http://advanceindiana.com/   A good analysis.  The idea of TIF districts as piggybanks for political sorts to plunder is worth review.  When conceived for Indiana a feature people liked was getting money away from black holes of spending like schools and city council stupidities.  Both entities had little fiscal sense (still don’t).  

OK, is it hypocritical for the Mayor to give his personal staff obscene and flippant pay raises of 30%, that amount to some getting $20,000 or $30,000 increase in pay this year and at the same time telling our “Public Safety Heros” that they can’t have the 3% pay raise they were promised? 

Hmmmmm, many taxPAYERS in Indianapolis don’t make as much as the pay raise their Mayor gave to his top staff!

-Certainly make it hard to take the Mayor seriously….I wonder if he has hired Bart Peterson as a personal consultant?

Abdul, Off-topic and a point w/which others might disagree. Also I am no wizard (my websie in point) but could you make past articles/archives more accessible? Like maybe have a block of past blogs listed, title-by-title. Maybe I have missed a tab or something. I didn’t take Computer Science at DePauw (but, in 1976, only would have learned FORTRAN). Thanks.

More thoughts on possible budget  revenue generators or savings:Savings in DPW hourly and overtime wages:In past years, Public Works Committee members have often asked why ex-offenders or those assigned community service hours by the courts couldn’t supply needed clean-up of the city’s landscape following a major event.  Use of such resources could provide dramatic reductions in higher hourly wage and overtime costs of DPW employees.  Presently, this can’t be considered as the city’s union contract with AFSCME only allows for union members to undertake such tasks. If union contracts with the city are open to renegotiation, consideration should be given to opening discussion on this one area of the contract between DPW and AFSCME.The city should charge special events organizers costs for providing needed additional security protection and traffic management.  Many other major cities and cities of equivalent size to Indianapolis are already doing this. This would cut down Public Safety overtime hours, generate revenue, free up law enforcement officers to protect other areas of the city, rather than having officers needed in outlying areas reassigned to Downtown. The city could consider bidding out contracts to security firms, or rotate use of local, Marion County security firms on an as needed basis.  The city could take a small percentage of the fees engendered from the private security firms.The city should not dismiss Sheriff Layton’s suggestions for reconsideration of law enforcement responsibilities between IMPD and the Sheriff’s department without first having thoroughly examined the potential cost savings and administrative efficiencies.  Allow all affected parties to come together to discuss which portions of the Sheriff’s plan make sense and which would be deal breakers.  For example, the Sheriff already has some responsibilities having to do with sex and violent offenders. Complete oversight of this law enforcement duty, as opposed to dividing the tasks with IMPD could lead to improved processes, at a lower cost, and free up more IMPD officers to arrest all law breakers.Continue to work with officials from the State and healthcare providers to more specifically define billing and payment responsibilities of arrestees needing immediate medical attention.  This newly shifted cost  of millions of dollars from Wishard to the Sheriff’s office has greatly contributed to the Sheriff’s budget costs and should most likely be a shared cost among several government agencies.Consolidate responsibilities of the city’s public information officers.  Can public relations duties be fulfilled by fewer PIO’s covering more areas and agencies?  In needs vs budget considerations, is a PIO as needed as an LEO?Reduce duties of the Public Safety Director and the resultant costs of its administrative office.  Until Indiana State Law can be changed to eliminate the required position within the city, drastically reduce the Public Safety Director’s responsibilities and salary.  In these dire budget times, severely limit the amount of city-county budget dollars spent on travel and outside consultants.As always, I am available to discuss these suggestions with any interested parties.

Keep the fuel surcharge on IMPD. Only $750,000 or so per year considering how many officers now live out of county, but it’s better than nothing. You’ll get a little more by making officers pay to work part-time as well.  Also, any firefighter that does window tint, builds cabinets, does taxes, sells real estate, etc. on the clock should be paying a surcharge as well.  I know that’s ghost employment but let’s be realistic, nobody’s going to file charges on a firefighter.  And the Star saying IMPD has had a 14% pay raise since 2008 is not even remotely right.

I think you have to look at eliminating the IFD Kelly Day (if we’re playing the parity card.)  By my math (working 1/3 days of the year X 1/7 of those days being Kelly Days X approx. 1000 firefighters X $60,000/yr) rounding down you save between $12,000,000 and $18,000,000 (depending on paying straight or OT) per year by not having to hire additional IFD to make up the manpower shortage and/or not having to pay overtime.  Which brings me to overtime.  Eliminate IFD’s unlimited overtime.  IFD doesn’t have a take-home car policy, which means if there’s a car laying around their chief can give it to whomever he likes because they have no rules governing them.  Institute a take-home car policy for IFD that states that they get NO take-home cars.

I’m not sure why, but in my neighborhood whenever there’s a drunk passed out on the street you get two ambulances, a ladder truck, etc. showing up.  Stop the run inflation.  It’s the same thing Frank Anderson and Jack Cottey used to do.  IMPD doesn’t do it anymore despite their brass pushing it for the past few years.

Cut MCSD back to their immediate post-merger levels.  They don’t have a road patrol function anymore so stop playing pattycake with Layton.  MCSD’s budget was about 80% of IPD’s before the merger.  That was when they had much more responsibility within the city.  Now they don’t because IMPD has absorbed their costs, but their budget hasn’t gone down.  Huh?  No savings, but a duplication of services.  I won’t get into the nitty gritty of why Layton is giving non law-enforcement personnel take-home cars, we need crossing guards on Market Street, etc.  In short, why has MCSD seen, including the proposed 2013 numbers, a nearly 20% increase since 2009 despite the fact that they are still running skeleton crews on the essential services they provide?

You have almost 10% of IMPD slated to retire in the next 18 months.  With salary and benefits we’ll round down and say that for every 14 officers that walk out the door the city is saving $1,000,000 or so.  Well with 150 or so planning on leaving here before too long, where’s that extra $10,000,000 or so going to go?

I understand this is all within public safety and I haven’t even touched on other non-essential city services.  But let’s play the game of averages and say that half of IMPD that’s slated for retirement retires on June 30 (those not in the DROP will go much quicker but I’ll be even about it.)  That’s $75,000 or so in pay and benefits X 75 officers X half the year and you get almost $3,000,000.

This is only off the top of my head, but add that $3,000,000 to the fuel surcharge, the work-on-duty surcharge, the Kelly Day elimination, and eliminating Layton’s budget raises.  I come up with $35,000,000 to $40,000,000.  For starters.  Oh, and hire back all the grant writers that Straub fired because he didn’t think he needed them.  And I won’t even get started on the department of public safety.

Back before the merger (Jan ’07) there was a committee of some sort that went to cities that had merged departments ( Charlotte, Nashville, Louisville, I think) and I read (Star??) or heard (Abdul or Garrison??)  that if your merging to save money…don’t.

…and the CCC needs to tell Layton to do his job, and quit playing policeman!  Sorry, but I saw nowhere in his job description the enforcement of traffic law.  Our city is now defending (a loser) law suit against the Sheriff for having special deputies exceed their authority and enforcing traffic law. 

I wish the CCC would pass an ordinance requiring a need and approval jusitification for any Sheriff take-home vehicles.  Since he does NOT respond to any emergency situations, it is hard to justify a take-home car for his employees.

 The elimination is the local portion of the homestead.  You are reading your tax bill incorrectly.

That’s why he votes democrat. Limitted understanding.

Your good friend failed to tell your this regarding the budget.  Health care insurance costs for IMPD/IFD will be increasing between 7%-9% (civilians %4-%6 increase) for 2013 Budget. 

But this is the kicker that you won’t hear fom the Mayor….For the 2014 budget (2 years from now), there is a shortfall/gap of between $10million and $20 million that is not being addressed in the 2013 budget. A year from now, we will be in the same boat.  But everyone will blame the economy and not the true culprit….PROPERTY TAX CAPS..You heard it hear first because the Mayor is speaking way too fast…for a reason.