Remember the old 7-Up advertising campaign?

The UnCola

Greg Ballard, the Un-Mayor. Never had it, never will. Sorry, Greg. You blew it.

So many opportunities to change the Insider, Good-Ol-Boy network, tax and spend mindset of the preceding administration. All lost, all tossed aside. Now you award a parking meter contract for 50 years to an insider, you raise the ‘tax’ at the meters, and you have the gall to dismiss as ‘minimal’ a doubling of the cost to the ‘tax’ payers.

From Advance Indiana: Ballard Awards Politically-Connected ACS 50-Year Parking Meter Lease

The city says it plans to use the $35 million ACS will pay it up front for street and sidewalk improvements in the downtown and Broad Ripple areas only. The administration already plans to spend a half billion dollars it expects to receive from the transfer of the sewer and water utilities to Citizens Energy in the form of upfront payments and additional borrowed funds for street and sidewalk improvements. Citizens Energy has already stated it will seek higher utility rates to pay for the money it must borrow in order to pay the city $263 million as part of that deal. The city also plans to leverage PILOT revenues, which are payments made in lieu of taxes by Citizens Energy on the utility property it will get under the deal, to issue bonds to fund at least another $190 million in street and sidewalk improvements. No other taxing unit in Marion County will share in those revenues despite the fact that the payments represent payments on otherwise tax-exempt real estate. While the city will reap 100% of those tax revenues, its share represents only 20% of the property taxes businesses and residents pay each year.

and Paul Ogden on Politics: Mayor Ballard Awards 50 Year Parking Contract to Politically-Connected ACS; Deal Mortgages Future For Upfront Cash Before Campaign

Under the plan, most rates in Indianapolis will go up, but gradually – from the current 75 cents an hour to $1.50 in 2012 with increases after that tied to inflation.

“We thought that was responsible since rates haven’t changed in 35 years,” Huber said.

Another thing changing is the hours of operation. Downtown, you’ll have to plug the meter until 8:00 pm, and until 11:00 pm in Broad Ripple. You’ll also have to pay on Saturdays.

How is it ‘responsible’ to make a great leap in rates. Because no prior politician had the guts to implement a gradual increase over the past 35 years of frozen rates? Because you do it through the auspices of a private company and will now try to claim ‘I didn’t raise it?’

From The Indy Channel: Ballard’s Parking Plan Includes Convenience, Higher Cost

“I think the convenient technology piece of this is great for the consumer,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “I think the technology overrides the minimal rate increase.”

Pay parking hours would be extended to 9 p.m. in the busiest areas of downtown, while Broad Ripple would have pay parking until 11 p.m., when parking becomes free.

How is it ‘convenient’ to extend the meter hours to as late as 11pm?

Imagine how many more people will be parking, and getting mugged, in the residential sidestreets as a result. What’s the plan there? Let it slide until someone is killed?

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