accounts or anyone at DLGF?
It's obvious maybe 1 or 2 have.
For the rest of you, it is obvious you are sitting on the Council as an extra paycheck every month or because you have to vote on certain issues because you are being told to vote that way.
Just because England thinks it's best to spend 2 million dollars on Spring Street Hill, does that make it right?
England came up with his campaign promises. Does it constitute a priority to turn Spring Street and Market Street into two way streets?
If you 9 council members had done some homework you would know there was a reason why they were turned into one way streets back in the 1960's.
It was turned into one way because of high accident figures. They also have done studies on this issue. Ask yourself if this is an issue that should be a priority?
No, we don't think so!
Yes, England inherited the problems from the previous Garner administration. Can you honestly tell the taxpayers and homeowners that England was sitting out on Hwy. 111 and not knowing all the problems our city was facing?
If he attended some or any council meetings he would have known about these issues, as well as you new council members.
Council members have no clue as to what you all are doing!
Have we not lived through the hardest 4 years of any administration ever?
Tax and spend and misappropriation, 11th hour decisions and many decisions based on just vote for it, and we'll figure out the rest later.
We have selective enforcement, selective billing, selective property taxes and selective parking tickets, all in the name of New Albany politics!
Just because Carl Maylsz thinks it's important to rub elbows and give perks to the developers doesn't make it a good idea.
Just because this administration wants new business into New Albany, it DOES NOT generate a bigger tax base.
Closing Camille Wright Swimming pool is not a good idea. It appears to us to be a way of forcing families and others to join and use the new YMCA.
'That will never fly!"
Wake up council members, not everybody can fit a YMCA membership into their budgets when gasoline is going up to $4.00 a gallon and the average income is less than $18,000 - $22,000 a year.
Property tax increase, sales tax and increase of utilities going up along with other fees.
You are basing decisions on what you are told or directed to do.
You 9 council members are not doing your homework or looking at the big picture and using some good old common sense!
Why does any council or department even have a budget? Why do we even need a council if the Board of Works has the power and can spend funds and have studies done?
A new administration comes in and they point the finger at the previous administration. The new administration retains the previous employees so they can figure out how they shuffled the funds. Then the new administration have their own pet projects and campaign favors and then they come to you 9 members to give them what they want!
It seems like every new administration always wants to refinance bonds. Someone makes a nice commission check on those bonds. Those bonds are what we property owners are paying twice a year.
The police department now wants 15 new police cars.
Indiana State Board of Accounts wants them to keep a mileage log and we property owners want crime out of our city. Get rid of the drugs, meth labs and stop driving our police cars all over Southern Indiana.
We homeowners are tired of paying the gas, wear and tear on police cars and watching them sit around shooting the breeze, talking on their cell phone on the parking lots!
