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Editor's Note: James Akers is a Dripping Springs resident. This is his story about how he became a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver and his interesting journey along the way.
E-mail your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
or jakers@associatedbrands.com
I have to give a shout out to the City of Denver. You would not believe how helpful and gracious these people are. Everywhere we go we meet and speak to people (most but not all are Dems) who are taking real pleasure out of seeing all these Dems in their home state. I lived in the Twin Cities for 4 years. I know St Paul will be polite. However, I can guarantee you, the Republicans will not be as enthusiastically welcomed as we are. St Paul is a lot like Austin, only they are the most liberal folks in a pretty liberal state.
At the breakfast, we spoke with Rick Noriega, (he complimented my nephew Andre for his great work on his campaign). As we (DS Dems) focus on down ballot candidates, it goes without saying, Noriega really needs our help. I also caught up with some of the other SD25 and SD14 delegates who had stayed out too long (again). My mother and I plan to join them tonight.
The major topic of conversation is by far the home run that Michelle hit last night. She really struck a cord among everyone we spoke to. Mike Barnacle observed that the two most powerful words we may have heard throughout this whole convention may have been “hi daddy." Sacha reminds me of my 6 year old Molly, which to me is the wonder of what happened last night. We all now know Barack in a personal way… as a “daddy." I think fatherhood, (and I mean real fatherhood) is not a bad measure of any man’s ability to lead.
By James Akers
Special to the RoundUp
In Denver, getting over Hillary and finding tickets
I am on the airplane heading home from Denver as I am writing this. I have had a tough time coming up with words to describe what I have seen and felt about the last few days. Every word I think of seems obvious and/or inadequate so I will not try.
James at the convention with former East Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson.
This has been a very personal journey for me and I can’t help but to get wrapped up in my own thoughts a bit. I fully realize though, this is a personal journey for every person in America who believes, as Barack said last night… “America can do better." I think about people like Gerald Durley who, as a black civil right soldier from 45 years ago, cried like a baby at the sight of what was happening. I think about all the folks in the Dripping Springs community who I have come to know on this journey.
Throughout the stay, it seems that something new and wondrous happened all the time and what happens next seems to trump what happened before. Obviously the events themselves are pretty profound but I am talking about the conversations on bus rides, train rides, dinner and the sights and sounds we see on the street. You cannot sit next to anyone for more that a minute without finding out a lot about them.
I now believe we are past the mourning stage and Hillary supporters are ready to jump on board. Two anecdotal pieces of evidence – the shuttle bus driver told me his wife was a PUMA. PUMA stands for Party Unity My A**. They are the group from which I received 200 or so emails asking me to switch my vote to Hillary. After last night's speech, his wife was so moved she's in all the way for Barrack. That was sweet music to my ears. Then there is my sister, who told my mom that she heard what she needed to hear from Barack. She was a Hillary supporter, who planned to vote for Barrack in any case. Now, however, she just might even work along side us to bring out the vote in Texas for Barack. I talked to at least one angry woman who was still very upset. If this event did not change her mind, I certainly will not.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett and James' mom, Irma, of El Paso.A few words about my mother. She's a political junkie and always has been. I think this experience was a life changing event for her. It seems everywhere we went we struck up great conversations.
From day one, I was trying to figure out a way to get Mom into INVESCO to see the big speech. On Wednesday night, my mother met a family (Maria Elinda (mom) and two grown children Alfredo and Christina) from Houston. All three have a hearing impairment which you hear when they speak. They are salt of the earth, extremely smart, hardworking and above all, very tenacious. Maria Elinda is working on her doctorate in education while Christina has a business degree and Alfredo is working on an engineering degree. They took care of my mom like we were family. They escorted my mother and me on the train all the way from downtown to our hotel 20 miles away, even though they were staying downtown. Maria’s kids tried but did not make it as delegates. Maria brought them up to Denver anyway to volunteer and just be around the convention with the hope of getting into INVESCO. None of them, nor my mother, had a pass to INVESCO and they really wanted in.
Tickets were extremely hard to come by and I told them not to get their hopes up. At the time, my gut feeling was that we were going to find a ticket for my mom but to come up with three more was an impossible task. Turns out my Texas connections came through with two passes. I gave one to my mom and one to Maria Elinda. With tears flowing down her cheeks she called her kids who had gone to the Pepsi Centerto to find passes. These two youngsters with a hearing impairment and the advantage of tenacity had already found two passes and were working on a third. Wow, overnight we came up with four passes. No easy task I can assure you. As a thank you, after the event, Alfredo gave me one of the large American flags that were given out to people to wave on the floor of INVESCO during Al Gore and Barack’s speech. If you saw those flags waving on the TV, it may have been mine.
James with former Speaker of the House Jim Wright of Ft. worthOn a whim, I purchased a limited edition (100 prints) poster signed by the local artists commemorating the 2008 convention. I woke up early on Thursday and planted myself at a table in the lobby of the hotel and asked every member of the Texas delegation to sign my poster. I plan to make copies of the poster and somehow get them to the delegates that want them.
Obama spoke to my hopes
I am truly motivated by both my fears and my hopes. Barack Obama speaks to my hopes about what this country could and should be again. John McCain and the Republican Party speaks to my fears about where four more years of Republican control could leave us… a worsened economic mess that destroys the middle class and widens the gap between the haves and the have nots, as well as reduced respect and standing in the world. Bill Clinton said it best… the “power of our example should be greater than the example of our power."
My journey to Denver began when I took my family to see Barack Obama speak last November at the Backyard. I really did not know much about him except that he was an inspirational speaker at the '04 Democratic Convention. I felt at that time that my country and I desperately needed inspiration. That speech and his book "Audacity of Hope" hooked me. One thing that resonated with me was his message that we need to avoid staunch ideological positions. Instead, we need to have open dialogue, with people of all points of view. The key is to find the common ground and work from there to find solutions.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson
I found myself fully immersed in his campaign, state after state, speech after speech. I could see that he could motivate a nation. Seeing my enthusiasm, my wife encouraged me to find a way to volunteer and channel my energy. Only then did I embark on a journey that has awakened a part of me I always knew was there but never fully realized.
My first participation in a campaign event was to canvas in Austin. I knocked on doors with an "Obamican," (a Republican supporting Obama) who not only found herself wanting to vote for Barack, but motivated enough to join a bunch of Democrats and actually campaign for him. Originally from South Africa, she moved to Austin many years ago but still did extensive international travel. We talked about the potential of sending a message to the world that America, unafraid and without paranoia, would send a black man by the name of Barack Hussein Obama to our highest elected office.
In the next weeks, along with my family, I began phone banking, calling people all over Travis and Hays County. In about one out of every five calls, I spoke to a person who was genuinely inspired in the same way I was. I then attended the opening of the Obama office in Austin, met a few more folks and began to realize this was the start of a huge local movement.
And popular San Antonio Congressman
Charlie GonzalezI attended a meeting of Wimberley Democrats and learned the meaning of "all politics is local." I met state and county politicians running for Chief Justice 3rd Court, Woody Jones; for Hays County Sheriff, Bill Huddleston; and Hays County Tax Assessor, Robert Avera. I found these people to be the dedicated and purposeful change agents needed at the local level. I knew then that if I was really serious, I needed to step up my participation. This meant not just campaigning on behalf of Barack, but working on behalf of the local Democratic Party. As Barack says in speech after speech, individuals need to step up and make a difference, no one can do it alone. Since then, with my family’s help, I have sponsored and attended countless meetings organizing local volunteers.
After the primary, the thought occurred to me that going to Denver and witnessing history was a possibility. My precinct delegation agreed that we wanted to send a person on to the state convention who was prepared to campaign to go on to Denver, even though the chances of success was a ”shot to the moon” at best. I was selected and I began the process of figuring out what it would take to be selected to go to Denver. I have learned about building coalitions, overcoming the opposition and dispelling rumor and innuendo about my true intentions. I also discovered something about my community. I found a very passionate group of Democrats that gives back unto itself. For me, that passion is a lynch pin that allowed me to find a new level of personal satisfaction through community involvement.
I attended the convention, with full credentials. I watched Barack Obama accept the Presidential nomination of our Democratic Party forty years after the death of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King and 45 years after my birth and the assassination of John F Kennedy. To say I am thrilled is an understatement. However, going to Denver for me is now an important stop on a much broader journey.
If I could imagine one great outcome to all this, it would be that Barack Obama, after a significant time as President of these United States, leaves a world more at peace with itself, more people with open minds and hearts, more people motivated to do what's right. Personally, I want my children to reflect on their father as a person who helped make it happen.
One thing is sure, Democrats will fight for policies much closer to my way of thinking and change the course of the country. My hope is to get even more out of it. Not just a change in short term policy but a change in how we accomplish real substantive long term solutions. Rather than having another ideology shift of the pendulum, my hope is that we actually tackle tougher issues on energy, abortion, health care, racism, global warming, the economy and the war in Iraq not with an ideological discussion, but with a discussion about what our common (right and left) long term goals are. If we can trust each other enough to find common ground in common goals, we can begin to seriously talk about real answers, not band-aids and find real comprehensive solutions.
I want to send another “thank you” to Senatorial District 25 (parts of Bexar and Travis Counties and all Hays, Guadalupe, Kendall and Comal), for sending me to Denver.
E-mail your comments and news tips to: online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net or arrowbiz@austin.rr.com
By Rocky Boschert
A few weeks ago, Presidential candidate John McCain of the Oil & War Party ridiculed Barack Obama for suggesting that if automobile drivers across the land were to keep their tires inflated to the levels recommended by the tire manufacturers, Americans would consume less gasoline. As it turns out, McCain was wrong and Obama was right. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, keeping our car tires inflated to the correct levels would decrease our gasoline consumption by 3%, which would nationally save about 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline per year. McCain later corrected his attempt at Obama criticism.
As the Presidential competency debate moves forward, both candidates are grappling with the issue of the need for offshore drilling. John McCain, being advised by his oil company lobbyist staff, for some reason is all for it. Obama, who would rather lower oil consumption in general, is lukewarm to the idea. So, do we really need to drill offshore and risk degrading our water, seashores and aquatic wildlife to continue feeding America’s oil addiction? The answer is a resounding NO! And here’s why.
Energy experts say that after the initial five year exploration, drilling, and refining period, opening up drilling offshore would generate about 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline a year. Well, we can see with the tire pressure solution that 1.2 billion gallons of gasoline savings alone would almost match the offshore drilling oil to gasoline yield.
But what about driving slower? Well, two-thirds of all drivers say they speed sometimes. What would happen if just those speeding US drivers drove 5 miles an hour slower? Again, according to the US Department of Energy, we would see a consumption drop of 4.8 billion gallons of gasoline every year.
And what about the added body weight that the American obesity epidemic adds to our gasoline consumption? Well, if every obese American would eat a few less 
Big Macs with super fries each week and lose 10 pounds, estimates contend we would see an additional 1 billion gallons of gasoline consumption savings per year with Americans weighing less, eating healthier and exercising.
So, for all you oil addicted, obese speeders out there, 1) having your tires inflated, 2) driving slower, and 3) losing weight would decrease our US gasoline consumption by 7.2 billion gallons of gasoline per year, nearly four times the gasoline that would ultimately be produced by offshore drilling. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
But wait; it doesn’t end there. High gasoline prices also save lives. You see, expensive gasoline makes people drive less, thereby reducing the number of annual automobile accidents, which means fewer annual driving fatalities. And if obese individuals lost weight in order to make driving less expensive for themselves, they would be healthier and we would all save money through lower health insurance premiums. In case you don’t know, insurance premiums are actuarially adjusted up for all of us who are healthy because of the unhealthy insured. Someone needs to tell John McCain to read this article.
Finally, what can we do locally to lower energy consumption and live healthier? Well, for starters, if during the Christmas holidays local Wimberley businesses would use timers on their Christmas lights so they turn off between 1 AM and 6 AM, business owners would lower their utility bills and we would use less coal generated electricity and disperse less poisonous dioxins in the air. And because the local businesses would pay the newly un-corrupt PEC reduced energy bills, they wouldn’t have to raise prices as much for their goods and services and increase inflation in the process. Everybody wins!
Hey Barack! Your ratings are sliding. We need to have lunch and talk about your energy-related economic policy.
Rocky Boschert has resided in Wimberley since 1993. He currently serves as board president of the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley. Mr. Boschert owns and manages Arrowhead Asset Management.
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August 26, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PEC MEDIA CONTACT: Anne Harvey, (830) 868-4933; Austin line, (512) 219-2602
JOHNSON CITY – In a letter to Pedernales Electric, received Aug. 21, former PEC General Manager Bennie Fuelberg and former Board President W.W. “Bud” Burnett revealed payments made to them and to then-Pedernales Electric General Counsel A.W. Moursund from the recently disclosed Texland Electric Cooperative bank account. According to the letter, payments to Fuelberg and Burnett were approximately $111,600 each; Moursund received approximately $150,000. It is believed the payments were made in the late 1980s.
The one-time payments, according to the letter signed by Burnett and Fuelberg, were for work they and Moursund performed to help end decade-long litigation relating to the Texland project. “We believe the money we were paid by Texland was earned for years of hard but ultimately successful efforts on behalf of Texland, efforts that also benefited PEC,” the letter states. “Following this payment, we never received another payment from this account or from Texland.”
“We have forwarded this information to Navigant Consulting,” said current PEC General Manager Juan Garza, “and we will continue researching our own records and working with the Lower Colorado River Authority and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative to inform our members and the public about all the confirmed details of this situation. At this juncture, we have found no record of our Board being informed of these payments prior to now, and sitting members who were on the Board at that time do not recall approving them.”
Upon receiving the letter from Fuelberg and Burnett, Garza shared the information with PEC and Texland Board members prior to making the information public.
“I am outraged at these new revelations,” said PEC District 4 Advisory Director Robert Reed, who has voiced strong support for learning all the details of the Texland bank account. “I was not aware that Texland was an active entity, and certainly not aware there was a non-interest-bearing bank account in Texland’s name. To find out payments were actually made from this account without Board knowledge and approval is extremely disheartening.”
Texland was a joint venture between PEC and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative to create a lignite-powered generation project to supply electricity to the two cooperatives. The project was scuttled after the Public Utility Commission of Texas denied Texland’s permit to build the plant.
Editor's Note: Precinct 1 County Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe told the RoundUp she was not aware that persons involved in a voter petition drive had been asked to leave the Southside Village Retirement Community. Ingalsbe sits on the board of the Southside Community Center which she said owns phase one of the Southside Village Retirement Community. "I know there's no soliciting (at the center), but I'm not aware that happened," Ingalsbe said on Monday. As to the point her father made that she should be re-elected because she is Hispanic and a minority, Ingalsbe doesn't necessarily agree. "I would hope that's not the only reason I'll be re-elected," she said. "I have provided services not just for Precinct 1 but for what the entire county needs."
E-mail your comments and news tips to: online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net or codell@austin.rr.com
By Charles O'Dell
Opinion
I had a shocking experience while collecting voter signatures in San Marcos to get Bill Wyatt’s name placed on the Hays County November election ballot as a write-in candidate. Bill is running for Hays County Precinct 1 commissioner against 12-year incumbent Democrat Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe.
We were knocking on doors of homes in the Sunrise Village Retirement Community and enjoying the opportunity of visiting with the elderly residents who often invited us in to talk and to sign our Petition in Lieu of a Filing Fee for Bill Wyatt. One elderly lady wanted to vote by mail, and I promised to deliver a mail ballot application to her. An elderly gentleman was born on Pearl Harbor day in 1942, and we chatted about our fathers’ World War II military service. Behind every door was someone who greeted us, engaged in welcome conversation and either willingly signed our petition or chose not to for their own reasons.
Sunrise Village Retirement Community
Sunrise Village is a development by Southside Community Center, a non-profit funded each year by Hays County, City of San Marcos and other sources. Ruben Garza is Executive Director of Southside and Ralph Gonzales (Commissioner Ingalsbe’s father) works for Southside as a carpenter. Commissioner Ingalsbe serves on the board of Southside Community Center. Ralph, Ruben and Debbie are a team.
We encountered Ralph Gonzales while working our way through Sunrise Village and he inquired what we were doing there. Not that it was any of his business, but we told him we were collecting signatures of registered voters to get Bill Wyatt on the ballot as a write-in candidate for Precinct 1 county commissioner.
“Why are you running someone against my daughter, Debbie?” Ralph asked. “Why don’t you like her?” he said. “Bill Wyatt is not a minority and every county must have a minority elected, and Debbie is a minority, and she has to be elected,” Ralph went on to say.
I was dumfounded. Debbie “...had to be re-elected because she is a minority?” What happened to giving voters the right to choose their elected officials? “Surely you don’t believe Debbie has an entitlement to be Precinct 1 County Commissioner,” I responded. “Precinct 1 voters will decide who their commissioner will be.” Not knowing what else to say, I asked Ralph if he would sign the Wyatt petition. He declined.
Ralph then hustled over to the nearby Village office. It wasn’t long before a woman claiming to be Beatrice Natal, the leasing manager, interrupted a voter signing our petition by telling us that we had to leave. No reason given, we just had to leave. I tried to explain that we were simply giving these voters an opportunity to exercise one of their most important civil rights, but Natal insisted that we leave.
Ralph stood by watching. He had been successful in violating the civil rights of these elderly voters who he believed, for some unfathomable reason, had no right to vote for anyone other than his daughter, Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe. I assume Ralph made clear to Natal that her job could be in jeopardy if she allowed us to continue our time-honored efforts.
As they have done in the past, I expect Ralph, his daughter Commissioner Ingalsbe and other members of their family will confront some of those who signed the Wyatt petition. This is not how their democracy works in Precinct 1. The Gonzales view reminds me of politics in Mexico. His daughter is entitled to be Precinct 1 Commissioner, and through Debbie, Ralph and Ruben Garza can continue their hold on Precinct 1 for their own rewards.
When informed voters go to the polls I believe they will act in their own best interests, and not in the self interests of elected officials. And no one should interfere with our democratic process for electing public officials. Fair, open and honest competition is a hallmark of the American way. Entitlement is a perverted view of democracy.
As co-founder of Hays Community Action Network (HaysCAN) in 2003, Mr. O’Dell strives to carry out the mission of ensuring open, accessible and accountable government. He is a long time and close observer of the workings of the Hays County Commissioners Court. He earned a degree in Agricultural Education and a Masters in Ag Economics at Texas Tech, and, later, a Ph.D. at The University of Maryland while employed as a Research Economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Texas born and raised on a family farm, O’Dell is a Hays County Master Naturalist and a board member of the Ethical Society of Austin.
E-mail your comments or news tips to: online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
or rogers-pec7@live.com
By Linda Kaye Rogers
The public announcement of a bank account in the name of Texland Cooperative was made about two weeks ago by PEC General Manager Juan Garza. This account was brought to his attention by PEC's Chief Financial Officer, Mike Vollmer, as part of the termination of business with Cattleman’s Bank, where the account is held. Mr. Garza, in the spirit of openness, shared the information with members and the media. However, it seems things quickly moved into speculation and assumption as reports circulated. And there has also been a great deal of accusation and righteous indignation among members as part of the ongoing anger with past management and Board members.
It is anticipated that within 30 days, probably less, PEC members will have the full story regarding Texland and the “mystery” account. And hopefully we will also discover why this entity, Texland, still even exists. This is a big question. PEC Advisory Board Director Robert Reed, who was on the PEC Board in 1979, was dumbfounded to learn that Texland still existed. So for those of you who are sticking to the “secret” theory, you may have some meat on that bone yet!
First, let’s just take a few minutes to clarify this “account” and what we really do and don’t know about it. A little history lesson is in order.
In 1978, PEC and Bluebonnet Electric Co-op joined together and created the entity Texland Electric Cooperative, wholly owned by the two co-ops. The intent was to build their own electric generation facility to meet forecasted growth and to enable a separation from LCRA, PEC's principal source of power. Texland entered into a $2 million contract with Shell Oil Co. in May 1980 to secure a future source of lignite for the proposed plans.
Then in May 1982, Texland filed an application with the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) to construct and operate three coal-fired generation plants, which they called the Rockdale Power Project. At about the same time, PEC and Bluebonnet filed a lawsuit against LCRA seeking to be removed from their contractual requirements with LCRA. Three years of legal proceedings resulted in an agreement (Sept 1985) between PEC, BEC and LCRA. However, in December 1985, the PUC denied the application for construction of the Texland plants.
In 1986, LCRA made offers to BEC and PEC to settle any outstanding differences, presumably for the two co-ops extending their existing wholesale power contracts. Part of this agreement was that LCRA would compensate PEC and BEC for their expenditures in connection with the Texland project. The offer was accepted and on May 27, 1987, PEC received $12,903,126.74 and Bluebonnet received $3,754,759.71.
Here is an important fact: LCRA agreed to pay a total of $18,063,110.91 which included various expenditures incurred by the two co-ops, (covered in above amounts) AS WELL as reimbursement for certain accrued expenses or outstanding liabilities of Texland that had yet to be paid (at the time of the settlement). This amount was $1,405,224.46. The records that PEC does have available show that $1.4 million was indeed used by Texland to pay its remaining outstanding liabilities.
So, there was $565,000 left in the Texland account. Note that this is a Texland account, not a PEC account.
Now we have to ask why the account and money, and even Texland, still exist. It appears that Texland may have had continued unresolved claims and obligations after the settlement with LCRA. This includes a potential recovery from Shell Oil Co in relation to the $2 million contract from 1980, as well as some liabilities for costs incurred that were not included in the LCRA settlement. The Shell Oil contract provided for the potential refund, with interest, under certain conditions. The result of this is currently unknown.
Here is what we do know . . . that PEC recouped all its investment, plus interest via the $12 million settlement from LCRA. As such, PEC’s financial statements ceased to reflect any investment in Texland after July 1987.
The only two signatories on the Texland account were former PEC board president and former general manager, Bud Burnett and Bennie Fuelberg. It appears that they may be two of the three Texland board members still living. Initially the account was with Johnson City National Bank, but was moved in the late 80’s when Cattleman’s Bank opened. The monthly statements were sent to Bud Burnett at the PEC headquarters, who had them forwarded to Rory Boatright. He is also shown as a Director of Texland, affiliated with Cattleman’s Bank and the Moursund Law Firm. And he appears to be the accountant and/or treasurer of Texland.
PEC chief financial officer Vollmer, in that position since Oct. 2003, has always been aware of the account, and the entity Texland as a “business” owned by PEC, but since it was not a PEC account, he had no jurisdiction over the account. Note that there was also no business activity between PEC and Texland. On an annual basis, Vollmer communicated with then GM Bennie Fuelberg regarding various business activities of PEC and asked if they were to be continued or not. Each year, Mr. Fuelberg nodded assent for the continuation of Texland.
Available PEC records indicate there has been no activity on the account for at least the past six years. However, it appears that there are Texland records, Cattleman’s Bank records and Moursund Law Firm records that have not been available to PEC.
Cattleman’s Bank put a hold on the account just before the Texas Rangers also intervened recently to have the account frozen. Their preliminary investigation results have been turned over to the Texas Attorney General's office. Cattleman’s has also implemented legal action that disallows PEC, BEC, Burnett or Fuelberg access to the account until rightful ownership of the account is ascertained. Mr Garza has stated that all of these actions are prudent and in the best interest of all concerned.
While Cattleman’s might not mind a non-interest bearing account of more than a half million dollars, there may also be some very good reasons for it. Some quick research shows that this type of account in the 1980’s was not uncommon.
On August 12, both PEC and Bluebonnet boards met and elected three of their own board to the Texland board. On Monday, August 18 these six new Texland board members met and removed all current Texland board directors from the Texland Board and elected new officers. They were given this authority by the two parent boards, PEC and BEC. This new Board has full authority to close the Cattleman’s account, transfer it to another secured banking establishment and named a PEC and a BEC board representative as signatories. They will now also have full access to all Texland documentation which will be gathered at the PEC headquarters. The Navigant group, currently doing an exhaustive audit of the PEC, will act as investigators in cooperation with the Texland board, PEC and BEC.
Linda Kaye Rogers grew up on a small family farm in the Rio Grande Valley. She received her BA and Masters of Science in Social Work from UT Arlington. She has taught smoking cessation, communication skills, stress management and parenting in hospitals, corporations, community groups and churches. Linda Kaye moved to Wimberley in 2000 where she built a straw-bale cottage and immediately established a rainwater collection system as her water supply. That same year she began volunteering at the Katherine Anne Porter School and has worked in various capacities at the school. She is an avid organic gardener, animal lover, conservationist, and environmentalist. In 2005 she spearheaded efforts to defeat a road bond that would have benefited a developer and cost Woodcreek North residents a dramatic and 20-year tax increase.
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or codell@austin.rr.com
By Charles O'Dell
One thing you can say about county commissioners Jeff Barton (Pct 2) and Will Conley (Pct 3) is that they are persistent, and they won’t take no for an answer from our voters.
This past February, Hays County commissioners’ court created the Transportation Bond Advisory Committee (BAC) and approved funding, “to seek voter approval of additional bond financing for needed roadway improvements in the County.” The key word here is “additional.”
The BAC, comprised of nine citizens appointed by the commissioners’ court was charged with evaluating and prioritizing transportation (road) projects for possible inclusion in a road bond scheduled for this November general election. The key word here is “possible.”
At the core of this November 2008 road bond are two of the original TxDOT Pass-Through Financing roads, FM 1626 and FM 110, that voters turned down in the May 2007 road bond election. The other Pass-Through project, a five lane expansion of RR 12 between San Marcos and the Junction (Wimberley), was ditched and in its place a section of US 290 and various projects along and over I-35 were added.
The current cost guesstimate for these state and federal Pass-Through projects is $167,031,520 (TxDOT Contract No. PT 2005-013-001 Attachment C-1 [Budget]). These costs would be financed through county bonds and paid for by local property taxes. TxDOT promises to repay the County, not the taxpayers, up to $133 million over twenty years, assuming they have the funds.
While each of the four county precincts will share equally in property taxes paid, Pass-Through road expenditures show a different pattern:
Share of New Pass-Through Package Expenditures
Precinct 1 San Marcos……..18%
Precinct 2 Buda/Kyle………77%
Precinct 3 Wimberley……….0%
Precinct 4 Dripping Springs…5%
These figures and the May 2007 road bond election results bring into focus the Call for Projects recently made by commissioners’ court to school districts and municipalities across Hays County soliciting local road projects to include in the November Pass-Through road bond.
The Pass-Through package has to be sweetened for voters in Precincts 3 and 4.
Forty local road projects were nominated and the BAC hired a consultant firm to hold a Public Involvement Meeting in each county precinct the last week of July to, “determine which of the candidate projects should be included in the bond package on the November 2008 ballot.”
I attended the Wimberley and Dripping Springs public meetings facilitated by the consultants. At the Wimberley meeting, consultants and BAC members may have outnumbered public participants. In Dripping Springs the public turnout was sufficient to outnumber consultants, BAC members and public officials, barely. The purpose for these meetings is to get citizens to “prioritize” the local candidate road projects using previously determined criteria. Results of these efforts in each of the four public meetings will be summarized and certain local road projects will be included in the November 2008 road bond.
Will the highest priority local road projects be included in the road bond? Not necessarily. Remember the two key words: “additional” and “possible". The additional local projects are to sweeten the Pass-Through $167 million road bond. Out of the forty projects recommended locally, only some are possible add-ons to the Pass-Through bond. Which ones? That will be decided by BAC and that mix will be recommended to commissioners’ court. If the recommended mix isn’t sufficiently balanced to sweeten the Pass-Through bond, commissioners’ court will tweak the mix. So what happens to the public process to prioritize the local projects?
Keep in mind that the number of local road projects included in the Pass-Through bond will be limited also by how much larger commissioners’ court is willing to make the road bond. Will it be $200 million, $225 million or higher? Who knows? And who knows what each of the local road projects would cost to complete?
The county’s transportation advisor, Mike Weaver of Prime Strategies, will likely provide some by gosh and by golly estimates to help the court decide which local projects will fit within a court defined upper bond limit (the amount above the $167 million Pass-Through cost).
Wait, there’s more.
Commissioners Barton and Conley got Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe (Pct 1) to go along with them and the court approved $19.5 million in special tax bonds that don’t require voter approval. It appears these funds are being expended to keep the Pass-Through project work continuing and to pay for the BAC consultants, Prime Strategies and other public relations efforts by Barton.
Remember, only the local road projects were identified for citizens to prioritize for “possible” inclusion in the November $167 million Pass-Through road bond. It has been suggested that all of the local road projects in all four county precincts could be completed for far less than just the $167 million state and federal Pass-Through road projects.
Personally, I don’t appreciate elected officials resorting to pandering, trickery and misinformation in trying to circumvent previous election results. Scrap the state and federal Pass-Through projects on which voters have already spoken, and give us a much smaller road bond that we can afford in these hard times, and complete all of the forty local roadway improvements needed in the County.
As co-founder of Hays Community Action Network (HaysCAN) in 2003, Mr. O’Dell strives to carry out the mission of ensuring open, accessible and accountable government. He is a long time and close observer of the workings of the Hays County Commissioners Court. He earned a degree in Agricultural Education and a Masters in Ag Economics at Texas Tech, and, later, a Ph.D. at The University of Maryland while employed as a Research Economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Texas born and raised on a family farm, O’Dell is a Hays County Master Naturalist and a board member of the Ethical Society of Austin.
E-mail your comments to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
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By Rocky Boschert
I travel quite frequently. If I’m not traveling for business, then it’s with my wife on vacations to foreign countries -- mainly in the Americas. And the more I travel and see what is going on around this hemisphere, it doesn’t take me long to look forward to eventually coming back home to Wimberley.
Now don’t get me wrong. If I were single, I probably wouldn’t live in Wimberley. The problem for single people in Wimberley is there’s really no place to go and meet other single people (unless you consider church a singles meeting place). But that’s OK; single people can go to Austin and San Marcos for their social needs.
What makes Wimberley such a special place, in spite of the annoying home spotlights installed by Houston migrants, is the diversity in the Wimberley Valley. In this beautiful valley we have right wing nationalists, left wing progressives, conservative Democrats, intelligent Republicans (you know, the old guard “government should stay out of our lives, don’t attack countries that don’t attack us first, anti-corporate welfare” types), old hippies, young hippies, evangelical conservatives, evangelical liberals, illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, and a sizable dose of simple free market, middle class families. We also have our share of great musicians, fine artists, and other creative types.
With all that human diversity, people are almost always tolerant and friendly (unless you let slip that Bush is a high level lobbyist for the weapons manufacturers and oil companies). And for the most part, Wimberley residents love their children and are strong family advocates. Overall, my wife and I are lucky to live among such a condensed population of common sense, tolerant, good hearted folks.
From a business standpoint, Wimberley is mostly a healthy free enterprise environment. We are not a corporate town and we all do our best to support local businesses. Yes, there is a fair share of crony patronage going on at the local and county level, but that seems to be the human condition -- at least under the blind, pro-business mantra so endemic in Texas. Unfortunately, government is no longer seen as the necessary but useful vehicle that fills the needs of society the private sector can’t fill. For the most part, government’s role now (or should I say the role of our elected officials) is to use economic rhetoric to funnel our tax dollars to businesses and corporations as crony patronage payments. We see it at the local and county level quite clearly. But hey, that’s another article.
In the end, if Wimberley (and Hays County) residents can stay in touch with keeping the local environment healthy and keeping our healthy economy local, I look forward to living here a long time. On the other hand, if we as a community decide to go the way of greedy growth and mindless development, then I may have to reconsider my life choices.
If the latter occurs, maybe I’ll start a business providing rent-a-cop security for the gated, primarily Caucasian communities that would pop up. Or, if we really go the way of cutesy gentrification, I can sell my perfectly comfortable, modernized, energy efficient river house to the highest bidder with the money to tear it down and build a new two-story, utility-guzzling structure on my modest one-quarter acre.
Which begs the questions: “Which way is the ‘Wimberley Way’?”
Rocky Boschert has resided in Wimberley since 1993. He currently serves as board president of the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley. Mr. Boschert owns and manages Arrowhead Asset Management.
By Linda Kaye Rogers
For over a year the PEC has received lots of negative coverage from area media. It's quite understandable since our electric co-op, the nation's largest, has been the target of a class action lawsuit and is the focus of investigations by a hill country DA, the Texas State Senate and a congressional committee.
Two key figures, former GM Bennie Fuelberg and former board president Bud Burnett, have “retired” under pressure. There have been numerous changes in policy and procedure, the hiring of a new general manager in Juan Garza and a historic first open election of new board directors. Openness and transparency have enabled members and the press to access information that will no doubt keep our beloved co-op in the news and in flux for some time to come.
All of this was long past due.
As I look back at the many changes and progress we’ve made, my “psychological brain" kicks in and starts evaluating and assessing. I find that my psychological brain and “member brain” are conflicted. And then my “practical brain" speaks up.
As a PEC member, my brain still registers outrage at the secrecy and self-serving behaviors of the old guard management and Board. I want to scream at the unfairness of the attempted settlement of the lawsuit. I want to smack the authorities who are letting Bennie and Bud evade a federal subpoena. And while I’m at it, I’d also like to smack some of the old guard who insist on remaining evasive and defensive of their behaviors. As each new bit of information seeps out, I find myself having to do more and more deep breathing to keep my blood pressure on the chart!
Alas, I am a non-violent person and my psychological brain tells me to look at the whole picture. So, to practice what I preach (and teach), I collect all the info I can, and like a puzzle that has a lot of varied sections and colors, I sort it and put it together. In this puzzle, there are still some pieces missing, but the theme and pattern are pretty well established. The puzzle represents the past, present, and future of PEC. The “past pieces” are mostly the ugly ones and some are still missing. But there are a few pleasant pieces to be found. The “present” pieces are coming in at a rapid rate and they are all fun and pretty. The “future” pieces are all there, but have no shape and so far, only the color “green."
Ugly pieces of the past
Non-transparency, excessive spending, both in business and personally, by the former general manager and Board members with no obvious oversight. No-bid contracts. Nepotism and a Good Ol' Boy system that was very much alive and well. Non ‘co-operative” functioning (election and capital credit issues). Poor transition into 21st century issues like renewable energy.
The pretty pieces
Good rates. Excellent service. Dedicated employees. High bond rating. Overall customer satisfaction. Excellent response to growth issues.
As I think about these positives and negatives, my practical brain asks, “How could the positives happen if so much “bad” was going on? Something must have been getting done that was supporting and benefiting the members while the GM and Board were having a grand time at member expense!”
So member brain says, “Maybe more could have been done with better fiduciary management.” Practical brain and psychological brain say, “This is all past and the reality is that we cannot change the past." My psychological brain says, “Learn from it and move on.” Member brain is not happy about this and hopes there can be some satisfaction in terms of accountability for actions. And most of all, the member in me wants to see the “retirement fund” yanked from a non-existent job for Bud Burnett.
My practical side reminds me that we member-customers have some responsibility in all this. Many of us trusted and let things happen. And then I hear that same admission from some of the old guard Board, “We trusted Bennie, blah blah.” Member's retort was, “it was your job (Board) to pay attention!”
But as a practical matter, what do we gain by pursuing actions that are already in the process of changing? Is it really wise to dump all the old guard who have a large base of knowledge and years of experience? Why not allow the “new guard” gain all they can in experience and knowledge as members make the decisions through elections to remove the old guard? After all, in one more year members have the chance of electing two more new directors, and in two years, the chance to make a final sweep of the old guard."
A pretty present
There are many “present” pieces of the puzzle, including some much visible change in attitude and behavior of the old guard. These are “pretty” changes. At the July meeting of the Board, a Director Compensation Package was voted on. A committee led by recently retired Advisory Board Member Libby Linebarger recommended reinstating essentially the same old monetary compensation package. But a newly elected Board Director, Patrick Cox of Wimberley, offered a greatly reduced compensation package that was UNANIMOUSLY accepted. There was no anger or bickering. Opinions were expressed and even some positive comments, but it passed with no opposition. In fact, this Board meeting exhibited a very pleasant interaction and cooperation between the old and the new. All my brains were clapping at this.
The Board agreed to what I believe were some questionable "insider" committee appointments, but there may be a move afoot to begin appointing ordinary outside members to committees. The fate of the ten, non-voting advisory and at-large Board directors (whether to keep them or do away with them) was tabled to the August meeting. The Board met for four long hours and had been in executive session earlier, so maybe we’re getting some bang for our buck! This is looking good. My practical and psychological brains both tell me to be patient and work through the process of change.
The future looks good
The “future” pieces have a strong theme consisting of renewable energy and conservation, continued changes in governance, policy and by-laws and a complete change in the old guard. All “brains” are pretty happy and excited about these prospects.
I think I forgot to mention that this puzzle has about a million pieces! When my “brains” work on it, I find it impossible to get a single, simplistic reaction. It’s just too involved if I look at the whole picture. But look at the whole picture I must. Viewing and responding only to pieces and portions sets me up as a target for propaganda and use by various special interest groups. I’m rather fond of my varied brains and usually enjoy the varied brains of others.
“I could never divide myself from any man upon the difference of an opinion, or be angry with his judgment with me in that, from which perhaps in a few days I should dissent myself.”
–– Browne
Linda Kaye Rogers grew up on a small family farm in the Rio Grande Valley. She received her BA and Masters of Science in Social Work from UT Arlington. She has taught smoking cessation, communication skills, stress management and parenting in hospitals, corporations, community groups and churches. Linda Kaye moved to Wimberley in 2000 where she built a straw-bale cottage and immediately established a rainwater collection system as her water supply. That same year she began volunteering at the Katherine Anne Porter School and has worked in various capacities at the school. She is an avid organic gardener, animal lover, conservationist, and environmentalist. In 2005 she spearheaded efforts to defeat a road bond that would have benefited a developer and cost Woodcreek North residents a dramatic and 20-year tax increase.
By Charles O'Dell, Phd
I am often criticized by public officials for being a “self-appointed government watchdog.” It’s true. I was not elected to devote my time paying attention to our elected officials and reporting their actions, but I believe every citizen should be a self-appointed government watchdog to the extent possible. Most citizens, however, are consumed with providing for their families and lack the time and energy to ensure their elected officials are behaving in the public interest. My children are adults, I’m self employed and I choose to serve my community as a government watchdog.
HaysCAN operates on donations and an occasional grant, but my only compensation is the satisfaction of my community service and the rewards of working with many of the citizens in our community.
When Hays County media owned by or associated with elected officials refused to publish articles critical of those elected officials, the publisher of Hays County Roundup gave me and others a public voice in our community. Whether or not you agree with the messages, all citizens should welcome access to diverse views in our community. That’s truly American democracy in action.
I am also criticized by elected officials and their supporters of being a “conspiracy” nut. They may be half right, but I’ll leave that decision up to the readers of the Hays County Roundup.
Austin Public Access Television interviewed me last November as part of a series, Texas Water 101. You can watch and hear my comments at the following Internet link here.
This interview was unrehearsed and my comments were spontaneous. They reflect who I am, the origin of my values and views, and how I view my community. I hope that you will watch and listen and then let me know what you believe I got right, or where I need educating. Send me an email at codell@austin.rr.com. Get involved. Express your own values and keep reading the Hays County Roundup.
As co-founder of Hays Community Action Network (HaysCAN) in 2003, Mr. O’Dell strives to carry out the mission of ensuring open, accessible and accountable government. He is a long time and close observer of the workings of the Hays County Commissioners Court. He earned a degree in Agricultural Education and a Masters in Ag Economics at Texas Tech, and, later, a Ph.D. at The University of Maryland while employed as a Research Economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Texas born and raised on a family farm, O’Dell is a Hays County Master Naturalist and a board member of the Ethical Society of Austin.
Charles O'Dell hands a check for $3,800 on behalf of HaysCAN to Dana Carmean, co-manager of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. O'Dell explained the contribution is intended to support the district's mission to preserve groundwater resources in western Hays County.
Press Release from pec4u
JOHNSON CITY--As the Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s five new board members took their seats at the table for their first regular board meeting on Monday, cooperative member-owners had their own message to deliver to the board. Before the meeting, members delivered over 4,500 letters and postcards to the board, demanding that the co-op get more energy from renewable sources and invest in more extensive conservation programs.
“All the new board members ran on platforms promising increased focus on conservation and renewable energy, and it’s clear that the membership supports these ideas too,” said Ric Sternberg, one of the founders of PEC4U, the co-op member group that led the push for reforms at PEC.
Clean Water Action gathered the letters in recent months for presentation to the new board. Now, a coalition of the PEC4U steering committee, Clean Water Action and Public Citizen has joined forces to encourage further improvements at PEC.
“Conservation programs help members reduce their monthly bills,” said David Foster, Program Director for Clean Water Action. “PEC increased rates twice in recent months because of rising costs related to coal and natural gas. Buying more renewable energy will help protect co-op members from rising fossil fuel costs. The City of Austin has proved that with Austin Energy’s Green Choice program.”
“LCRA, which provides the majority of PEC’s energy, has just announced plans to buy even more electricity from polluting coal, and that’s not what the members want,” said Tom “Smitty” Smith, the director of Public Citizen’s Texas Office. “It is certainly not what our environment needs either. Utilities in Texas produce more global warming pollutants than those in any other state in the U.S. And a staggering 10% of mercury emissions in the U.S. come from coal plants in Texas.”
“PEC has a real opportunity to purchase affordable solar energy by joining with Austin, San Antonio and other co-ops on a new concentrating solar plant,” said Smith. “All they need is the will to do it.”
The letters from members ask the PEC board to set the goals of purchasing at least 30% of PEC’s energy from Texas renewable energy companies by 2020, and to meet at least 20% of energy needs from efficiency and conservation by 2020. To achieve these goals the member-owned cooperative would need to establish aggressive energy efficiency and conservation programs, with substantial rebates for customers. In doing so, the board would also promote local jobs, reduce pollution and save members money.
Contact: David Foster, Program Director, Clean Water Action, 512-474-0605;
Ric Sternberg, pec4u, 830-825-0133;
Tom “Smitty” Smith, Texas Director, Public Citizen, 512-477-1155
Editor's Note: Documents on file at the Hays County Clerk's web site show there have been 619 properties posted for public auction in the six months between March and August of this year. There are no comparative numbers on the web site for the same period last year.
By Charles O'Dell, PhD
Monthly housing foreclosures in Hays County during the past five months are averaging over 86 per month. Watts, Cox, Ortega, Jones and Rios name only a few of our neighbors who have lost their homes, their castles, and their major investments.
If predatory and unfair lending practices led to the current foreclosure crisis, why is it just happening now, and how do we keep it from happening again?
Today’s financial liquidity and home foreclosure crisis is the result of our elected U.S. Senators and Representatives dismantling in twelve years (1970 – 1982) the regulatory guidelines for financial institutions enacted over the previous fifty seven years.
These contemporary legislators responding to pressures from financial companies, their lobbyists and their election campaign contributions in the millions of dollars replaced good business practices and consumer protection with an unregulated system that encouraged bad business practices putting the banking system at risk by destroying the dreams of millions of new homeowners.
Creating a Responsible Banking System
After the financial panic of 1907, the Federal Reserve Act (1913) established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and included banking reforms, some of which were designed to control speculation. A year later the Federal Trade Commission Act prohibited unfair or deceptive business practices. In 1933 the Glass-Steagall Act separated “commercial banks” focusing on consumer checking and savings activities from “investment banks” that deal with speculative trading and mergers. The Truth in Lending Act of 1968 required banks to disclose loan terms and fees.
Sowing the Seeds for Today’s Foreclosure Crisis
Some provisions such as Regulation Q that allowed the Federal Reserve to regulate interest rates in savings accounts were repealed by the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980. Other provisions which prohibit a bank holding company from owning other financial companies were repealed in 1999 by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. (Yes, the same Senator Phil Gramm who is economic advisor to presidential candidate John McCain.)
Today’s credit crisis has been caused by a sustained period of lax and inappropriate lending that could not have occurred had thoughtful banking regulations and consumer protections not been repealed in the name of competition. Already, commercial financial companies are being rescued at great cost to taxpayers, and millions of unsuspecting new homeowners are seeing their dreams evaporate in foreclosure. We will see an increasing number of our Hays County neighbors lose their homes in the coming months and perhaps years.
The lesson to be learned is this: Thoughtful rules and regulations enacted by our local, state and national governments are meant to protect individual citizens and the public health, safety and welfare. We are a society that functions by the rule of law. Public officials who fail to enforce our laws are a disgrace, and their failure to enforce our laws is a criminal act.
As co-founder of Hays Community Action Network (HaysCAN) in 2003, Mr. O’Dell strives to carry out the mission of ensuring open, accessible and accountable government. He is a long time and close observer of the workings of the Hays County Commissioners Court. He earned a degree in Agricultural Education and a Masters in Ag Economics at Texas Tech, and, later, a Ph.D. at The University of Maryland while employed as a Research Economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C. Texas born and raised on a family farm, O’Dell is a Hays County Master Naturalist and a board member of the Ethical Society of Austin.
By Linda Morgan
Since the 2007 legislative session, our “politicians” in Austin have been very busy praising themselves for reducing property taxes by 30%.
For the upcoming 2009 legislative session, Rep. Patrick Rose and others are now speaking up about their “intent” to cap increases on residential appraisals at 5% instead of the current 10%.
Let’s do the math. Property tax rates were reduced by 30% in 2007. However, property appraisals throughout much of Texas routinely increased as much as 10% in 2007, 10% in 2008 (and my bet is we will see the same in 2009). So exactly where will we find ourselves in 2010? Answer: Exactly where we were in 2007. I tend to believe that is how the “fuzzy math” and “coincidence” were designed to work.
So, by the end of the next legislative session and only if such appraisal caps are adopted, all we will have gained is a slowing rate of increase in the already egregious Texas property tax system.
Texas is one of seven states that do not have a state income tax. Is it feasible to think that forty-three states have it “so wrong” and Texas is one of seven states that have it “so right”?
Obviously, real property taxes are based on property appraisals while income taxes are based on current earnings. We have all seen, heard, or even experienced the property tax “creep” that has forced homeowners out of their homes.
To illustrate, let’s map out any typical street in any typical community where property appraisals are approximately $200,000 (after homestead exemption).
Home #1: A single wage earner of $75,000/annually
Home #2: Two wage earners of $150,000/annually
Home #3: A single wage earner of $65,000/annually with two minor dependents
Home #4: Two wage earners of $200,000/annually with four minor dependents
Home #5: A recent widow whose income has been reduced by one-half – now, $55,000/annually instead of $110,000/annually.
Home #6: A wage earner has become temporarily unemployed or seriously ill with mounting medical bills. Income has been drastically reduced from $100,000/annually to $35,000/annually.
Under the current Texas property tax code/appraisal system, each of these homeowners will receive a property tax bill of approximately $3520.00 – without exception. The remedies are limited – either pay up, sell out, or risk losing your home. This situation highlights why property taxes are considered a regressive tax – meaning households who earn less pay a higher percentage of their annual income in property taxes.
A voter-approved state flat-tax or income tax would drastically lower property taxes, provide revenue to bring education up to the national average, and provide for a much fairer tax system. Furthermore, the majority of households would save money, changing the state's tax system from regressive to progressive.
If we open the income-tax door, we don’t have to worry about the income tax monster jumping out and eating us as soon as we turn our backs. The Texas Constitution guarantees that an income tax cannot be adopted without a vote of the people, and once adopted, that the tax rate cannot be raised without another vote of the people. The Constitution also requires that two-thirds of the revenue from an income tax go to cut property taxes and dedicates the other one-third to education. Plus, any Constitutional amendment could/would guarantee that property tax rates cannot go back up without a vote of the people.
Isn’t it time we faced our fears and considered a state income tax?
Linda Morgan retired from high-tech in Houston in 2002 and headed for the hills. She is a member of the Hays County Texas Master Naturalists Chapter through which she has learned a great deal about the conservation of our natural resources and the ever-increasing growth/development issues. Ms. Morgan is a big proponent of school finance reform and real property tax relief for Texans. She is a real estate agent and remains active in the real estate market.
Summary by Jack Hollon, for HTGCD
Drought, like any challenge or crisis, heightens awareness. A dry time such as the present is thus a good time to take stock of our water resources, look at consumption habits or patterns, and decide if changes are needed to insure adequate water for the future. When we are close to an “edge” of this sort, our senses sharpen. The question of survival improves our attention; priorities become clearer.
Our local groundwater conservation district, HTGCD, takes this opportunity to summarize the drought plan we have been working on and get it before the public. On Aug. 7, at 8:30am, the Board will hold a public hearing on the Draft Plan at Woodcreek’s City Hall, on Champions Circle.
We first note that such a plan, required by law, is always a work in progress. As our knowledge of the aquifer increases, through data gathering and research, and what we take from it tends to grow, elements of the Plan such as drought stages, with their trigger criteria and expected responses, will be modified to improve the Plan – make it better fit our unique situation.
The draft now before the Board calls for year-round conservation, with a May-through-Sept. “Conservation Period” when certain voluntary conservation measures would be publicized and encouraged. This comprises “Stage 1,” our default condition when water is relatively abundant.
In dry times when special measures are needed, the monitored parameters (rainfall patterns, stream flows, water levels at certain wells) will be used to “trigger” or initiate a drought stage commensurate with conditions. The Plan defines three possible drought stages: Moderate Drought (Stage 2), Severe Drought (Stage 3), and Extreme Drought (Stage 4). In addition, a Stage 5 “Water Emergency” is available to the Board when all or part of the District faces a condition deemed “...a state of disaster due to drought conditions or other unforeseen events that could cause imminent health or safety risks to the public.” For each of these stages, the Plan recommends or requires conservation measures to be taken.
In the beginning, we propose to use the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), for the past 6 or 9 months, averaged between the South Central and Edwards Plateau Regions, or the stream flow on the Blanco River (USGS gage at Wimberley) as our primary triggers.
The flow of the Blanco has been recorded over the past 80+ years, so there is a rich data base there. In addition, we note that except after large rainfalls, the flow of area streams like the Blanco is a direct discharge from the surrounding aquifers. This discharge to streams is correlated fairly well with aquifer storage and water levels, both in our area and to our west, the area that tends to supply the Trinity Aquifer with underground flows toward the southeast.
The SPI is a statistical tool that compares recent rainfall, say for the past nine months, with rainfall over similar periods in the past 100 years or so. After transforming that data, the index will indicate the number of “standard deviations” the recent period varies from “normal.” This number can then be used as a trigger to initiate the appropriate stage, using reasonable time delays.
The Board will have flexibility in choosing between these triggers, or using them both. This is recommended, since droughts vary enormously in their special characteristics and histories. Each drought follows a unique course over time. The addition of water level data as a trigger is expected to follow soon, as that data base is rapidly reaching a state of reliability that will make it useful for these purposes.
The Draft Plan can be accessed on line at “www.haysgroundwater.com” the District’s website, or by calling the office at 512-858-9253. Comments and suggestions are welcomed, either in writing or at the hearing mentioned above. The Board is expected to adopt a revised plan that comes out of this process later in August.
In the meantime, we encourage innovation and sharing of water conservation measures for the home or business. As we are seeing in the energy transition, with its much higher fuel prices, people are finding all sorts of ways to cope and live reasonably well while using less. A drought plan, to be successful, relies on individual initiative and responsibility. Each of us can have the satisfaction of making a contribution.
Jack Holly represents Wimberley on the board of directors of the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District.
James at the convention with former East Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett and James' mom, Irma, of El Paso.
James with former Speaker of the House Jim Wright of Ft. worth
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson
And popular San Antonio Congressman
