Comments on Advance Indiana™: How About Spending The Money On Maintaining Our Public Utilities?

Thanks, Gary. Yes, the parties really do think al...

2011-08-10T18:13:56.631-05:00

Thanks, Gary. Yes, the parties really do think all of us 'subjects' are, to quote you, "just a bunch of suckers". And yes, I do think the proceeds of the sale of our water and sewer utilities to Citizens Engergy, should be spent on maintaining OUR public utilities.

Of course, Tully is paid to ignore the obvious and...

2011-08-08T21:28:08.514-05:00

Of course, Tully is paid to ignore the obvious and promote status quo propaganda. Don't you guys know that utility pipes aren't really infrastructure - it just a bunch of stuff in the ground? Once you put it in, what more is there to do? Now paving over the roads, without fixing the deteriorated pavement base, is something special indeed - Rebuild Indy!

Actually Gary NIPSCO sold off Miller Pipe Line and...

2011-08-08T20:40:32.514-05:00

Actually Gary NIPSCO sold off Miller Pipe Line and SMNP and all the land up around Geist after they found out that the city was going to go after the Water Company. SerVass and Peterson were in such a hurry to complete the sale they just ignored everything that should have sent up red flags! The city ended up paying more then double the amount NIPSCO paid minus the above companies. Of course the Columbia Gas purchase which caused them to sell the water company blew up in their faces. That little bum CEO of NIPSCO Gary Neal (or was it O'Neal) walked away with a golden parachute and ruined two good Indiana companies.

Paul what happens is they have to turn up the pres...

2011-08-08T20:29:59.113-05:00

Paul what happens is they have to turn up the pressure to keep up with demand thus causing the breaks. I don't think the Water Company has ever has a policy to replaces old mains. When they were a private company they were using most of the excess cash to pay the dividend on the stock. When NIPSCO and the city took over they were more focused on new mains and growing the customer base. The old mains have never been much of a concern to the water company.

As a side note the city sold all of the new water mains to Carmel (north of 86th street) so they wouldn't slow down the sale from NIPSCO to the city.

...the question as to WHY the CITY has FAILED to M...

2011-08-08T19:25:03.139-05:00

...the question as to WHY the CITY has FAILED to MAINTAIN the WATERWORKS falls on Ballard.

Mayor Ballard, why have you neglected the WATER UTILITY?

It's called POLITICS and it sucks!

2011-08-08T16:56:33.870-05:00

It's called POLITICS and it sucks!

I just cannot buy that pipes are breaking because ...

2011-08-08T15:54:06.317-05:00

I just cannot buy that pipes are breaking because it's hot outside. That doesn't sound right.
The pipes are in the ground where it's cooler.

The explantion sounds made up. I think it's just because it's an old system.

Hey guys. The city screwed up with the bonds inste...

2011-08-08T15:13:57.741-05:00

Hey guys. The city screwed up with the bonds instead of getting out of the variable rate bonds when the first ones failed they got some horrible advice and held on to them thinking that the interest rates would come down. It didn't happen and they ended up buying them out around 10 percent. Thus they ended up going for an emergency rate increase just to keep the water company solvent. The Gas Company was a lot smarter, when their first variable bond failed they bailed out of all of them immediately thus saving them and the rate payers a bundle.

Not sure who were the knuckle heads who were advising the city? But at least the water company will be in better hands.

The question of why were weren't spending mone...

2011-08-08T12:30:51.880-05:00

The question of why were weren't spending money on maintaining the water system was one that I had as well.

As I understand it, the issue behind the broken water mains and the heat is that the internal pressure on the mains drops with excessive water usage (vs pumping capacity) during the heat - the change in normal pressure is what causes the deteriorated mains to then break. I would need more of an explanation to call "Bullshit" on that or not.

That said, having a water system that's unprepared for hot weather in summer is like not having snow plows for the roads in winter (Who knew it got hot in Indianapolis?!?)

I am glad the water system is being moved to Citizen's Energy. I think that the City has demonstrated its incompetence and willingness to treat the utility as a political tool--over a couple of different administrations including this one.

Wasn't there also a huge issue with the bonds having to be re-financed that cost a bundle?

Where is the independent oversight (IURC?) when you need it.

I believe that Fox 59 was doing "hard hitting investigative journalism" by sticking a camera in the face of residents who were watering their yard... too bad they didn't try that with me - I would have gladly asked them why they weren't focusing on why we have a decrepit system in the first place.

And money grows on trees, Paul. We're stupid f...

2011-08-08T12:17:54.547-05:00

And money grows on trees, Paul. We're stupid for not knowing that, aren't we?

Gary, didn't you read Tully's column. The...

2011-08-08T10:38:00.811-05:00

Gary, didn't you read Tully's column. The $450 million is found money, a big pot of money that fortunately was generated. Of course Tully says nothing abut Citizens taking out a 30 year loan to generate the pot of money and the fact that as Citizens is a public company, we rate payers have to pay that back.