Jail and Related
Commission Declines to Join Jail Discussion
Pat urged the Terre Haute Redevelopment Commission to become involved in the development of a public safety complex at the current government center. The commission currently owns the parking lot where such a facility could be built.
Pat Speaks at Public Hearing
Pat spoke for Vigo County taxpayers at the county council public hearing for the proposed 500+bed jail. He questioned the bundling of a public safety tax with the jail tax.
Pat Speaks at County Council Meeting
Pat spoke to the Vigo County Council urging them to consider the opportunity cost of the new jail tax.
Vigo County citizens take opposite sides about tax increase
Goodwin attended a public hearing on the proposed local income tax from 1.25% to 2.25%. He voiced concerns that the commissioners were attaching the funding of public safety to the funding of the jail.
Speakers at meeting oppose new tax for jail
Goodwin attended several meetings representing the Taxpayers Association speaking out against the increase in local income tax to fund the jail. While not against the funding of a jail of reasonable size and public safety entities, he felt the tax was too large and the parameters for its use had not been sufficiently established.
Goodwin challenges suitability of jail site
Goodwin conducted a forum where he presented information supporting the current location of the county jail as the most suitable site for the proposed new jail. He listed several sites that would be more suitable than the debated IP Property. He encouraged county and city officials to work together to find a location which would best meet the needs of all groups involved.
Forums
Tribune-Star Editorial: Long-term solution needed for Terre Haute golf courses
The Tribune Star Editorial Board questions the city on its management strategies of city golf courses. They mention Goodwin’s January 2018 public forum on parks and golf courses and his attempt to bring the community together in coming up with a better strategy for the future.
Mayoral candidate wants unified govt. To cut “wasteful” overlap
Goodwin held a forum in which he proposed that combining some city and county government duties would save city and county taxpayers money and improve the delivery of services
Wastewater Utility Funds
Year in Review: City makes some progress, but debt still a concern
Goodwin claimed “gamesmanship” in the city’s use of a $15 million bond to fund design work on the upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment system. This was done without city council approval.
City Council OKs internal loan for sanitary district
Goodwin attended a city council meeting to speak against the continual use of loans to cover loans and the pooling of wastewater utility funds with city general funds. “It’s time for the shell game to stop,” he said. “The taxpayers deserve it.”
City makes case for new stormwater fee
Goodwin spoke out against the proposed stormwater fee. From the article:
Another citizen who spoke was Pat Goodwin, business owner and a former city engineer. While he didn’t intend to speak, he said, “This presentation has been so disingenuous I can’t sit there and listen to it.” The proposed new fee “is not for stormwater projects,” Goodwin said. “Calling this a stormwater fee is completely disingenuous.” It will be many years before neighborhood drainage projects can be addressed, he said. Part of the funds raised will go to cover an increase in the Payment in Lieu of Taxes to help fund the city’s general fund, Goodwin said. He pointed out that sanitary district residents who live outside the city will be contributing toward that PILOT — but they don’t benefit from those city services, he said.
Terre Haute City Council rejects stormwater fee, 9-0
Goodwin spoke out against the proposed stormwater fee at the 9-8-16 city council meeting. He questioned moving money around to cover the city’s general fund. The fee would do nothing to solve the root problem–a terribly unbalanced budget.
Goodwin alleges improper payouts from city account
Goodwin knows local government needs to be transparent with how your, the tax payer, money is being spent. He knows your money is being used to pay a consultant and isn’t being invoiced properly. Why and how did this happen? He thinks this community deserves an answer.
Powerdyne and Related
Critics try to poke holes in city’s proposed sludge-to-diesel contract
Goodwin fervently fought for transparency in the Powerdyne, Sodrel, and Renewable Transport Services 20-year, $600-plus million contract. He also questioned the green waste requirements for the city stating, “How much is 200 tons of green waste per day? Collett Park’s 484 trees, if chipped up, would provide about a 5 day supply.”
City officials notified of pending lawsuit related to Powerdyne contracts
City officials received notice of a tort claim being filed against them by Goodwin and other unnamed citizens. The notice asserts that the city failed to follow proper contractual procedures in their contracts with Powerdyne and related companies. It also claims that taxpayers were deceived by a claim by officials that Powerdyne would pay the city $3 million in 2014 and 2015 when no such language was mentioned in the contracts.
Mayor, others could face suit on sludge-to-fuel pacts
Goodwin issued a “notice of claim” to Mayor Bennett and other city officials to keep Powerdyne’s contracts from going into effect. Stating that since the contracts were not negotiated in good faith, “There are so many ways the city’s taxpayers can be damaged by these contracts.”
Taxpayers Association to take questions to Feb. 12 City Council meeting
Goodwin spoke at a Taxpayers Association of Vigo County meeting regarding concerns over the city’s contracts with Powerdyne. He emphasized the need to protect the county’s taxpayers from the contracts likely detrimental effects.
Powerdyne prez expected at meeting
Goodwin welcomed the chance to have Powerdyne’s president at a public forum in order to force the contracts and surrounding discussion out into the open.
Will more answers be coming tonight in city’s Powerdyne drama?
Goodwin’s Terre Haute Inquiries (THinq) Facebook page is mentioned as a platform for public discussion about the Powerdyne project.
Mixed audience reaction: satisfaction with answers, skepticism about project
Goodwin called into question the calculations used to by Powerdyne regarding the conversion of organic waste into diesel fuel. He also called again for transparency in the contractual negotiations. “The biggest concern I have is the contracts are terrible and they put the city at risk. The public should get to see these [contracts] before they’re signed.”
Views differ on public nature of city’s draft contracts
In his demand for transparency, Goodwin asked the Board of Works to make the revised contracts with Powerdyne public before signing them.
UPDATE: City gets $750K ‘deposit’ on dewatering contract
Goodwin questions the appropriateness of a $750K prepayment in the sludge-to-diesel plan.
City on the Brink: Crisis sent city hunting for cash
Goodwin is mentioned for his activism in halting the Powerdyne project to protect taxpayers.
Views differ on continued use of sludge hauling pacts
Goodwin questions why the city is still paying for a sludge hauling service when the wastewater utility contracts approved by the Board of Public Works and Safety have been found to be unenforceable.
2016 City budget approved, but discussion continues
Goodwin criticized the city administration for presenting budget details late to the city council giving them insufficient time to review them before being asked to approve them. “You don’t have to vote on this budget tonight, and you shouldn’t. It’s an insult it was handed to you at this late hour,” Goodwin said. “You’ve had a sludge sandwich set in front of you [referring to the Powerdyne negotiations also in the works], and you don’t have to eat it.”
New questions arise about wastewater hauling contract
Goodwin again questioned the Terre Haute Board of Sanitary Commissioners on the status of the wastewater hauling contract associated with the Powerdyne project.
VCSC Aquatic Center
Voorlees Park: ‘No, 1 site’ for new pool
Goodwin spoke out at a public forum against Voorhees as the pool site, stating it is not centrally located to the schools.
School board approves pool location
Goodwin attended the October 2013 Vigo County School Board meeting to speak out against the Voorhees Park location for the Vigo County Aquatic Center. Goodwin felt Voorhees to be a poor location–not centrally located, lacked good access and the school didn’t already own it.
Mayor Judy Anderson Conflict of Interest
Subcontract work triggers City Hall dispute, inquiry
Goodwin prompted an investigation into a conflict of interest involving subcontracted work between the then Mayor Judy Anderson’s son and the city.
Contradictions and denials
Goodwin brought to light a conflict of interest case involving the son of then Mayor Judy Anderson. This brought into question how the mayor’s son was hired to begin with. Goodwin claims he received specific instructions from the mayor’s chief of staff, Mayor Anderson’s other son, to hire his brother. This quote by Judy Anderson sums up why Goodwin has always been independently minded: “In the political or the private world, you have to have qualified people, loyalty and determination,” she said. “[Goodwin] is young, he doesn’t know any of the political ramifications,” she said. “I’ve been trying to make him political for three years.”
TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Case study in inconsistency
The Tribune Star editor rejected the then mayor’s attitude of politics as usual in her hypocritical handling of two similarly questionable policy issues–one involving her son and the other a supporter of her political opponent. Goodwin brought to light the conflict of interest issue involving Mayor Anderson’s son.
City engineer fired
Goodwin was fired by Mayor Judy Anderson just after she lost her reelection bid in the May 2003 primary election. “Recent differences” was the reason given for the termination by the mayor. These differences were Goodwin’s involvement in an investigation of Anderson’s son for a contractual issue involving a conflict of interest and Goodwin’s disagreement over which consulting firm would receive a Margaret Ave overpass project. The firm receiving the bid was a financial supporter of Anderson’s campaign.
TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: The firing of City Engineer Pat Goodwin
The Tribune Star editor called Mayor Judy Anderson out for her vindictive firing of city engineer Pat Goodwin. He applauded Goodwin’s performance in the position and accused Anderson of robbing city taxpayers of a valuable and trusted public official.
The Spectator
The author of this article came out in support of Goodwin after Mayor Anderson fired him stating he had received more than 20 calls concerning the event–none in support of the firing.
THinq Facebook Page
Alongside his wife, Marti Livengood Goodwin, Pat has created a Facebook page dedicated to providing, sharing, and discussing better and more in-depth information about how Terre Haute’s tax dollars are being managed by local government entities.
Other
Pat Speaks at City Council Meeting
Pat spoke to the City Council on June 14th, 2018 pointing out the problems with the Mayor’s request to borrow $3.8 million in order to make a bond payment that was due July 1st.
Standing-room-only crowd turns out to protest exotic bar’s rezoning request
Goodwin spoke out against the rezoning of property for an “adult establishment”.
Indiana State students: Minor league baseball feasible in Terre Haute
Goodwin attended a presentation by ISU students who presented findings in support of bringing minor league baseball to Terre Haute. “I think it has tremendous promise,” Goodwin said. “I feel like the large employers of our community would see a major benefit from having a professional sports team here. When people are looking at where to locate, amenities are one of the things they mention first.”
Readers’ Forum for March 14, 2007
A letter-to-the-editor by Dr. Robert Houghtalen praised Goodwin for dreaming big and supporting a strong vision for the future of Terre Haute.
Problems with storm inlets sting noses in historical neighborhood
As President of the Collett Park Neighborhood Association, Goodwin requested that residents report unpleasant sewer gas odors around the neighborhood so that he could chart them and request repairs from the city.