Friday, April 10, 2015

The Real Reason Ballard Vetoed $4.7 Million In Additional Public Safety Funding

Mayor Greg "Public Safety Is Job One" Ballard vetoed today an additional $4.7 million the Indianapolis City-County Council recently appropriated in this year's budget using additional dollars generated from this year's public safety income tax increase to purchase replacement police cars and to spend on repairs of police facilities. Proposal 47 passed on an overwhelming, bipartisan 24-4 vote. Here's the explanation Ballard offered for vetoing Proposal 47 as reported by the Indianapolis Star:
Ballard said the Department of Public Safety never requested the funds and was not consulted before the City-County Council voted 24-4 for Proposal 47 on March 30. The expense also was not considered during recent city budget negotiations, Ballard said in a written statement.
"None of the items addressed in Proposal 47 were included in the budget, quite simply, because no one from the department of public safety asked for any of these items," Ballard said. "(It) represents a complete departure from this commonsense budgeting approach, and, thus, I must veto it."
Ballard said buying the police cars was a waste of money because much of the police fleet is switching to electric cars.
"An appropriation that wasn't budgeted and isn't necessary is nothing more than an irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars," Ballard said.
A reliable source tells Advance Indiana the back story to Ballard's unexpected veto of Proposal 47, which angered many council members and the FOP. We're hearing Indianapolis lost funding for its Department of Homeland Security grant for the Urban Areas Securities Initiative ("UASI"), which the City relies upon heavily to fund the debacle known as the Regional Operations Center. The ROC has never truly been a regional operations center because it has never comprised the original 9 counties that were supposed to jointly participate in Indianapolis' ROC. Last year, U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks boasted about getting this funding restored for the Indianapolis area after it was lost in 2013 following the Super Bowl in 2012. Well, we're hearing the federal grant has been cut again for failure to satisfy the conditions provided in federal law for receiving the grant money. Thus, Ballard has to pull money from this year's income tax revenue to make up for the loss of the federal grant money to keep the ROC operating.

Fear not, Indy Eleven supporters. Ballard is reassuring his chief benefactor, Ersal Ozdemir, that there will be plenty of city money available for his new $83 million soccer stadium even if state legislation sent to the governor's desk caps the state contribution at $20 million. It's hard to understand why Rod Blagojevich is sitting in a federal prison cell in Colorado for a term of more than 14 years while someone like Ballard who has committed far greater crimes goes untouched by federal prosecutors. Only Joe Hogsett can explain that one to Indianapolis residents. The taxpayers of this city face greater danger with each passing day this man is allowed to remain in office.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Ballard said the Department of Public Safety never requested the funds..."

That is B.S.! They requested the funds to pay for the delapidated and inadequate fleet, to fix the delapidated firing range, and to hire to replace those lost through the Straub era of attrition without replacement that led to dangerously low staffing and ladder truck removed from the fire station closest to a major shopping mall.

Thank you AI for this breaking news story!

The "Regional Operations Center" was plagued with corruption and shredded documents, refusal by Ballard to produce, and stinks to high heaven. But Indianapolis had a lame and weak U. S. Attorney who wanted to run for Mayor.

Anonymous said...

Soccer is a sport known to have riots and crowd control issues...why is Ballard forsaking Public Safety in favor of a Turkishman trying to get rich off the taxpayer's money?

When there is a riot on the field, there likely won't be enough police available to respond...but just don't you worry about that.

I wonder how Ballard's pocket is being lined....

Josh said...

The two biggest scams in the US today are "law enforcement" and "education". Every year taxes are increased to fund these failing institutions. And what do we get for it? Less graduates every year, a mass of functionally illiterates that can read but not comprehend, and a ever increasing police state.
Look at what some cops want to do to you and me;
http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&article_id=2108&issue_id=62010

Anonymous said...

The toxic fallout from the damage attorney Republican hack operative David Brooks, who engineered his wife attorney Susan Brooks to the 5th Congressional District seat, continues to rain down on a City and a state and a local GOP David Brooks substantially harmed in order to increase the wealth, prestige, and power he amasses for himself and his semi-attractive but-just-as-devious Ft. Wayne bride.

Alex Carroll, owner of the Eastgate Mall property, and now the Middle East war-zone-appearing site we know as the ROC, is a reputed close friend of both David and Susan Brooks. It was Republican hack political operative attorney David Brooks who wrote the one sided lease that literally financially brutalizes the Marion County taxpayers and their yet unborn progeny- a brutal financial rape idiot Greg Ballard wholeheartedly endorsed.

How ironic Susan Brooks alleges she "restored" funds and Ballard loses them because Ballard cannot meet federal grant money guidelines has to sink money into the ROC just to keep David Brooks' lease scam perpetuated.

Good Lord, Marion County.... why the hell isn't David Brooks- and possibly his artificially sweet middle aged faux judge babe- in federal leg irons???

Anonymous said...

Pure and simple, ex-soldier Greg Ballard is a pathological liar and a certified imbecile. The man had no more business trying to be a real man in the Marines than he had any business or credentials to be a mayor. Just as John McClain and Mitt Romney were the ones who really gave us socialist Barak Obama, it was Bart Peterson who by his unwitting mayoral actions gave us Greg Ballard.

Our City's worst failed mayor ever really has no clue about the proper role of government, municipal finance, and connecting with voters. Pure and simple, Greg Ballard is a psychological back of problems ripe for the harvest by nefarious attorneys who bought him off and used him completely. I am willing to bet this guy is one of those kids on a tryke who could easily be lured to do anything for a lollipop and a ride in a big car.

If goofy Greg thinks Bob Grand and David Brooks and Tom John and Kyle Walker (a stooge if there ever was one) will keep hizzoner rolling in world tours, country club memberships, and quasi-elite parties, our obese mayor on the way out should think again.

They won't even remember his name in a few short months. Ask Bill Hudnut.

Anonymous said...

Great post, Josh.

The article you cited is disgusting, but it reveals the truth that all cops care about are their salaries and benefits. Your life and your ability to care for yourself means nothing to them.

I'm surprised Gary ran something that honest about the police, since Gary seems to have a connection in the police department that he wants to preserve by not being too inflammatory about the cops.

Anonymous said...

The real reason Ballad did not approve the $4.7 million is for penalty costs and outlays for the failed Justice Center Complex. Look into it.

Guest said...

Didn't they set aside $4.7 million for the "not their responsibility" preschool initiative funding?

Anonymous said...

Also, Ballard will be putting up several million for the soon the be failing Indy Eleven Soccer Stadium.