First, new street projects, like roundabouts will NOT necessarily need City Council approval. The city can, through it's general budget and funds, create these projects. That's good news for those of us hoping for roundabouts on Gray Road.
One of the big advantages of this realignment is that the roughly 200 million in debt the city has accrued for capital improvement projects like the Palladium can be refinanced into very manageable payments. This is not just a good thing....it's critical. If these debts are allowed to stay positioned as they are they could become a huge financial albatross for the city.
Will this mean that nothing will get done now that the City Council has to approve capital projects? Not necessarily. Our contact on the CRC thinks that midtown development will be a high priority along with refinancing the current debt load. There will be other projects that are in ALL of our best interest that will most likely still get done as well. Time will tell on each issue as it becomes a focal point of discussion.
We've just touched the surface of what this all means but let's hit the political ramifications for a moment. There are those on the Council who are adamant about stopping the agenda Mayor Brainard has set out. Several of those individuals have their own overt political agendas as a part of that anti Brainard movement. To us those individuals are the WORST of the political system as it exists today. Working to stop one leader's agenda en masse for the sake of advancing another political career is why a lot of us are so disillusioned with politics. It's not transparent, not ethical in our opinion and not in Carmel's best interest. Whether you agree with the Mayor or not, we are where we are. What's best for Carmel is to determine where to go from here, FORWARD in a positive way. Celebrating a power grab to advance a political position rather than because you believe in a different path is disingenuous and won't be forgotten by those of us paying attention. If you have a better idea, put it out there on it's own merits. The future of the city will depend upon synergy and positive direction. Backbiting and retribution will accomplish nothing and likely destroy reputations and opportunities for all of us in the years ahead.
Greg Cooper, east Carmel Indiana 46033 homes for sale, real estate blog
2 comments:
The Council has an agenda? Maybe you should do a little research. The CRC is broke and potentially will go into default this summer unless the Council bails them out with residential taxpayer money backing. The City overall is now about $1B in debt due to the Mayor. Feel good stories and attacks on those trying to save he City/taxpayers won't make the problem go away.
Given your 'anonymous' position I an only assume you have an agenda much like some on the council. If the Council had worked together with all parties some time ago we wouldn't have the same type of debt problem we have today. Yes, the mayor initiated a number of projects but we are where we are. My point was that a number of people are so wrapped up in derailing the Mayor they've failed to address where we go from here. We all get that we spent more than we had. Are you going to keep complaining or suggest a solution? 1 Billion? Perhaps the City Council should get a cohesive number to release to the public. I had more than one councilor tell me it was in the neighborhood of 200M.
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