From the Muncie Star-Press:
In the wake of announcements from Mayor Dennis Tyler about funding for local projects and causes, Tyler this week released his $1.5 million EDIT spending plan for this year and 2013.
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The big-ticket line items on the economic development income tax (EDIT) spending list are holdovers from past administrations, including $300,000 earmarked two decades ago for the Horizon Convention Center and $297,000 for bonds promised in 2006 for the local Sallie Mae call center.
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Many of the items included in the mayor's spending plan -- like the plan adopted by the Delaware County commissioners every three years, and occasionally modified -- gives him a lot of discretion as to where funds are used.
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Tyler said this week that while he was conscious of his EDIT spending limits, he wanted to continue to fund small projects and efforts that add to the community. He said he planned to meet with Muncie Community Schools officials as early as today to talk about using city EDIT funds to help pay the costs of the school system's recreational youth soccer program for the fall. The program is in danger of being canceled because of school budget cuts. The mayor didn't attach a price tag to that possible EDIT appropriation.
"We'd like to bring that into the partnership with Friends of the Conley," Tyler said. "We'd like to give those kids a program, and I think we can do it."
Gregory said she would prefer an EDIT plan with more specific improvement projects.
"If I had my wishes, moneys would be going to things like making sure weeds aren't growing out of the edges of curbs downtown or high tourist traffic areas," she said. "Cleaning up gateways, keeping them mowed, picking trash up. These are cosmetic things that we can do that would make residents feel better and make us look better."
Tyler noted that his plan, which totaled $1,536,507, left up to $140,000 in uncommitted funds.
"I've left a little wiggle room," the mayor said. "And we're holding back $1.2 million in wheel tax for infrastructure."
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012205040323
