Published: November 22, 2008 04:43 pm      

Public eye – Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008

Hope for the future

When asked during a recent teleconference about the bankruptcy filing of Getrag Transmission Manufacturing in Tipton County, Congressman Joe Donnelly said it was a result of the credit crisis.

Chrysler and Getrag Transmission Manufacturing had entered into an agreement for the German company to supply dual-clutch wet transmissions starting in 2009. Chrysler terminated the agreements when Getrag was unable to obtain financing, according to a lawsuit.

Donnelly said he was told by Chrysler officials that Getrag couldn’t obtain the necessary credit to complete the plant and Chrysler didn’t have the funds available.

“No one had the cash to finish the job,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly said Chrysler officials indicated they still were interested in using the Getrag transmissions.

“There were indications that with a better economy the project would move forward,” he said.

Recounts requested

Petitions have been filed with the Miami County Clerk’s Office requesting recounts in elections for two county offices.

The petitions were filed in Miami Superior Court. No hearing date has been set and it is not known when the process of counting the ballots will take place.

Republican Brenda Weaver leads Democrat Vicki Wheeler by 25 votes for the position of recorder. There were 13,173 ballots cast in the race.

The other requested recount is in the race for Miami County auditor where Republican Jane Lilley leads Democrat Betty Hunter by 38 votes. There were a total of 13,116 votes cast in the contest.

Helping out

Miami County Prosecutor Eric Huneryager received approval from the county council on Tuesday for spending from the diversion fund, but none of the money was used by his office.

Huneryager told council members the engine on the Denver fire truck needed to be overhauled at a cost of $14,000. He asked for approval to provide $10,000 of the cost.

The council also approved $11,000 for the installation of new radio equipment for Miami County Emergency Management Agency so more radios could be purchased and $3,000 to purchase software for the sheriff’s department.

City/County drama, Part 43

The November Howard County Recycling District meeting turned ugly, when Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight found himself outnumbered on a key vote.

Over the past several months, it has become clear that Goodnight isn’t happy with the district’s leadership, mainly current director Marla Vechey. But with only two city appointments to the district’s seven-member board, Goodnight would need county allies to force a change.

Goodnight may have been hopeful Vechey was leaving. In August, she announced her intention of leaving the director’s position. If so, his hope was short-lived.

Goodnight found out this week Vechey and her assistant, Mikki Jeffers, were simply going to swap positions, and that the board majority was going to back the switch.

“If this was the intention of some people here, just to flip-flop positions, why did we go through this whole [candidate search] charade?” Goodnight said during a meeting which descended into a prolonged argument.

County commissioner Paul Raver, who is retiring at year’s end, cast the deciding vote in favor of the Vechey/Jeffers switch.

“Marla, I think she’s been treated pretty rudely here a few times,” Raver said in her defense.

“I think there’s a lot of people who have been treated pretty rudely here a few times,” Goodnight replied.

Unexpected expenses

City officials were socked this year with high gas prices like everyone else. Fuel costs forced the city to ask the city council for an additional $300,000, over the projected budget, to pay for fuel this year.

But if last year’s city council (which passed this year’s budget) wasn’t expecting $4 a gallon gas, they really weren’t expecting the city’s biggest spending surprise.

That would be worker’s compensation claims. While city officials are prevented by federal privacy laws from explaining what happened, worker’s compensation claims exceeded the budget this year by $500,000. Ouch.