Published: September 09, 2009 12:16 am      

C’TOWN LAPTOPS IN LIMBO: Charlestown City Council postpones computer vote; members say they didn’t have enough time

GCCS board says yes, but Charlestown council says NOT so fast

The Charlestown City Council decided to postpone its decision on helping to fund the one-to-one computer initiative for Charlestown middle schools at its meeting Tuesday night.

The council voted 4-1 — with Councilman Scott McKechnie voting against — to postpone a vote on $84,000 to be paid over three years to Greater Clark County Schools for laptop computers because details were not given to the council until the meeting. Also, members were hesitant to vote because Charlestown is working toward litigation against Greater Clark because of problems with a land swap between the two.

The money was to come out of two funds — economic development income tax, or EDIT, money, and tax increment financing, or TIF. Funding totaling $28,000 per year — with $14,000 from each fund being drawn — was proposed.

“I’m not saying I’m against this one-to-one initiative, but we’re suing the school corporation over a [swimming] pool of ours that they destroyed, and yet I’m looking at a resolution in front of me authorizing $28,000 a year for the next three years and we can’t even to get them to agree to this,” said Mark Goodlett, council president, referring to mediation over the land swap and a claim for attorney’s fees approved later in the meeting.

At about the same time at a separate meeting, Greater Clark County Schools board members voted 5-2 to fund the one-to-one initiative, with the understanding that Charlestown would provide its share of the funding for the project.

President of the teachers association, Nick Wiese, was at the meeting to take the agreement, if approved, to the Greater Clark County school board’s meeting being held, also on Tuesday night. Wiese later went to the school board meeting, but did not speak to the board during that meeting about what transpired in Charlestown.

A call to Wiese late Tuesday night was not returned by press time. REASONS FOR

POSTPONEMENT

The short time frame left several council member with questions regarding the laptop agreement and Wiese did not have answers to many of the questions, because he said he was acting as a courier and was not prepared to present to the council.

“All of us have just seen this tonight. We haven’t had a chance to look over it, they sent a representative down to take a signed document back to them that can not answer any of our questions regarding this and has said he is not representing the Greater Clark County school board,” Goodlett said.

The quick turnaround was given because of the recent awarding of the grant for the middle schools from the state.

“The reason this has developed is because the awarding of the grant about 10 days ago,” said Mayor Bob Hall. “We were asked on a condition of the grant to participate.”

“The [grant] agreement is really tenuous, because it really depends on whether the council tonight approves it,” Wiese said. “If they don’t [approve it], then the grant from [state education Superintendent Tony] Bennett’s office will possibly go away.”

In order to look over the information, including reviewing a copy of the grant, Goodlett made a motion to table a vote on the agreement until the next meeting for the council.

“I think it would only be prudent, and that’s what my motion is doing, is giving this council more time to review the facts before we take a vote on it,” Goodlett said. “I’m not asking to vote this down. I am asking for more time before we do take a vote on it.”

A special meeting was set for 7 p.m. Monday to consider the funding. Before the next scheduled meeting, the council will have an executive session at 6:30 p.m. to discuss pending litigation over the land swap.

Some headway regarding the land swap was presented at Tuesday’s meeting.

“I have had some discussion with the school corporation attorney, Sandy Lewis, and they have agreed to get some appraisals done,” said Mike Gillenwater, attorney for the council. “I see them moving in the direction where they are trying to find some common ground.”

However, no agreement has been reached.

The terms of a land swap involved the city giving up its swimming pool for a parking lot adjacent to the new high school building and two other small parcels of land. The city was offered property near Jonathan Jennings Elementary School, according to previous reports.