EDITORIAL Brookville residents it is now up to you: Stop the insanity or continue to be sheeple

An Editorial by John Estridge

I attended my first Brookville Town Council meeting in person – since I started working on Tuesday nights — Tuesday night, August 10.

My goal was to write several articles about the meeting. I really wanted to write those articles.

However, at least in the Old School Journalism – what I call Little Picture Old Direction (LPOD), a reporter writing an article is supposed to be an observer and tell the facts without letting opinions get introduced in the article. Anyone tuning into Fox, CNN, MSNBC and many others know that in New School Journalism, which I call Big Picture New Direction (BPND), that is no longer the case. People act like they are writing articles, but they are really writing editorials masked as news articles.

So, folks, once again this is an EDITORIAL.

Does a “pig in a poke” mean anything to anyone? How about “pennywise and pound foolish:” Ever heard that one?

Both of those old adages pretty well sum up Brookville Town Council members and my impressions since my first meeting back in person.

WARNING WARNING WARNING

Taxpayers, we are going to expend $1 million to buy a golf course right now. We can’t wait.

And we are going to spend $600,000 on the Zimmer property. Again, we can’t wait. We have to do both things right now.

Oh, and Progress Street is moving, which seemed to come as a shock to BTC President Curtis Ward. That means the paving project just to try to keep the street stabilized is going to be an ongoing expense, a really big ongoing expense. And we have to do that because the Valley House developer did not plan for enough parking spaces. So, we — the taxpayers — get to pay for his lack of planning.

First, the Golf Course, the Pig in a Poke.

Remember, not that long ago. The annexation proposal – notice I left out the word volunteer, which should be used before the word annexation – was supposed to be all about buying the golf course. But we are in such a hurry to buy a golf course the annexation is on the backburner. You residents on Snob Hill, don’t worry. The annexation is a done deal just like this golf course was a done deal just like the Zimmer property was a done deal.

I digress here.

I could write a book about Curtis and the feasibility study for annexation that has been ongoing for — I don’t know — a decade maybe according to Curtis, but it never was.

Let me repeat that. The feasibility study on annexation Curtis told his taxpayers at every meeting was ongoing was a figment of his imagination. And I am being kind by describing it in that manner.

He made that announcement Tuesday night, sort of. He would not give up on that it is an ongoing study, but it was never (NEVER) started; there are no bills, nothing has transpired, but Curtis has told everyone, especially the taxpayers, up to this point at every meeting: “The feasibility study is ongoing.” And Tuesday night he still refused to admit there has never been a feasibility study even when clerk Gina Gillman quietly shook her head no to the question to Gina from another reporter: “Has the company sent any invoices for a feasibility study?”

But I rant. Oh, it is so easy to rant. But, back to the golf course.

We are going to buy a golf course for $1 million and do it in a hurry without even glancing at any books to see “how is that golf course doing financially?” I asked Curtis. I got to ask him right to his face and see what seemed to me a reaction that this was the first time anyone had mentioned something like that to him.

Well, Curtis, once we buy this golf course, are all the taxpayers going to see about a $250,000 annual profit where we can have a huge party each year and eat caviar and drink champagne or is it going to lose $250,000 a year and our taxes go up to pay for the $1 million price tag plus the yearly losses or will we have to give up something or some things. Will we be forced to have a Brookville version of defund the police? Or the fire department, or the street department? Will any of those be part of the equation so you can have your municipally owned golf course?

When I floated the prospect of losing $250,000 a year on the golf course, Curtis said he thought that was too high. How do you know Curtis? It might be too low. There have not been any feasibility studies on the town owning a golf course. Maybe, it is also ongoing.

I asked him about an assessment on the immediate costs. I have heard the golf paths at this point would be right at home at Haspin Acres. I asked him about those and he gave me the same look he did when I asked him about looking at the books. I never got an answer on that. Someone from the back said they heard the sprinkler system doesn’t work. He said that was not true, so apparently Curtis was all wet at some time.

We have to buy the golf course right now because the investors in the LLC want to pull their money out right now, right this minute. They do not want to wait until the annexation, which is what we have always been told. To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they found out the truth about Curtis’ feasibility study.

“They are not making anything on their investments,” Curtis said as to why the investors want their money NOW.

Hey, Curtis, I’m not a CPA, but if the golf course was making money, those deep pocketed investors would not be demanding you – I mean we – buy that golf course this instant. They would tell you, “Curtis, take your time in buying this. We are rolling in the money. Please, we may not even want to sell this cash cow to you.”

They are not doing that Curtis. They are demanding you – again I mean we – buy the golf course immediately. IMMEDIATELY. Town attorney Tammy Davis is drawing up the purchase agreement as you read this.

Don’t want $1 million of your tax money to buy a pig in a poke. Tough. Curtis and his two or three musketeers are going to buy that golf course and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

There is so much wrong about this situation, I cannot find anything right.

Get this: The LLC demanded the town keep the golf course a golf course for 25 years as a point before the LLC would allow town council to give them $1 million of our tax money. And the LLC was demanding the council put that in writing in the purchase agreement.

I have heard there were people watching the meeting on video. Look at Curtis’ face when he said that and then look at his face when Davis told him that demand was a nonstarter. She explained to him that ANYONE would not want to buy property with that caveat on it, because, well, it is stupid. Really STUPID. She did not say those words, but she got the point across.

Can you imagine losing $250,000 per year on something and not being able to stop it because some idiot signed an agreement to that effect using your money? Or if it is making money and you wanted to add something to it like a zip line (wink, wink, nod nod) to make more money. You couldn’t because some idiot agreed to that demand from a seller who wants to sell the property to them RIGHT NOW.

Another LLC demand on the purchase agreement is that the LLC gets the right of first refusal in buying back the golf course. Davis — it seemed like she might have felt she was talking to a kindergarten class at that point, but I disparage kindergarten classes by saying that – explained to Curtis, there are statutes, meaning laws, in place that governmental entities must follow when selling property and giving some private company first refusal rights is not in the Indiana Code Book right now.

Really, in Curtis’ defense, he has never really paid attention to state statutes before, and it is kind of hard for him to start now when he is in such a hurry.

For the taxpayers out there, the town is going to float a bond to pay for the initial purchase price of the golf course. However, they do not have a clue how they are going to pay the annual subsidies to keep that money pit running.

The Zimmer Property

We are spending $600,000 on the entire property down there and not just one building, Curtis was proud to tell us.

Again, this was and is being done in a hurry because this is the deal of the century and if we taxpayers don’t grab that property now, it will be gone once it hits the market. Thus, we will be left with egg on our faces. At this point most of us can still afford eggs, but that might not be the case soon.

I think the argument of having to purchase it now or we lose out is similar to Curtis’ take on the ongoing feasibility study.

And we need to spend $600,000 because we, the taxpayers, really need a new town hall because Curtis told us we really need a new town hall. Oh, but it is not going to be a new town hall. It is going to be a police station and something to do with the street department.

Curtis is not really good on giving specifics. We are to take his word for it: The taxpayers really need a new police station and something for the street department. And the empty storefront on Main Street caused by the police department moving down to High Street, well, we don’t know too much about that either.

It does not seem that long ago the taxpayers paid a goodly amount for a major remodeling at the police station. It was needed at that time. I can attest to that. But I have not heard anyone grumbling about a dire need to have a new one and leave all that remodeling that was done with our money to be in an empty storefront on Main Street.

Now remember, ladies and gentlemen, $600,000 is for the property. We have not been privy to what it is going to cost to remodel the property and improve the property for the new police station and whatever the street department is going to have down there. Thank goodness plywood is not more expensive than gold anymore. I think it might be down to the price of silver times three or four.

I have nothing against the owners of the Zimmer property. I hope they get what they can get for their property, but I don’t want to pay for it. I don’t need it. It sounds like the town doesn’t need it either.

It would be different if Curtis had said “We really need a new place for the police department. And we really need to do something for the street department whatever that something is.” But he has not even said that. He talked about the need for a new town hall, but that is no more. Apparently, we never needed a new town hall. But we need this. Trust me.

Since the Zimmer property is so hot, I would really like to see the Zimmer property go on the market and a business purchase it. That way it will stay on the tax roll. Maybe some jobs would come out of it and those employees could pay taxes. Remember, we are investing $1 million on a golf course we have never seen the books on and we do not know what our annual costs will be, so we should keep all the property in town on the tax rolls and maybe get a little more from employees at the new businesses.

That is my suggestion. But who am I but a taxpayer and a constituent.

Since I am using old sayings here, how about “Is my money burning a hole in your pocket, Curtis and the four others who follow in Curtis’ steps?”

Pennywise and Pound Foolish

While the town council members thought nothing of pledging $1.6 million just to start action on some things that will cost us a lot more, they did take almost 20 minutes discussing Town Administrator Tim Ripperger’s need for a new laptop.

Know how the meeting video was real crappy in the recent past? That was because Tim’s laptop was dying a computer death. However, his replacement was deemed too expensive. At any other meeting, I would have been smiling over my town council members being concerned about spending too much money on a computer.

Let’s discuss the meaning of the word IRONY.

Irony is “a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.”

There is more

This seems miniscule when compared to everything else Brookville Town Council members did Tuesday night and have been doing for awhile, but to me it is very strange and troubling.

There is going to be a Frisbee golf course in our beautiful town park.

This is something Curtis apparently feels passionate about. He is so passionate he has not made the course’s layout public. He kind of has that “take my word for it everything is going to be all right” attitude.

If anybody wants to, reread the first 22,000 words of this EDITORIAL to see why that is probably a bad idea.

They are going to pour concrete for the posts to hold up the baskets, and they are going to cut down at least two trees. Beyond that, we don’t know because it is sort of like why do we need a new police station, something for the street department whatever that is, and no idea how much the golf course is going to cost us in the long run. Curtis has not deemed it necessary to tell any details to the people who pay the bills.

When fellow town council member Chuck Campbell said it would be unfortunate if hikers and path walkers get hit with Frisbees while they are out enjoying our beautiful park, Mr. Compassion, I mean Curtis responded (and I am paraphrasing) they – meaning you reading this — could already get hit by Frisbees and he has seen people get hit by softballs, so what’s the big deal?

One last question for Curtis: Are the marionette wires that have been attached to you come with yearly maintenance, or do they have a lifetime warranty? I’m asking for a couple thousand friends.

Hey, if people do not come en masse to the next town council meeting, if people do not flood the council members with phone calls and stop them on the streets and tell them to STOP THIS INSANITY, then people you get what you get and I have no sympathy for you.

All of these big ticket items might turn out to be some of the best things to happen to Brookville in years. If so, it should be a very easy sell to the taxpaying citizen. This board is doing everything possible to create suspicion and contempt rather than build consensus and trust. If your ideas are good, tell us why they are good. Or, if you have to hide what is under the hood, we probably won’t want to buy your car.

The next council meeting will be 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 24, at the Schilling Center, which is a new meeting venue.

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