Comments on Advance Indiana™: Brian Williams Is The Only Politician Who Gets It On Utility Transfer

30 yr bonds for improvements lasting 8-10 yrs........

2010-05-26T21:16:28.143-05:00

30 yr bonds for improvements lasting 8-10 yrs.....

That's making six-year new car loans look a lot more sensible, five years to pay off a satellite dish for a trailer look legitimate, and the student loan industry a whole lot better.

There is nothing trustworthy or charitable about C...

2010-05-26T17:33:58.065-05:00

There is nothing trustworthy or charitable about Citizens Gas.

Has anyone ever really looked at the service and delivery fees they charge? On my latest bill they charged me more for delivery than the gas!

I complained to the IURC. They are little more than cronies of the insiders at the gas company.

And speaking of charity. Does anyone know about the weekly parties (every Friday) thrown by gas company CEO Carey Lykins? THe parties were catered for 200 formal attired guests every Friday night by Crystal Catering at Lykins swanky home.

The CEO'S party was a weekly gig for Crystal when Lykins and cronies were attempting to get IURC permission to extort the new massive service and delivery fees from the citizens.

The IURC is the fox guarding the hen house of our money.
I want separate funds raised for sidewalks and I don't want them being paid through water which is a basic necessity of life.

Even the gas company employees I've talked with think this deal stinks.

This new Washington Township GOP club president sounds like he wants to get ahead with the county party regardless of the citizens who get hurt along the way by their policies. He'll do just fine with the likes of Brizzi and Tom John. None of them have a conscience.

Carlos, Thanks for sharing. I've heard the Was...

2010-05-26T07:50:24.658-05:00

Carlos, Thanks for sharing. I've heard the Washington Township GOP Club has been turned into a big advocate for the tax, borrow and spend policies of the Ballard administration since Liz Karlson stepped down. Again, another reason I will do everything I can to defeat every Republican candidate in the next municipal election.

Chris is feeding you a lot of bullshit that you believed. Veolia is never taken to task for violating the agreement. It's been paid millions annually in bonuses that the IURC said had nothing to do with performance. What Chris is saying is that until the feds file corruption charges against all of the players to recover taxpayers money, we're going to continue to pay out tens of millions of dollars for their substandard services. As for the funding of the pork barrel projects, it's this simple, Carlos, We're issuing 30-year bonds to pay for improvements with a life span of 8-10 years. Would you take out a 30-year loan to buy a car? Chris and his corrupt buddies in the administration count on a very stupid public. That's how this bullshit continues to go on year after year.

Gary, we @ the Washington Twp GOP Club had a prese...

2010-05-26T07:09:41.412-05:00

Gary, we @ the Washington Twp GOP Club had a presentation from Chris Cotterill from the Mayor's office yesterday, along with a rep from Citizens. I was duly impressed with the presentation & the answers to our questions.

1. From my understanding, one of your big problems with the transfer is the continued presence of Veolia & the millions it will continue to reap from ratepayers. Chris indicated that there is a liquidated damages clause in the contract with Veolia and -- even if litigation were to prove successful -- the time frame for such litigation would be such that Citizens has stated that it will decline the offer to purchase the water utility if the issue is dragged out in court.

Given that I've had nothing but good service from Citizens and given it's charitable trust structure, I'm all for Citizens getting the utility because I think it will benefit me (in terms of good service) in the long run. I understand that this is an argument from bias (I've had good service from Citizens so I want them to own the water utility), but it's based on my observations of my nat gas service. I also understand that it may be to the detriment of ratepayers as a whole because of the money paid to Veolia, but I am willing to shove those costs onto the ratepayers because I perceive Citizens's ownership to be in my own best interest.

2. Another issue you've brought up -- correctly, if I might add -- is that the cash that Citizens is paying will go toward streets, bridges, and sidewalks instead of allowing Citizens to conserve cash and, as a result, lower rates for ratepayers. This is somewhat akin to a germaneness argument when it comes to bills in the General Assembly, and you make a good point.

My counterpoint is that if all the savings were passed on to ratepayers, then ratepayers outside of Marion County would benefit as well (a buddy of mine in Zionsville gets water from Indianapolis Water). Out-of-county ratepayers would reap a benefit in the form of lower rates without giving up anything. We Marion County residents would be giving a utility company to Citizens. Now, perhaps the IURC would allow Citizens to discriminate based on location (i.e. Zionsville residents would pay more than Marion County residents for water), but I doubt it. Not only would there be legal challenges from non-Marion County ratepayers, but I can already see state reps & state senators grilling Carolene Mays & Jim Atterholt (both from the IURC) about the "unfairness" of such a move.

All this is not to say that you haven't brought up good points against the transfer; you have! It's just that--viewing the transfer through the lens of my own self-interest--I do support it.

Oh, it is only a matter of time before civil unres...

2010-05-25T20:31:33.215-05:00

Oh, it is only a matter of time before civil unrest comes to these shores, after the slaves to debt lose all hope and the slaves to entitlements realize the check's not in the mail.

If what you've posted is straight ahead, this ...

2010-05-25T12:05:30.116-05:00

If what you've posted is straight ahead, this is truly outrageous. It makes Peterson look like Mother Theresa, and me a jackass in voting for Ballard.

The water company transfer proposed by Mayor Ballard is supposed to work based on IMMEDIATE and SUSTAINED:
5% decrease in captial costs, 15% decrease in operating costs, and
DOUBLE the growth in water usage over the next ten years(?!).

How? Magic fairy dust? We need to explain to those departing Marion county the error of their ways? They must be delusional to think that our collective education, infrastructure, crime and fiscal problems might be approaching unsolvable? May I watch your pep talk to convince them otherwise?

All this, based in part, on a study by Citigroup, who (coincidentally), is to make $7M on the deal. AND, the mayor's son's PR firm gets a ten-year contract. AND, we don't get to throw out Veolia and United Water, or even consider a state recommendation to renegotiate with them?

If Citizens is suppossedly a good steward, fine, let's transfer. But, let's see what it takes to keep Veolia, United Water, the mayor's son, and disassociated infrastructure funding out of it. Give us separate taxes, referendums, bake sales, whatever, for the infrastructure improvements.

Better yet, instead of kicking the can down the road, how about tackling bigger issues associated with unaffordable goverment: entitlements, foreign policy, and immigration? Or, we're determined to go the way of Greece and riot in the streets?

Regardless of party, if it's not simple, it just guarantees somebody's getting over.

Yes, the corrupt banksters have owned Indianapolis...

2010-05-25T09:15:23.166-05:00

Yes, the corrupt banksters have owned Indianapolis, ever since Mayor John Barton, the humble son of a poor immigrant, left office. Thanks for cutting to the chase, AI.

I was thinking as I read WIlliams' critique ye...

2010-05-25T08:52:14.227-05:00

I was thinking as I read WIlliams' critique yesterday that I wish the Libertarians had come out with that analysis.

Ed Coleman is/was an ineffective councilor. He has...

2010-05-25T08:12:05.728-05:00

Ed Coleman is/was an ineffective councilor. He has been playing the go along game ever since I pointed out to him that the nursing home at which he is employed is technically owned by HHC and not ASC as he originally thought. He is probably worried that he will be fired if he makes waves. The utility transfer deal as proposed is just more credit card financing. Check out all of the bond issues over the past 30 years and try to figure out if any of that debt ever got paid off. You'll find it is continually refinanced and rolled into new debt. We're still paying debt on buildings and improvements as far back as the Hudnut administration that no longer exist. It's only a matter of time before the City's finances bring it to a complete financial collapse. We are actually bankrupt right now; it's only through smoke and mirrors budgeting that we have fooled the public and bondholders into thinking otherwisse.

The continuing silence of the Marion County Libert...

2010-05-25T07:48:44.806-05:00

The continuing silence of the Marion County Libertarian organization about this Ballard deal and the acquiesence of their one member on the Council, is very telling, even chilling. Brian is proving just how much dedication and fortitude, not to mention intelligence, he offers as a city leader.

One of the best things you've ever written, Ga...

2010-05-24T21:32:21.580-05:00

One of the best things you've ever written, Gary.

Well, we at least all owe Brian Williams a thank y...

2010-05-24T20:29:57.467-05:00

Well, we at least all owe Brian Williams a thank you for continuing to dig to shed light on this outrageous scheme.