Keep it Up: Charlestown Road annexation delayed

Charlestown Road annexation delayed
England said more research needed on police department impact

By DANIEL SUDDEATH
Daniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.com

NEW ALBANY — The New Albany City Council agreed to table the final reading on an annexation ordinance that would have incorporated the Charlestown Road commercial corridor if approved.

Mayor Doug England requested the council delay action Thursday on the measure — a day after he announced his desire to see the annexation start date delayed one year — so that he could have more time to meet with public safety officials to determine if the New Albany Police Department can handle the extra responsibility.

England said the department is stretched and in need of more officers, and that “we want to make sure the police are properly prepared” to cover the additional territory.

The about 219 acres of land proposed to be annexed is located near the Interstate 265 interchange along Charlestown Road. England said after meeting with county police, he was informed it’s a high volume area for calls for crimes such as shoplifting.

This contrasted a June statement from New Albany Police Chief Greg Crabtree, who wrote in a memo to city officials the department could handle the annexed area.

The change of direction showed the annexation was not thoroughly planned, Councilman Dan Coffey said. He had raised concerns about the added responsibility to the NAPD when the annexation was initially introduced earlier this year.

“I’m not for prolonging this because I believe the process has been skewed since day one,” Coffey said before voting against tabling the ordinance.

Councilman Steve Price also voted against delaying action on the proposal, as tabling the measure passed 5-2. Councilmen Jack Messer and Bob Caesar were absent from the meeting.

The council is scheduled to meet again Monday, but England said the matter would not be brought back for consideration at that time. No deadline was given by the council or the England administration for a final vote on the ordinance.

The annexation debate led into other disagreements between Coffey and Price and the administration.

The two councilmen took exception to England’s comment that some police officers and firefighters felt like the council “trashed” them in recent media articles about the looming $1.8 million public safety budget shortfall.

The issue was brought up as England said he’s proposing that Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services either contribute to running the city’s lone ambulance service or see its service be privatized.

If the ambulance service was privatized, the provider would be under no obligation to take patients to Floyd Memorial.

Also England said he’s contacted Floyd County officials about giving the city a greater share of 911 collections received from phone customers who have to pay a stipend for the availability of the service.

England said the county collects $500,000 annually but New Albany only sees $25,000 of that sum.

The suggestions were mentioned by England as he talked about ways to bridge the funding gap in public safety.

Coffey said it was unfair of England to portray the council as being opposed to funding police when it approved $500,000 to hire five officers last year.

That appropriation ended up being used to cover the city’s general fund deficit, though the council never voted as a whole to use the money for the budget.

Coffey said the council usually approves appropriations to cover anticipated shortfalls as they occur, but that he was not in favor of approving $1.8 million at the beginning of 2010 because of how the administration handled using the $500,000 to cover the general fund.

The council did approve salaries for non-union city employees on final reading. The body will convene at 7:30 p.m. Monday.