NEW ALBANY VOTES “NO” ON FLOYD COUNTY’S “MUST” PROPOSAL

NEW ALBANY VOTES “NO” ON FLOYD COUNTY’S “MUST” PROPOSAL

“New Albany would be supportive of a fair system, but Floyd County’s MUST proposal is harmful for the people of New Albany and our surrounding area,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “This NO vote is NOT a rejection of cooperation, but it reflects our responsibility to protect New Albany residents, taxpayers, and essential services until state legislators can provide clear data, local accountability, and enforceable safeguards.”

We are voting NO for the following reasons:

• NO to Merged City/County Governments:

  • As proposed, the MUST process weakens our city and reduces accountability of local government with less representation, more taxes, and less services for city residents. A City-County merger would be a tremendous setback for the people of New Albany and the entire region.

• NO to increased Taxes:

  • The MUST process would force unnecessary tax raises on the people of New Albany. We have not raised taxes on the people of New Albany for over 15 years and we see no reason to now.

• NO to Reduced Services:

  • The MUST process would reduce services, including public safety services like police and firefighters. This is not acceptable for the city of New Albany.

To see the full technical analysis from our financial advisor, click HERE

MAYOR GAHAN: NEW ALBANY TO CAUTIOUSLY CONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN MUST DISCUSSIONS

MAYOR GAHAN: NEW ALBANY TO CAUTIOUSLY CONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN MUST DISCUSSIONS

The MUST process was created following the passage of Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1) as an attempt to help local governments address the negative impacts of the new law. However, the taskforce's recommendations are not binding and cannot be enforced.

"MUST is a response to the problems created by SEA 1," Mayor Gahan said. "It is clear it should have occurred before the legislation became law, not afterward."

Mayor Gahan said once again the City will attend tonight's meeting alongside its financial advisor to better understand the options being discussed and to ensure New Albany's interests are represented.

"New Albany has consistently demonstrated responsible financial management," stated Mayor Gahan. "For 15 consecutive years, we’ve received excellent financial audits, and never raised taxes on our residents. It is important to maintain that record."

Mayor Gahan also emphasized that the City's participation in the MUST process should not be viewed as support for merging city and county governments or services.

"We have not committed to any option,” Mayor Gahan said. "History has shown that government consolidations often result in higher costs and fewer services for residents. Our priorities include protecting the quality of life of our residents, keeping decision making local, and providing the dependable public services that residents have come to expect."

Mayor Gahan Opposes City/County Merger

MAYOR GAHAN OPPOSES CITY/COUNTY MERGER

As Floyd County's Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) prepares for its third meeting, Mayor Jeff Gahan said New Albany will continue participating in the process but still has concerns about “MUST” and the problems that Senate Bill 1 and Senate Enrolled Act 1 have already caused for cities in the state of Indiana.

Most cities across Indiana are preparing for dramatic cuts to public safety and services caused by Senate Bill 1, but Mayor Gahan has said that the City of New Albany will oppose any proposal that reduces public safety funding or lowers the quality of life for city residents.

Mayor Gahan noted that New Albany enters the process with one of the strongest financial records in the region, having finished under budget for 15 consecutive years, maintained excellent financial audits, earned an A+ financial rating, and never raised local taxes.

By contrast, Floyd County's most recent audit identified an approximately $45 million accounting discrepancy that remains unresolved.

"It is difficult to negotiate the future when the county still cannot explain a $45 million discrepancy in its own financial records," Gahan said.

Mayor Gahan also raised concerns about the direction of the MUST process, saying it increasingly appears to be an attempt to move Floyd County toward a UNIGOV-style consolidation and merger of city and county services, all without the approval or consent of local voters.

“It’s clear that mergers like this do not work, and they typically result in decreased services for cities, and increased taxes for everyone,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “That’s why we cannot support this.”

As it currently stands, the Floyd County-led initiative could lower public safety funding as well as other quality of life services that the people of New Albany rely on. Mayor Gahan reiterated that the city of New Albany will not support any proposal that lowers funding for public safety or quality of life services.

CITY COUNCIL PASSES MAYOR GAHAN’S NEW DATA CENTER BAN

CITY COUNCIL PASSES MAYOR GAHAN’S NEW DATA CENTER BAN

At the request of Mayor Gahan, the New Albany City Council has approved a 1 year ban on the construction of new data centers within the City of New Albany. The freeze will allow the City to study issues including utility demands and their potential effects on electric and water rates, environmental impacts, noise concerns, infrastructure needs, and other issues related to data center development.

Under the new law, no new data center can be constructed within the City of New Albany. The ban will remain in effect for up to one year and could be renewed after that.

Mayor Jeff Gahan is also encouraging Floyd County’s elected officials to adopt similar protections for residents living outside New Albany’s boundaries.

“We encourage Floyd County’s elected officials to follow New Albany and other cities and counties throughout the Midwest by enacting their own data center ban so families throughout Floyds Knobs and Floyd County are protected from unchecked data center development while these important issues are fully studied,” said Mayor Gahan.

Mayor Gahan first proposed the ban in June, citing the rapid growth of data center projects throughout the region and the need to ensure New Albany is prepared before considering future proposals. Councilperson Elaine Murphy sponsored the ordinance before the City Council.

“I believe it’s important to understand how data centers could impact our future,” stated Mayor Gahan. He also thanked members of the City Council and the New Albany Plan Commission for their quick, proactive work.

“As technology continues to evolve, great cities must also evolve, and this proactive step helps us better prepare for tomorrow,” Mayor Gahan said. “Our responsibility is to protect our families, conserve our natural resources, and make decisions that are in the best interest of our people. This action will allow us to do exactly that.”

🚧 Progress Update: The Monon South Freedom Trail is Taking Shape!

🚧 Progress Update: The Monon South Freedom Trail is Taking Shape!

“We are excited to announce that construction on Phase 1 of the Monon South Freedom Trail in New Albany is now more than 50% complete!” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “This statewide amenity will create new opportunities for residents and fresh connections to cities and towns throughout our state.”

Phase 1 will connect the Ohio River Greenway and the New Albany Shoreline to the future Monon South Freedom Trail, creating a route that travels north along 4th Street and continues past Fairview Cemetery. Future phases will extend the trail from there, ultimately connecting New Albany to Mitchell as part of the 63-mile Monon South Freedom Trail, the longest continuous recreational trail in Indiana.

We're excited to see this trail taking shape and look forward to sharing more updates as construction continues!

Special thanks to our partners for helping make this trail a reality: New Albany Redevelopment Commission, New Albany City Council, Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, Radius Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and Our Southern Indiana RDA.

We also want to thank our downtown business owners and residents for their patience and understanding while construction of this trail is ongoing.