OpEd: Minutes: Finance: 2007--- September---5 Year Capital Plan

At the September 2007 Finance Committee Meeting, even before FEMA had done their claims process in Evansville, the Finance Committee voted unanimously to accept the 5 Year Capital Plan and recommend it to Common Council.

Here is a portion of the minutes:

"2008-2012 Capital Plan. The committee reviewed the proposed five-year plan. Jepperson noted that it contained the recommendations coming out of the various committees. Cothard made a motion, seconded by Braunschweig to recommend to the Common Council adoption of the five-year capital plan for 2008-2012. Motion approved unanimously on a roll call vote."

At the following week's Common Council, before the meeting had begun, Mayor Sandy Decker asked that this item be striken from the agenda since Eric Jepperson was absent, and also because other items needed to be reviewed before presentation to Common Council for approval.

YES. A prudent review is in order. As far as the Observer can tell, the initial five year capital plan proposal approved at Finance did not have one penny of infrastructure improvement to help solve the West side water problems. The full extent of the damage had not yet been fully appraised.

You may recall that at Public Works, the possible necessity of annexation of land as well as additional holding ponds might be necessary. The city engineer was discussing the options. The developers were involved.

The good news is that the capital plan approval was delayed in final approval. It seems to me that even though the developers paid the costs of the holding pond on Porter Road, pending the input of the DNR, and pending the review of the data for the recent flooding, the costs for infrastructure improvement could be very high-----and it also seems to me that it is important if there is to be any further development that these solutions, temporary and long term, need to be be done, done right, and promptly.

That is how I see it. And you?

(P.S. The Capital Plan will be discussed during the budget hearings next week. I will post the schedule when I get it.)