An Editorial and Information Column by John Estridge, the Fired Editor
This is just for informational purposes on the proposed new town hall in Brookville. And I guess I have to put this under an editorial status because it includes my opinions on some different topics.
I plan to do an article on the proposed funding for the proposed town hall. I should say the article will be about how I understand Public Private Partnerships, which are also called PPP or P3. There is also a BOT involved, which is Build Operate Transfer.
Sadly or not, I do not have a financial mind. In the reading of the large amount of documents concerning different aspects of PPP and BOT I have downloaded to my laptop, I have found reading those is, for me, much like my reading of Indiana Code: It gives me a headache. But I have found it has helped my insomnia. Because I readily admit my ignorance on most subjects, I have reached out to people who are far from ignorant in economic areas, and they have been very nice in trying to explain what I feel are complex funding issues into something even I can understand, well maybe.
Earlier Friday morning, March 5, I emailed a list of questions to Brookville Clerk/Treasurer Gina Gillman to be given to the Brookville Town Council members at their next meeting, Tuesday night, March 9. I say town council members, but since seemingly the only one who ever speaks up for council is president Curtis Ward, I expect he will be the one answering them.
I have to ask questions in advance as part of the new authoritarian nature of the BTC meetings. Another reason is I will not be able to attend the meeting and will not be able to watch the meeting live on Facebook because I will be working for actual money.
These are my questions:
- In reading about PPPs in Indiana, this country and the world, there is always a way for the private part of a partnership to recoup the investment and make a profit i.e. toll roads. How does the private part of this PPP replenish its investment at a profit when the structure is a town hall?
- Why did you decide to go PPP for the funding?
- Are you going to use TIF (Tax Increment Finance) funds from BRC (Brookville Redevelopment Commission) to pay for the construction cost?
- If yes, has the BRC been approached? Will the TIF pay for the whole cost?
- If no, how are you going to pay for the construction?
- Will this project complicate the golf course purchase and increased costs from annexation?
- Why a town hall? Why not open it up to the Brookville residents and see what kind of use they would like for a building and their tax money?
We will see what we will see. And I hope to have that article on the funding mechanisms BTC apparently plans to use in the very near future. I have more headaches, I mean reading, to do before I feel confident to write on the subject.
https://www.remax.com/real-estate-agents/dennis-kolb-brookville-in/100081480
https://www.riversidecandleandco.com/
