Judge Rules City Must Respond To ROC Documents Request

The City of Indianapolis has two weeks to provide a series of documents about the opening of the Regional Operations Center two years ago.

The facility shut down last year because of unsafe working conditions, and Mayor Greg Ballard’s administration says it does not have some of the materials requested by a council investigative committee.

Now, a circuit judge is requiring the city either provide the documents, or say why they can’t be found.

"The chief attorney for the Office of Corporation Council told me he didn't have no such document, no file, no nothing," said Democratic Councilor Joe Simpson. "That was hard to believe that we signed a lease and we are paying $57,000 per month on a lease and he is sitting there before us at the beginning of this saying that there is no such documents.”

Simpson is the chair of the committee tasked with investigating the 25-year, $18 million contract for the eastside facility that opened just before the city hosted the Super Bowl in 2012.

He says Monday’s ruling is important in moving the process forward.

"It was kind of puzzling, so that's why I'm kind of glad today to see that the court has at least began to see what we've been up against from the city about this information," said Simpson.  "I want the tax payers out there to know that we will work very hard to find out what happened with this particular lease."

The ROC Investigating Committee hasn’t met since April and Simpson says they will reconvene after the documents are provided.

Ballard wouldn't comment on the judge's ruling because he was traveling Monday and said he didn't have time to review the decision, yet.