Our goal is simply to have an open discussion via Public Hearings on the financial situation to reach some agreement on how good or bad the county’s finances are, and to act responsibly until we’re satisfied that we’re in ok shape
Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Mr. Brannon at sam_brannon@hotmail.com or click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the story
An update from HCBP coordinator Sam Brannon
Mark your calendars for three big events in three days – The Hays Citizens' Budget Project: "Hays County at a Crossroads."
Join us in Wimberley, Sunday March 2o, 3-4 pm at the Wimberley Community Center, 14068 RR 12 / in Buda, Monday March 21, 7-8:30 pm, the Buda Fire Station Meeting Room, 209 Jack C. Hays Trail / and at Tuesday's March 22 Commissioners Court meeting 9 am, third floor at the Courthouse in San Marcos.
The first two are very important meetings. We’ll be discussing the debt and spending situation in Hays County. In the Buda presentation, we’ll also be discussing the City of Buda and the City of Kyle who are dealing with their own debt and spending issues.In short, all three governmental entities are in about the same situation: Skyrocketing debt and spending over the last ten years, particularly in the last four years. We’ll also discuss ways to get the debt and spending back under control, and how ordinary citizens can provide meaningful guidance to our elected officials on these very important matters.
Also join us at the Tuesday Commissioners Court meeting for a county "Budget Workshop."
We’d really like to have you there in person, but if you can’t make it, you can watch from your computer at home or work: http://www.co.hays.tx.us/index.php/government/comm-court/court-video/
The description below was posted on a Hays Republicans yahoo board. While I’m unsure of the source, it sounds about right. (Commissioner Ingalsbe confirmed on Wednesday that I’ll also be presenting on behalf of the Hays Citizens’ Budget Project.)
The principal agenda item for the March 22, CC meeting will be an informative presentation of the upcoming county budget for fiscal year 2012. It will lay the groundwork for the future budget discussions that will continue throughout this Spring and Summer. The final budget will be adopted in late September.
The members of the court will be joined by, among others, the county’s bond and financial advisor, road improvement managers, and auditor. The public will have opportunities to comment, as well.
There have been a lot of rumors flying around about our Hays Citizens' Budget Project, and even some directed toward me. The best I can do is to invite you out to all three events to draw your own conclusions about the quality of the data that we’re presenting and its contextual accuracy. So far, the response has been very good. Over 80% of those who have heard our presentation have signed on to the project, and we’re now up to 79.
Our goal is simply to have an open discussion via Public Hearings on the financial situation to reach some agreement on how good or bad the county’s finances are, and to act responsibly until we’re satisfied that we’re in ok shape.
As for other rumors, about a month ago, Judge Cobb accused me of misrepresenting the data while we were talking in his office. When I asked him for specifics, he could not name any.
Judge Cobb was recently quoted in the Dripping Springs, Wimberley and Kyle/Buda papers saying, “We have spent hours explaining to him the budget, and he still misrepresents the budget.”
I emailed Judge Cobb yesterday requesting clarification on the quote, and specifics. His response to me this morning was, “Tuesday should clarify all the issues as we answer the questions you have raised for the record so that everyone has the same information.”
I guess he’s counting on the Big Guns – the road consultants, the debt consultant – to make his case for him. There’s never a lack of political theater here in Hays County.
The public is invited to join us Sunday and/or Monday, and I hope you’re able to join us at the Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday as well.
14 comments:
Sam,
I believe that the numbers you intend to present at the meeting in Buda seem plausible to most citizens, but they don't tell the whole story.
What the agenda states about the census, spending and debt are true. I hope you present the truth on why Buda is now spending 813% more than it did in 2000 and why the debt level has grown 1,367%.
This isn't a case of wreckless gov't spending but a product of growth.
Truth be told, Buda has seen a lot of spending growth. Spending has grown because Buda runs mostly on sales tax revenue. The fact that you've used the years 2000-2009 is very misleading. Buda didn't have much sales tax revenue until 2006, with the Oct. 2005 opening of Cabela's and the 2006 opening of Wal-mart.
Of course spending would be up 813% when compared to data from 2000. If the data from 2006 was used as the benchmark you would see that spending has been in-line with revenues. Statistics can be shaped and molded in a 100 different ways depending on benchmarks and data points, and which benchmarks and data points are included or omitted. The fact is Buda has done a good job managing its growth and these dooms day tactics are nothing more then false rhetoric.
Buda has enjoyed the lowest ad valorem tax of all the major cities in Hays County. I believe it's around .25, while Dripping, Wimberley, Kyle and San Marcos are all well beyond .40
As far as the debt goes most of that is tied to expanding the sales tax base, road projects and updating the waste water system (which was mandated by the State of Texas.) The fact is you have to spend money to make money and without these C.O.'s there wouldn't be a Wal-Mart or a Cabela's. But because of C.O.'s Buda has been able to grow, heck Buda even has it's our police dept now and the volunteer fire dept is now a fire district able to serve 15,000 area residents.
Before you bash the debt levels keep in mind that without the C.O.'s Buda would have none of this.
It should also be noted that Buda ran balanced budget for several years and that does include paying down the city's sink fund. In fact on one of the projects they are ahead of schedule.
Citizens of Hays County be very sceptical about the numbers presented to you by this group. They seem be tell half truths by pulling only the numbers that support their cause.
Thanks for the thoughtful remarks, Anon. You've obviously seen one of the invitations and have some knowledge of the goings on there.
Buda residents requested the financial statements from the city, and I used the same methodology for presenting the data as I used with the county.
2000-2009 were used because those are the years for which a CAFR (comprehensive annual financial report - audited numbers) are available. 2010 should be in soon. The 2011 budget book was unreadable by photocopy, but I may get a look at the original on Monday.
I'll present the data Monday night. I don't live in Buda, so this isn't my project. I'm helping them get started on their own project, at their request.
As of 2009, there was $13 million in debt and 7,200 people, according to the City of Buda. That's roughly $7,222 in debt per family. Hays County's debt is about $10,000 per family. We haven't run HCISD numbers yet, but you see where we're going.
That public debt is secured by the taxable property in the respective taxing district.
My quick observation on your comments is this... If you have a newly instituted sales tax (2006), and new debt is still being incurred, questions should continue to be asked about the spending. That's not radical, that's very reasonable.
Whether all this is good or bad for the people of Buda, and whether this money is well spent are questions for the people of Buda to decide. The group that invited me to speak is pretty savvy. I invite you to attend and engage on the topic, and make your case with your neighbors.
One last thought... When I hear things like "You have to spend money to make money", that draws concern to me. Your skepticism toward numbers you confirmed is also troubling. Its not my job to defend the taxing and spending.
The goal of the project is to bring accurate data forward and make people aware. People will have to provide their own context and ask their own questions beyond that. We're in favor of public discussion, and you're encouraged to take part.
Thanks again for the thoughtful remarks.
Oh no! More LiberTea Bagger recruitment disguised as good citizen budget spending control.
When will you people ever learn? Mark my word. Brannon runs for county commissioner or some position after all this "community organizing." Obama was a community organizer. And look what he actually did after all those promises.
Welcome to Gullible Goobers Inc.
@ Barton's Shadow
Frankly, I don’t care if Brannon runs for office or not, he seems to be alerting the willing citizens to the impending County budget disaster while people like you sit around on your butts and carp about Goobers and “LiberTea Baggers”. I agree that Obama turned out to be a loser but from the sound of it you probably voted for him, I did not however.
Hey! Barton's Shadow, you can't claim that. Everyone knows that not even Barton's Shadow was as close to him as Commissioner Conley was or is!
You must be Mr. FUD!
From Wikipedia, on the political tactic “FUD”
Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) is a tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics and propaganda. FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative and dubious/false information designed to undermine the credibility of their beliefs. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor’s product; to increase the general estimation of switching costs among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current business partner who could potentially become a rival.
FUD techniques may be crude and simple, as in claiming “I read a paper by a Harvard professor that shows you are wrong regarding subject XXX”, but said paper does not exist. (Were the paper to exist then it would not be FUD but valid criticism.) Alternatively FUD may be very subtle, employing an indirect approach. Someone who employs FUD cannot generally back up their claims (e.g., “I don’t recall which professor or which year the paper is from”). To dispel FUD, the easiest way is to ask for details and then provide well researched hard facts which disprove them. For instance, if it can be shown that no Harvard professor has ever written a paper on subject XXX, then the FUD is dispelled.
Who are you two Brannon trained Anonymous robots kidding?
It's very clear you two are part of the PR crew of Brannon's Hays County LiberTea bagger movement - acting on his behalf because he will not explain his objectives without some mysterious gobbely goop of the "People's Will."
The only "will" here are the naive people willing to buy the subconscious hate of hurting the down and out and taking money from needed services and children's education so this obviously right wing group can try to create some utopian liberTearian cult society - with Brannon as its guru.
When Brannon the Deceiver says "It's a spending problem, pure and simple," it proves he is either a liar or an opportunist, or both.
And you two Anonymouses are part of his Hays County gullible goobers political network marketing scam.
Let's hope you people in Hays County aren't as ignorant as the two Anonymouses.
It figures
Anonymous FUD = San Marcos Ginger
@Barton's Moon Shadow
Since I am the first of the anonymi you like to call “Brannon trained Anonymous robots”, Id like to know if you are, as I suspect, a consumer of taxes rather than a payer of taxes. From my perspective anyone that doesn’t think we have a spending problem is just part of the problem. When you use the tried and true guilt transfer statements, “subconscious hate of hurting the down and out and taking money from needed services and children's education” you identify the single biggest drain on our system. We already spend (waste) far too much on education in the County, State and Country with little return on our “investment” as you liberals pinheads like to call it. We do produce some pretty good athletes but academically were suffer when compared to some third world countries.
Someday you may wake up to the fact that money is not the answer to all the problems we face as a culture. I only met Brannon once about six months ago and found him credible and on the right track. I will likely join his grouping to see if I can contribute to the cure for the over taxing we suffer from from the likes of you.
Last Anonymous shows the true mentality behind Brannon's tax hate group. He calls those who wants a balanced approach to the budget problems "pinhead liberals" and says:
" 'hurting the down and out and taking money from needed services and children's education' you identify the single biggest drain on our system. We already spend (waste) far too much on education in the County, State and Country with little return on our investment - as you liberal pinheads like to call it."
That, fellow sensible readers, is the type of people Brannon and Ms. Love-Joy represents. They don't think your children are worth the money. In fact, they don't think any government services for the poor, the elderly, or your children are worth "investing" in with tax dollars.
How is that for callous and self-centered? If these people were living in Japan and running the local government around the failing nuclear reactor, there would be a meltdown of catastrophic proportions because Brannon's groupies wouldn't want to spend the money for the safety of citizens.
Brannon and his people are lying to you. They are doing what all right wingers do - creating one-sided and falsely worded problems to fit their own political agenda. Create or exagerate the problem and then carefully control the debate so it looks like they know what they are doing. The truth will come out eventually.
In the meantime their propaganda HC budget trashing newsletter for $20 a month will get them some bucks to foster their cause. Hey, Brannon & Groupies, how about donating 50% of your newsletter money to the HC budget so we can save ourselves from ourselves - by turning our own thinking over to you and your group.
Gosh- Lila, why don't you use your own name. We know it's you. It funny that the Bartonistas complain about anonymous blogging, but turn to it when the opportunity presents itself.
I am always dubious for folks who attack the messenger, rather than talk about the issues themselves. Dialogue with these types is impossible.
Sorry to disappoint you Craig. But I didn't make any of the comments posted here.
- Lila Knight
I am frankly amazed that the Tax and Spend advocates have come out so boldly attacking Sam Brannon for pointing out what this County needs, a moratorium on Spending and Tax increases with responsible citizen oversight. The Tax & Spend types usually operate in the background so Brannon must be a perceived threat to their skullduggery for them to come out of the closet. I hope the County Commissioners are paying attention and respond properly so they can have a chance at least of being re-elected. Good Luck Sam!
Sorry Lila:
Whoever it is sure is using you talking points. I apologize.
I have been making a point of putting my name of my posts.
Can we agree not to attack the messenger???
If the messenger is lying, he should be attacked.
Post a Comment