Swell. Great. Goodie. I have one question.

Where’s the $2.2 million going to go? The writer states that the trash competition would be good for taxpayers. If that’s the case, one could assume the Henry administration will extend those savings to city residents, right?

Never mind. As I wrote back in October, the city paid nearly $1 million less to Serv-All in garbage and recycling fees in 2008 compared with 2007, and our rates didn’t change then.

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It was quite a show at council last night as some 65 residents of the near east side, neighbors to the recycling transfer site, vented their anger. And, they were angry.

The roar started almost as soon as Council President Tom Smith opened the mic last night to citizen comment. One after another minister and a few private citizens parade to the mic to chastise council members for approving the placement of a transfer site in their neighborhood, on the site of the old Pontiac Street Fruehauf/Fort Wayne Foundry campus. Only problem was that council had not approved it. That, however didn’t seem to matter. Nor did civility.

During the tirades the mostly Black audience cheered when one speaker asked the council members if they wanted to have the garbage coming into their neighborhoods. During the course of the comments people ranted that they had not been involved in the process, that the powers conspired to put the transfer station in a black neighborhood, that they already have enough cockroaches and rats. Hmmm, I would guess they were not trying to encourage investment on their street. Verbal hand grenades were hurled at Mayor Henry, all the members of city council, Jerry Henry, and specifically toward Tim Pape and Glynn Hines, the two council members representing that area.

Wayne Township Trustee Rick Stevenson, the organizer of the demonstration, spoke last and was less bombastic, but he was also critical of the mayor and others for allowing the rezoning. Problem is the mayor does not sit on the board of zoning appeals that heard the request about a year ago, and then, at the point where a difference could have been properly made, no one objected then. Stevenson, the ministers and the others were no where to be seen. No where.

I asked one man standing by a door who the neighborhood leaders in the closest neighborhoods are. He looked perplexed and said he didn’t know. I asked a couple others the same question, they did not know. My point: they were not blindsided nor left out of the loop, they simply failed to get in it. As a neighborhood president I am invited to a dozen meetings a month, receive regular mailings from city hall and follow up on all of them. If there is going to be a rezoning on my street I check it out. As far as I can tell there is no neighborhood organization near the transfer station. They chose, and I emphasize chose, to be left out of the loop.

Hines responded after the tumult subsided. He referred to the comments of various “brothers” and informed the sisters and brothers that he had worked with Stevenson and others, had meetings, planned strategy to bring the matter front and center in the community. Glynn had the mightier pulpit. He defended the neighborhood advocate, Cherise Dixie, who was also verbally tarred and feathered. John Shoaff, who said he stood with the neighborhood, politely stated that “this is not a black-white issue” and quieted most of the crowd. Liz Brown intelligently changed the subject and people began to stream out.

The crowd, if organized by Stevenson, may have made a point last night, but it was in the ineffectiveness of their leaders and representatives. Over a year ago signs were put out in their neighborhood concerning the public hearing at the BZA, no objection then. Did Glynn Hines object then? No, but why should he have, the neighbors did not. Cherise Dixie probably did her part, it was the neighborhood and their ministers and “leaders” who dropped the ball. Now they are playing catch up in the fourth quarter, the rezoning has been approved and is operating.

Notably, none of the council members defended charges, unfounded and obtuse, that Mayor Henry had done this to them. Under the bus. Not even Karen Goldner and Tim Pape offered a defense for their ally.

Notably, Glynn Hines started his rebuttal, and effective it was, by saying that every second and fourth Tuesday there is an open mic at council and invited the crowd, any and all, to come each second and fourth Tuesday. He repeated it enough times that the point was well taken, seldom do Black folk show up at council. Typically, Glynn Hines and Paul Morrison, a savvy and thoughtful, not to mention conservative, activist are the only two African-American faces in the house. Plenty of Euro-Americans show each Tuesday, seldom, however, is there a third, fourth or fifth face from the AA community. Glynn made that point in a very gentle, but clear way. Every second and fourth Tuesday.

Glynn also made another point, that Jerry Henry, the supposed villain in this matter, the one bringing vermin and garbage into their neighborhood, has done a great, great deal to help that same neighborhood by bringing in jobs, jobs, jobs when other businesses were, instead, abandoning that neighborhood. There is no question Jerry Henry has been a godsend to a deteriorating area.

So, let us see if a neighborhood president will be elected to work with Hines, Pape, Dixie and the mayor’s office to improve their neighborhood. Otherwise, apologies to the Bard, this was only a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.

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I’m not here to defend Earth First’s and Summit Recycling’s failed attempt at gaining Fort Wayne’s garbage contract. We were pretty clear where we stood on that issue back when it happened. What we think it happening now with Mr. Stevenson is a case of grandstanding.

His complaint is simple. He doesn’t want a “dump” as he calls it, in the neighborhood.

Here’s a video from WANE I took the liberty of editing for effect, (WANE, if you mind, either let me know or sue me, then we can talk about your reporter stealing my story last month).

Not in my backyard from Dan Turkette on Vimeo.

From his article at Frost:

At the Town Hall meeting, I told the group about a study I have read, the Cerrell Report. This report advises garbage companies that the best place to locate landfills or dumps is in low-income areas. There the garbage companies generally will encounter the least resistance to the facility. That is exactly what Earth First is doing.

It’s not Earth First, it’s Summit Recycling and Transfer. That aside, had Stevenson actually read the report, he would have found it covered Waste-to-Energy projects in California, and was written in 1984, 25 years ago. Doesn’t matter. It’s since turned into a propaganda piece.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund cites the Cerrell Report in their publication, “Our Earth Matters, Environmental Justice: A Research Guide .”

One group, Energy Justice, has the following in their forward of the Cerrell Report.

Though we haven’t found a “Master Plan” specifically targeting poor, Black, Hispanic, Appalachian or Native American communities for LULUs (Locally Undesirable Land Use), we’ve come close in this and some other cases. In this case, of 43 trash incinerators planned for California, the 3 that ended up getting built were in communities of color.

Counter-measures

To deflate a Cerrell strategy, get it out before your community. Show how it’s polluters’ way to identify “toxic chumps.” TELL your friends, neighbors and local media about Cerrell so word gets out that the real reason why you’re getting a LULU is because a Los Angeles consulting firm study says you’re too stupid to resist. They ought to be really thrilled to hear that! Most groups that unveiled the Cerrell Formula stirred massive community outrage and stiffened resistance to the LULU.

These groups take the approach that it’s all about skin color. Stevenson wasn’t bitching and moaning when Jerry Henry took the former derelict building and turned it into jobs. Stevenson wasn’t bitching when he put a new facade on a building that was in serious disrepair and looked like the rest of the neighborhood. How about we put a foundry back in there? They have trucks, and smoke, and silt. The fact is, the area on Pontiac Street that Summit chose for their location has been industrial for over 50 years.

Take a drive down Pontiac Street sometime, (if you dare). People keep their Christmas lights up year-round. Trash is strewn all over some yards, and junk cars sit in driveways. There’s a serious lacking in community pride in our little chunk of Detroit.

So the question remains, is this about the neighborhood? Did they get bamboozled? Or is this simply Mr. Stevenson getting up on his soapbox?

Two other items to consider.

Who approved the facility? The Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals.

The board consists of the following members.

Barney Niezer, Chairman
Mike Bynum, Vice Chairman
Carl Harz
Mary McManus
Chris Stewart

Also, the Earth First contract would have meant garbage was coming into the facility, then on to a dump outside the county. Now Henry states according to the WANE report, “the site will never bring in garbage.” Sorry Jerry, but it seems that was your intent all along. Now it’s all about being green, which I suppose means recycling.

What’s your opinion?

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Now comes this.

From Ben Lanka

Fort Wayne residents have consistently paid more in garbage fees than the city needs to pay a contractor for the collection of trash and recyclables, but city officials said that surplus is needed to keep the department running smoothly.

Last year, residents paid about $1 million more in fees than the city spent on its energy and environmental services department, which oversees the garbage contract with National Serv-All. This year, the city projects a $700,000 surplus from the fees residents pay. Currently, the city department has about $1.6 million in reserves in the bank, which is kept separate from other city funds.

[...]

The city paid nearly $1 million less to Serv-All in garbage and recycling fees in 2008 compared with 2007.

Pat Roller commented, “We do not believe we have excess cash.”

Really? The city is acting as a utility. They’re over charging. They’re keeping the money.

Can you imagine the shit storm coming from the 9th floor if I&M was over charging and keeping the money?

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A thrill more than two years in the making was realized for a new Whitley County business Tuesday night as Whitley Environmental was awarded the $2.2 million recycling contract through the Whitley County Solid Waste Management District.

It’s worth the read. Go here.

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From the Post and Mail.

The Whitley County Solid Waste District Board voted Tuesday to enter into negotiations with Allpro Towing Inc., doing business as Whitley Environmental, for the county’s recycling service. Jorell Tucker, solid waste district director, said the decision was based on a combination of the business being local and having the lowest submitted bid.

Randy Holler, a commercial loan officer with Crossroads Bank in Columbia City, said he was very impressed with Whitley Environmental’s business plan. “In the five-and-a-half years I’ve been in Columbia City and done small business loans, it appears theirs is the best capitalized I’ve seen,” he said.

[...]

“We’re going to save over $200,000 over a five-year period,” Tucker said of the district’s decision to buy the containers.

Aside from a new provider, the service itself will be completely changed after the first of the year.
Residents will no longer need to separate plastic, metal and glass from paper because the service will use one large container.

[...]

Although negotiations with Whitley Environmental will start today, Tucker said if issues arise with the contract, the district can still opt for the service of another company which submitted a bid.
“We didn’t throw any of the bids out … all bids are still on the table,” he said.

Whitley Environmental, which was one of two start-up companies to bid on the contract, does not currently have any trucks or equipment, but officials with the company said it would not be an issue to get equipment by the new year if the contract is finalized by Oct. 27.

That other company would be Earth First, LLC.

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Fort Wayne, Ind. – The City of Fort Wayne has reached an agreement with National Serv-All to provide garbage and recycling collection services for 2010 at 2009 rates. National Serv-All’s current four-year contract with the City expires December 31, 2009. The proposed one-year deal, which requires approval by the Board of Works, would freeze rates at current levels, and calls for monthly meetings to improve service.

“This agreement is in the best interests of Fort Wayne residents,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “Citizens will not see their rates increase next year, and we have asked for provisions that will help improve service.”

Based upon the principle that open competition would best serve the needs of citizens, the City issued a Request for Proposals for garbage and recycling collection in July of this year. With a Request for Proposals (RFP), vendors must complete on price as well as performance factors. Five companies responded to the RFP. A proposal by Earth First was considered to be the lowest and most responsive. Because the company is a start-up, the City decided that further due diligence was warranted. In the meantime, National Serv-All challenged the process despite the fact that a Request for Proposals process was used to award National Serv-All its current contract.

The City’s use of the Request for Proposals process was based on a good faith interpretation of state law, a desire to open the process to competition, and an effort to assure citizens of the best price and performance. However, based on further research and opinion, it was prudently decided to spare citizens the risk and cost of potential litigation. Entering into a short-term agreement for garbage collection was determined to be the option that best served the interest of citizens and provided the lowest cost.

Walbridge is threatening to sue FWCS for the same reason. Now he can have two targets in his sights. One thing in Earth First’s proposal to the city that has not come up is the limits on the amount of trash you could place curbside. Earth First’s proposal would only allow you to fill one dumpster. If you had to place a few bags outside as well, you would have been required to go to the grocery store and “buy” stickers to place on them. Otherwise, they would not pick them up. Think about how that would sit during Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, etc. when you have extra trash. And what a financial windfall that would have been for Earth First.

The one-year agreement with National Serv-All allows the City to re-bid the garbage and recycling collection contract as early as July of 2010 (effective January 2011). The new bidding process will include a comprehensive review of the City’s solid waste operations; solicitation of public input regarding solid waste; and the development of updated bid specifications and contract terms that are consistent with the best practices of other municipalities. The City will also confer with experts in solid waste contracting to advise and assist in performing these activities.

“Without question, this was a difficult process,” Mayor Henry added. “However, by sticking to the principle of seeking competition as a means of providing citizens the best price and service, we’ve reached an agreement that not only saves money but ensures an even better bidding process in 2010.”

The one-year agreement between the City and National Serv-All will be sent to the Board of Works for its review during its regular meeting on October 14, 2009.

Now there’s really no need to follow-up with another story. For the better part of two weeks, 4-5 computers from Waste Management in Brampton, Ontario have been lurking around the site. Sorry WM, Earth First won’t be worth acquiring anytime soon.

They are attempting to get Whitley County’s trash contract. It will be interesting to see if this has any effect on the outcome over there.

Bod-a-Bing!

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I decided to take time from cleaning the gutters today to give a small retrospective of Mayor Henry’s term in office. I’ve listed below some of Henry’s major non-accomplishments. It’s not all-encompassing, so feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section.

Backpedaling on the creation of a fire merit board. During his campaign, he stated he supported it.

Last year, Henry wrote: “I support a true merit system within the fire department. I will work with the union, the chief and the city council to pass into law a merit ordinance that works for all firefighters.”

And when it came around, Henry said this.

“The mayor does support a merit system that mirrors that of the police department,” Mitson said. “He’s not against the merit system but thinks the current legislation passed by the city council is flawed.”

The takeover of the Northeast Indiana Public-Safety Academy. More here.

Refusing to take part in the bridge summit last year between Allen County and Fort Wayne government executives.

Signing the ridiculous lighting ordinance that enables citizens to call the “light police” if they think a neighbor’s light is too bright.

From Fort Wayne Observed.

Council members Shoaff, Goldner, Tim Pape, D-5, Glynn Hines, D-6 and Marty Bender, R-at large voted for the law. Council members Brown, Didier, Tom Smith, R-1st, and Mitch Harper, R-4th, voted against it during both readings.

Henry presented a flat budget in 2009, in spite of HB1001 and a projected $2.1 million shortfall in property tax receipts. He then suggested an increase in local income taxes. Thankfully city council managed $2.5 million in budget cuts in spite of Henry.

Henry also suggested the City Council will likely have to take a look at increasing local income taxes. He initially suggested the council examine income taxes this year before saying it wasn’t needed for 2009.

Complete inaction on the High Performance Government Network contract. Graham Richard furtively crammed a $95,000 per year three-year contract down the city’s throat in the last days of his administration. If it had been $100,000 or more, it would have needed city council approval. More at FWP.

Not enforcing the contractual agreements his mentor Graham Richard saddled the city with regarding the Harrison Square development and Barry Real Estate. Where’s the leadership? Is he waiting for a brother in the real estate business to get a company formed?

Hiding the fact the city hired a firm to lobby for a casino in Fort Wayne. It took the city three months to come clean.

He also neglected to announce that three months earlier, the city hired a Cincinnati law firm, also to lobby for legislative passage of a bill to allow a casino referendum in the city.

The Indianapolis firm is to be paid $3,000 a month for a year. The Cincinnati firm, $3,000 a month for 14 months, plus an upfront payment of $15,000. This $93,000 is in addition to the $45,000 the city pays for a separate legislative lobbyist to handle other issues and to the $32,000 the city paid another lobbying firm to study the economic effects of gambling.

The city doesn’t have much to show for its money. No formal proposal to allow a Fort Wayne referendum was ever made, let alone voted upon, in this year’s legislative session.

Bowing down to pressure from Glynn Hines’ bitching that we needed more “people of color” on the 9th floor, and hiring Vince Robinson as PIO, in part, because he’s black. Don’t get me wrong, Vince is capable and more than qualified, afterall he worked for Graham. But in recent weeks, Vince has displayed he’s really “into” the non-transparency thing.

“It just so happens that Vince Robinson is also a minority so he fulfills two of my goals and that was to have a professional working for us as well as someone of color,” Mayor Henry says.

Hines: They’ve let down the African-American community in not having a single African-American at a department head..

Attempting (successfully) to sneak in an additional $4 million in the financing arrangement for Renaissance Square, a 28 percent increase.

The use of CEDIT funds for the unnecessary destruction of Calhoun street , which has nothing to do with economic development.

The use of CEDIT funds for Renaissance Square, which has nothing to do with economic development.

The building will be purchased for $7.3 million from Renaissance Square, LLC. Renovations and furnishings will add approximately $7.2 million to the budget for a total cost of $14.5 million. The purchase funds will come from County Economic Development Income Tax dollars .

Presenting a 2010 budget that does nothing to prevent a future shortfall as property tax revenues continue to decline. He’ll most likely call for a tax increase next year instead of being prudent.

It gets the city through 2010 and gives the city time to seek other sources of revenue and lobby the state for changes that would help, Henry said.

“What we’re doing is buying time,” Henry said.

While he buys buildings and gets his friends into the trash business.

Giving city employees a 1.5% raise, when almost 10% of the Fort Wayne’s workforce is unemployed.

Refusing to release the video of the José Baudilio Lemus-Rodriguez shooting.

Attempting to give I&M the boot, in spite of the fact that I&M employs 352 employees with an annual payroll of $27 million. They pay $2.5 million in annual property taxes and donate $500,000 a year to local nonprofit groups. Last year they spent $12 million in the aftermath of the ice storm, bringing in over 1500 workers to restore power.

Henry has also continued to refuse to disclose how much the city has spent on attorney fees in the ongoing senseless feud.

Makes you wonder if he has a brother in the power business.

And the crown jewel of Henry’s accomplishments, the Earth First contract. If you’re unaware of what’s going on with that, you can read about it here.

Okay, what did I miss?

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Today, access to city records is strictly limited; the administration is less than forthcoming about far too many aspects of government; and even information that is clearly a matter of public record can be difficult to see.

On Sept. 7, for example, The Journal Gazette – whose reporters are no longer permitted to look through the city’s claims – asked for billing records showing how much money has been paid to lawyers representing the city in the case involving Indiana Michigan Power’s lease of City Light. This is clearly a matter of public interest, and residents of Fort Wayne have every right to see how many of their tax dollars they are paying to which lawyers.

Two days later, the city said it would comply.

Five weeks later, the newspaper is still waiting for those records. Citizens still don’t know how much they are paying the lawyers to wage a debatable fight that has yet to even go to court.

Warner and the Journal Gazette were at one time the primary cheerleaders of the Henry camp. Now it seems Warner is yet another jilted media girlfriend. There’s no doubt that Henry’s “Earth First” cover-up gave impetus to Warner’s rage.

Go read the entire article and then come back and leave your comments.

What a nice surprise on a chilly fall morning. I think from now on I’ll refer to him as “one-term Tommy.”

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The Henry administration has hired H.J. Umbaugh & Associates to study Earth First’s financial health. This begs two questions.

Why are we paying someone to study only Earth First’s financial health? That should be a task Earth First should provide on its own for city council review. If it is required, why are we spending money with a CPA firm out of Indianapolis? There are plenty of qualified Fort Wayne CPA firms that can analyze financial statements and balance sheets.

Maybe none of the Fort Wayne firms lean democrat?

Among Umbaugh’s top executives we found they regularly contributed to democratic candidates, including Jill Long, Joe Hogsett, Katherine Lyon Davis, John Fernandez, Frank O’Bannon and others. We’re just saying..

In an article by Kevin Leininger last Thursday was the following:

“It’s crazy. I had no idea there would be all this blowback,” said Jerry Henry, a local businessman who said he received a small ownership stake in Earth First in exchange for office space near the Summit Recycling & Transfer facility he and partner Bruce Warshauer are completing at 2509 E. Pontiac St. The transfer station, which will collect trash and other materials from various customers and sort it before shipping it for disposal or recycling, was not established in anticipation of winning the city contract, said Henry and Warshauer, who also received a 5 percent share of Earth First.

Earth First was promising a greater emphasis on recycling, although we’ve yet to see any details.

Two months after Earth First incorporated, an investment group was formed headed by Jerry Henry and Bruce Warshauer called SRT Investments, LLC. SRT then bought the assets of G&S Metal Consultants in Wabash. The sale included the assets of G&S Transportation, which is now known as SRT Transportation, LLC., (incorporated in Sept 2009).

G&S Metal Consultants is an ongoing operation that specializes in aluminum recycling. It gives you pause when you think about how many aluminum cans Fort Wayne’s trash may contain. We’re not certain about the number of trucks SRT Transportation has on the road, but they certainly could haul the trash to Jay County, and the aluminum from Summit Recycling’s transfer station to Wabash.

Earth First is now has this web site. You won’t find a link on their site to this page however. Seems they’re fighting back.

At the end of the day, Jerry Henry will be successful with Summit Recycling with or without Earth First, he has the Midas touch.

It’s going to be interesting to watch how city council handles whatever option hot potato is placed in front of them.

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For the record, Dean is the brother of Vince Robinson, Fort Wayne Public Information Officer.

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Karen Goldner on October 8th, 2009 8:51 am

The successful vendor will have to provide a $3 million performance bond, which theoretically covers about 4 months worth of service. That is not to say that such an abrupt transition would be desirable in any way, but we do require such a bond.

[...]

I do think that it is unwise to think that fuel prices won’t go up over the next 7 years. But more significant than the fuel issue, which is speculative, is the fact that the vendor needs to have about 2 months worth of operating cash available in order to handle the accounts receivable from the City.

We pay in a couple of weeks, but the contractor will begin incurring expenses in mid-December when they hire their crews for training and their trucks arrive, and then they will make weekly or bi-weekly payroll, truck payments, etc. in December and January, and they don’t bill the City until Feb. 1 for January services. We take a week or two to review the bill, cut the check, etc., and the contractor has to be able to finance that time period – LIKE ANY OTHER BUSINESS. We pay promptly, but we don’t pay weekly, and we shouldn’t have to. Based on the numbers provided BY EARTH FIRST, the company can’t cash flow that time period.

I’m not sure what their plan is, exactly, but it looks to me that by Valentine’s Day they will be in big trouble, regardless of fuel prices. I would like to think differently but when I ask EF for a business plan I am directed to extremely sketchy information that does not make me feel more secure.

Her complete comment is here.

Hat’s off to Karen for actually looking at their business plan. Based on this comment, maybe that’s why Jerry Henry no owns part of the company.

I think this may be the end of Earth First controversy. Mayor Tom dodged a bullet.

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