Shaffer: Could be time for public to “corral” Carmel Redevelopment Commission

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Dear Editor:

Last August, the Carmel City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution allowing the Carmel Redevelopment Commission (CRC) to buy seven parcels of land for $3.5 million – $500,000 each on average.

In December, the CRC bought the seven parcels listed in the council resolution not for $3.5 million but for $24.7 million.

The CRC paid $3.5 million for each of five parcels and $3.6 million for the other two on Dec. 27, 2022, according to Hamilton County deed records.

The $24.7 million is $21.2 million more than the City Council authorized and $6.2 million more than the $18.5 million cost overrun the CRC incurred in Hotel Carmichael construction costs.

Isn’t it high time the public corrals the CRC?

Bill Shaffer
Carmel