Beans.

The Republicans at city council last night were anxious to get through the short agenda and onward to their bean dinner in the suburbs. The coming primary is foremost in their minds and judging by the recent haircuts and sartorial dress at council last night more than a few are girding for the last hectic week before the fates decide. The agenda was to a necessary distraction.

But, Mitch Harper played it straight. No short cuts. Business with a smile, but all business. He even recognized a large group of Boy Scouts who came to observe the governmental process and who were led by the city’s able forester, Chad Tinkel. Mr. Harper even invited three of the Scouts to lead the body in the pledge of allegiance that opens the regular session of council last night. Steady at the helm.

The committee session was rather proforma, a public hearing to which no one spoke, followed by discussion of three measures which all passed out of committee with 9-zip or 8-one majorities. Ah, consensus. In fact, two measures, the designation of economic revitalization zones to help local companies expand, were approved with numerous laudatory comments about each business. One council member made a point to commenting to the Scouts that the companies were both in high tech suggesting what merit badge they might next pursue.

The regular session zipped right along with mostly 9-0 votes, but Mrs. Brown registered a couple of “no” votes as did Mr. Harper. The president also abstained on bills concerning one of the software companies. Mr. Harper is very, very careful to protect his reputation for fairness and might be taken as a model by a couple other council members.

The only bill that raised any dust was that which concerned the changing of lighting on the Cloverleaf. Marty Bender was angry. He reminded council that the interchange is state owned ground, however the city is footing the bill and the state can later order the new lights be taken down, thus, leaving the city out $200,000 and without lights at the busy interchange. His comment was forceful and latent with anger. He had previously mentioned how “screwed up” state government is compared to local government which he finds more than trying enough. He voted no, as did Mr. Didier, Mr. Smith and Mr. Harper. Five to four. Mr. Bender did compliment the city for choosing LED light to replace the sodium vapors, noting the savings in significant electricity and maintenance, but he was angry with the State of Indiana for not offering to contribute and holding out the threat that the Department of Transportation might order the city to tear it all down. Hmmm. One might wonder where this is going and where it may pop up again?

Mr. Harper gaveled down the regular session and then opened the floor to citizens to speak. Growing visions of beans were dancing in Republican minds, sugar plum fairies and all. Charles Eberhart, candidate for mayor on the Democratic ticket, popped the balloon as he strode to the table and then whispered some cryptic comments directed at Mitch Harper concerning something to do with the 4th District which Mitch represents. Very strange. Mr. Harper looked a bit perplexed, but more at the way Mr. Eberhart presented himself, I guess, rather than being uninformed of the topic. Mitch is seldom out of any loop.

Then, it was time for council members to speak. The beans were about to rise to their full gaseous potential despite bubbling in warming trays miles away from Ceruti’s. At first, a number of the council members passed their opportunity to comment yielding to John Shoaff who initially offered a rebuttal to comments made by editorialist Tracey Warner of the Journal Gazette in the Tuesday morning paper. Mr. Warner’s snipe at Mr. Shoaff concerned, and concerns, a traffic “problem” that the administration plans to “correct” in a manner which Mr. Shoaff opposes, the widening, straightening and speeding up of State Street west of Clinton. Mr. Warner wrote Shoaff was “micro-managing” and interfering. Shoaff shot back that the project affects hundreds of homes in a dozen neighborhoods and could well halve their property values and cost more to the community in the long run than we would gain from an extra lane and five more miles per hour of speed. Mr. Shoaff pointed out that Warner “micro manages” every day from his editorial page, so it is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.

Then, Mr. Shoaff changed tack and comment on the recent spate of comments about how utterly and terribly hard it is to do business in Fort Wayne. He explained that, for sure, there are problems, but that by and large the system works quickly and takes into account the various interests that might be effected by new projects or expansion. He mentioned the matter of flood control, as one example. He singled out a candidate who had been expressing this forcefully and commented that it was a bit unfair. He tried to keep the comment “gender-free,” but slipped later and noted the culprit was a “she.” Mrs. Brown stiffened.

Shoaff added that a intergovernmental committee has been at work for a bit under a year and is about to offer a report. That committee included two county commissioners and the no non-sense Roy Buskirk. Mr. Shoaff is also a member, as is the deputy mayor and another member of council.

Then it was Mrs. Browns turn and she let fly. She offered one anecdote after another, including a failure to get forms and processes on-line and the infamous 40-copies of plans required to submit for a project. (She would, perhaps, have the tax payer foot the bill for reproductions?) She was hot. She added that over and over again as she has campaigned she has heard from developers and project managers that the system is cumbersome and convoluted.

She snapped that she stands by her comments that business development “efforts are stymied,” that it is an “extremely difficult process” and thanked Mr. Shoaff for the opportunity to “enlighten him on the process.” She did note it was a problem on both the county side and the city side, but did not note where complaints she had “constantly” heard should be directed. Her comments have been campaign attacks directed at the city administration in her effort to win the nomination, not against the county. As the city does not have a building department, as the county controls the taxing records, more than a few permits, and information on land use, as the planning department is a combined county-city affair it would be helpful to specify the bottle necks. The city may not necessarily be the “culprit.”

Mr. Pape then took his turn and pointed out that often fingers are pointed at the city when it is a county matter. He noted that 12 years ago a red tape commission was set up to slash that villain from local permitting processes. He talked about 12 years of the continuous improvement philosophy then introduced by Graham Richard and how the city, in that oft repeated chant, is doing more with less. Expect to see that line on billboards. Then, Mr. Pape chided Mrs. Brown: “It’s not the smartest thing to say you’ll do something over which you don’t have control.” She was visibly angry. He added that every developer wants a fast track for their particular project, but that there are others who will be effected by that change and those people need also to be advised and heard.

Then, Mr. Smith, a staunch Republican, gently added that during his decade plus on the Plan Commission he found staff to “work very hard” to help planners and developers, that the process was fair, and was balanced.

Mrs. Brown grabbed her bags and left in the middle of his last sentence.

The truth is there are problems as Mrs. Brown points out. Some are easier to overcome than others, many are not so easy to resolve because a given, specific problem is inter-governmental, some problems, in fact, were created in Marty Bender;s “friends” in Indianapolis at the legislature and will have to be solved there. The city is a creature of the state and they set many of the rules. The city and county, however, are working together now on the problem and we all expect them to offer specific changes to remove ridiculous or outdated provisions from local books.

Ironically, as the dust settled, as Mrs. Brown’s heels could be heard clomping toward the parking lot and her cooling bowl of beans, Mr. Shoaff was heard to say that his reference had been to statements made by Paula Hughes, not Mrs. Brown.

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So the big item on the agenda last night was a $30 million bond proposal to further clean our drinking water. One council member after another offered appreciation to the administration for the way in which the project was structured and for the recent briefings the administration gave to council members leading up to the committee vote.

The usual suspects who most often support the administration voiced their approval: Karen Goldner, Tim Pape and Glynn Hines. Even John Shoaff said it was wise and appropriate. Mr. Shoaff is usually to bonds as a mongoose is to cobras. He doesn’t like them for a variety of reasons, mostly the additional cost, but last night he express approval and appreciation of the project. Other council members around the table asked a few questions and made a few comments, but nothing unusual until Liz Brown, candidate for mayor in the Republican primary, and councilwoman-at-large, jumped in.

“So, you’ve been working on this for ten years! she said. A polite and affirmative response was offered by Kumar Menon, the head of city utilities, who detailed a deadly outbreak of cryptosporidium in Milwaukee water in the mid-90s that led to new, federally mandated treatment processes. She asked a few more questions and got more polite answers from Dr. Menon, his associate Matthew Wirtz and another gentleman from the department. She nipped at the proposal from a variety of angles trying very hard to find somewhere to attack. She finally did, it seemed, for a brief moment, find an opening concerning other projects that would be undertaken with money from the bond, projects that would otherwise have been paid for from other sources. Her vision of uncovering malfeasance in office petered out. Each subsequent line of interrogation led to more polite answers that all seemed rational business practices. Other council members nodded or rocked in their chairs. She leaned forward and asked about the City Utilities cash that would be involved in the project and was met with more polite and detailed explanations. She finally, with a tone of frustration, ended one line of questioning with a mutter comment, “well, that’s disturbing.” It was hard to tell what had disturbed her, but she was clearly disturbed.

She ended up being the only member of council to vote against, what another member of that body labeled, the safe drinking water bill.

Then, as the vote was called, she blurted that she wanted to explain her vote. Heads turned. Apparently, she is not against safe drinking water, not against the UV equipment to be purchased with the $30 million, not against the bonding method, not against the low interest rate, not against anything in particular that had anything to do with the bill before her, she was just angry that Menon and City Utilities had supposedly snubbed her over unrelated questions of fire hydrant financing from a year ago and she was using this vote and her questioning to find a way of getting back at them for her perceived injustice. Menon apologized for failing to provide her with the information she had requested and rather lamely said he had that very information for her just yesterday but she had failed to show for the briefing, but she could stop by anytime, he smiled. She made the point a second time and Tim Pape reminded her that she had missed the meeting.

Normally, bills make three steps through council: introduction, committee discussion and final vote. Introductions are rather pro-forma, usually just a reading. The committee session, in which all members are a part of all committees, is where, homework having been done, each member may ask as many questions, ad nauseum, should they so wish. Normally, council members explain their rational for voting a measure up or down during final vote in regular session. Apparently, Mrs. Brown felt compelled to blurt out her frustrations well in advance of the final vote, as if she was trying, in some sad way to explain her seething anger.

Marty Bender was also irritated by a new lighting proposal for the Cloverleaf where Coliseum Boulevard (the Bueter Road) meets Maumee Avenue. He was not, however, angry with the city; nope, his frustration was with the State of Indiana. When the state rejiggered the ramps at the intersection they removed a 90-foot tall light. The city, upon review and consideration, decided to install new, highly energy efficient lights and to remove the badly deteriorating and costly-to-maintain tower lights. LED systems are going in. According to Marty, the state caused the problem, has placed a variety of constraints and mandates on the project and requires a state approved contractor do the work, but will not contribute the first dime to the project. Regardless, the city traffic engineer noted that costs of operating the new lights will plummet, as will maintenance costs. The old lights required changing expensive bulbs every two years, the new LEDs should last 15 years between change-outs. The old system eats 44-thousands watts of energy per year compared to 8,200 watts for the LEDs, according to the engineer. He, Shan Gunawardeena, went on to add that the city is replacing old systems through out Fort Wayne with LED fixtures and leads the state in that sort of energy saving, dollar saving effort. President Mitch Harper then brought up LEP (Light Emitting Plasma) lights which were invented in Indiana and are manufactured just south of Indianapolis. A long, technical discussion ensured, but the off-shoot was that the city is also analyzing LEPs to determine their quality, longevity and cost of operation. The city clearly feels proud of their cost-saving, new tech initiatives.

The other big matter last night was a flood mitigation project between the old north side industrial park and the I-69/Coldwater intersection. A land swap will mitigate flooding in the area, make land more “developable” and beautify there area, as well. Most members of council were clearly pleased with the resolution, including Tom Didier, in whose district the area lies and in whose ears regular complaints have been heard repeatedly from the hundred or so firms that have suffered water damage and other problems over the years. The deal between the City, Menards and Sturges Development will cost just under one million dollars, but the city will be able to recoup much of the costs and put more land in production thus yielding a few more tax dollars. We shall see.

In all, three big projects came to the table and the city walked away with three wins. It is an election year and each Tuesday is increasingly highly charged as we approach the May primary and then head toward the November ballot. It was clear that the election was a factor in the discussions.

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The star of last night’s council meeting was a citizen, Phil Marx. It was a dose of reality after an evening of mud-wrestling.

What Mr. Marx vividly and dramatically detailed to council was a litany, a long-long litany, of the abuse he and his neighbors had long endured and against which they had fought and defeated in order to take back neighborhood from thugs. Mr. Marx read police statistics for just one street, his, that were simply amazing -knifings, screw-driver to the head, shootings, assaults, false 911 calls, battery, vandalism…jeez, Louise. The list went on and on and on to the discomfort of all members of council and everyone in the audience.

Then Marx, who led the fight against the gang-bangers and drug heads and thieves,handed out a bit of credit. Assistant Chief and councilman Marty Bender, he said, would make multiple stops and ever-so-slow patrols through his neighborhood on a daily basis to show the colors, to run off perps, to simply check to see if Mr. Marx and neighbors were still standing! Over a period of years Marx and others fought back and, as he noted last night, took back their neighborhood from the derelicts who had terrorized him and everyone else on the block. Marx then read his list of infractions from a more recent police cycle and it all came up goose-eggs. Apparently, closing one den of thieves, one house, changed the entire tenor of the neighborhood. Mr. Marx again gave praise to Marty Bender, lauded Chief Rusty York and all the officers who had taken time to ride down his street to just check and to show the colors.

Mr. Marx also voiced his appreciation to Council President Mitch Harper for starting the curative ball rolling by writing on Mr. Harper’s blog about the ongoing battle of neighbors vs. low-life. Mr. Marx, noticeably, did not express appreciation to his councilman on the east side during his recitation of the ordeal.

For Mr. Marx is was an empowering ordeal that he could well have done without. Few of us want to be harassed by young toughs with their hats on backward, tats climbing their arms, their pants sagging to their knees and uttering threats, especially while we are on a ladder cleaning gutters, as Mr. Marx recounted. Mr. Marx fought back and relentlessly demanded the city take notice. It was apparent from what he said and how Mr. Bender responded that the city took a very long time to take Mr. Marx at his word and then an even longer time to weed out the gutter-dwellers.

So, I hope Mr. Marx will make stay involved in government, in holding official feet to the fire and help other neighborhoods rid themselves of these poor, neglect young miscreants.

Mr. Marx would be a better nominee than most for our local “leaders” citizen of the year award.

Meanwhile, council distinguished itself in a fight over procedure, or, rather, make that two fights over procedure.

The first tussle was between President Harper and Councilwoman Golder. It was a mess. He proposed to change a decades-old process allowing “prior approvals.” Ms. Goldner defended the system. She said she could not see the difference between what he was proposing and what was currently in effect. His “new” system, he said, (suspension of the rules) and is in keeping with Roberts’ Rules of Order; the other process, prior-approval, is not in keeping, he said. He explained that his “new” system, which is really the older system revived, would end the questionable newer system (prior-approval) he said was put in place to “wire around Jimmy Stier.” Some of you will remember Jimmy. Essentially, prior approval was the fast-track system; Mr. Harper’s new system, (suspension of the rules) which was the old system, now raises the bar substantially requiring unanimous approval at a key point to move forward.

Another way of looking at it, the “prior approval” system anticipated that council would later “make good” on its promise by formally and legally passing said ordinance. Until it was formally passed, however, its legality was suspect and could leave 1) a contractor holding the bag, 2) a big hole in a street and 3) lawyers licking their briefs. (As a side note: Liz Brown, contradicting her normal pro-business position, uttered something in support of Mitch: it’s “not our job to get every ordinance out the door as fast as possible.” This is the woman who frequently complains about the city putting too much red-tape in the way of business.) The new system…or old system revived…is less subject to lawsuit.

The debate was nasty at times with Ms. Goldner being interrupted in mid-sentence by the normally polite Mr. Harper. She asked permission to continue with her thought. “No,” he snapped. Murmurs from other members at the table. Glynn Hines rose, rolled his eyes and poured himself a coffee at a side-stand in obvious muted anger. Eventually, Mrs. Brown offered a canned motion in support of Mr. Harper, which passed, and the matter ended, but not without tarnishing a bit the reputation of council.

As for the process, it was clumsy. Apparently, a couple council members knew what was coming, as witnessed by Mrs. Brown’s memorized motion, but the whole mess could have been averted with a little broader consultation.

Then, Mr. Harper invited a pair of vendors to the table to criticize the city’s handling of the cleaning contract for the People’s Palace. The two vendors leveled a number of charges and insinuations against the process and said they felt it had been “very questionable.” Mr. Pape asked, as a point of procedure, whether the two were being given special treatment by Mr. Harper and pointed out the irony of procedure being violated to discuss a perceived breech of procedure. It was the second mess of the evening.

Later, Jim Howard, the purchasing manager, had a chance to defend the way in which the contract was bid. He challenged each and everyone one of the arguments offered by the losing bidder. Again, as she did last week, Mrs. Brown asked Howard if the city could save money by not advertising bids as extensively as it does, as is required by law. Interestingly, she also encouraged greater government transparency later in the meeting.)

Another high point was the presentation of a clock to Mr. Pape for his years of service to the community. He accepted it graciously, if a bit prematurely. He has another seven months left on his contract. One can easily note that he is a changed man since his announcement not to run. His humor is lighter, less pointed, he offers more compliments, he tries to moderate disagreements, of which there are sufficient number.

Otherwise, it was a frustrating evening of arcane procedural wrangling juxtaposed against the message Mr. Marx presented at the dais. Marx and the rest of us are on the front line and need more help in protecting and improving our neighborhoods. Meanwhile, council parses words, toss barbs and otherwise looks petty.

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Scott Harrold and Elissa McGauley sat before council last night as an example of city-county economic development cooperation and left nearly everybody in the room scratching heads to try to understand the tangled and intricate proposal they had introduced.

Harrold and McGauley are both economic development specialists with the county and city, respectively. McGauley, who called Howard her “counterpart” at the county, works to help businesses gain tax abatements and to oversee their compliance with the promises they make to the community in exchange for your help.” (The tax breaks they receive means you will have to pick up a share of their abatements, and millions in tax “incentives” are handed out each year in the hope the company will 1) keep its promises, 2) create jobs and, 3) add to the economic viability of Fort Wayne and Allen County.)

So Last night Mrs. McGauley and Mr. Howard were at council table in a rare joint appearance (with a member of the Alliance ring side for support) to explain the proposal to abate, incent, and otherwise smooth the way for Greatbatch, an orthopedics company moving to town, to develop a plot of fallow land where California Road and Kroemer Road meet on the westside of town.

Greatbatch wants your help and our economic development teams have been, contrary to popular angst, been falling all over themselves to come up with an incentive package. Think: men in robes bearing gifts. With a high local jobless rate our representatives have been pulling out all the stops, including helping develop the parcel, laying utility lines and reimbursing the company for some of their costs of improvement, as well as abating their taxes for ten years in the future.

As there were only six members of council on hand last night it was easy to watch their eyes, many of which were glazed over. Trying to decipher the jargon Mr. Harrold and Mrs. McGauley used was like trying to follow a cricket test match on shortwave radio from Bangladesh. Liz Brown was the most determined to get to the bottom of the issue to determine whether it was a good deal or a flawed deal. She sensed more than a few flaws. It seemed even her keen observations were put to the test as indirect responses did little to answer her direct questions.

Mrs. Brown pointed out quite a few problems with the contract that had been presented to council, mostly ambiguities that she felt would give the company plenty of room to use incentives in ways they were not intended. Her questions were met with nuanced responses. She was clearly frustrated.

Councilwoman Karen Goldner then tried to sum up the jist of the matter, the broad flow of the deal, for we ignorant rabble and managed to get Mrs. McGauley and Harrold to nod to her synopsis in the way someone laughs at a joke they don’t quite get.

One council member finally asked Mr. Harrold if, in all their tracking of abatements whether the benefiting companies had fallen short of their promises and, if they had fallen short, whether incentive money, your tax dollars, had been “clawed back,” meaning repaid. Clawed back… Interesting way of looking at the process. The answer was yes, some companies had failed to deliver, but no, no tax incentives had been returned. “Special circumstances” beyond the control of businesses caused those problems and we should not expect them to repay, explained Howard. Given it is IRS season try that one when your return is flagged. Council has asked the same question a dozen times in the past two years showing a certain level of impatience and disapproval.

The measure passed. One council member subsequently told me that the tangle of promises and payouts, reimbursements and contracts was simply unfathomable. You have to wonder how many more of those glazed eyes on council had only a vague notion of what they had committed your tax dollars to do. By the way, the parcel is outside city limits.

There was more last night. Three labor contracts were up. Mrs. Liz Brown, candidate for mayor, voted against all three which included a 1%, across-the-board wage increase. While it may not matter in the Republican primary all of her votes against pay raises for city employees will be remembered in November.

Then, City Fleet Manager, Larry Campbell, whose grasp of verbs and pronouns is tenuous, defended a deal with Petroleum Traders for fuel. $3.7 million. Councilman Marty Bender likened previous gas deliveries to sludge and noted that police cars had stalled or wouldn’t start with PT fuel. Campbell replied that a rigorous testing program was in place to resolve that problem and that shipments had been refused. He added, later, that the city had not experienced that problem with deliveries from Lassus Brothers. (Penny wise, pound foolish?) He also added that he might have to return to council later in the year for another $100k or so should consumption exceed the budget. He hinted strongly that it would. Mayoral candidate Brown again was not happy. The contract passed.

Police chief Rusty York, soft spoken and seemingly tired, also testified before council last night. He spoke in support of a $1.142 million request for high tech gear for his patrol cars. In essence, each car is a mobile office with wi-fi access to the world – GPS, internet, contact with state and federal data banks with cross-referencing to known bad guys, cameras, digital hi-def recorders, etc. The discussion strayed to a conversation about where 911 offices would be located in the new two-building arrangement, but came back in time for a 6-0 vote in favor or Chief York’s request.

Council members Hines, Pape and Didier were missing last night. Spring break? Since his announcement that he would not be running for re-election, Mr. Pape has seemed to have flown the coop, as if that’s where haggard old lame ducks recover. Perhaps, instead of simply disappearing we might organize a dinner, give him a watch and ask the Democrats to appoint a replacement to fill out his term. Or, easier yet, he might just resume representing the district. While council meetings are noticeably shorter without him, his keen mind and rapier-like insights might have helped untangle the Greatbatch deal and kept his fellow council members awake as the dulling convolutions of the deal were disclosed.

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Mitch Harper was on time, in plenty of time, but is still getting his sea-legs.

Marty Bender was mercifully silent.

Sampson and Udris were stellar.

Mrs. Brown had her attack collar on again.

Mr. Howard clarified with a smile.

Mrs. McGauley went on and on and on.

And the smell or a rat was detected.

The meeting gaveled down perfectly on time with seven, not nine members present. Two Democrats, Mr. Pape and Mr. Shoaff, were both absent. Mr. Pape eventually arrived. Housekeeping was quickly taken care of and Glynn Hines, sixth district councilman, moved two bills through with perfect diction and decorum. Hines gave President Harper exactly the sort of civil and unembellished committee leadership Mr. Harper has been looking for. Hines needed five minutes at the very most. Polite and efficient. City Utilities Committee yielded to Finance and the meeting began to bog down like the German Army at Stalingrad.

Tom Smith’s committee was all about infrastructure last night. City Engineer David Ross came to the table to explain an Auburn Road project. Widening, sidewalks, new signals, all to aid traffic flow. Ross went on about the cost, some 80% of which will come from other sources, not your property taxes. Ross referred repeatedly to a digest sheet he had provided to council in their two-inch thick packets of materials for the night’s meeting.

Two city employees then came to the table to explain a sewer design project. One of the two witnesses was very, very nervous and was treated with kid gloves by everyone at the table, especially the normally acerbic Councilwoman Liz Brown. The young woman had trouble explaining the project and then learned from a councilman that an important sheet had been left out of the packet and the vote would have to be tabled. They were mildly chided. The two employees went on to explain they were trying to save the city money and time by conducting the study in 2011 for projects scheduled for 2022 and 2025. Because the project proposed is very large creating the design now will show other area projects where not to dig in the coming years so that costly relocation of utilities will not have to be redone in ten years. Very smart. Very nervous. One piece of paper missing.

The Lake Avenue Road Diet was next up and the discussion and the reminiscences and the personal stories of young councilmen daring to pass on the unusually narrow stretch of Lake from Anthony to Coliseum. Council members just could not keep from telling stories or near misses, all except Marty Bender who uttered not one sound all night, mercifully, except “here” and “aye.” The traffic engineer explained that Lake will emulate Rudisill’s configuration without the bike lanes. Two travel lanes and a center turn lane will reduce travel time and the number of accidents, he said. It made sense and council members generally agreed. Again, most of the money will come from federal and state sources, not local property taxes. They smiled at that. Progress on someone else’s dime.

Next, a bill to add a travel lane to Dupont. Again mostly federal dollars at work. The $10 million project will cost we local taxpayers $1.2 million. After much discussion leading to the vote Tim Pape quipped that everybody sure wants to cut federal spending, unless it is for their project. It passed unanimously.

Then, the stars of the evening, John Sampson and Andi Udris had their turns at the table. Sampson, whose leg bobbed up and down like he was working an old sewing machine explained his organization, the Northeast Indiana Regional Marketing Partnership, a non-profit construct of local government and business, to council. He was blunt, to the point, clear spoken and passionate about his work. They are, essentially, outside sales for Fort Wayne. They call on companies and “site selectors” to get leads or make first contact with companies that may wish to relocate to Fort Wayne. Mr. Harper, it seems a past critic of Sampson, lauded the presentation, to Mr. Sampson’s obvious surprise and relief. Mr. Harper delivered the praise in such a way that Sampson was leaning back in his chair preparing for a verbal blow when, instead, the doggie biscuit was presented. Council approved Mr. Sampson’s request for funds.

Andi Udris, our big Latvian director of the Alliance, another non-profit economic development “engine,” then took the seat. The Alliance, he explained to a council that already knew, are the “closers” for Fort Wayne. Once Samspon finds and qualifies a lead Udris and his team then close the deal by helping the relocating company through the various permitting and other processes needed to start a business here.

Sampson and Udris were both given the funding from council they requested and some council members suggested, Tim Pape, in particular, that they should get more because the jobs they do are so critical to the community.

A story was told about a contest, literally a contest between Fort Wayne and Kansas City for a manufacturing planning to expand. Came down to a meeting in KC where the company explained to the mayor about a million dollar problem in the way of moving to Kansas City. The mayor, it was retold, excused himself and came back in only a few minutes with a commitment to allocate the needed $1 million.

Udris and Sampson both painted a picture in which cities fight one another today to lure companies to their industrial parks. Companies with jobs in this recession are king and they go where cities chip in the most…

They both suggested that a large chunk of the I&M lease money be spent on economic development tools to help them bring more jobs to Fort Wayne. Their presentations were sobering and very informative. If it wasn’t clear before it should be now that Louisville or Aachen or Tsingxang would love to lure ITT or any other local industry away from Fort Wayne, and they are happy to pay whatever the price. And, with the ease of moving capital, the speed of equipment obsolescence and the increasing computerization of everything, almost any company can move…quickly.

There followed a humorous discourse between President Harper, Clerk Sandy Kennedy, Councilwoman Brown and Councilwoman Goldner over a proposal by Mr. Harper to make council records more easily “searchable” on the city web site. I recommend you watch on City TV the exchanges where Mr. Harper would explain city policy and Mrs. Kennedy would say it wasn’t so. Mrs. Brown and Ms. Goldner both go into the semantics mess.

Among the shortest lines on the agenda last night and the biggest drain of time was a Special Ordinance establishing new Economic Development Target Areas. Elyssa McGauley ably runs that program for the city that ties many abatement and incentive programs together to benefit existing local businesses wishing to expand or improve their systems. Council members had received her comprehensive packet with a neat description of each newly proposed zone well before the meeting. To illustrate, she displayed a large map with each new and existing zone colored and outlined. She then proceeded to read what was before each council member, as if a witness at a congressional inquiry with a dozen lawyers following line by line. It was unnecessary and long, long, long. Council members love economic development, but they, too, tired of hearing what they had already studied. When Mrs. McGauley finally left the table she looked completely drained of energy and emotion.

Mr. Harper, with his promise to move meetings along more efficiently, could suggest to administration witnesses to be brief and not go over material included in council packets.

Finally….the matter of garbage cans and their financing. You may remember last week Tim Pape put on hold the question of financing the recycling carts. An Arizona firm and a Pennsylvania company with offices in Fort Wayne, PNC Bank, were the finalists. $33k was the difference in favor of the Arizona bankers. Mr. Pape questioned whether the deal would fall within Buy Indiana parameters, thus giving “points” to PNC because of their “local presence.” The tabled discussion resumed. Val Ahr, the deputy controller, came to the table and was almost immediately under attack by Mrs. Brown. Ahr said she “shopped” the deal between Arizona and PA to see if they could come down on their prices. Both made adjustments. The cost to the rate payers dropped and the difference between PNC and Arizona narrowed to $17,000, still favoring the Arizona company. But, “under the bus” for political considerations. Jim Howard, purchasing director, then quickly came to the table, sorted things out, gave reasoned and clear advice and the matter passed with two votes opposed, Brown and Mr. Harper.

A nasty end to an unnecessarily long meeting. Mrs. Brown, who had been gentle with witnesses most of the evening took an unnecessary shot at the Alliance in the form of a condescending barb about their website, and then growled at Mrs. Ahr who had reopened bidding and saved the city considerable money.

The rat? One has to wonder why PNC was given special treatment. These things come and go at the table with dizzying speed. So, why should PNC get a “second look?” Perhaps it is less about garbage can financing, less about Buy Indiana legislation and more about a pending downtown development.

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It came as a bit of a surprise to John Shoaff when he was nominated for vice president of Common Council. But, it underscores how non-partisan, at times, our council can be. Shoaff, despite being of the minority party, was moved, seconded and unanimously approved by all five Republicans and the three other Democrats in about seven seconds. Electing Mitch Harper to the presidency a scant minute and a half before, by comparison, took well over 30 seconds. Shoaff looked mildly bewildered. But these things are worked out before the meeting, which saved everyone time. Someone, however, might have warned him.

That was one of the themes at last nights council meeting, saving time. Mitch Harper led off by saying that as president he would play a subdued role as president and focus on quietly managing the process for maximum efficiency. He did, however, involve himself in most of the discussions last night and probably, in one evening, said more from the president’s chair than did former council president, now merely Councilman, Marty Bender in all of last year.

Tim Pape saved the most time. He said nothing. Zero. Not a single public comment. He voted, he offered whispered asides to Councilman Tom Smith to his left, but Tim, usually argumentative, often the voice of the mayor from the table, sometimes the orator, said nothing. He was followed closely in brevity by the still stunned Councilman Shoaff, the ever taciturn Marty Bender, Mr. Smith and Glynn Hines.

Hines saved bundles of time by bundling numerous ordinances up for discussion into one neat bundle, the first sign of the “consent agenda” that President Harper has lovingly spoken. That style of agenda would reduce the number of items for on an agenda to just those about which council members would wish to hold discussion or debate. Hines noted that a group of ordinances from Water Filtration were each about the purchase of a given supply, activated carbon, pebble lime, sodium chlorite and others, each within its own ordinance. So, he asked consent to lump them together. So given.

Jim Howard, the animated city purchasing director, effused from the witness microphone that he and the administration had tried something new, a reverse, internet auction, to get the best prices on all the various and sundry chemicals that are used to treat our water. He explained that the city, in cooperation with a firm specializing in arranging such auctions, set up a system that graded vendors on quality and price. Bidding was blind with the dozens of companies seeking to sell to us seeing only their position in the bidding. The number two company, for instance, would then feel compelled to lower their bid a bit, in this reverse auction, to leap-frog to number one position. Mr. Howard gave statistics to show that the process had saved us quite a bit over last year. In one instance a starting bid was $704 for a product while the final bid dropped to $613, one assumes, per ton. Mr. Howard was very proud of the process and the results. Council also seemed pleased. The process saved money, according to Howard, and will, over time, save…time.

Fire hydrants. We have over 9,000 fire hydrants in Fort Wayne. Maintenance of those hydrants was another topic of discussion. Scores each year are damaged by sloppy driving, among other threats to hydrants. Annually, the city tries to rebuild, replace or repair half of the hydrants so that when a fire truck races to a halt, the firefighters rush to the hydrant and expectantly turn the valve that water actually comes out. Unfortunately, there have been disappointments from frozen or malfunction units in the past. The Fire Department and Water Maintenance are working much more closely together, it was stated, to keep them all in tip top shape. (One would have thought they would have been working together on that matter since Heinrich Hildebrecht was chief…) It was noted that that the oldest hydrant is dated 1916 and that models from the 50s through the 70s do not have the quality of previous or current products. 1916. They just don’t make them like they use to…

There were humorous moments last night. City Clerk Kennedy, in her annual role as president pro tem between outgoing and incoming presidents, jumped the gun, and the gavel. There is a floor manager who for years has given a count down to the council president so that the live “airing” of council via cable’s City TV opens precisely on time. Sandy, who certainly has seen this process play out over the last decade and more, called the meeting to order only to be waved off by the floor manager. “Thirty seconds,” he said. Laughter.

Mayor Henry addresses city council

Mayor Henry descended to speak to council. He offered prepared remarks last night near the beginning of the meeting in a conversational style that sounded every bit like a speech that had been painstakingly crafted to present the administration’s very best side. He started with the I&M settlement, added the co-location win, added 911 consolidation, added the facade grant program, add the completion of the downtown Marriott, added, added, added. It was an impressive list and a strong presentation. Then he tried humor. It was a jab at Liz Brown, his possible opponent in the Fall. He said sometime to the effect that when he came to work he found someone was parking in his mayoral parking spot. He repeated the line for emphasis and then delivered the punch line about Liz Brown already trying to move in. The laughter that followed ranged from enjoyment to mild groans. At least one, “oh jeez” was heard. In effect, the Mayor had given stature to his opponent, he had lowered himself to her level and elevated her to his level through his try at humor. He opened himself to a reposte which she quickly delivered but was drown out by the din. The mayor’s strong delivery of accomplishment after accomplishment after accomplishment was diminished by the attempt at humor. Tom would do better to remain, as one councilman later said, in the Rose Garden, Mayoral, above the petty fray.

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Here’s what I have learned from sources high and low.

The benefits and problems of instituting a local city court had been researched by City Clerk Sandy Kennedy for months before its introduction. Fort Wayne had such a beast in the past, and before which I once had to pay my dues to society. $49 and costs.

The five “signators” to the introduced ordinance included as least one member of council who was surprised to see he had “signed” on.

The impetus for the city court came from frustration that the city had piles and piles of unpaid traffic fines, among other unpaid fines, and felt the county was not pursuing them seriously or with alacrity. Given New Haven had successfully instituted a city court and that similar courts were functioning around our beloved state, Clerk Kennedy did her duty.

The city, Sandy Kennedy and others with whom she had chats, saw the city court as taking the bull by the horns and clearing thousands of unpaid bills from her desk, and making a lot of money for the city in the process. (Better scofflaws pay than property owners.) Sandy and her supporters seemed not fully aware of the cut the other governmental entities would take, thereby diminishing the city’s haul and making the establishment of a court less lucrative and, perhaps, not worth the bother. But, then again, New Haven seems to think it is worth the bother.

Why did it hit council table so late? Well, no one clearly answered that question. It may be that Sandy or Joe Bonahoom, the council attorney, learned late that steps would have to be taken this year to have the court in place sooner than later. I have heard the comment about electing a judge would have to occur next year, or the whole thing would have to wait until 2015. Undoubtedly, there is a second route, perhaps appointment of a judge, but I would guess Republicans would be granted that opportunity, given the governor is a Republican, the top state election official is a Republican (perhaps soon to be indicted, but none the less), as are the commissioners. “Hear ye, hear ye, City Court will rise, the Right Honorable Judge John ‘Hang ‘em high’ Popp will take the bench.”

The other theory of tardiness is more sinister: Joe Bonahoom tried to embarrass Sandy. His son, a former DJ on a cruise ship, is running as a Republican against Sandy, ostensibly to get his name out there, and dad is alleged to have thought delaying delivery of the drafted ordinance until too late for the normal month of intros and hearings, would cause just this sort of calamity. Joe, however, is not that devious, he is a very, very nice man and dedicated to his community’s well-bring and to maintaining his family’s exceptional reputation for community service. But Joe is criticized for not devoting enough time to his council work (vis-à-vis his private practice) resulting in paperwork coming down to the table late.

The mayor, I was informed, was volcanic last week when the train-wreck seemed imminent. He belatedly had learned that Tim Pape, his man on council, was floating in an inflatable rubber ducky ring among the other sharks off a Floridian beach. Sharks, Tim can be assured, never attack lawyers: professional courtesy. Mr. Pape and family told everyone long ago that they were heading to Disney World or another Florida playground and would not be there for the pivotal vote, scheduled December 28th at 5:30pm. With the defection of sorts of Comrade Pape Sandy’s idea was near implosion and had now landed in Mayor Henry’s lap. Political types on the ninth floor were on the phone begging the three undocumented Republicans to sign-on to the bill so that a fifth vote would be there for introduction. No one did. I know of one who was asked and he said others were contacted. So, the deputy mayor was dispatched to put get Humpty Dumpty into Redi-Med.

Chats were held with Prosecutor Richards and Judge Fran Gull, two quick critics of the ordinance and a modus vivendi was agreed. They would shelve the bill, as if there was an alternative, and meet again, sometime soon, you have your Blackberry call my Blackberry, and discuss the next step. Perhaps the county will step up enforcement, perhaps there is really nothing that can b e done.

But, back to the question of the original five signatures: Bender, Shoaff, Goldner, Pape and Hines. Seems Sandy has persuaded Marty to sign on, as well as Glynn. I think they were doing her a favor, one from friendship and the other from political courtesy and loyalty. Marty, a law and order man, probably saw the upside of enforcement. She then penciled in the names of the other Democrats, as a good Democrat partisan would. (Nothing wrong with being a political partisan, unless they are of the other party, eh.) She is old-school in that way. One councilman was surprised to see his name on the ordinance, but thought, as he often does, that it merited discussion, so he was game.

That bit of partisanship ticked Tom Didier off. From the dais he rued that he “thought this was a council of nine members, not just five.” When last week, in an effort to pull the rabbit out of the hat Mr. Didier was begged, cajoled, hassled to sign on he did not, for better or worse. The ordinance fails and the idea crawls into a cave to either desiccate or recover and rise anew to threaten our delicate local political eco-system.

So, then comes the bizarre news release and the news conference to which we were not invited, announcing the wonderful opportunity to work more closely with Karen Richards and Fran Gull and to have a fruitful dialog. The news release read like some seventh level Communist hack had written the piece; the meat of the announcement relegated to the last paragraph in the hopes most readers would have fallen asleep before arriving at the exciting climax. Most of the top part of the news release tried to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Seriously, that is exactly how the happy-face bosses in Hungary wrote about the “challenges and opportunities” some bureaucratically caused disaster had wonderfully afforded them. Whoever wrote it has a future in North Korea.

Months ago, during a visit to the Clerk’s office, one my friends there, a hard-working, intelligent and dedicated veteran of local government, told me that the state had made it more difficult and much more expensive to track down traffic fine-evaders by charging the city for online database searches of driver license information. The alternative is much more time-consuming. She then recounted stories of how noble citizens would come in, spin elaborate yarns and ranted and raved about how a traffic ticket was someone else’s fault, never, ever theirs. (Envision meters stealthily trading places one with another to ensnare her!) I happily witnessed one loud mouth, leviathan of a woman ranting in her nearly indistinguishable dialect about how she had been entrapped by a traffic meter. Her flailing butt nearly crushed me against a counter as she gesticulated. You could see the super-human effort of staff and other citizens to stifle smiles.

So, what next? Beth Malloy will meet a few times with Karen and Fran and ask them to push a bit harder to bring scofflaws to task. Maybe they will write a memo or two, push a bit, and then everyone will return to business as usual, meaning good people will pay their traffic tickets and the ones with the jacked up cars with the silly rims will blow them off.

So, the problem is remains. People flaunt the laws and the courts, for whatever reason, toss most of the cases. That is a matter to examine. Sandy tried to do something about it, did not pull it off well, at all, and it lands in Tom Henry’s lap like a bag of ripe Limburger cheese. It then is seen as his sneaky effort to create a new bureaucracy and steal a political march on the Republican dominated county offices. Whether there was any political stealth remains to be seen. I kinda doubt it. Clumsiness, bad timing (Noel, oh Noel, Happy New Year) and political insensibilities are more likely the culprits.

Sandy goofed.

Mr. Didier was very upset, ticked, angry, frustrated, for a variety of good reasons.

Tom Henry was handed a bag of poop for Christmas.

Will Beth and Karen’s eyes meet? Will a political solution be found? Will city and county finally find love in that new cozy cottage on Berry Street? Stay tuned in October to see if this drama become an issue in the forthcoming election. Liz Brown has already tried to turn it to her advantage. Perhaps Sandy Kennedy will turn it back to her advantage in brochure, speeches and ads. I can see the campaign lines now: ‘It is a matter of Justice: A thousand cases were filed and only four resolved.” Point those fingers at the prosecutor for sleeping at the wheel. I can hardly wait for the sequel.

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Glynn Hines woke everyone up at the end of a moribund council meeting: net year is election year and we may want to move the budget process up.

Until then the meeting of Fort Wayne Common Council was winging like little martins passed resolutions, over introductions of bills and through a “public” hearing of sorts with hardly a sound. The Committee session had only one item to discuss, but in two forms; a legal public hearing, at which no one, not even the recipients of a proposed tax break, chose to speak. Diversified Marketing Solutions wanted a $640,000 off their tax bill in exchange for creating a handful of jobs. In the jargon of government, an Economic Revitalization Area was created to give structure and justification to the break. Moments later the same measure, now having sailed through the public hearing, was up for discussion. Elissa McGauley, economic development specialist for the city, explain the rationale behind the proposal and wove a story of an old building being revitalized, a corporate headquarters being moved to Fort Wayne and a distribution center soon to open. Tom Smith, who chairs the committee, liked the story she detailed and said as much, with emphasis. Heads nodded, vote taken, unanimous approval. The underlying principle is to help local businesses, usually small businesses, expand. It does. Like any human project it has its strengths and its weaknesses, but it is based on all of us helping entrepreneurs among us get a start or expand. It takes a village.

Then, council members got up, took the pledge to the flag, bowed their heads for a moment of silence and Clerk Sandy Kennedy re-read the roll to open the Regular Session of Common Council. By now, Mitch Harper had joined his colleagues to form a full house. The audience numbered about eleven, including a police officer, two reporters, two bloggers, two citizens who never miss a session, two unidentified individuals, a citizen-politician who loves to lurk on the margins of the room and the camera operator for the City TV channel. No one from the administration, except the gifted Ms. McGauley, was there.

So, in regular session council breezed through 19 ordinances with remarkable speed and consensus. Only one member, Mitch Harper, voted against any of the 19 measures; he did not explain his vote. No one bothered to ask him why. Mitch always has his reasons.

Finally, council invited citizens to amble to the table to express themselves in some way on some item of community interest. No one did. Going once, going twice, going three times, noted the council president, Mr. Bender. He really, really sounded like he hoped someone would come forward to speak.

He then invited council members to speak about whatever matter they might find of pressing consequence. John Shoaff announce two matters, others added a comment or two and then Tom Smith, who had chaired the budget process in November, applauded the group for their good work, gave himself a pat on the back for chairing the perilous process and then tossed a piece of red meat on the table: next year why not require a co-sponsor for any proposed cut. Liz Brown stiffened, her eyes sharpened. She had proposed the most cuts this last go-round, and had lost all of them except one a gift from God in the person of Greg Leatherman who brought laughter and a dose of reality when he tossed her a $5,000 win. She nearly hugged Leatherman. Smith had just opened a wound. Others spoke to the issue and then Ms. Brown retorted that it was her duty to find excess in the budget and propose cuts. Tim Pape then added that council members should first speak with department heads where they, council members, proposed to make cuts. Ms. Brown again bristled and on both counts she was right. It is her duty to make proposed cuts and she will not have to fill out a “mother-may-I” form to show she has duly parleyed with someone in the street-light warehouse, although it might help her a bit to understand the rational behind departmental budgeting, perhaps the point that Mr. Pape was trying to make. John Shoaff came to the rescue by suggesting that any proposed cut should have a second to be introduced for discussion, a la Robert’s Rules of Order, the bible for such bodies and one that seemingly only Shoaff and Harper at table have read. Mr. Shoaff made it clear that he would second some motions just to facilitate discussion.

Then Hines, quiet most of the night, reminded everyone that next year is the city election and they might want to move the budget process up a bit to avoid a hearing on election night. Someone muttered warnings of political agendas and posturing.

At the table was one member who is all but announced for mayor: “I am keeping my options open,” said Liz Brown to a reporter. More than a few people would support her, and more than a few would support Mitch Harper, at the other end of the table, who is also interested in the job, although reservedly so. Tim Pape and Karen Goldner strongly support the administration for their good reasons. Tom Henry is likely to run again. Others at the table like Paula Hughes. As we grown closer to the election, to the rising tempers and louder voices, each vote will gain significance and be a platform for posturing. Perhaps in those numerous “no” votes Mitch Harper is building a record; perhaps in his criticism of Councilwoman Brown Mr. Pape is previewing spring skirmishes, perhaps in all of her lonely votes Mrs. Brown is trying to out-conservative her brethren. Glynn Hines reminded us all that there will be a nice break for the various holidays and then the battle will be on to determine whose priorities guide the city for the coming four years.

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Fire Hydrants? $2,9 million? Well, that’s what Mitch Harper wanted to cut last night from the city budget and it passed, to almost everybody’s surprise, even for Mitch a bit.

More than four hours after a rejuvenated Marty Bender gaveled down the meeting and turned the budget hearings and process over to Finance Chairman Tom Smith the process of cutting the mayor’s budget was still ambling along. Council members, the media, guests, citizens, employees were all a bit slap happy when it came to the matter of Fire Hydrants. It was one of 24 proposed budget cuts voted on in last night’s Marathon session.

Fire hydrant rental! Fire hydrant rental was the big item. Glazed eyes opened when Mr. Harper began his soliloquy. Many, many residents in newly annexed Aboite pay maintenance on fire hydrants through both their property taxes, which are quite high in that tony township, and through their water bills. Mitch wanted a break for his constituents from double billing, so he asked and council agreed to strike it from the city budget. Surprise as the fifth and deciding vote went Mr. Harper’s way. Confusion among city employees. The cost of maintaining hydrants will now shift from property tax rolls to water rate payers. Pat Roller was perplexed and said it will take three months or more to resolve the matter with the Indiana Utilities Rate Commission, but that’s what councils wants, John Shoaff calling it a more rational approach. Some $2.9 was shaved from the city budget, a seemingly grand victory for smaller government folk, but it amounts to a shift in where and how maintenance will be paid, and by whom. The implications of who will save and who will groan when some future water bill is opened is unclear.

There were two clear cuts, however, in the budget, both deductions in funding for the mayor’s office, one for a legislative/business liaison for $67,000 and the second for a 311 Call Center Manager for $76,444. In both cases Beth Malloy, deputy mayor for the city, defended the expenses and in both cases she was grilled by Liz Brown as if she were an enemy prisoner.

Bernie Beier, the director of the Public Safety Academy, also suffered before council as amendments were offered to cut up to $550,000 from his budget. All of the five cuts failed, but Bernie must now clearly know that council is most unhappy with how the PSA has developed. Old sores were reopened, the public was reminded that Mayor Richard had over-sold the academy, that Mayor Henry had negatively affected its board in his first months in office and that the PSA Foundation, which promised last year to raise $100,000 had only managed to scrounge about $1,000.

Council is in the “rock and hard place” conundrum here. If they cut more the place will fail and cost the community for years to come without providing a return on the investment. Currently, it is a great drain on the tax rolls. To add more staff, to aggressively market the facility is not politically acceptable to the angry mob of voters that stand on the horizon. So, what to do? There was no heart in cutting more from the budget. The white salt stain on Bernie’s shoes show that he shovels the snow on the walks while concurrently serving as county “civil defense” director, currently titled Homeland Security Director. There is precious little left to cut at the PSA

Karen Goldner and most of the council members were gentle, but firm with Bernie, who is by all counts considered capable and very hardworking. Goldner virtually held his hand as she explained something significant has to change. Her approach is a study in contrasts to Mrs. Brown.

John Shoaff tried to halve the budget of the Redevelopment Commission who he holds, in part, responsible for the debacle with Harrison Square. While most of his fellow council members agree that the project has not been well handled they did not agree with his plan to gut the Commission. He was the lone vote in favor of his motion, 1-8.

The room was crowded until the matter of the 1% salary increase came to a vote. When it passed, narrowly, a cadre of fire fighters, police officers and other employees drifted away.

In all, the administration won the majority of last night’s battles. Beth Malloy did a good job of defending various lines various council members questioned. Carol Taylor, the city attorney, also defended herself and her department for Liz Brown. Bobby Kennedy defended small items from other Brown attacks.

Fourteen of the 24 cuts were proposed by Mrs. Brown. She lost almost all of them. She frequently found herself either in a 1-8 loss or teamed with Mitch Harper at 2-7. She became increasingly frustration, angry, testy, combative as the night wore on. She sniped at Karen Golder and Tim Pape, who shot right back at her, and she was rebuffed by the normally reserved John Shoaff, and she challenged by Karen Goldner who asked how she had arrived at a certain number concerning a certain proposed cut. She admitted she had no rationale, apparently the number was pulled from thin air as a negotiating ploy.

Her lonesome victory was handed to her by a magnanimous Greg Leatherman, director of the Redevelopment Commission. Greg, having survived the Shoaff cut, probably feeling a bit giddy, was challenged by Mrs. Brown concerning a line in his budget for legal expense. Leatherman calmly and effectively answered why it was needed and helpful for the community and then tossed her a fish, sure, we can cut that line in half, he said. Laughter erupted, Mrs. Brown was all smiles and nearly embraced Leatherman as a life preserver in a turbulent sea. If she runs for mayor she will need all the Leathermans she can find as the seas become increasingly choppy.

Their was another moment suggesting the coming mayoral campaign has clicked up a notch. Mitch Harper, in debate over whether to cut a state house lobbyist from the mayor’s budget, raised his voice. Mitch is more comfortable with a dirk than a broadsword. His comments at the table are usually calmly delivered, concise, incisive and subdued. But, unexpectedly he bellowed his anger toward the mayor’s failed and clumsy effort to bring a casino to downtown Fort Wayne. “Unity starts here,” he roared. He explained that the legislature expects the community to speak with one voice when it presents to the legislature a proposal for funding or a shift in law. He said the mayor showed misunderstanding of the way state government worked by not bring council on board with his initiative, essentially going behind council’s back to bring casino gambling to the City of Churches. His denunciation was one part indignation, one part lecture, and one full measure campaign rhetoric.

There were a couple more items in an evening filled with fine points, gaffes, humor, asides and grist for federally funded studies in group behavior. Marty Bender returned last night in, what looked to be, the peak of health. Kudos to Lutheran for reinvigorating him. He underplayed his illness, which at times sounded very dire. “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” to quote Twain. He then went on to vote for his own pay increase, but did unabashedly note to the house that he understood it to be a conflict of interest. Oh well.

The budget wars are over for another year. This council in its current form will don its gladiatorial garb again next year for the same purpose. Credit this year to Mr. Smith for managing a smooth, if lengthy hearing process. The budget discussions were much more transparent and informative, thanks to him and other members of council. It yielded insights and some savings. The administration made repeatedly the point that they have cut until there is very little opportunity to cut more from existing expenses. They have also made the point, aptly, that our employees are driving innovation and, as a result, cost cutting. Bobby Kennedy, chair of the Board of Works, offered one impressive statistic after another, as did other administration representatives. Questions from council were often easily parried as if a council member, one in particular, had not bothered to do her homework before proposing a cut. The administration also hammered home the point that fewer employees are serving an expanded city. Of course, not everything is roses in Fort Wayne, but we are not Bell, California, and we are not Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Fort Wayne is relatively well managed, open to citizen input and participation and has suffered none of the budget disasters of many other cities around the country.

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The Marty Factor was in play last night for most interchanges between council and city, council and council. That factor being a renewed gentleness at the table in light of the recent reminder of the fragility of life in the person of Marty Bender, council president.

City Clerk Sandy Kennedy who is very close to Marty Bender told people that he is coming around and probably watching council proceedings from his hospital bed which prompted a call from Council Vice President Mitch Harper for a round of applause for Bender from all gathered in the room last night. The recognition from the table and the audience of some 30 folk, a large crowd by regular council standards, was heart felt and prolonged.

It wasn’t, however, a regular council meeting. It is budget time when city officials come to the table to defend their requests, where council members pour over pages of information in the performance of their due diligence and where various others hover around the table hoping their pay raise or pet project or line item will make it through.

So, the chats began with Controller Pat Roller sliding into the witness chair and presenting another of the now proforma PowerPoint presentations summing up the budget. The PP covered a flood of diverse information and gave her control of the table and the ability to reset the agenda which, from the administration’s perspective, reads “we are doing much more with many fewer employees who should be rewarded for their great creativity.” She would occasionally add that council in its great wisdom over the many years had kept taxation low in Fort Wayne, that successive administrations had been remarkably frugal and that all had practiced zen-like management practices to squeeze blood from rocks, turnips and the air. Council seemed to agree to the part about how wonderfully frugal they, in particular, have been. Mrs. Roller’s presentation seemed to underscore the determination of the city to give employees a raise, despite a sluggish economy and the threat of deflation, not inflation, one principle reason for any raise.

The other reason for a raise that can justifiably be cited is increased productivity. It is the Administration mantra. Mrs. Roller, who gave a strong presentation and answered questions with confidence and a smile (not an easy task given the eight faces around the table focused on one’s throat) reminded council members that the city had grown dramatically in size, population served and road miles to be cared for. Factoid: It takes Fort Wayne 1.4 hours to fill a pothole upon citizen complaint; Indianapolis requires 28-days. She could have gone on about infrastructure, more road salt, etc., but her point was made and made and made over again: the employees are creating gold from tin and should be rewarded and encouraged to continue their alchemy of increased productivity. It is simple Pavlovian Conditioning: do well, get a reward, fail and no reward falls into your plate. The pay raise, albeit quite slim, is the administration’s tool to get the dogs to mush faster.

Only Tom Didier voiced his opposition, although deferentially, to the raise.

There was an interesting exchange at about this point. Karen Goldner chose to chide council about messing around with contracts negotiated by the administration. In motherly, condescending, finger-waving tones she essentially lectured that council should not renegotiate once the deal had been cut; up or down she suggested. Mitch Harper, with a laser strike like Jesse Ventura executing a perfect full body slam, reminded her that she had done just that, just what she now railed against, on a different contract sometime back. Ah, uh, er, ah. Well at least I have learned from that, she blurted, as if the other council members were still awakening to truths self-evident to her. Eyebrows raised to her left and right. Harper mercifully moved on to another topic.

The night’s normal agenda featured a presentation by Bobby Kennedy, chair of the Board of Public Works, Jim Howard, city purchasing director and Matt Gratz, Solid Waste manager, concerning the new garbage contract and maintenance agreement. $2.7 million in all. The new bins were presented, Gratz and Howard described the contract. Their slide show suggested that the city is getting a very good deal. Howard noted how he had researched similar contracts around the country and had determined the price offered here was one of the best in the country. Gratz talked about the strength of the bins and their superior durability over other products. Liz Brown then jumped on both of them, asking “did you really investigate these” issues. It was not a question. As Howard began to answer one of her insinuations she jumped in again. Both Gratz and Howard repeatedly tried attempted to answer questions but were cut off by mayoral candidate Brown. Finally, Howard demanded “just a minute” and I’ll answer your question. It was clear that Brown felt the two had not done their due diligence on the matter, it was clear, however, to almost everyone in the room and six of the eight council members that they had more than sufficiently presented the case for the contract. It passed easily. They were not the only members of the administration she sniped at and not the only ones who were vindicated by votes and the comments of other council members. Point of Order, Councilwoman Brown, try to be polite.

Then, back to the budget process after a short intermezzo.

Police, Fire, Animal Control and Cable TV all came and went from the table with remarkable speed. A council member called for more police officers on the street; Fire Chief Pete Kelly, husband of Controller Roller, gave an upbeat assessment of fire fighting progress and efficiencies; Belinda Davis from Animal Control calmly presented her case and Jim Haley of the City explained how funds from the Cable Franchise Fee had been distributed. Hardly a question was asked.

Then, in parting, Mitch quietly got the attention of everyone in room. His reading of law tells him that council can shift funds around in the city budget! It has been the custom, for whatever reason and for however long, for council to cut, but not to increase budgets, certainly not to move money from line to line. Harper is proposing a fundamental shift: council has, he believes, the power to take, for example, from Fire and give to Police, or from Redevelopment and give to Parks. The mayor can veto it, if he does not approve, added Harper. If it is true it will make the budget process much more time consuming and contentious, but it would also give all of us, through our council member, a greater say in the process and council powers that the administration now hold and will furiously guard.

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Last nights extraordinary city council meeting stated on a somber note: City Clerk Sandy Kennedy, tears in her eyes, told a few of us before the meeting that Marty Bender, council president, had suffered a seizure during dinner with his daughter and was hospitalized. She was quite distraught.

A subdued Mitch Harper, council vice president, eased into the president’s chair and quietly started the meeting with comments on Mr. Bender’s situation and his wishes that President Bender would quickly recover. He then gaveled open the rare Thursday session to resume oversight of the mayor’s proposed budget, focusing last night on use of CEDIT dollars, the County Economic Development Income Tax, a $19 million stream of revenue for the city. Controller Pat Roller parsed the pile of money: some goes to maintenance of the parks, much to debt service, some to the Board of Works and over $4 million to Economic Development, the department chaired by John Urbahns who was on hand last night, passing out notepaper to one forgetful reporter and cough lozenges to a coughing writer as he awaited his turn at the table. Nice guy.

But first, Bernie Beier, the director of Homeland Security for Fort Wayne, and the general manager of the Public Safety Academy located behind the Wal-Mart where Southtown Mall once stood. Holding his hand at the table was Controller Pat Roller who noted that the Academy, which was sold to the community as self-supporting, was back for another infusion of “emergency” funds, only this year and for years to come the Academy will be a regular part of the city’s budget. Emergency becomes subsidy.

Bernie, a prince of a guy, started with a canned speech that was filled with laughable phrases such as “we have met tomorrow head on and never looked back.” The speech marched on, banners aloft and proudly heralding the glorious future, as if some veteran of Soviet times had written the text for Brezhnev. You could see Tom Smith, chairing the budget session, mentally reaching for his shepherd’s crook.

In turn, each of the council members, in subdued and respectful tones, expressed frustration, dismay and disappointment with the academy and with the management of the facility. Very gently, very sincerely, like a good friend, Karen Goldner told Bernie that he was a great Homeland Security director, but not a fund-raiser, nor a facility manager. Tim Pape, in a rare break with the party line, said the building may have been a bad investment.

There was a discussion of how to eliminate the now institutionalized $550,000 of additional support the city gives to the academy. Beier mentioned a possibility that the legislature might levy an additional tax on all Hoosiers of $1 per vehicle license transaction. Repeated questions led to Ms. Roller saying that the matter would be on the city’s legislative agenda and that the Deputy Mayor, Beth Malloy, would be in talks with Council on that topic. Heads nodded in appreciation. It is, however, tax shifting; you will pay more, it is just a band-aid on a flawed initial plan and subsequent failed management.

Liz Brown, also very gently, asked if the place should not be closed and the previous system, a much cheaper system of training fire, police and other responders, not be reinvigorated.

The city, unfortunately, still owes many millions on the new building, and closing the place would cancel a deal with the state for millions annually in subsidies. Council, unfortunately, is in a no-win situation concerning the building and Ms. Goldner’s comments should put the city on notice that merely cutting expenses at the facility to the bone will not help, in fact dooms the place; a professional marketing plan, a development plan are badly needed. One council member questioned whether Mr. Beier had a vision for the facility. His response was as banal as his opening remarks. Ms. Goldner’s comments put him and the administration on notice that a new manager is needed. She delivered it with respect and admiration for the dedication Mr. Beier shows to the community. Exit a chagrined Bernie Beier.

To the table came John Urbahns, director of Economic Development. As he moved forward Joe Fox, the public information director, distributed a page of CEDIT numbers to the audience and media. It was a 2010 – 2011 comparison of how Community Development spends its allocation of CEDIT dollars. In 2010 CD received $5,080,000, in the 2011 budget that allocation will shrink to $4,070,000 with a carry over of over a million dollars that will be applied to 2011 expenses. Advocates of reduced government spending should take note.

Urbahns explained line by line the allocations and answered questions. All inquiries were polite and thoughtful. The responses were usually direct and clear. Council members in turn challenged one spending item or another, but no barbs were thrown, there was no posturing, no flaring of tempers. It was a very professional tete a tete that would have pleased accountants or clerics, it was a presentation by Mr. Urbahns that Mr. Smith characterized as very, very helpful.

The session ended an efficient two hours after it began. Everyone left with ongoing concern for Marty Bender and hopes that his recovery will be swift, but…there is a likelihood that President Bender will be in the hospital and in convalescence into the coming year, or longer. All hope that he will be back next Tuesday in the fullest trim of health. But… council is likely to be eight members for a while and chaired by Vice President Mitch Harper. That changes the dynamics of council and means each vote has greater weight.

Two other notes: Councilman Tom Didier was still away last night, meaning council was smaller by two chairs. Through the power of Verizon an ever vigilant Mr. Didier was aware of President Bender’s misfortune and texted his concern from a Mexican beach. Mr. Didier will be back next week. His vote, too, now magnified. Council members also want the contract to renovate the new city hall to proceed and are in talks with Controller Pat Roller to find a way out of the the impasse over the confused bidding process. The vote this last Tuesday ended four to four, Mr. Didier absent. Mr. Bender had changed his vote to facilitate his introduction of a motion to reconsider the vote, but he can not offer that from Lutheran, so either Mr. Shoaff, Smith or Harper will have to move to reconsider. I bet on Mr. Smith. Given their remarkable parliamentary skills, however, Mr. Shoaff or Mr. Harper could find another way to move the measure forward. It is a foregone conclusion that the building will be renovated and occupied, it is a question of proper procedure.

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Jam packed with interesting moments was last night’s council meeting and it will only continue Thursday night when budget hearings resume.

Last night there was an embarrassing absence, a prominent citizen blasted the administration during the barely announced public hearing, the renovation of the new city hall was put on hold, the park director sided with a strong critic of the administration, Sandy Kennedy and Liz Brown spared, and Tim Pape added to his credentials as the administration’s only true and dear friend on council, and volleys fired from table toward the Journal Gazette.

First up, the barely publicized public hearing on the city’s budget. One person showed up. Apparently, there were some stabs at informing the public that their comment was welcome, but barely, certainly not with any reverence to the concept of public comment. Just one person spoke, Julie Donnell, President of Friends of the Parks, twenty or more years involved with park matters and married to a former member of the park commission and current councilman, John Shoaff, railed with a certain restrained anger at how the Park Commissioners, chaired by Tim Pape’s law partner Rick Samek, had not allowed public comment when constructing their budget. She spoke of the value of the parks, but how the administration is cutting the department’s budget in critical areas. Her comments followed on a guest editorial she had written that was published very recently in the Journal-Gazette. She had not pleased the administration.

Perhaps the City Clerk and the president of council should think seriously about their attitude toward public input.

Back to regular committee business. A $2.2 million prior approval was on the agenda in City Utilities Committee. For a prior approval to get spending started ahead of formal approval it is expected an administration official will come to the table to explain the need for urgency. Glynn Hines called for the administration witness. No response. A second and third call. Silence as eyes at the table searched for a witness. Irritated, Hines tabled the measure for two weeks so that the administration could find someone who could explain the need for speed…. that had been squandered. Somebody in City Hall this morning is getting an earful from a superior. Somebody screwed up.

Another of those proliferating economic revitalization area requests ended the committee session with a pass vote. President Marty Bender then closed the committee session and convened the regular session without leaving his chair. Pledge recited, moment of silence observed and an ordinance read into the record for $2.7 million worth of garbage cans as a part of the new garbage contract.

Glynn Hines, chair of the City Utilities Committee in which the garbage ordinance was discussed, puffed with exaggerated indignance because his name was left off the agenda sheet in the space where his committee chairmanship should have been displayed. He was making a not-so-subtle point. Frequently, too frequently, there are scribner errors on the agenda or in documents on the council agenda prepared by the Clerk’s office.

Mitch Harper was the sole councilman to vote against an ordinance. No bid sheet was attached, as would normally be the case. He wanted to compare all bids before giving his stamp of approval to spending your money. Smart. One wonders if the clerk took note.

Hines and Harper pointed the sloppiness out in their own ways. Donnell pointed out the greater agenda error in her way. Council can be a rather loosely run ship at times.

The big moment of the evening came when the vote was called for renovation of the new City Hall. It had come to the table with a do pass vote from committee, but in the regular session Mitch Harper switched his vote to “no” and Tom Didier was absent, thus a four to four vote and the measure failed. Administration officials in the audience looked as if the blood had drained to their feet. The angst all centered on the bid process and the poor explanation given last week by Controller Pat Roller to a series of questions. “That’s the way we have always done it.” Not what certain council members wanted to hear. They questioned the decision to award the multi-million dollar bid to one company based upon a low base bid, but whose amended bid was higher than other comparable bids. The city wanted to accept the amended bid based upon the base bid price. Apples and oranges. It seemed shady and a way for the “low” bidder to make up their underbid losses on subsequent change orders and those “amendments.” Harper, Smith, Shoaff and Liz Brown, who had initially and deftly called the matter into question, smelled a rat.

Tom Didier, vacationing on a Mexican beach, will now have the pressure of all nature directed at him to cast his vote for the administration. He should stay there a extra few days to compound the pressure. He, therefore, has the chance to force the administration to clean up the bid and their processes. The ordinance will come up for reconsideration at a subsequent meeting because Marty Bender switched his vote so he could, according to Robert’s Rules of Order, call for reconsideration of the administration’s failed effort. Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy, her face the color of ash, will have many questions to ask and to answer this morning. Tom Henry is probably also very confused.

The regular session ended.

The budget hearings commence with a short powdering-of-the-nose break.

To be brief, the Clerk’s Office, Redevelopment, Community Development and Parks were departments on agenda to defend their budgets to council.

Clerk Sandy Kennedy and Liz Brown got into it over minutiae. Liz lost. Sandy’s only serious contribution, however, was to recommend a travel budget for council. They need to get out to conferences, to visit our sister cities, to see best practices in other places. It is very short sighted not to have a travel budget. She was right. We can get set in our ways.

John Urbahns, the director of Community Development, and Greg Leatherman, the embattled head of Redevelopment, were next up. Urbahns presented a PowerPoint that put everyone to sleep in its length and litany of generalities. A few questions were posed, Urbahns sidestepped the failure of the administration to stop the distruction of the historic Freight House across from Lawton Park. Other questions were asked about CD’s failure to reduce sprawl. Urbahns said that he and Bobby Kennedy, director of the Board of Works had begun consulting one another on that matter. Heads were scratched at the table over that revelation. Both have been in place for years and they are just now getting around to a chat on sprawl. But mostly council members wished for the agony of the presentation to end. Tom Smith, chairing the budget hearings gave Urbahns subtle signals to that effect, but Urbahns sputtered on. Finally, Smith just told him to stop. Urbahns, a frog in his throat, coughed on for a couple minutes more. Then, Leatherman, to Urbahns’ right, joked about his current pariah status because of the failed Harrison Condo project, saying something about not getting too close to Urbahns. Polite laughter from council. Then Tim Pape leaned back and recited his own tiresome litany of great accomplishments of the CD and administration.

John Shoaff was waiting for Park Director Al Moll who was up next. He is one of the most respected and liked members of the administration, and a long-time public servant. Trees and capital improvements. Shoaff followed on Julie Donnell’s comments. Shoaff noted a critical budget line had dropped from $250,000 to $25,00 and said “I simple can’t see how that is sustainable.” Moll responded, “Councilman, I have to agree with you. Deputy Mayor Malloy’s face went from ashen to white. Shoaff and his wife have been staunch supporters of the parks and relentless defenders, tree-huggers, if you will, of the benefits parks bring to the community. Countless administrations have tried to undercut the independence of the Park Commissions, the Park Foundation and the Friends of the Parks, and Headwaters Park. Shoaff, Donnell and other have been the voice of the parks. In his reply Moll simply, clearly sided with Shoaff and Donnell, with Tom Henry’s opponents. Certainly, he will be in consultation today, too.

All in all, the administration will spend the morning licking its wounds. Something unwound last night.

Oh, other Park Department notes. Resevoir Park will soon be renamed Lebamoff Park, in honor of former Mayor Ivan Lebamoff. Mr. Moll also alluded to the eventual closure of the McMillan Ice Area so other uses could be made there to better serve that neighborhood, as he nodded to Glynn Hines. Molls PowerPoint was also shorter and more succinct.

One last note: Tom Smith, Glynn Hines and Tim Pape told the Journal Gazette to its face last night that the paper’s characterization of talks between council and the mayor’s office over CEDIT funds as a power grab was completely wrong. Nothing of the sort, Smith said, Hines chortled they failed to understand the governmental process, and Pape noted that there had long been “exquisite oversight” by council of the mayor’s uses of CEDIT (income tax) dollars. Ben Lanke, the Journal reporter took the deer-in-the-headlights pose.

Budget hearings reconvene Thursday.

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Budget time at city council. The budget is the blueprint by which policy is made. Dollars are allocated to programs and projects that should, in the composite, articulate the philosophy of the community as it looks to its future.

But first, the roll call. Eight “here,” one “present.” Mitch Harper is known to graze just a few yards away from the rest of the herd. Gavel down, President Marty Bender conducted the first movement of the night’s concert, Do Pass or Not Do Pass. Two ordinances were passed out quickly, each relating to the sewer problems we have in Fort Wayne. Eight “yeas,” one “nay,” Mister President, announced Clerk Sandy Kennedy. Harper being the lone “nay,” grazing upwind from the sewer question. No rankling, not much discussion, a quick presentation highlighted by a fuzzy map and a quick vote. Mitch staking out a position?

The president’s baton pointed to the brass section for the rising overture. City Controller Pat Roller and Cory Miller, project manager with SchenkelShultz, quickly slipped into the witness chairs to pitch their spending ordinance to begin work at the new city hall. They sang a bit of an introduction and were asked to make way for a citizen complaint. The black clad bass in the wings. He was another contractor, Mark Schenkel of Schenkel and Sons, and he noted that the low bid was not the low bid at all. His was, and challenged the deal. Drama. Back to the table came Roller and Miller to defend their proposal which they did not do well. It seemed the base bid was that of CCI Commercial Construction, but when a list of additional upgrades were added to the base bid Schenkel and Sons was low by $11,000. Roller and Miller tried to explain, but never quite made a point, any point. Well, that’s the way we have always done it, was the essence of their response. Their duet was tentative and weak. Liz Brown led the expression of indignant frustration with the process and the outcome, but she, along with four other members voted in harmony to pass the ordinance. Councilmen John Shoaff, Tom Smith and Tom Didier sang their descent from the chorus. By then, Mrs. Brown had scuried away from the table to attend a daughter’s soccer match, so Mr. Harper could have made or broken the proposal’s back, but he decided to move forward. Pat Roller’s eye’s showed fatigue and relief as she left the stage.

Another matter came before council: modification of our foreign trade zone. Set up years and years ago at the airport as a way to help shippers and some manufacturers or trans-shippers beat import duties, and, create jobs, the zone has been less active since failed FedEx wannabe Kitty Hawk went belly up owning millions to the community. The idea now is to expand the size of the zone to increase the number of companies that can take advantage of laxer import laws to… create jobs, and to get around federal import tariffs. Ah, tariffs in the era of arch-villain Free Trade. It passed 8 to nothing with hardly a question. Things were moving quickly.

Intermission. Reporters swooped in on council members and city officials for comments as the curtain fell.

Ten minutes later, nourished and relieved, council reconvened to begin the main piece of the night, the budget process with Public Works, the Street Department, Traffic Engineering, Fleet Office, the Mayor’s Office and the Law Department to sing their self-praise and public fealty. Mrs. Brown was still on the sidelines, literally and figuratively, things moved rapidly.

Tom Smith, chairing this year’s budget process, announced with a snicker, “Let the Fun and Games begin.”

It was mostly fun, although Mr. Harper brought up a “game” that he said is being played to which Controller Roller replied “we will have to revisit that.”

Bobby Kennedy, chair of the Board of Public Works, presented a slide show reminding council and the world that the city is doing much more with much less – more streets to maintain, more citizen’s mouths to feed, bigger city; but all taken care of with fewer employees and a smaller budget. A few questions, some very good, but mostly pats on the back. Tim Pape reminded everyone at the table that Mr. Kennedy had been named the Board of Works Chairman of the year in all of America by a lead trade publication. Pape painted the accolade in bright, vivid colors with his clear and forceful baritone voice. Smith again snickered and turned to Kennedy: “do you think you can hit that softball, Bobby?” As Kennedy, the son of the clerk, later rose after his presentation someone loudly added, “everybody loves Bobby.” It is true. You will meet fewer people who are as capable and friendly as Bob Kennedy. Everyone smiled. The orchestra was playing a pastorale, light, airy, suggesting young women romping in a field of flowers in diaphanous gowns.

Through Street Department and Traffic Engineering questions were posed, but there was little rancor, it was as if the orchestra much preferred Skylarks Ascending to the Ride of the Valkyries. Questions posed were answered. Council members spend hours going over the budget before the hearings to find problems. As the budget has changed little over the past year the questions were minimal. Mitch Harper, again at the edge of the herd, brought up the burning question of fire hydrants. Seems the way the city lists maintenance on the hydrants people in certain areas of the community are paying two fees for their maintenance. Harper suggested the city resolve the matter by transferring costs to City Utilities where they would be included in the water bill. It makes sense to everyone, but especially hit would be non-profits, including churches, so Controller Roller made her comment, “to revisit the question” in the coming year. The exchange between Harper and Roller was cordial and clear. Harper was fundamentally correct, but political considerations scuttled the idea before and could do so again. He recognized that, as did she and they will try to find a way to be fairer to those who pay double, mainly living in Mr. Harper’s district, to maintain hydrants.

Beth Malloy, the Deputy Mayor was next up. Council, in general, loves Ms. Malloy. She is confident, smart, unintimidated and answers their questions without obfuscation. Tom Smith suggested, as her presentation winded down, that it would be helpful for her to come to council monthly or quarterly to update council, to illuminate, to inform. She readily agreed and left the table with a satisfied smile just as Mrs. Brown returned from the game.

Carol Taylor, lawyer and director of the city’s law department, next took the stage. The pastorale gave way to allegro con molto as Mrs. Brown assumed the mantle of Brunhilde. A series of rapid questions were posed to determine who was billing what to whom. In general, Taylor’s responses were clear and direct. Mrs. Brown went on, and on and on. She either was getting at something, wanted to make a point of something untoward on a public stage or had not done her homework. Taylor was given support by Harper and Pape, an odd couple. The history of the change from a slug of attorneys, often rewarded for political support, working from their offices, to an in-house law office, was explained as an improvement instituted by the Richard Administration. It was never quite explained what efficiencies were gained, whether in speed or expense, but the comments were enough to soothe Mrs. Brown and allow Ms. Taylor to exit the stage with her dignity intact. The concert was over, with a great great, noisy crescendo concluded with a fading melody of reporters surrounding council members once more.

Next week council will resume budget hearings. Let the fun and games continue.

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Budget time again, that annual process of setting priorities and stretching pennies, has begun, Councilman Tom Smith in charge.

The administration, in the person of the chief financial officer, the controller, presented a slide show to preface the discussions and debates. It was a overview of revenues and expenses and how they have changed over the past ten to twenty years. In short, most of the city’s expenses are in personnel costs, (78%) and most of the revenue still comes (74%) from property taxes, although, as Controller Pat Roller bragged, the city over the years has developed new streams of revenue to “diversify” government resources, unlike other cities that are in much worse financial shape than Fort Wayne. She introduced a budget that is essentially flat for a city, she noted, that is physically some 38% larger than ten years ago and has 35% more roads to pave and repave and repave than years past. The number of city employees is down and costs are contained, she smiled.

Ominously, on the horizon, not far away, comes the budget crunch when the lower property values of the recession finally show up in tax revenues. Property values are down significantly, tax revenues will soon take a dive and council will be faced with deep, deep cuts, elimination of services or layoffs. And, she said, the circuit breaker is kicking in. Tim Pape pointed out the circuit breaker, a part of the state cap on property taxes, in effect, reduces taxes on those with homes valued over $200,000 and shifts taxes to those with homes under that level. His evaluation seemed to slowly sink in at the table and was mentioned twice later. Ah, uncork the proseco in Aboite.

So, the city is also proposing a tax increase to take advantage of a use-it-or-lose-it state provision. With my circuit breaker protected house I may end up paying nothing additionally while others in smaller places, in less expensive neighborhoods, the unwashed masses, the middle class, will see $15 to $50 more on their tax bills.

Discussion on the process followed, Smith asking for thoughts and hearing from council steps they felt would make the cutting process easier. Will they cut the lifeline to the Public Service Academy now begging $500,000 in emergency funds and not turning in the self-sufficient performance promised to council during the Richard Administration? Will council cut police and firefighters? Probably not. That seems to be the final line of defense. Karen Goldner suggested taking money from the cable fund and ridiculed what is done with those dollars: provide video production education in schools throughout Fort Wayne. Given there are few contractors or consultants to protect the kids she may well siphon off more dollars from a fund that was set up to fund public access to the cable system, to give you a voice, and now pays for all sorts of government expenses wholly unrelated. Karen is picking on the lame and the halt again.

Members will not review the budget. Next Tuesday more questions will be asked of department heads. Liz Brown, it should be added, was angry again last night over council’s final vote to give city union members a 1.5% raise. For whatever set of reasons she was the lone voice opposing the raises. She hissed that it was $800,000 the community could not afford, while other members of council felt it was reward for employees who have saved taxpayers millions through creativity and innovation. The truth, of course, lies in the middle, but eight other council members disagreed with Mrs. Brown.

She was the lone voice on another matter: the North Side Neighborhood Association brought forth an ordinance to down-zone a 53-acre portion of their neighborhood association, effectively making it impossible in the future to cut up a home into a duplex or triplex. Mrs. Brown rued the burden this would place on landlords and property rights. The neighborhood countered with less traffic, better neighbors, less housing deterioration, fewer police runs, etc. They were right, she was wrong. She left that argument the lone vote against, again. As a landlord with many properties, I regularly restore duplexes to single family homes; they are simply easier and less costly to manage, easier on the neighborhood, less expensive to maintain and usually attract families, rather than transients. North Side is trying to protect their property values and had hundreds of signatures on the required petitions to prove widespread support.

At the end of the meeting John Shoaff and Tom Smith chose to continue their comments concerning Harrison Square that were abruptly curtailed, unusually curtailed, last week by Council President Marty Bender. Shoaff called into question contradictions in the testimony of a city official and the corporate lawyer to the city. He cited lines from the contract to refute what they had told council. Smith added that his concerns about the condo/retail building as too expensive for Fort Wayne tastes and needs. Their comments accumulated a few supportive nods from other members of council. Unlike the recent past, there was hardly a challenge to their comments. Tim Pape, the administration’s point man on Harrison Square, did challenge Shoaff’s numbers, but Shoaff responded, with permission from President Bender, with a clear explanation that silenced Mr. Pape. The cost, Mr. Pape, is principle, interest, and insurance, not just principle.

The zinger came from Mitch Harper. He noted that last week John Wernet, council to the Redevelopment Commission, was absent during testimony concerning the Harrison, his place taken at council table, instead, by Tim Haffner, corporate council to the city, a completely different set of duties. Mr. Harper looked straight ahead and noted that Mr. Wernet, a lawyer at the firm Carson, Boxberger, should have been there in his official capacity. He tossed in the name of the law firm because it is the same law firm where Councilman Pape practices law and is the managing partner. It was a thinly veiled suggestion that conflicts of interest should be avoided. Mr. Pape dropped his head to his chest.

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