Comments on Advance Indiana™: Grant Rejection Leaves City Budget $1.7 Million Short

IS said, "Even if this grant was approved (a...

2009-11-18T18:17:18.964-05:00

IS said,

"Even if this grant was approved (and it looks like it had no chance in hell), in 3 years the federal assistance will be gone. Where will the money come from then?"

That's why taking grant money for things like additional officers doesn't make much sense. You eventually have to fund those positions outside of the regular income stream or make cuts.

Glaring example of counting your chickens before t...

2009-11-18T17:53:21.459-05:00

Glaring example of counting your chickens before they hatch (and in this case came home to roost and laid an egg on the CCC. Sounds typical though. Flippantly committing taxpayer dollars on projects not thoroughly examined by each counsel member. Can we say ditto to building a stadium without figuring the operating costs? Deja Vu is a recurring theme.

I attended the meeting when Ballard proposed the b...

2009-11-18T15:48:47.757-05:00

I attended the meeting when Ballard proposed the budget, and he specifically talked about this point. When I questioned it on another blog, I was hit by talking point after talking point about how this is perfectly safe and blah blah blah done deal.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned (and I'm 23!), but I think that a city should be able to provide the basics (police/fire, K-12 education, public works such as roads, sewers, and maintaining current city parks) without a huge amount of federal assistance.

Even if this grant was approved (and it looks like it had no chance in hell), in 3 years the federal assistance will be gone. Where will the money come from then?

But by then, Ballard will be out of office, and is successor can use the "we inherited this mess" talking point!

I know that the woman who ran the Grants Office fo...

2009-11-18T11:00:39.204-05:00

I know that the woman who ran the Grants Office for years got $millions of dollars for IPD. She knew grants inside and out.
Did they get rid of her?

Is it corruption, or is it mostly sheer incompeten...

2009-11-18T09:58:36.603-05:00

Is it corruption, or is it mostly sheer incompetence? In the clip I saw on the channel 13 news, ICJI's Moore said the city never contacted them before submitting the grant application, and if they had, would've known in advance the grant would not be approved. Contacting a granting agency is pretty standard, especially when such large sums of money are involved.

Considering that according to the "Ballard Rules" public safety is job one, you would think he would put more competent people in charge. Even their excuse-making seems incompetent. Poor Renner just rambles. Hopefully they will replace him soon and put him out of his misery.

Thats because the people running this city and IMP...

2009-11-17T23:51:50.137-05:00

Thats because the people running this city and IMPD are as corrupt as the ccc. Maybe when the city puts public safety ahead of the colts and trips all around the world..they be able to afford adding more police!