Comments on Advance Indiana™: City Balancing Budget On Backs Of Pensioners

I think the vast majority of the voters in Marion ...

2009-08-28T20:50:26.490-05:00

I think the vast majority of the voters in Marion County agree with this report, Advance. Thank you!!

As I just noted on Paul Odgen's blog, I witnes...

2009-08-28T20:26:07.945-05:00

As I just noted on Paul Odgen's blog, I witnessed the driver of Sheriff's paddy wagon lic. #2965 taking in a movie at Southern Plaza this evening. Dressed in civies and with a passenger and with taxpayer's providing limo service!

I find that an appalling waste of taxpayer dollars. Take-home police cars make sense to me, but not a 'wagon.' It seems no more sensible than would be a take-home firetruck or ambulance.

Jabber, Actually the Sheriff's Department cla...

2009-08-28T11:49:35.602-05:00

Jabber,

Actually the Sheriff's Department claimed last year that they owed CCA money due to CCA deciding to take an inflation adjustment and they owed CCA for inmate meals. The inflation adjustment is automatic on 1/1 of every year and inmat meals are part of the per diem. The council let them move money from one account to another to pay CCA $225,000. They never mentioned at that time that they owe CCA $4.5 million dollars.

Frank Anderson should have put some money in the p...

2009-08-28T11:21:44.324-05:00

Frank Anderson should have put some money in the pension fund instead of buying motorcycles for his cronys to style.

The sheriff has no need/use for motorcycles! Just what will he do with them, serve civil process on sunny days? -I think not!

My notes from the hearing say they are behind 3 mo...

2009-08-28T11:00:26.848-05:00

My notes from the hearing say they are behind 3 months for a total of $4.5 million and there is an annual adjustment of $400,000 on top of that.

I do seem to recall this CCA debt was mentioned last year or the year before - this wasn't news to me this year and I don't otherwise follow the Sheriff's budget. So, I'm not sure they have been hiding it.

I am surprised about the pension issue arising. The City shows a $16M surplus going into the rainy day fund (if it doesn't get picked off for the CIB before the budget is finalized) so they could pay the $3M to the pension.

This is a common ploy used by government leaders t...

2009-08-28T09:42:02.889-05:00

This is a common ploy used by government leaders to make budgets appear balanced, Amanda. I suppose at a certain point in time there was an understanding that the county would delay payments to CCA to shore up the budget. The problem with doing that it requires a hit on the budget at some point in the future when the payment is made current, if it is ever made current. The contractor would acquiesce in this arrangement of the delayed payment as long as it believes its contract is in no danger of being axed.

Actually they claim to be behind 3 months (I thoug...

2009-08-28T09:33:18.383-05:00

Actually they claim to be behind 3 months (I thought the figure was $4.8 million) to CCA which runs private Jail #2. I find it highly suspicious that they claim this deficit has existed since 2004 but never bothered to mention it. I'd like to see concrete financial documentation verifying this deficit. They said the deficit accured because of a persistent undercount of the inmates at Jail #2. According to the contract though, CCA every month provides the Sheriff's office with a count and a bill. Their explanation for the deficit doesn't make much sense.