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City-County Council approves 2011 budget

 IBJ Staff
October 25, 2010
Keywords
Capital Improvement Board, City Government, City-County Council, County Government, Government, Government & Economic Development, Local Government
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The Indianapolis City-County Council on Monday night voted to pass a 2011 budget of $1.1 billion, including controversial funding for the Capital Improvement Board.

The overall city budget calls for cutting $22 million in local spending—reducing expenditures to roughly 2008 levels. That includes measures such as eliminating a police recruit class and implementing a pay and hiring freeze.

The CIB's $73.1 million budget, which included a $10 million payment to the Pacers for the operation of Conseco Fieldhouse, passed by a 15-14 vote. Jackie Nytes was the only Democrat to vote yes. Libertarian Ed Coleman voted no and all others voted along party lines.

The Pacers funding has been a dicey issue during city budget hearings against the backdrop of financial shortfalls for the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library and the IndyGo bus system.


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  • wake-up indy citizens
    gary a. isterlingDecember 21, 2010 8:41 AM
    we are being used by the people in charge of out tax-dollars.cib needs to have a full audit,lets see tax-dollars owned by the tax-payer,as i remember working for the city 28 yr.if you handled city monies,you were open for an audit by the state board of accounts,and this information is public information,why do we not see this info,and just how much are the salaries of the board members,free sporting tickets and all the free lunches,hotels,parking,who is getting these items,where is this being shown other items or on contracts.another smoke and mirrors scam.wake up taxpayers it is your money,......demand an audit and list on internet,newpapers lets see it in full,come on state board of accounts,you audit the city employees,who handle money,chump change not millions of dollars
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  • RECALL NOW!!
    RBOctober 26, 2010 7:22 PM
    Good job Indy -- no cops, no libraries but $10M to the Pacers without ever having seen their books. All you fools out there writing about what would one do without the Pacers, who would keep the lights on at Conseco, etc, you should be ashamed of yourselves for not demanding the Pacers make public their finances as they are hijacking the public's money -- I mean YOUR money. the team should be re-named the Fleecers.

    Don't just vote against the bought and paid for council members -- start a recall movement and really take it to them. What are you passive citizens of Indy waiting for? This is brazen , broad daylight theft of your money and your city yet everyone seems to sit idly by. Where are the citizen lawsuits calling for the Pacers to open their books before taking your hard earned cash? Don't forget, the "small market" Pittsburgh Pirates are making buckets of money despite public perception -- how do we know? Someone leaked their financials to the press over the summer. Where are people within the Pacers organization with some honor?

    One last thing -- let's hear it from the Republicans again about how Obama is socializing the country. If he is a socialist, then what does one call the Republican behavior in Indy? Crony capitalism? Please remember this when you vote next Tuesday...

    Start the recall now!!
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • GOP in a nutshell
    JimOctober 26, 2010 7:21 PM
    Remember, the GOP if they first don't deceive, they will lie, lie, lie again and again. They think people will start believing in them like Jackie Nytes.

    Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub, Ballard, Mitch, and Jackie Nytes, Knaves all three...
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  • Had Enough
    This is ridiculousOctober 26, 2010 4:49 PM
    If you want the details of the original Pacer's agreement, go to Had Enough or Republican Paul Ogden's blog on the original agreement.
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  • Question
    JanieOctober 26, 2010 4:31 PM
    When it was originally built what was the long range plan? How did it come to this?
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    • Of course we will never know
      Rick it is the RepublicansOctober 26, 2010 3:44 PM
      How much it actually costs to run Conseco Fieldhouse, how much in revenues the Pacer organization makes off of the building or what it would cost to operate without the Pacers....because Ballard and his cronies cut a deal to satisfy Bob Gand and Joe Loftus without every asking for the information. We know how much we will save by closing libraries, and it anin't $10 million a year.
      Reply to CommentFlag Comment
      • Entertainment
        Downtown LivinOctober 26, 2010 2:36 PM
        I am sure what PML is trying to say is not that Indy can't find other entertainment outside of the Pacer's but that a majority of the money used to run Conseco comes from the Pacers (albeit they don't have stellar fan attendance and ticket sales), they still are paying to play and run the Fieldhouse. the organization isn't making money that is for sure and I think they are running in the red at that! I doubt the Ice, or another Arena Football team (we already had one and it didn't work out so well) would be able to bring the backing the Pacer's have been able to do over their tenure and thus Indianapolis would end up pouring more money into keeping the field house running. Much more than the $10m they just gave to the Pacers. Maybe the city needs to put some fire to the toes of the Pacer's in order to bring some new management that will instil some sense of state pride in the team - bring the team back to the glory we new them in during the early 90s.
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      • Pay more or less
        Rick it is the RepublicansOctober 26, 2010 2:09 PM
        The building has over 200 events each year. The Pacers play about 40 home games. I would bet you could find new entertainment options...hockey, Arena Football. By the way, who would want the Pacers?
        Reply to CommentFlag Comment
        • Pacers
          Pay more or less?October 26, 2010 1:13 PM
          Yes it stinks that we are cutting hours at the library, but has anyone reported on what the long term cost would be for the city and ultimately the citizens of Indianapolis, if the Pacers left? Sure we are subsidizing running Conseco, but if the organization closed shop here in Indy then all bills would end up being footed through other funds (read: taxes and more cuts). I bet the CIB looked into this option and found it more taxing for us citizens. Plus we would have another empty building in Indianapolis. Not really what we need.
          Reply to CommentFlag Comment
          • Rick - its the Republicans
            I will rememberOctober 26, 2010 1:08 PM
            Easy way to remember who to vote against....Grag Ballard, Jackie Nytes and the Council Republicans.
            Reply to CommentFlag Comment
          • knee jerk reaction?
            kevinOctober 26, 2010 12:56 PM
            Rick, shouldn't you find out how they voted first? JoAnn Sanders is an at large councillor and she voted against this.
            Reply to CommentFlag Comment
          • bastards
            RickOctober 26, 2010 12:45 PM
            I can't believe write $10 million checks to billionaires when we can't even keep the libraries open. Unbelievable. Note to my councilman and all at-large councilmen: I'll be voting against you at each opportunity.
            Reply to CommentFlag Comment

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            1. The lack of street-level retail in this part of the Block 400 development is a huge oversight and somewhat perplexing given the high quality of recent city-backed developments downtown. This portion of an otherwise stellar development is going to have an extremely negative impact on the aesthetics, urban environment, walkability, and livability of the NW quad.

              I'm not sure why One America would oppose including retail. And I find it very hard to believe that the thousands of office workers literally footsteps away wouldn't be able to support new lunchtime destinations and other businesses along Illinois and Vermont. We've got to reconnect the disjointed segments of our blossoming downtown, not create yet another lifeless dead zone that no one wants to walk through. Sadly, that is exactly what this massive ugly single-use structure will accomplish.

              Why not follow the precedent set by the proposed garage in Broad Ripple and create an attractive mixed-use structure? Why does the city get it there but not downtown?

            2. Bear mind that DS is just not another lazy, rich kid. He attended Columbia grad school and was in investment banking for 4 or 5 years before joining his dad's company. An annual grant of stock options at market price would be the correct pay-for-performance program then no one could argue with it.

            3. This comes from an executive who gave his wife a Bentley as a wedding present. He is heir to billions of dollars. He should be working for a dollar a year and stock options only. Seems like a conflict of interest, time to bring in a non-relative as CEO. Haven't met him, but have heard his arrogance is legendary.

            4. If the property is improved, property taxes increase - more revenue. If AUL's employment grows, more income taxes - more revenue. If more people move and/or work downtown, it means more demand for goods and services, more employment, more taxes - more revenue, etc., etc. It's not just the city throwing money at big companies. There's much, much more. Yes, the project has private backing, but apparently not enough to make the deal work and therefore they don't have it covered. And while Marsh is a nice anchor, they are no credit tenant like a Kroger or somebody. And if the police department has a major shortfall, they need to reduce the force. This city has way too many policemen.

            5. It's hard to defend billionaires, but David Simon has created a tremendous amount of value for shareholders since joining the company. He is widely regarded as one of the best CEOs in America. The company is growing and making good strategic decisions. And Indy is fortunate to have SPG HQ'd here. Now, does that merit $120 million (about 15 mil over 8 years or so)? Maybe. But this family and David have truly built a business. Should Zuckerberg be worth $20 bil? Who knows. Hopefully David will be supportive of Hoosier charities like his family has.

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