Differences abound on CIB bailout plan

When lawmakers and the governor approved a new state budget Tuesday, they said it included the tools Indianapolis needs to deal with the financial crisis facing the Capital Improvement Board. City leaders disagree.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard appeared on WISH-TV's Daybreak Tuesday and discussed whether he thinks the CIB bailout plan was enough for the city.

"Well, some people say it is, other people say it isn't,” Ballard said. “Good staffs can disagree."

Ballard said the current CIB bailout plan looks troublesome at the moment.

The mayor’s view sharply contrasts with Governor Mitch Daniels’. The governor backed the CIB bailout and worked to convince lawmakers it was a good idea. Daniels said the loans and tax options are "absolutely enough" to solve the crisis.

"I'm going to be here another three-and-a-half years and I don’t want to see another CIB bill, it’s not necessary," said Daniels.

For the moment, neither the mayor nor the governor can do much more on the matter. City-County councilors must decide how to move forward.

The top Democrat on the council, Minority Leader Joanne Sanders, is not happy and does not see the CIB bill as a solution.

"It's not a solution, it's political shenanigans," said Sanders. "It gets lawmakers off the hook and lets them go home and say, 'We fixed the problem and didn't raise taxes!'"

Sanders said councilors will meet soon to decide whether and how to use the tools lawmakers have offered.