Questions for Mayor Kris Ockomon - Phase One

Back to questions. Side threads welcome to start from this, though, in appropriate places. :)

What are your plans for annexation?  Will you try to finish what KS was sneaking around trying to take all of the areas?

kpaul, feel free to edit this question to make it "nicer." 

Seeing as Anderson is the county seat, and it's progress has an effect on the entire county's progress, how much thought goes into the citizens of the rest of Madison county when he comes up with a game plan?

Good question MP!

Many of your grass-roots supporters are opposed to TIF districts.  Can you explain why you proposed a TIF district on the West Side given the dissatisfaction voiced against the previous administration for supporting "corporate welfare?" 

This is tentatively set to start tomorrow.

Get your questions in...

-kpaul     

Is there any plans on making the weed and seed program and the crime watch two different  things?  Weed and seed seems to be in with economic development and  crime watch should be as it used to be under the police department.

Why do you support the sale of Hoosier Park?  Please explain in detail (not philosophically as explained by Linda Dawson) how we will be money ahead in five years, ten years, etc. as a result of this sale.

Your controller reported that there would be a $ 400,000.00 shortfall at the end of calendar year 2008.  

I was surprised to read of this shortfall with no apparent plan noted in the article by the administration to overcome this situation. 

Politically, it would have made more sense to note the shortfall, then include the plan of action that would be implemented that would ensure the city's solvency.  

What cost-cutting measures (or revenue enhancement activities) have been undertaken to date to ensure that this problem will be resolved before the end of calendar year 2008 and why have these not been reported?

If there is no plan of action, why not?

Jens: if I may make a few comments here:

Politically, you're right it would have made more sense to note the shortfall and include a plan of action to handle it. However, Mayor Ockomon didn't write the story and didn't have any control over how it was handled, politically. 

The controller did call for $1 million in budgetary cuts, but I don't think there way any way for Mayor Ockomon to have had such a plan in place five days into his administration, which was when the story was published.

Eight weeks later, he probably has some plans roughed out.  I know they planned to take $150,000 from the airport budget, according to an HB story published January 19.  According to the story,

"Throughout the campaign, Ockomon voiced his opposition to a proposed replacement airport in southwest Madison County and vowed to support Anderson Municipal Airport.

“We weren’t really aware of the severity of the situation,” Ockomon said. “We’re in a financial crisis, and it was left by the previous administration.” 

Other than that, I wonder where the cuts would be made, and revenue enhanced.  

Again, regarding the question about these issues not being publicly addressed, I'm not sure you can confidently lay that at the Mayor's doorstep.  Only the HB determines what they will publish and when.  Then again, perhaps someone (like AFP?) can hunt down the information?