The Independence Times

This week’s Interactive Issue features the following stories:

Today’s Interactive Issue

Page 1 - Lack of silt, heat and algae cause of water woes

Page 3 – A photo op-ed on Wesselman Park

Page 5 – 5 Things you need to know this week

Page 6 – Blueprint for America’s Resurgence

Page 11 – Religion (Scriptures and Prayer)

Page 17 – An update on the Browning Investments saga

The dreadful taste of water in local communities is causing waves in consumption of water by residents. While community water departments note algae as the source of the problem, a number of things are contributing to the “dirty” taste of the water.

Jim Gerrard, Interim Director of the Evansville Water Utility, cited the algae as the reason for the taste. In press release from August 30, it states, “Due to the low river levels and the extremely hot, dry weather we have experienced recently, the Ohio River has higher than normal amounts of algae.  When the algae are chemically treated, it emits a musty/earthy taste in the finished water. The Utility is treating the drinking water with activated powdered carbon to minimize the impact on taste, but it is unlikely this process will completely eliminate the problem.”

Chuck Gray, Superintendent of the Mount Vernon Water Dept., offered an explanation of why his city’s water has a better taste than Evansville, Paducah and Louisville. According to Gray, sunlight, temperature, algae, the amount of silt in the water, chemicals used to treat the water, and the purification process all play a role in way water looks, smells and tastes.

The high temperatures and direct sunlight, mixed with little to no rain have caused a boom in the algae growth in the Ohio River, which is not all that uncommon in these conditions. This has happened in previous years in Gray’s tenure as a Water Dept. Superintendent.

“The warm waters and the sunlight make an ideal situation for the growth of algae. The sunlight hits the algae causing it to grow at a much faster rate,” he said.

The suggestion of contacting the Army Corp. of Engineers and asking them to release more water into the Ohio River from Pennsylvania to add more water making it more difficult for the sunlight to reach the algae was presented to Gray, but noted that would not help.

“The river is at pool stage, which is 22 feet 5 inches in Mount Vernon. An increase in the water is not the answer. Rain is the answer. That will affect the tribitity, and that’s what will make a difference in the taste and smell of the water coming from the tap,” noted Gray.

For the rest of the story, please click here or go to today’s Interactive Issue.

1. Local residents have notice the change in numbers on some of the fire trucks responding to calls in their districts. This is especially true in the area of Fire Stations 10 and 14. According to firefighters, Fire Chief Keith Jarboe is in the process of changing the areas covered by the city’s various fire departments. Local residents are questioning if Chief Jarboe needs the approval of the safety board to make this official.

2. Although there are still some questions, residents seem to generally agree with the vote last night to follow Sheriff Eric William’s plan for the future of law enforcement should the city move to a city-county, consolidated government plan. The 7-4 vote means that the city police and the Sheriff’s Office will remain separate entities, but the sheriff will have the authority to select the police chief.

To read the rest of this article, click here or visit today’s Interactive Issue.

INDIANAPOLIS — City redevelopment commissions and redevelopment authorities don’t need additional city council approval to borrow money or issue bonds in most instances, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller concluded today in a legal advisory opinion.

The attorney general’s law client, the State Board of Accounts, earlier this year requested a formal legal opinion on whether city redevelopment commissions and redevelopment authorities have the legal ability to incur loans or issue bonds or notes without city council approval, under circumstances similar to the City of Carmel and its performing arts center project. Zoeller’s legal opinion found that in most instances, they do.

From the opinion summary, here is the attorney general’s short answer to the questions posed by the State Board of Accounts:

“As a general rule, redevelopment commissions and redevelopment authorities have statutory authority to incur financial obligations related to local redevelopment projects without the approval of the city common council. Approval of the common council is required only for those transactions enumerated in the statutes as requiring such approval.”

To view the published opinion, click on this link: Official Opinion 2010-3.

As the lawyer for state government, the attorney general drafts non-binding legal opinions on request for his clients, who include state-level elected officials, state agencies and the 92 county prosecutors. Although his legal opinions are non-binding, the advice is intended to help his clients navigate their way through complicated legal questions. The attorney general’s legal advice to his state clients is confidential under the attorney-client privilege, but his official opinions are published and posted online for the benefit of constituents.

Attorney General Zoeller issues this comment on today’s opinion:

“When complex questions arise about the legal authority of various levels of government, it is the duty of the Attorney General’s Office to research those issues and provide objective answers,” Zoeller said.  “Although there has been a lot of attention on this subject due to the Carmel project, the assignment given us by our client, the State Board of Accounts, was to produce an opinion broad enough and general enough to apply to any municipality facing similar circumstances.”

Inquiries about how the State Board of Accounts will utilize this opinion should be directed to that agency.