Voice of the Voter
 
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1 Comment
 
 
Comment~~
 I had submitted a post last week on this blog/website and I do not see my
 post which means I did not get an answer. I got the reply E mail saying
 you received my question so what happened? In short I asked a simple
 question which I will ask again. Mr. Debaun, being a Democrat what do you
 honestly think of President Obama and his policies? I know that isn't
 local politics but since you tend to agree with so much that the current
 Republican Mayor and his policies I  am questioning your credibility as a
 true Democrat.   I anxiously await your reply and thank you.

Response~~~
Mr. M., I apologize for my delay in answering your question. As you can well imagine the last weeks before an election are quite hectic and I didn't want to give you an incomplete answer.  

What do I think of President Obama? I think he is a very courageous person who is caught in the middle of a very difficult economic and social climate and he appears to be trying to reach a compromise on several initiatives but compromise seems to be hard to come by. If anything, watching politics on the national level, I have seen how government should not work. However, I truly believe both sides of the aisle need to refocus on the citizens. 

Regarding my status as a "Democrat" what does that truly mean? I guess for me, being a Democrat doesn't mean being the one giving a 'hand out'.  It means working to provide opportunities and offering a 'hand up'.   

Since day one I've discussed my desire to empower the community by creating partnerships with the various groups who are currently working but not working together.  Enhancing these resources would benefit the community greatly.   I've also discussed my desire to communicate with all the units of government in an effort to ensure the betterment of government. Such cooperation will improve the quality of life for all our citizens.  

And finally I've discussed the initiatives I support to work on a regional level with other communities, to promote economic development through these initiatives and reap the benefits of an expanded economic base making jobs available for any citizen who want one.    

I've made education, social services enhancement, job creation and retention the hallmark of my platform. In going door to door and in all of my promotional materials, I've discussed an inclusive form of government, seeking the input of all citizens. The forum through which we're communicating is testament to the sincerity of such an endeavor.

Having a voice in government, knowing you are being heard-- to me those are the very cornerstones of Democracy and Democrat ideals.  I hope we can agree the art of governance in today's complex society can become very convoluted-- our national issues stand as evidence. 

However, even as we agree to disagree, there should always be a measure of attention and respect in every interaction.  That's what I bring to the table.    Thank you for your interest and thoughtful questions.



 

2 Comments
 
 
Comment~~~
I have a few questions Tom, One are you going to come to the East end of town when we call and tell you and the Police that their are drugs running rampid up here or will it be like as it has been they will tell us that they know it and continue to turn their heads. Even so much as park to watch speeders at the back door of them!

Will the Dog warden do his job and pick up the zillions of cats and dogs running astray or as usual drive right by and live them on the streets? Will they help us when we call and tell them that skunks and possums and coons have taken over our neighborhoods or just ignor it?

Will you support the Neighbors or continue as it has been to let MONEY TALK in neighborhoods with Large buinesses?

I do think if you use YOUR common sence and not let MONEY TALK like it has for several years you might be a good mayor. But you need to think OF THE PEOPLE!

Response~~~
Thanks for the question. I've heard similar comments from other folks I've talked to in the last several weeks, specifically concerns about drugs on the east side of town.

My thoughts are that we need to return to community policing. By that I mean establishing a relationship between the police department and the community. That could mean foot patrols, neighborhood meetings and the Police Department Administration being available to the public for open and frank discussions.   The dog and cat situation is a tough one.

Yes, Animal Control Officers will do their jobs, but we as a community need to find a way to improve the underlying problem. Placing the strays in a shelter doesn't solve the uncontrolled growth in the stray animal population. There needs to be a better more permanent solution and admittedly I don't know what that is. However we have not made a conscious effort to find that solution as of yet.

My hope is that we can work together as a group to find some answers.   As for the neighbors, they are the very essence of a community. Yes, I am always interested in what they have to say. That's the very reason this blog exists. It's why I go door to door and have scheduled meet and greet opportunities in various neighborhoods.

I'd be happy to meet with you personally to discuss any specific concerns you might have.  

If you haven't done so yet, look at some of the other discussion points on the site. I think they might address some similar questions that you might have. If not, please let me know.
I appreciate your comments & questions.
 
Add Comment
 
 
Comment~~~
Over the last 2 terms of the current administration, the city has seemingly been focused on finishing up Progress Pkwy, starting up the west side connector, and now E. Michigan road reconstruction. Anyone who drives around town on some of our higher traffic streets, and even smaller streets can tell that they are starting to fall apart and do not have much life left in them. Then earlier this week there was a story in the paper where the city is going to have to cut $1.7 million for next years budget. So, what is your thoughts and plan to make sure our aging streets and infrastructure doesn't crumble, but also make sure we can continue to be ready for new growth?

Response~~~ Thanks for your question! Let me discuss your concerns as individual subjects.   The road projects you mentioned are being paid for using Tax Increment Finance (TIF) dollars. This means that taxes generated by the Casino are paying for the "west side connector" and taxes being generated by Kroger and Wal-Mart are paying for the east Michigan Road project. This allows the road projects not to be a direct burden on the general funds.

Admittedly however, those TIF funds could be directed back into the general fund so their use are subject for debate. It is believed that these road projects will serve to accomplish a few goals, to redirect truck traffic from the downtown area, to provide access to development areas that were previously unavailable, and improve the quality of life in the community by adding walking and biking trails.   Now, to address another concern, that being the management of the existing infrastructure system, I believe we need to utilize a recently developed Capital Improvement Plan.

This document was created through the cooperation of the Planning, Street, MS4, Waste water and Engineering Departments and the effort was primarily led by the City Engineer. The document provides the basic frame work for identifying priority projects and sources of funding. It also sets forth a schedule for the completion  of those projects and identifies the person or persons responsible for managing those efforts.

The importance of this document is that it allows for a more effective budgeting process for several years. It also puts all of the decision makers on the "same page" so that spending can be factored into the budget several years in advance. I think this would make government more responsible and better prepared.   Regarding your question of preparedness for new development, it will be imperative that we make sure new development is directed to locations where the infrastructure can handle the demands of that development. It would make no sense to spend significant dollars to run roads and sewers to a proposed user who may not provide significant revenue to the City in the form of taxes and jobs. That development might be better placed in a location that already has adequate existing roads, sewers and utilities.    The key will be in examining closely the pros and cons of all development proposals and making educated and informed decisions based upon the best possible value that will be realized by the community. 

I appreciate your questions.  Thank you!

Kind regards, 
Tom DeBaun 
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Comment~~~
well here we go with the next year's city budget ...according to the powers that be we need to find a way to trim 1.7 million ...will somone please explain to me why we can literally give racino money away ($290,000.00 to Banks Machine and Engineering) but that same money can't be used to balance the city's budget so we don't have to do any "trimming"...according to one counsel member all they have to do is vote and they can spend it any way they want.

Response~~~
Thank you for your question. This is obviously a timely issue and a difficult one. For me, the problem with using racino funds to balance the budget, in the long term if the City should become dependant on those funds, and they are taken away for some reason by the State, the City may not be able to recover those dollars from other sources and that could possibly leaving us in worse shape than we were in now.   I feel to truly understand the difficulty we face with the budget, we need to look at how the City receives those funds.  


The City receives it's tax funding based upon the dollars assessed against the net assessed value of property in the City. Basically, taxes are generated based upon property values. The problem we are having today is we are seeing those values decline and that generates a lesser tax amount so we are seeing tax collections decline because many of our friends and neighbors loosing their homes.

Additionally, the City receives it's tax monies from the County in two disbursements, spring and fall.  And we don't truly know how much money we actually have to spend until the year is nearly over. Therefore, we have to give our budget it's best guess based upon estimates generated by prior tax collections. In this whole system, the only thing we can truly control is spending.

Therefore it is imperative that we are as judicial in our budgeting as possible.   The other thing we can attempt to accomplish is to raise the net assessed value of the community.

We do that through economic development like the example you mentioned above. I can honestly say that I've not seen any projections on  how much tax revenue we will generate by providing an economic incentive for that project, but they will spend a significant amount of money completing the build out of the structure and employing a number of folks.

By completing the building and bringing in new equipment they have increased the net assessed value of that site and have generated additional tax value.

Another example could be the former Meridian Automotive Site. This property was an abandoned nuisance property, tied up in bankruptcy and tax delinquent to the tune of a few hundred thousand in arrears. The City helped pay the delinquent taxes as a form of economic development incentive. The project immediately took off in the sense the new owners begin to clean up a contaminated site, overgrown and underutilized.

The City received back a portion of the tax payment they made and the net assessed value of the building has improved. Plus there are new users coming in who will employ our locals.  

I hope this has answered your question. If not I'd be happy to discuss it further with you and I appreciate your interest.

Kind regards,
Tom DeBaun
1 Comment
 
 
Comment~~~
Shelbyville seems to be losing its small town feel. How are we protecting the little man business' and preserving the "ruralness' that we have?

Response~~~
This is one of my favorite questions because of all of the questions I've received, this one made me think the hardest.  It isn't easy to quantify.

To me "small town" means the Bears of Blue River Festival and the Shelby County Fair, the farmer's market, high school football, chili suppers and waving to your neighbors when you see them. Those things, I believe will never change. 

Also, there is enough distance and farmland between us and Indianapolis or Greenfield to keep us from becoming a suburb of someone else. We'll continue to have activities that are unique to Shelbyville such as the Pioneer Fair, SHS May Festival and Root Beer Floats at the Grover Museum. No Mayor will be able to stop those things because they are a part of the heritage of Shelbyville.

The only thing that might stop them would be disinterest in the community or a lack of volunteers. The same two things that kill so many good ideas.

So if I could do anything to preserve these traditions I'd continue to promote volunteer-ism. SCUFFY, the Shelby County Cancer Association and so many others could not survive without volunteers. I try and promote those same ideas to my children by example and including them as volunteers when I'm riding in the Tour de Cure for the American Diabetes Association or dipping ice cream at the museum for root beer floats or helping out at the Senior Services Strawberry Festival.

I've also been a volunteer for SCUFFY by serving as the Government Drive Division chair in the past and I include them in my charitable giving and have done so for nearly 25 years.  Giving time or giving donations-- it promotes community and community a matrix of our familes, our neighbors, our friends.    

As far as what  can we do to protect the "Little Man", we can continue to support the Strand Theatre and Mainstreet Shelbyville. Government can continue to make EDIT Fund commitments to those groups to ensure that they thrive and continue to serve the community through their Mainstreet facade grant programs and the numerous educational programs provided by the Strand. Government can also make local business' aware of tax incentives available to them so that they can grow their business and be successful.

As individuals we can continue to patronize local establishments to ensure their viability. A great resource of information for preserving local business is the attached link. http://www.the350project.net/home.html  Something so simple and yet things we probably don't think about.  I think the 350-project is something we need to send to everyone downtown. They are asking for help, let's give it to them.

I want to make one final point however, and if I am wrong, please contact me so that we can discuss this matter further and I can have a full understanding of your concern. I think small town can be anywhere. I was in Indianapolis this past week and drove through Lockerbie Square. That's something I do when I'm in other communities, I drive through neighborhoods looking for ideas to bring home to Shelbyville. In Lockerbie I saw a tight knit group of residents who take a tremendous amount of pride in their homes and their surroundings. I saw people talking to one another in their front yards, waving to their neighbors as they walked past their porch and it occurred to me that even in a city of hundreds of thousands of residents, I was in a small town. 

This is a great question for many reasons but most of all because it caused me to put into words what I've always known and felt.

Thank you for you comments & interest.
Kind regards,
Tom DeBaun

Add Comment
 
 
Comment~~
Having visited Greenfield just recently I noticed how far ahead of us they are. Culvers, Montana Mike's, Quizno's, and there were several other businesses. Why are they so far ahead of us? Now the Santa Fe sits empty on a St Rd for all to see. I am in agreement....lets utitlize these empty buildings.

Response~~~Thank you for your question.
Greenfield does have those facilities, for sure, but it's because of their ability to draw from a much larger population area and their higher median income levels. In short, the folks who live in Greenfield have more money to spend and the businesses who locate there can draw customers from larger cities close to them. To make Shelbyville more attractive to retail/commercial investors we need to raise our wages and increase our population.

It is my belief that Culver's, Montana Mike's and Quizno's were new developments and not redeveloped sites that used be to another business. Vacant buildings aren't a situation unique to Shelbyville, however, you are correct-- we should be proactive in filling these sites.

I've discussed how we can create incentive packages to make vacant buildings more attractive as well as an idea I have about raising the level of our wages through workforce development in earlier posts. If you would like additional information, please feel free to re-post and I'll provide those details for you. 
Thank you for your question!
Kind regards, 
                                                   

1 Comment
 
 
Comment~~How do you plan to address the empty buildings like Marsh and even the empty lots where Wellmans used to be? Can we get a Lowes or something like that? We need a unique draw to Shelbyville. I know folks will stop just for Cow Palace - we need an icon like that but bigger to draw the cincy and Indy crowds. We need to help unify the arts as well - there is synergy brewing but they need monies to help establish buildings, and promotions to draw the Indy folks and surrounding cities. I am a registered Republican, but Julie and I think a lot of Tom and would be happy to vote. Anxious to hear his plans on these issues.

Response~~~

I think we have two questions here, the first being empty buildings and the second, support of the local arts.

To answer the first question, the City needs to create incentives for vacated sites making them more desirable than the bare lots in town. The existing Wal-Mart site is a great example. The developer needed a rezone of the property to build a super-center so the City was able to "direct" them to their current site, the long-abandoned, empty Target store. 

However, planning and zoning laws make it almost impossible for the City to force developers to utilize a vacated site. 

Had Wal-Mart had found another site properly zoned and presented a design that met all of our standards, the law indicates that the City SHALL approve their request. Therefore, if any developer finds land properly zoned and can meet our standards we must allow the development unless there is some hazard to the health, safety and welfare of the community.

In order to make vacated sites more desirable, the Mayor will need to work with the Common Council and the economic development professionals to create a financial package enhancing redevelopment over development to make that more attractive. To do so EDIT funds, the Racino Economic Development funds, tax abatement or TIF dollars may be used.

The City actually approved a location for Lowe's on the former Wellman site but the downturn in our economy has put the project on hold.

We have, however, seen the development of White Castle, Aaron's, First Financial Bank and Dr. Duran's multi-tenant site. To make the site attractive the City formed a public/private partnership using TIF proceeds as well as state and Federal Brownfield dollars to make the site shovel ready. The development of the Wellman site and the Wal-Mart site are terrific examples of redevelopment of underutilized or dilapidated sites.

Regarding an underwriting of the arts, I fully agree a thriving art culture has a huge impact on the quality of life in a community. Shelby County Players, the Community Band, Arts Fest, the Strand Theatre Events, Bears of Blue River Festival, The Pioneer Craft Fair and others are terrific programs and should be encouraged and supported.

That being said, I think the City should underwrite those initiatives by providing support services such as shutting down the circle for events and by making the talents of the our municipal departments-- fire, police and sanitation departments—available.  Additionally, I'd suggest volunteering City controlled facilities for the various events. 

Unfortunately, there are larger tasks looming that need immediate attention.  In our present economic circumstance, Shelbyville has experienced sharp increase in homelessness and many of our families going without enough to eat.  Our Adult Education opportunities are lagging in the areas of workforce training
and that has a direct impact on job creation and our local economy.

I’d like to see the City partner with Habituate For Humanity to turn abandoned houses
into homeless shelters.  I’m hoping to see the development of a Social Services Summit where separate agencies can join forces, identify need and coordinate resources.  I hope we can turn abandoned vacant lots into Community Gardens growing, fresh, organic vegetables.

I feel none of us, in good conscience, would ask those tasks be low priorities.
However, if there is a way for the City to partner with the Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council, Tourism Board and others to promote and enrich the Arts—well, that’s a great kind of “icon” and I'm all for it!

Thank you

Kind regards,
Tom DeBaun

Add Comment
 
 
Comment~~
Just read in the paper where SPD hired more officers. I'm all for as much law enforcement as we can have, completely support our local law enforcement, but it seems that the departments are a little lopsided in their "staffing" and wonder if there is or could be thoughts of merging, sharing responsibility, etc between the county and city departments.

Response~~~
Wow what a challenging question! A good one, as well.  

I think there may be some validity in combining resources if taken in a purely economic context. However there are several other considerations to examine. The most obvious is that, unlike Indianapolis who has "Unigov", our city and county have separate units of government-- separate taxing authorities, elected officials and budgetary concerns. There would need to be some form of agreement created to spell out funding mechanisms, cost sharing agreements, command structure and minimum coverage standards.

There are probably a lot of other things to consider and those would be identified in the study and negotiation process.   We have examples of combined resources between the City and County now in place such as the animal shelter commission, the ambulance board as well as the GIS board. In most cases, these seem to be serving their purpose fairly well.

However we've still not agreed to terms between the City and the County regarding the criminal justice center and how that space is to be shared and costs distributed.   Then we most likely would have to re-examine the taxing structure currently used for funding the respective departments. 

Currently every city resident pays County taxes, some of which are used to fund the Sheriff's Department.  However County residents do not contribute to the expenses of the City Police Department via the expense of the city tax rate.  

So the short answer to your question would be a study commission would need to be formed to evaluate the pros and cons of a combined department.  Then the two bodies of government would need to reach an agreement that is equitable to all citizens so that the levels of service do not suffer for one group while benefiting another.

Regardless, we have two dedicated groups of law enforcement personnel who do a fantastic job providing a very valuable service for all residents.

I sincerely appreciate your question.

Kind regards,
Tom DeBaun



Add Comment
 
 
Comment~~  What do we plan on doing with all the empty buildings in Shelbyville?  Really throws up a red flag when I hear about a Dunkin Doughnuts and some other new business' coming to town, and getting a brand new facility across the street from a totally empty strip mall.

Response~~~ Empty buildings, especially commercial structures are tough to fill for several reasons. I'll give a couple of examples as to why some of them are still empty even though they are prime locations.  
The Golden Corral was the first choice for Walgreens however they wanted well over a million dollars for that site.

The Walgreens developer tried to work with the seller for a fair amount of time but determined it was more cost effective to locate on an undeveloped site and start fresh. As of today the Golden Corral site is still overpriced and empty.  

The Santa Fe Steak House was wrapped up in a bankruptcy proceeding for a considerable amount of time thus making it unavailable for lease. Again, once the bankruptcy was settled the list price was too high based upon conversations I've had with both realtors and potential tenants.  

There are other examples such as the former Wal Mart site which was being considered by a home improvement center but ruled out because it lacked ceiling height needed for their use. In other locations overdue taxes make sites unattractive.  

In essence these are just a few examples why buildings remain vacant.

The City could abate taxes in certain instances to make these sites more attractive or use EDIT or Rascino dollars to help offset development expenses to persuade developers to choose existing sites over new sites.

That was done in a limited sense when Wal Mart took over the former Target site using TIF monies. We also used TIF dollars to form a partnership in the development of the former Wellman site..  

The best plan would be to continue to promote the community at every opportunity. In addition we should work with economic development groups on both a local and a regional level. Our prime focus however should be to work towards meeting the benchmarks needed to make us attractive to commercial developers, those being our population and median income level.  

Your question is a good one, thank you for asking!
Kind regards,
Tom DeBaun



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