The Political Spotlight - Episodes Tagged with “City Budget”

#742 | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

In this 742nd episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey reviews the third and final meeting of the Muncie City Council's Finance Committee, held Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Bilbrey highlights several revealing moments from the discussion of the proposed 2027 budget for Prairie Creek Reservoir.

He also offers more on the Delaware County Republican Party and what he views as its ongoing effort to influence Muncie City Council leadership ahead of the October 5, 2026, meeting.

Finally, the spotlight returns to Winchester, Indiana, where Bilbrey reviews public records he received from City Clerk-Treasurer Kerry Sayre and explains what they reveal about the VOA "Winchester House" disaster.

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VIDEO version of Ep 742: https://youtube.com/live/jQJU7lEv33k

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#740 | Sunday, September 27, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey explores a bizarre and increasingly confusing situation in the City of Muncie, Indiana, involving Mayor Dan Ridenour, Parks Superintendent Carl Malone, contract employee Jeff Howe, and Tuhey Pool.

The issue arose during Parks Superintendent Carl Malone's appearance before the Finance Committee (comprising Muncie City Councilors Dale Basham, Jerry Dishman, and William McIntosh) on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

While discussing Tuhey Pool and the disastrous 2026 pool season, Parks Superintendent Carl Malone told the committee he was no longer in charge of the facility.

Malone explained that, because of his illness and absence, he could not speak in detail about much of what happened this year. That is understandable. However, Bilbrey believed that upon his return, Malone would have received a full debriefing on what took place so he could try to correct issues going forward.

That did not happen; Malone continued to offer little information about what went wrong, what would change, and how Tuhey Pool could improve for next year and beyond.

Then came the surprise.

Malone said control of Tuhey Pool had shifted to Jeff Howe—a city contract employee who serves as Director of the Muncie Redevelopment Commission. He has also been named Deputy Mayor and served as the "Acting Mayor" during Mayor Ridenour's medical leave. All of this, despite many still questioning the legality of his contracts with the city.

Malone also said Howe now has a team working on the pool.

That was news to Bilbrey. Honestly, it came as a shock!

Apparently, it was news to members of the Muncie Parks Board, too.

So Bilbrey started asking questions.

He emailed Mayor Ridenour and several others for clarification.

The Mayor responded quickly—and the answers directly contradicted what Malone told the Finance Committee.

According to Mayor Ridenour, nothing had changed. Tuhey Pool remained under the Parks Department and under the authority of Parks Superintendent Carl Malone.

So what the hell is going on?

Who is actually running Tuhey Pool?

Did responsibility shift to Jeff Howe?

Why did the Parks Superintendent tell the Finance Committee one thing while the mayor says something completely different?

Which story is the Finance Committee and the council as a whole supposed to use to build the Parks Department's budget?

How do they know who is telling the truth about this or anything else?

What do the other City Council members think?

What does the Parks Board know?

How can anyone responsibly budget, plan, or hold anyone accountable when city officials apparently cannot even agree on who is in charge?

Bilbrey walks through the backstory, the conflicting statements, the unanswered questions, and what he believes is really happening behind the scenes.

Then Bilbrey heads east toward Winchester, Indiana, where a controversy has been brewing for several days.

He examines what appears to be a political and social-media faux pas posted on Friday, September 25, 2026, that may involve Mayor Bob McCoy. Let's just say Winchester residents are NOT happy.

This episode covers the Muncie and Winchester governments, questions about city leadership, conflicting accounts, budgets, and the bigger question of who the hell is actually responsible for what.

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VIDEO version of Ep 740: https://youtube.com/live/_TNl-DBTIcE

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#739 | Thursday, September 24, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Piggybacking off the last episode... In this 739th episode, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey shows why he is so bloody frustrated with our elected public servants by reviewing the second meeting of the Muncie City Council's Finance Committee.

It was, AGAIN, a difficult watch!

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VIDEO version of Ep 739: https://youtube.com/live/9yWEHFMRsAE

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#738 | Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey is nearing his breaking point...

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VIDEO version of Ep 738: https://youtube.com/live/6nrU7B7sc8I

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#737 | Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

In this 737th episode of The Political Spotlight, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey takes a close look at several local-government meetings across East Central Indiana — and there is plenty to discuss!

Bilbrey begins with the first Muncie City Council Finance Committee meeting, held earlier this evening, Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as councilors began reviewing the proposed 2027 city budget.

Before delving into the meeting itself, a few questions need answering.

Who knew what, and when did they know it? Who was informed about the meeting, how were they informed, and who might have been left out of the loop?

Bilbrey offers insight into what he believes is ongoing "game play" by the Ridenour Administration and inept Council leadership.

Then there is the meeting itself.

What should have been an opportunity for serious discussion of Muncie's financial future became, in Bilbrey's view, an absolute MOCKERY of the budget process!

From there, Bilbrey turns to the Delaware County Commissioners' meeting on Monday morning, September 21, 2026, where he shares his thoughts on the county's "letter of intent" for nuclear energy, specifically small modular reactors (SMRs).

Finally, the spotlight returns to Winchester, Indiana, where Monday evening's Winchester City Council meeting addressed the former Volunteers of America (VOA) Winchester House facility at 313 South Meridian Street.

Bilbrey shares his thoughts on the latest development and what he has done since the last show.

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VIDEO version of Ep 737: https://youtube.com/live/l6QcTa2dIfo

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#734 | Wednesday, September 16, 2026 - (PART 2) | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

This is Episode 734, Part 2, the conclusion, of The Political Spotlight's two-part look at the completely "OFF THE RAILS" Muncie City Council meeting.

In this episode, Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey will conclude his detailed commentary and analysis of everything that happened—including the highs and lows, the winners and losers, the status of major issues, and what comes next for Muncie. Specifically, Bilbrey will cover:

The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 19-26, which would amend Ordinance 16-25, the City of Muncie's salary ordinance.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first votes on Ordinances 20-26, 21-26, and 22-26, the three proposed budget ordinances for MITS, the MSD, and the city.
The Council's discussion, public input, and vote on Resolutions 13-26 and 14-26. Resolution 13-26 asks the Council to investigate how the city and George-Jeffrey Howe handled his contract. Resolution 14-26 is a memorial resolution honoring Craig Wright, who passed away.
The Public Comments portion of the meeting.

That concludes Part 2 - Episode 734. As a reminder, in Part 1, Episode 733, which aired on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Bilbrey covered the following topics:

The Public Hearing before the regular meeting, during which Ordinances 20-26, 21-26, and 22-26 were made public "on the record," and citizens were allowed to speak on each ordinance if they wished!
The start of the regular meeting and the housekeeping issues addressed before the Ordinances and Resolutions were discussed.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 16-26, a zoning issue.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 17-26, which seeks to expand the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas in Downtown Muncie. A nonissue the Council spent too much time on, unlike serious issues they try to push through with little time or thought.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 18-26, the "In God We Trust" Ordinance, the meeting's first major issue. Citizens and the Council trade blows, and, of course, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour shows up with an attitude. The Council continues to show just how backward they are on nearly everything.

Episode 733 - Part 1 LINK: https://youtube.com/live/Qnl-61qySz8 . . .

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VIDEO version of Ep 734: https://youtube.com/live/BBNSXba_8_w

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#733 | Tuesday, September 15, 2026 - (PART 1) | The Political Spotlight

Kristopher H. Bilbrey, Kate Thornburg, & Brandon Rudd (The Political Spotlight) — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:00:00 -0400

Host Kristopher H. Bilbrey reviews the completely "OFF THE RAILS" Muncie City Council meeting, including a public hearing held before the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, September 14, 2026.

Bilbrey analyzes the meeting's proceedings in this two-part series: Part 1 - Episode 733, aired Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and Part 2 - Episode 734, aired Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

In this 733rd episode (Part 1), Bilbrey provides a comprehensive breakdown of the important September 14, 2026, Muncie City Council meeting, beginning with the Public Hearing on the three "Budget Ordinances" 20-26 for the Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS), 21-26 for the Muncie Sanitary District (MSD), and 22-26 for the City of Muncie. Bilbrey has been concerned that the council's current leadership would strip six of the nine councilors from the Finance Committee, returning to the old 3-person Finance Committee, which makes no sense and would be an extremely partisan move.

Bilbrey and City Councilor William McIntosh both support keeping the entire council involved in the budget process. But not everyone on the council sees it the same way.

From there, Bilbrey's review turns to the regular meeting, where he explains the document the council's attorney presents to the council and the public at the start. Bilbrey fully supports it!

Next, Bilbrey covers the discussion of Ordinances 16-26, 17-26, and 18-26.

Ordinance 16-26 is pretty simple, yet the council, being as incompetent as they are, manages to screw it up.

Ordinance 17-26 is another non-issue; however, the council spends a good amount of time discussing it, and Bilbrey shares his thoughts.

To wrap up Part 1 - Episode 733, Bilbrey covers Ordinance 18-26, the "In God We Trust" Ordinance, the meeting's first major issue. Citizens and the Council trade blows, and, of course, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour shows up with an attitude. The Council continues to show just how backward they are on nearly everything.

This concludes Part 1 - Episode 733.

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In Part 2 - Episode 734, Bilbrey will conclude his analysis and commentary on the September 14, 2026, Muncie City Council Meeting, including:

The Council's discussion, public input, and first vote on Ordinance 19-26, which would amend Ordinance 16-25, the City of Muncie's salary ordinance.
The Council's discussion, public input, and first votes on Ordinances 20-26, 21-26, and 22-26, the three proposed budget ordinances for MITS, the MSD, and the city.
The Council's discussion, public input, and vote on Resolutions 13-26 and 14-26. Resolution 13-26 asks the Council to investigate how the city and George-Jeffrey Howe handled his contract. Resolution 14-26 is a memorial resolution honoring Craig Wright, who passed away.
The Public Comments portion of the meeting.

Episode 734 - Part 2 LINK: https://youtube.com/live/BBNSXba_8_w . . .

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VIDEO version of Ep 733: https://youtube.com/live/Qnl-61qySz8

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The Political Spotlight Airs LIVE
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