Open Letter: Bond Referendum – A Big Difference Between Education And Advocacy
Open Letter: Dear Hays County Commissioners Court
(On Wednesday, September 14, 2016 the letter below was sent to: Debbie Ingalsbe, The Honorable Judith Zaffirini, Will Conley, Bert Cobb, Mark Jones, Mark Kennedy, The Honorable Donna Campbell, Ray Whisenant, and The Honorable Jason Isaac.)
Dear Hays County Commissioners,
I’m doing research on the upcoming bond election (for which early voting begins in 35 days) and am finding very little in the way of “education” on this issue on our county website.
The county recently entered into a $35,000 agreement with Prime Strategies/GAP Strategies to “educate the public” on the bonds. The scope of work is outlined below:
- Prepare maps and other graphic exhibits
- Prepare website materials for County website
- Prepare social media material for County use
- Prepare public information materials
- Prepare PowerPoint presentation(s) for County Judge, Commissioners
- Provide technical assistance to County elected officials and staff
- Assist with County elected official/staff meeting and speaker opportunities
- Coordinate with offices of County Judge, Commissioners, other elected officials or department heads and staff regarding educational activities
I have a question for the Hays County Commissioner’s Court:
When can citizens expect to see these maps, graphic exhibits, website materials, social media material, public information materials, power point presentations and the calendar for speaker opportunities?
Or is it already uploaded somewhere and I’ve not been able to find it?
How can citizens learn about the educational activities, which are being coordinated? Is there a calendar of events? An e-mail list we can join?
I must be missing something, because at this point, it appears this is all we’ve gotten for our $35,000: https://www.co.hays.tx.us/bond-referendum-information.aspx
With voting on a bond election (which will more than double our county debt load) starting in a little over a month, I was hoping citizens could have access to a more comprehensive body of “education” by now. (Honestly, I’m surprised that I can’t even find a detailed list outlining the scope of work for each road project listed in the multi-million dollar referendum.)
I’ve also found the information presented thus far to be very one-sided.
There is a big difference between education and advocacy. Education involves presenting more than one side.
– Ashley Whittenberger,
Hays County Resident
Proposition 1 asks for $106.4 million in new debt. Proposition 2 asks for $131.4 million.
Facts on the website of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards show that a new jail is
not needed. Sheriff Gary Cutler sends inmates to other counties to create a “perceived
need” for one. (Proposition 1)
In Proposition 2 (road bonds), 25% of the money asked for can be spent at county
commissioners’ discretion — so long as the money is for “safety” or “mobility.”
Those two words can be interpreted any way the commissioners decide. Citizens
have no idea what 25% of the road bond funds would be used for.
Can we get an answer to this? Thanks to Ms. Whittenberger for bringing this up.
People, including me, become so apathetic because of stuff like this… Such wasteful spending and never giving the full informed story behind the scenes.
Ill be voting NO on both bonds!
Great questions. The commissioners are pushing for this hard.
I will be voting No for both bond proposals. The current debt is too high and property taxes are rising significantly due to appraisals. The court has the power to adjust the effective tax rate downward. I also feel that the burden of the much talked about growth is on existing tax payers, rather than the “growth” (developers, etc).
I also do not agree with the bundling of the road bonds. I will not vote Yes for all when there are items I am against. This tactic is being used state wide by counties and other taxing entities in order to get things passed.
The court needs to get its fiscal house in order. It is our money they are responsible for managing. The spending and debt must be pulled back. This $35K expenditure is an example of frivolous spending, in my opinion.
I will be voting NO on these ridiculous bonds. Too much debt and this tax and spend local government has got to reign in their bad-spending habits.
Waaaaaaaaaaaay to much padding in these bonds. And they say they’re for our “safety & mobility”. Ridiculous.
Vote NO.
I have seen Commissioner WILL and Sheriff attending meetings at HOA’s and other locations that they normally would not bother to attend. Both have little drums used to drum up support for their bond issues.
Maybe a NO vote will get the wankers attention that we are tired of being taken advantage of. Wasting millions on the failed water plan – of course Commissioner WILL killed it because it was not his selected favorite – Santa Fe –
Sheriff campaigned against incumbent – because the incumbent said we would be better off building a new jail – now Sheriff is campaigning for a new jail and a new emergency communication center.
Emergency Communications center to be built on land behind the Government Center that is currently owned by Commissioner Will’s largest campaign donor. That same land developer has been trying to get city and county to build Stagecoach through to downtown area. That discretionary money will be used to make this happen – because Emergency Center must have two exits in case of emergencies.
Oh one more thing – the location is in a flood zone – who builds an emergency center in a flood zone?
The same wankers that enter into an illegal contract with ATSI>
Excellent questions Ashley. You are always at the commish court, and if you don’t have these answers, then I doubt anyone does. All I know is, a jail thats at 63% capacity does not necessitate ANOTHER JAIL. A road that is at 9% capacity doesn’t need MORE lanes. These numbers aren’t adding up to me. Or maybe I haven’t been educated enough yet by this outfit getting 35k to make a power point presentation.
Thanks Ashley for writing this letter. I hope the commissioners see your letter and respond accordingly.
There may be some roads that are needed, but by bundling this all together, there are too many questions and far too much money left undesignated to feel comfortable for this voter to vote for them. I will be voting “no.”
All good questions. Unfortunately sounds like the $35k was actually spent to educate the commissioners. Doesn’t mean they (commissioner’s court) intended to share with the entire public everything they learned.
I cannot why the Commissioners have chosen this year to ask the taxpayers to spend even more money. Their timing is beyond ridiculous, as is their inability to see that they should be spending any money that comes their way to PAY DOWN THE EXISTING DEBT.
There is no way we need new jail or to build a bunch of new roads.
We NEED to pay down our credit card before we buy anything else.
My family will be voting NO on both bonds.
Our community attended a meeting with Mark Jones and he discussed the bond money for his district and he was creditable in his requests, but neutral on the vote. However, the Sheriff was not there to answer questions on the jail and safety issues.
We didn’t get justification from the other districts. There seems to be costs not described, but lumped under non-specified “road and safety”.
A failed ten year contract for cameras in school zones that the Court wants to end with millions of dollars in penalty because of ending it after only two years may be hidden under non- specified safety costs.
The Commissioners with “unspecified use money” want to widen FM1 between Driftwood and Dripping which carries only 25% traffic now . This allows a pipe line to use the bought right away to carry water for some distance along undeveloped ranch roads to make land available to 3,600+ new houses. This creates a tremendous problem with pollution by discharged waste water into the creeks and the aquifers. The Sources of Our Drinking Water!
Our bond debt will double our previous amount and currently we are not paying down even the interest on our current debt. This years property appraisals are set for an increase of 6.6%. 28% over the past 3 years
Hays has the greatest debt by capita than any other county in Texas.
The HCISD will float a bond request for a multi-million dollar new high school in 2017. No end in sight.
One Big Mistake is that the Commissioners are asking current residents to pay NOW for residents in the future.
Stop this excessive spending!
L K
Grow. Grow Grow…..Spend Spend Spend
I have limited income but manage to live comfortably with good management and not spending more than I have or know I will have to pay debt. To have to pay someone else’s debt due to poor money management and budgeting, and seeing that money spent for unnecessary things just infuriates me. I’m still fuming over the debacle of the County Taj Mahal. UTTER WASTE. I have no confidence that my tax dollars will be spent wisely or with the benefit of the citizens in mind.
NO MORE TAXES NO MORE DEBT Why is this so hard to understand–you guys who work for ME?
A NO stance on the road bond proposals is disturbing. While I share concerns with ever increasing taxes let me point out a couple flaws in your reasoning.
New development does contribute substantially to roads and necessary infrastructure. You often don’t see it because it is localized, it may come in the forms of turn lanes, signalized intersections or dedicated right-of-ways that the county or state does not have to purchase at a later date and time.
As part of the team on the Hays County Transportation Plan in 2012, I can assure you that projected traffic flows on the 2 roads you identified will become traffic jams. My guess is FM 150 will encounter them about 2022 & FM 3237 within 3 to 4 years of that.
Wider roads in themselves, does not decrease travel time, installation of provisions that promote even steady flow, like turn lanes, wider shoulders and good sight lines do.
The $ 32.5 m was and has been established as a safety net. It will be utilized for such as rebuilding the bridges we lost during the floods. It is so a responsible county can keep you traveling as you expect without having to ask for more money at every turn.
“Land grab” for a pipeline is ‘reaching,’ not to mention disrespectful to our commissioners.
When our county population is near 346,000, which it is, trust me, you will ask why they didn’t utilize placing that waterline alongside that road when it was built originally, unless you are interested in purchasing more land at greater cost in a few years.
Not trying to start a fight but there are critically points that you’ve not addressed, or sound VERY misleading.
Let’s agree to ask the right questions and hold our elected representatives accountable.
JV
JV,
Hays County population is nowhere near 346,000. Most recent estimate is that it is
about 194,000.
It is not “reaching” to say that commissioners want to buy ROW now along FM 150
for future lanes and for a future pipeline from Kyle to Dripping Springs. For proof, see
the official Hays County Transportation Plan Map. The 2017 Region K and Region
L Water Plans, in volume 2, chapter 5 of each, describe the pipeline. It is called the Hays County Pipeline Project. It is not disrespectful to Commissioner Conley to mention the very pipeline that he, as a member of the Board of Region L, requested to be included in the 2017 Region L Water Plan.