The Tribune
NEW ALBANY — Leadership and popularity are not equivalent. Sure, leaders can be popular at times but a true leader should strive to do what’s best for those they manage at all times. Doing the right thing, as most of us were taught since infancy, is not always doing what’s popular.
And so the scenario forms for the New Albany City Council, caught in the midst of a sewer rate increase debate and requests from the police and fire departments to spend $1.8 million to balance their budgets.
It’s not the best of times to have to tackle either issue, not when people are losing their jobs and tightening their belts. But ultimately, the ramifications of what the council decides on sewers and public safety will likely linger far longer than the political careers of those making the decisions.
But forget about sewers and EDIT requests for just a moment. The real concern for residents should be how well are they being served by current leadership?
For months and even years, members of the council have complained about a lack of representation and a feeling that they weren’t getting all the facts from the administration.
Last week, the council had a chance to do something about that. For $14,000 more a year than what it already appropriated for legal services, the council could have hired a full-time attorney to — amongst other duties — attend sewer board meetings and write ordinances.
Sure, $40,000 sounds expensive to many, but it’s a relatively small amount compared with the city’s annual budget. The Town of Clarksville has paid as much as $100,000 or more in recent years for their town attorney. And $40,000 is a fraction of the cost of what attorneys typically charge their clients for a full-time commitment.
A good attorney will strengthen laws and codes by ensuring they are enforceable, represent the council at meetings its members cannot attend and serve as a watchdog between the council and administration.
Isn’t that what the council has been complaining about, especially since news of a sewer rate increase resurfaced in January?
Ironically, the next resolution that was read after the council decided it did not need a lawyer to overlook its laws on a full-time basis was mis-written and had to be amended.
And don’t forget the hundreds of thousands the city can’t collect for parking violations because the ordinance most likely won’t hold up in court.
(Voting against the attorney ordinance were Dan Coffey, Jeff Gahan, Pat McLaughlin, Steve Price and Kevin Zurschmiede.)
Residents, especially those struggling financially, may object to the council spending any money unless it’s on something they believe is a necessity, but does that make long-term sense?
Hiring a grant writer seemed silly to some, but how much money could the city possibly have gained if one had been hired? This was a position to be paid by the grants earned. At approximately the same time this proposal was voted down, New Albany secured grant money totaling $6.7 million that will be used to rehabilitate the S. Ellen Jones neighborhood.
(Voting against the grant writer were Dan Coffey, Jeff Gahan, Pat McLaughlin, Steve Price, Diane McCartin-Benedetti.)
It’s not just the grant writer, attorney or sewer rates. It’s a general attitude. Sure, it would be popular to never have to pay taxes, but does that make it right for our community’s longevity?
In comparison, New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. Superintendent Bruce Hibbard, and his administrative team, recently announced recommendations to close four elementary schools and make other cuts that will impact and anger many. Right or wrong, these were not popular decisions, but they were necessary. School administrators didn’t sit around and blame each other for the $6.6 million deficit that was thrown in their lap. They made, what they believed, were the necessary cuts.
What if the current City Council had been put in charge of making recommendations to trim that much money out of the budget? Likely, after hours of debate, blame and grandstanding, the city would be bankrupt, without needed public services and probably have more ordinances that we can’t enforce.
These are critical times for our city. This current council has the opportunity to lead New Albany into a new era. That means they need to responsibly represent all of the people, including the silent majority that must be sought out because they don’t attend meetings. The New Albany City Council must do what is right for residents’ future, and recently, we believe they have fallen short of that responsibility.
Our Opinion editorials are consensus viewpoints of the editorial board of The (New Albany) Tribune
EDITORIAL BOARD
Steve Kozarovich, publisher and executive editor
Chris Morris, region editor
Mary Tuttle, display advertising manager
Nina Fulda-Portman, business manager
