News
UT: Utahns divided on privatizing alcohol sales, poll shows . . . Privatizing alcohol sales has come up from time to time over the years but hasn’t gained much traction. Although some state lawmakers have talked about going in that direction, a House committee two years ago rejected a proposal to study the issue. Deseret News
OH: Will Indiana Toll Road debacle drive up costs for Ohio bridge? The cost of a new Interstate 71/75 Brent Spence Bridge could increase if it’s privately financed – fallout from the bankruptcy of a major Indiana tollway this fall. Wall Street investors, economists and transportation experts told The Enquirer that private investors most likely will be more cautious about structuring a public-private partnership to pay for the $2.6 billion bridge replacement and highway overhaul. The double-decker bridge spans the Ohio River between Covington, Ky. and Cincinnati. “When something like this happens, all of a sudden, the cost of doing (a similar project) just went up,” Miami University economist Jim Brock said. “To get people to invest, you have a pay a higher interest rate. How much? Who knows?” Indianapolis Star
MI: Detroit Looks to Re-Engineer How City Government Works. As the city prepares to exit bankruptcy court, it will have to learn a new approach to providing basic services while staying within its means. Detroit plans to spend $1.7 billion over the next decade to improve services, earmarking about $400 million to tear down abandoned houses, $100 million toward a more reliable bus system, $260 million to make its streets safer and more than $150 million to upgrade outdated technology. Wall Street Journal
IN: Indiana high court suggests mediation in IBM case. In 2009, then-Gov. Mitch Daniels canceled IBM’s $1.3 billion state contract to automate much of Indiana’s welfare system, following complaints from welfare clients about long wait times, lost documents and improper rejections. Indiana and IBM countersued each other after the contract was terminated less than three years into the 10-year deal. John R. Malley, a private attorney helping represent Indiana in the case, said Friday that the state would pursue the court’s suggested course of mediation. The Courier-Journal