02.06.2024
Council member Dale Basham had to go back on his words Monday night on whether a feasibility study included details on the BOT agreement for Resolution 17-23. He is now claiming that Mayor Ridenour gave him a separate document, but most of the council says they don’t know about any such document.
Resolution 17-23, which was amended and passed in last months meeting, starts the process of financing an $8.5 million dollar fire station to replace Fire Station 6. Several members of the council between October and January, mostly Democrats, felt there were not enough details available to the public or to them. Basham in last month’s meeting claimed that Democratic members shouldn’t complain about a lack of information on Resolution 17-23, because a 340-page study contains said details. Nora Powell, however, didn’t think the study explained how the BOT agreement would take place. Powell said that Basham “read something that’s the study just saying what we all agree. We all agree that we need those fire stations, that’s what that study said. The study had no bearing on how we were going to fund those things.”
Then at last night’s meeting during public comment, Wayne Scaife told Basham that he lied about the study having to do with details on the BOT process. At which point Basham said he wasn’t claiming it was in the study itself, but in a separate document “tucked” into the document. Later in the meeting council-member Brandon Garrett asked Basham directly if he could show him the document, at which point Basham referred to it as an ordinance. Sara Gullion told Basham the ordinance, really a resolution, was different from any additional document related to the BOT agreement information she was requesting. Democrats Jerry Dishman and Billy Macintosh both told the Post-Democrat they didn’t know about the document, although Republican Ro Selvey also told this editor that she can email said document, as did Basham. As of noon today we have not received a response from either.
Republican Jeff Green also told the Post-Democrat he has not seen the document that Basham was referring to.
Many individuals at public comment last night repeated the same sentiment that not enough information was generally being brought to the public, whether on the Fire House Resolution or otherwise. One resident, Russell Irving, said he felt that his neighborhood was being “left in the dark” for not informing nearby residents about the four traffic circles being constructed close to their homes.
Resolution 17-23 has been a contested issue for several reasons such as details not being provided to the general public, the use of a BOT agreement, lack of guarantee of local labor, and by some council members its estimated $8.5 million dollar budget. Although while last year’s President Jeff Robinson brought up concerns over the budget, Dishman is fine with the cost.
Wayne Scaife gives comments on Resolution 17-23, confronts Basham.
Council-member Brandon Garrett asks Basham for the document
We at the Post-Democrat would like to offer $50 to anyone who can provide said document for us to post online. If the said document is verified to be part of Basham’s holiday read then you can guarantee that me, myself, and I will gladly pay you the amount through Venmo.
two days and Muncie Post Democrat still has its $50!