The governor is at it again. First, he closed down license branches in rural areas, forcing many Indiana citizens to take a day off from work and drive long distances in order to get anything done concerning their license or picture identification (which he made a requirement for voter registration). Then he established an Inspector General to act as his own personal prosecutor (along with a staff of lawyers in every Indiana county). Then he crammed his plan for daylight-saving time down our throats.
This guy seems to think we elected him to the legislative and judicial branches as well as the executive branch. Perhaps he thinks we elected him dictator. He certainly seems to act that way.
This time, it’s the Major Moves Plan on the agenda. Up until now, the state legislature has always handled the placing of toll roads and set the fees. That’s not good enough for My Monarch Mitch. The governor wants to take control of our highways from the legislature and hand it over to foreign companies operating under his supervision.
The governor’s Major Moves Plan grants the governor himself extensive power to enter into Public Private Partnerships (P3) with foreign companies. The stated purpose of the bill (HB 1008) is to allow the governor to lease East/West Indiana toll roads to a foreign company, including all of the motels, gas stations and rest stations along the toll roads (which would no longer be subject to property taxes), but the bill also applies to projects like I-69 (though not directly specified in the bill), all intermodel facilities, airports, ports (Lake Michigan and Ohio River), bridges and other transportation facilities or infrastructure.
Basically, the governor could implement a P3 when it comes to any project related to transportation that involves any combination of the following: planning, acquisition, construction, improvement, extension, operation, maintenance and financing of projects.
After a review of the State Budget Committee, the governor’s approval is all that would be required for a P3 contract. If he so desired, the governor could make an agreement to allow a single contractor (a hypothetical example being KBR of Halliburton) to handle all construction, improvement, operation, extension and maintenance of all Indiana highways. Another possibility, almost all of Indiana’s highways could be turned into toll roads as a result of this bill.
This bill also allows for the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA), part of the executive branch under the governor’s authority, to establish user fees and tolls, to establish the criteria for adjusting maximum rates, and to adopt emergency rules concerning user fees. Trust Funds would be established that would not be subject to transfer into the General Fund or other state funds. However, the IFA will have wide latitude to fund any project related to transportation.
The foreign company itself will not be able to raise toll fees for 10 years. After 10 years, they can raise them 2 percent a year or an increase equal to the CPI or GDP. No official cap is set for how high the rates can be increased.
The $2 billion deal for the lease of the toll roads would provide some much-needed funding for highway construction in Indiana. The list of projects that could potentially benefit from the incoming funds includes I-69, the Hoosier Heartland project, two new bridges over the Ohio River, the upgrading of U.S. 31 from South Bend to Indianapolis, and modernizing the Indiana toll road corridor. No mention of the Indiana 641 project in Terre Haute has been made in the bill.
However, there are many drawbacks to the deal that HB 1008 proposes. For example, the foreign company’s lease will run for 75 years. The leasing of the toll road will bring in $2 billion for highway construction which the state of Indiana will spend within five years. Where will money for highway improvements come from during the following 70 years when Indiana doesn’t take in any tolls or property taxes?
Also, there is the possibility that the foreign company could allow the roads to deteriorate rather than spend its profits on upkeep and then declare bankruptcy, leaving Indiana’s citizens with billions of dollars in repair bills.
Another drawback, the state can make no improvements to roads within 10 miles of the toll roads due to the no-compete clause. This includes U.S. 20, U.S. 6 and Indiana 120. All traffic will eventually be forced to travel on the toll roads regardless of the price.
The Indiana Laborers District Council recently issued a statement concerning the Major Moves project. Their concern is that the private company in charge of the construction, operation and maintenance of the toll roads will be using low-wage migrant workers from the president’s “guest worker program” to do all the labor. In effect, the “47,000 jobs for every billion dollars spent on road work” the governor promised would be going to foreign labor hired by foreign investors.
Keep your eyes open, Indiana. This governor is making deals that don’t seem to benefit Hoosier drivers, labor or taxpayers. Instead, he seems to be on a mission to grab as much power as he can. Ask yourself why he would need so much more power over the other branches of Indiana government than the governors who came before him. What is he trying to get done? What are his real goals? Is he running for president or president of Halliburton?
One thing is for sure, his Major Moves Plan leaves western Indiana out of the loop for the next 75 years. No improvements are scheduled for U.S. 41 and he doesn’t even mention the Indiana 641 bypass. I suggest that representatives of Vigo County, Sullivan County, Clay County, and Knox County are sent as a delegation to the governor’s office insisting that he include U.S. 41 and the 641 bypass in the bill if he expects our support on any level. It’s time to go to bat for the people of western Indiana.
Pete Chalos, a longtme teacher, coach and public servant in Vigo County, was mayor of Terre Haute for 16 years. Send e-mail to pchalos@netscape.com.
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January 31, 2006
Pete Chalos: Major Moves plan could be major disaster for Indiana
- Pete Chalos
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- Pete Chalos: Fluoridation removal should be on local agenda Last year, 11 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee unions, representing over 7,000 environmental and public health professionals, called for a moratorium on drinking water fluoridation programs across the country. I wrote a two-part commentary exploring the evidence that inspired the letter these professionals sent to the U.S. Congress.
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Pete Chalos: Traditional family unit has served America well
Much has been said concerning the institution of marriage this past few years. Elements of our society have been trying their best to redefine marriage. Every American tradition associated with raising a family has been questioned by some group or another. Some feel the rules concerning marriage and family have changed because our society has taken progressive leaps beyond any society the world has ever known. Others feel we are losing touch with the time-tested wisdom of our fathers and the tradition this great nation was founded upon.
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Pete Chalos: Never too soon to pay attention to 2008 election
The next presidential election is already a hot topic of discussion in the press and we aren’t even close to the election year yet. Everyone is interested in finding out which candidate will have an edge come 2008.
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Pete Chalos: Community needs leadership from best and brightest
What does it take to win an election? Last week, we saw the climax of months of hard work and well-organized campaigning. Some candidates had been preparing to run for several months or even a few years. Spouses, children, family, friends and colleagues had been organizing, recruiting and promoting before most voters were even aware an election was coming up. It takes a lot of time and effort and a great deal of commitment to win an election.
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Pete Chalos: A community must invest in itself to improve itself
This month, the Terre Haute City Council voted in favor of the proposed tax increment finance (TIF) district on Indiana 46, passing it 6-3. Council members Jim Chalos, Rich Dunkin, Chuck Miles, Todd Nation, Shelva Warner and Cliff Lambert voted for the resolution.
This evening, the Vigo County Redevelopment Commission is going to conduct a public hearing concerning the details of the resolution, outlining the specifics. Upon their confirmation, the resolution will go back to the Terre Haute City Council for adoption on May 11. -
Pete Chalos: In Iraq, we must get job done, then get out
You can call it what you want to call it but what is happening right now in the country of Iraq is a civil war. Fancy words like “insurgency” aren’t fooling anyone. You’ve got two sides fighting over the fate of a country. That is a civil war.
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Pete Chalos: America must maintain high standards of immigration
My father John Chalos arrived from Greece at Ellis Island in 1910 for the purpose of working in Seattle. He ended up losing his ticket while the train was stopped in Terre Haute.
- Pete Chalos: Your vote counts in numerous and hidden ways
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Pete Chalos: State has moved too quickly on Major Moves initiative
The reason the government builds fire stations, roads, sidewalks and parks is to accommodate the general public. No single private citizen can afford to build all of these facilities on his own so we all chip in and pay taxes. As a result, we all end up benefiting from the use of the facilities. Government facilities are built for the public and they belong to the public. That’s the basic premise of a tax-supported Democratic society. Government by the people and for the people.
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Pete Chalos: City’s leaders, citizens must be willing to support progress
We live in an extremely competitive society. From early childhood, we are taught the difference between winning and losing. In some families, more time is spent learning the difference between winning and losing than the difference between right and wrong.
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Pete Chalos: The future of elderly care in America
This past month, my family and I have been reviewing all available options for the future care of me and my wife Ulla. At 78 years old, I am finding that I can no longer take care of myself and my wife the way I once could. In truth, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to do so on my own, but learning to accept and admit it has been a difficult process.
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Pete Chalos: China poised to become next big economic, military power
“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition onto the target zone on China’s territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons. … If the Americans are determined to interfere, we will be determined to respond. … We Chinese will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xian. Of course, the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese.”
This statement was made a few months ago to members of the press by General Zhu Chenghu of the People’s Liberation Army, also a professor at China’s National Defense University, concerning U.S. opposition to China’s threats to invade Taiwan. -
Pete Chalos: Women’s basketball flourishing in the Valley
This month, the ISU women’s basketball team recorded its 18th straight win. The victory also marked the milestone 100th career win for ISU women’s head coach Jim Wiedie. He and Edith Godleski are the only two women’s basketball coaches to achieve that mark in ISU history. Local golf enthusiasts may remember Edith from her impressive record in local golf tournaments.
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Pete Chalos: Lack of opportunity raises concerns for future
Over the years, I have been invited to speak to numerous service groups, church groups and political organizations within the community of Terre Haute. After sharing a few of my own thoughts and ideas, I always take the opportunity to answer questions from the crowd. I look forward to these question and answer sessions. In fact, it’s my favorite part of the meeting.
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Pete Chalos: Diligent oversight of utilities an important mission
At the end of January, ExxonMobil Corp. revealed record-breaking profits, the highest quarterly profits ever reported by a public company in the history of America. Exxon’s annual profit was $36.13 billion. That’s a 42 percent rise since last year.
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Pete Chalos: Major Moves plan could be major disaster for Indiana
The governor is at it again. First, he closed down license branches in rural areas, forcing many Indiana citizens to take a day off from work and drive long distances in order to get anything done concerning their license or picture identification (which he made a requirement for voter registration). Then he established an Inspector General to act as his own personal prosecutor (along with a staff of lawyers in every Indiana county). Then he crammed his plan for daylight-saving time down our throats.
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Pete Chalos: Use baseball classic to unite us, not further divide us
No sound is more exciting than the crack of a baseball bat hitting the ball. It’s quite an experience to watch your favorite team score that winning run in the bottom of the ninth or pull off a double-play to ensure their victory. The crowd roars and stands to its feet.
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Pete Chalos: This nation needs purpose, trusted leaders to show the way
Just like individuals, nations need goals. In the 29th chapter of the book of Proverbs it is written, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” In the absence of a unified sense of purpose, progress is replaced with unrest. Like any nation, America needs a national vision, a national direction and national goals.
- Don’t get duped, be skeptical and ask smart questions
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