We previously told you about Carmel Mayor James Brainard's plan to roll out $217 million in more borrowing and spending on roundabouts and other street and road improvements funded by higher taxes at the first meeting of his rubber stamp council for the start of the new year and plans to remove all of the additional control and oversight the city council assumed over the Carmel Redevelopment Commission after the council had to bail it out a couple of years ago. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
The Carmel City Council will also take up across the board utility fee increases of 9-12%. Those double-digit increases will compound in future years because the proposed ordinances will also provide an automatic 3% cost-of-living adjustment ("COLA") so council members don't have to come back each year and vote to raise rates again and again. Those increases will help be used for $44.5 million in storm water projects for which the council is set approve the issuance of new bonds. Responsibilities that now rest with the city council will shift to the Board of Public Works and Safety.
The Council will give up authority to remove stop and yield signs at intersections under a new ordinance. The city engineer will now have sole authority to make that call, which can be only be overridden by a 2/3 vote of the council. The City's Corporation Counsel will get new authority to settle lawsuits without council approval. Council approval is currently required for any lawsuit settlements greater than $8,000. That will be increased to $25,000 under a proposed new ordinance. And that's just what's on tap for the first meeting of the new year.
The simple solution would just be to do away with councils altogether. Who needs a legislative body to keep an executive in check? Councils cost too much money and just get in the way of progress.
The IBJ also takes a look at the globe-trotting travel of Mayor Jim Brainard. According to the article, Mayor Brainard spent 79 days out of state the past year alone at a cost to city taxpayers of more than $20,000 for nine separate trips. He spent more than $67,000 on 36 trips over the past four years. He's missed some key council meetings because of those out-of-state trips where he could have cast a tie-breaking vote. Now that he has a rubber stamp council, he can travel as much as he wants knowing the council will always do whatever he wants.
Doing away with political organizations such as The Indianapolis City-County Council and the Carmel City Council is an idea whose time is arrived.
ReplyDeleteCouncils such as these are not a "fetter" on imperial mayors but a pretense that "the people" have a place and a voice at the political table.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
It costs money to live on the lam as an OPM addicted politician; Other People's Money.
ReplyDeleteThis seems to apply!
ReplyDeleteAn Obituary printed in the LondonTimes.....Absolutely Dead Brilliant!!
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If you still remember him, pass this on.
'Tis merely the price of being pretentious.
ReplyDeleteAt one time I thought I wanted to buy a house in Carmel, but I'm really, really, really glad that I didn't. Somebody has to pay for Brainard's delusions of grandeur and I have a pretty good idea of who it's going to be.
ReplyDeleteIs this a Carmel knock off of Indy's 100 day crime plan?
ReplyDeletePerhaps the bobble-heads can sell some, or all, of the $80,000 statutes to pay for the planned tax increases including water/sewer increases. There is absolutely no way to quantify any spending in Car-Mel based upon the statute collection.
ReplyDeleteLast person out of town, turn off the lights!
Carmel voters got their wish; financial insanity. I have lived here 34 years but it is time to leave before it hits the fan. The new bobble head Council will vote for anything Brainard puts in front of them. How can these idiots look themselves in the face? They have destroyed Carmel for the next 30-40 years.Numerous of the new ordinance s will move approvals from the Council to Brainard & his cronies. Maybe my mailer wasn't far off. Dictatorship has arrived in Carmel.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers may find themselves eating Carmel corn...
ReplyDelete