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Dear Editor:
As the Carmel city council – which in four years inflated total city debt 50 percent – considers adding $85 million more to its borrowing binge, it might consider the Indiana Dram Shop Act.
That law says a person who serves alcohol to an already intoxicated person (or to a minor) can be sued if the person served harms another. It’s designed to prevent minors, who don’t know better, and drunks, who know even less, to do harm after tossing back another drink.
Monday night’s council agenda outlines the harm:
City councilors will vote to add $39 million (plus interest and lease rental fees) to the combined $302.6 million in combined principal owed. And, they will discuss adding $17 million to $302.5 million borrowed and $30 million to the library’s $3.4 million current borrowed amount.
Today, the combined debt including interest and lease rental is more than $1.5 billion. That’s $1.4 billion for the city, $35.1 milion for the township, $143.5 million for the schools and $3.4 million for the library, according to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. Carmel taxpayers, then, are on the hook for $1.5 billion.
Apparently not impressed, councilors doubtless mull nearly $39 million more in city bond principal and will discuss nearly $30 million more proposed by the Library and $17 million for waterworks projects.
Is it too late for the bartender to refuse another shot-and-a-beer?
Bill Shaffer
Carmel