skip to main |
skip to sidebar
And who'll be keeping tabs?
Will Conley and Steve Klepfer both responded to a citizen questionnaire before the election Nov. 4; here are the responses from Conley, who won a second term on the commissioners court. His responses have been edited for length. Still a bit long, but worth a read – if you're interested in keeping score.
Email your comments, fact-checking and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
(See one alert reader's
fact-check response at bottom)
Editor's Note: Not included in the questions below are two with significant and consequential outcomes. The RoundUp welcomes Mr. Conley to provide a direct and honest response to each.
First, will you pursue your plan – and push for a vote of the commissioners court – to have the county purchase the old Wimberley Baptist Church property and convert it to a city/county government center? It has been strongly suggested, through documented evidence, that this is an insider deal that will handsomely benefit several private investors locally.
Second, will you pursue your "alleged" stated interest to disband the Wimberley-managed Emergency Services District and merge it with a county wide, privately run system?
On the road (bond) again
Q: Many citizens have expressed support and opposition to the road bond proposal. Are you FOR or AGAINST the road bond proposal and why?
CONLEY: This comes down to safety, pure and simple. Our road system was designed for the 1950s and 60s, and in many cases it hasn’t been updated since then. However, Hays County is home to over 100,000 people now, not 10,000. We must be proactive in improving our road safety, or else we will pay the price.
I worked with state officials to make sure future road improvements in the Wimberley Valley, including Ranch Road 12, will be in a “parkway” style, which preserves our community’s natural beauty. Unlike what my opponent prefers to say, this is not a “superhighway.” I worked with TxDOT to actually change the state’s road plan to respect the integrity of our scenic landscape. The Wimberley city council agreed with my proposal and submitted this as one of their priority projects as well. My long term planning will forever protect this section of RR 12 from being ruined.
To take the burden off of the taxpayer, I negotiated for Hays County to receive $133 million in state funds if we pass this road bond and fix our outdated and increasingly unsafe road system. This is well over half the cost of the road improvements, and a great deal for Hays County. Now we can invest in our roads without a significant tax burden, improve public safety, and protect our scenic landscape at the same time. It’s a win-win-win situation.
Q: What benefits will Wimberley receive from the $207 million dollar bond? What are the specific plans with the road improvement running through the Square?
CONLEY: As for the square project, Wimberley submitted three projects they would like the county to fund. The county citizen committee chose two out of the three and I was able to get some additional safety work on Ranch Road 12 put in as well. Plus, we are receiving the money to make the important improvements on FM 2325.
In the Wimberley Valley the road bond has many important projects. First there are safety improvements on Ranch Road 12 at the Junction and Hugo Road. Sink Creek Bridge would be pulled out of the flood plain and safety improvements would be made where the new Wonder World Extension and Ranch Road 12 will meet. Second, we will finish the work my opponent couldn’t complete downtown and fix the bottleneck on the Wimberley Square. Third, we will have major safety improvements on FM 2325 from Carney Road to Fisher. These improvements will consist of turning lanes, shoulders, and deceleration lanes, which will keep our children safe when the new school is built and improve safety all along this section of FM 2325. These projects protect our families; improve the area for the Emily Ann Theater, our Veterans Memorial, Woodcreek, Woodcreek North, and many others in our area.
On development, now and in the future
Q: How do you feel about the development of dense subdivisions around the Wimberley area?
CONLEY: That kind of development has its place in urban areas and along the I-35 corridor, but not in the hill country. I led the court in rewriting subdivision regulations to make sure rural developments are low-impact, meaning larger lot sizes and a greater emphasis on environmental protection. I also raised developer fees to make developers contribute more toward conservation and infrastructure improvements. This is all within the county’s proper authority.
Q: What measures can be taken to make sure construction sites follow procedures for announcing new developments in advance for citizen’s review and input?
CONLEY: The new (county subdivision) rules and regulations call for a tremendous increase in notice to citizens. I have put more inspectors in the field to make sure builders are playing by the rules of the game and are protecting our resources. As for the True Ranch development, I believe my office performed well. First there is no True Ranch development. Second, when a developer comes to meet with the commissioner (which is part of the county rules) we discuss our area and the issues we have in our community.
When the development concept of the True Ranch came to my office I asked the developer to enter into a development agreement with the county (which they don’t have to do, in fact this was one of the first in county history) so we could work through these sensitive issues of water availability and quality, population density, light pollution, etc. He agreed and we began talking through the issues. Once we had something basic to discuss I called a public meeting so the community could have input and let anyone and everyone talk about the issues. The county hadn’t even received all the preliminary work on the project when I called this meeting and the project had never even come to Court for preliminary approval. So the idea that negotiations were done in the dark is just cheap politics. Hays County is one of the fastest growing counties in Texas and the I-35 Corridor is approximately 15 miles from the Wimberley Valley. We are all concerned about the impact from this growth.
Q: How do you envision the future growth of our Wimberley Valley over the next 5 years?
CONLEY: As county commissioner, I pushed for a revision of county development regulations so that future growth will complement the natural beauty of the Wimberley Valley. These new regulations will protect the integrity of our landscape, the historic character of our community, and the quality and sustainability of our water supply. I also created a new fund and began requiring developers to pay their fair share of costs to beautify the community and improve our infrastructure. Together, these new regulations and funds will enable growth in the Wimberley Valley to blend into the current community and protect our cherished quality of life.
Q: With more people comes more schools, more taxes, congested roadways, more crime, more emergency services, etc. What is your plan for protecting the Wimberley area so we do not become another small town casualty of urbanization?
CONLEY: First, I have to disagree with part of the question. More people does not have to mean congested roadways, more taxes, or higher crime. Being proactive is the key to protecting our Wimberley Valley way of life. Good long-term planning is only the beginning; we also need to keep our codes and regulations relevant to our current needs, and make sure they are being enforced.
On protecting our scarce water resources
Q: Experts tell us we are on borrowed time in respect to water resources. What is your plan for protecting the current Wimberley homeowners on separate wells from running out of water?
CONLEY: I worked with the Hays Trinity Aquifer Groundwater District to fund research efforts and better conserve our water. I support full chapter 36 rules and regulations for new development but do not think existing residential wells should be regulated. I also established the Jacob’s Well Land Trust to preserve Jacob’s Well, recover and restore environmentally sensitive land, and establish a new community center to further aquifer research and conservation.
As a business owner, my car wash has won environmental awards for its high-tech water recycling system, and in a matter of weeks my business in San Marcos will be the first commercial rainwater collection facility in the city. I would like to see this kind of innovation replicated in our area. Hays County currently does not tax rainwater collection systems and I developed a loan program through the county to help those who are interested have more opportunities to purchase rainwater collection systems. I have also formally asked the school district to not increase taxes on the appraised value for rainwater systems, which they are considering. These types of initiatives are critical to maintaining our water quality and sustainability. In addition, the conservation plan I developed calls for thousands of acres of our hill country to be preserved and gives us the ability to bring in millions of state and federal dollars to help us accomplish this goal.
Q: Would you be willing to mandate new development (residential and commercial) to “pay their way” for services that would encourage groundwater sustainability such as rainwater harvesting, clustering, native landscaping and designation of areas for recharge and impervious ground cover based on scope of the project?
CONLEY: Yes, and in many cases I already have. By my initiative, the county instituted a new incentive program to encourage developers to adopt “green” building plans, such as incorporating rainwater harvesting systems in new developments. I also established a requirement for developers to pay into a fund that will offset the cost of improving our environment. I have also gone on the record many times that counties need authority to apply impact fees to new large developments. The great news is that my initiatives are working, and I hope to expand them in the future.
Q: Would you be willing to give Trinity Groundwater more authority in regards to future development of our area?
CONLEY: As county commissioner, I forged new partnerships with the groundwater district by funding its research efforts and working collaboratively. I believe full chapter 36 authorities should be given to the Trinity on all new development. I don’t believe they should regulate existing residential wells. My opponent disagrees and believes the Trinity should have authority over new and existing residential wells. The Trinity already has authority to regulate commercial wells and this should remain in place.
These questions are from people who are serviced by AquaTexas
Q1: The customers are reaching a breaking point with basic service charges and high monthly water rates. Why hasn’t AquaTexas been forced to fix major system failures? What can you do to help these people?
Q2: AquaTexas’ Woodcreek North customers have been dealing with a hazardous, “temporary” daily pump out wastewater system for over two years. What would you do to make sure this problem gets resolved and infractions get enforced in a timely manner in the future?
My wife and I are now on the AquaTexas system in Mountain Crest. I am the only person in this race that has made improvements to water systems. First in Cedar Oak Mesa we have completely funded the restoration of their water system with state money. This has helped our environment and many of our citizens. Second, I played a major role in getting AquaTexas to make a $2 million investment in Woodcreek North which will help prevent water loss and provide better service to fellow citizens and the new school.
This is a start and we have a long way to go in improving AquaTexas water systems. Recently State Representative Rose, Council member Rassco, Council member Esklund, the fire chief and I have led an effort to restore our fire hydrant service. We are close to a solution and things will go back to normal in the near future. This was the wrong move for AquaTexas to make and we are making sure they change this behavior. I believe our community needs to put serious thought into buying this system. It will cost us, but it is in our best interest long term. This way we control our destiny not stock holders in Philadelphia. This Tuesday the county will hire a water and waste water consultant to start looking at these issues and we will be able to start making plans for the future.
Call me anytime on my cell phone at (512) 738-1079, email me at willconley@grandecom.net, or drop by my website at www.VoteWillConley.com.
Take care, and I’ll see you around town!
–––––––––––––––––––
Editor,
In typical political fashion, Commissioner Conley makes claims in this Roundup Q&A that range from exaggerations to being outright false. Here are just a few of them.
Conley claims the road bond "comes down to safety, pure and simple." Not according to official data. A few small projects on US 290, SH 21 and The Junction on RR 12 can be demonstrated to fall into safety projects, but over 80% of the bond funds will be spent on making existing safe roads less safe. At least this is what official DPS accident records and road engineering research tells us. Not a single person promoting the road bond ever provided any objective support of their claims that the road bond would make our major roads safer. Instead, they used photos of children and EMS slogans appealing to voter emotions. Such tactics got them voter approval but Conley's safety claim is simply not factual. I guess its better to feel safer than to actually be safer.
Conley claims that the TxDOT $133 million payback over twenty years is "well over half the cost of the road improvements". This shows how little Conley understands about interest rates and the impact of inflation, or is he just being disingenuous? Anyone paying their twenty or thirty year home mortgage knows that the interest paid is greater than the principle. And it doesn't take (an) Economist to know that a dollar spent today won't be worth much in twenty years.
Finally, any future TxDOT payback won't be seen by taxpayers. Future commissioners' court will simply spend it as our tax bonds are finally paid down. Conley writes that, "I led the court in rewriting subdivision regulations." The truth is that our consultants with sustained effort by stakeholder representatives . . . rewrote the subdivision regulations, not Conley or anyone else on the court. Conley can take credit for leading the special interests charge to roll back the consensus efforts of the stakeholders. In commissioners' court today, Nov. 18, Conley will have voted to diminish the carefully considered rules designed to protect adjoining property owners from post development increase in rate and volume of stormwater runoff. Maybe this is what Conley meant by his "rewriting" the subdivision regulations.
There are many other unfounded claims that Conley makes, but isn't that what elected officials do? I even question the photograph Conley represented as being him.
Here is a photo of the Conley I know at commissioners court.
Don't get scammed, check first
Update: Nov. 14, 2008 –– I had emailed the Hays County GOP and notified the party that it had incorrectly / falsely provided cell phone misinformation to the public and that it should remove it and publicly apologize for this error. One hour later I checked the site and the party had removed the false cell phone commentary without an apology or any reference to it. It appears the GOP is trying to pretend the incorrect information was never on the site. Politics as per usual? No one wants to admit to a mistake?
-- P.S.
An alert reader has caught the local GOP web site passing on some possibly bogus information. 
Party officials, it would seem, have bought into a scary chain email that's been going around for a couple of years warning that our cell phone numbers are about to be released to the whole world and to those obnoxious telemarketers.Their web site message is almost identical to the errant email.Here's what it says: "REMINDER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month. All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS To prevent this, call the National Do Not Call List from your cell phone at: 888-382-1222. It takes about 20 seconds of your time and blocks your number for 5 years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number."
A quick check with Google found dozens of entries debunking this information as myth, or half true at best.
Here's one of the entries, posted Jan. 25, 2008:
Email Hoax: Cell Phone Numbers NOT going public. I received a note yesterday from an advocate who forwarded on an email claiming that cell phone numbers were about to be released to telemarketers and the email contained the official Do Not Call Registry phone number.
The email claimed: "Cell phone numbers going public tomorrow – Reminder: All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies tomorrow and you will start to receive sales calls. You will be charged for these calls. To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: (888) 382-1222. It is the National Do Not Call list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number. Help others by passing this on to all your friends. It takes about 20 seconds."
In an attempt to alert others, many of us proceeded to forward this email on – just as the email advised. A few minutes later while doing a bit of research on these claims, I was happy to find our numbers were not about to be released – rather, it was just an email hoax.
The good news is, if you acted on the email and called the Registry to log your cell phone number, no harm was done. You simply added another level of protection by registering your number with the Do Not Call Registry. The phone number itself was and is, a known legitimate number to the offical Do Not Call Registry.
You can call the same number to register your home phone number if you haven't done so. If you did so years ago – remember it only blocks calls for five (5) years.
FTC facts: "If you've received an e-mail telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database, rest assured that this is not the case," the FTC says. "Telemarketing to cell phone numbers has always been illegal in most cases and will continue to be so. In response to recent e-mail campaigns urging consumers to place their cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission issue this advisory to give consumers the facts."
Registry program: FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers on their cell phones without their consent. Wireless 411 service: Qsent Inc. is working on a "wireless 411" directory and the new Wireless 411 Service will provide cell phone users the choice and opportunity to list cell phone numbers in the same nationwide voice 411 service they use for land-line phones. They must opt-in to the service to be included, and consumers wishing to be left out of the directory need only ignore the opportunity to be included. Directory numbers will be given out individually, as requested, but the directory will not be published or sold to telemarketers.
Asks Attorney General to issue an opinion on legality
From the KVUE newsroom Wed., Nov. 12, 2008
By Noelle Newton
By orders from the Governor's office, the chair of the Public Safety Commission sent a letter to Attorney General Greg Abbott asking for a legal opinion to allow DPS checkpoints. Before Abbott could respond, 15 lawmakers sent a letter urging him to deny the request.
(A report filed by KXAN - Austin, described Perry's request as "a statewide system for random driver checkpoints." Story link here )
KVUE News spoke by phone with State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio). She signed the letter.
"There are 31 senators and 130 house members and they make up the state legislature,” said McClendon. “They alone are the ones that have that authority to make that decision no one else and no other agency."
In a typical checkpoint, officers line up along a feeder road, or an exit to a highway, and they stop every driver checking for license, insurance and registration.
Governor Rick Perry's office released this statement: “Driver license checkpoints are an effective and efficient law enforcement tool that increases overall compliance with requirements to operate a motor vehicle."
McClendon and other representatives fear it may be used to target illegal immigrants.
"It's a privacy issue because they have no authority to do that," McClendon said.
It looks like she may get the chance to vote on the issue. If Abbott doesn't give DPS clearance to do checkpoints, Governor Perry's office says he will push the state legislature to approve it in the next session.
Abbott has 180 days to issue an opinion.
New agreement will give PEC unprecedented access to LCRA information and greater flexibility to purchase power from other providers
Approval is expected at board's Nov. 17 meeting; members are urged to comment at: www.pec.coop
Email your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
Media Contact: Anne Harvey, (830) 868-4933; Austin line, (512) 219-2602
Johnson City – Pedernales Electric’s Board met Monday, Nov. 10, to discuss the Cooperative’s ongoing wholesale power contract negotiations with the Lower Colorado River Authority. The contract has been a primary focus of PEC’s Board and management team since April.
PEC Deputy General Manager Paul Hilgers presented an overview of the proposed agreement, stressing that the presentation is “to give our members more opportunity to understand the decisions that are taking place at Pedernales Electric Cooperative.” Hilgers said an expert team composed of PEC staff, utility industry consultants and legal minds worked on the amended agreement in collaboration with the LCRA.
The new agreement, scheduled for approval at the PEC Board meeting on Nov. 17, will extend the relationship between the Cooperative and the LCRA through 2041. The contract will give PEC more flexibility, unprecedented access to LCRA information, and establish a more collaborative partnership on costs, rates and resource planning. The amended agreement revolves around five basic benefits to Cooperative members:
• Progressive power provisions. The LCRA will cooperate with Pedernales Electric in the development and potential funding of conservation, demand-side management, energy efficiency, renewable energy and distributed energy programs.
• Greater flexibility to purchase power from other suppliers. This tenet provides options for Pedernales Electric to purchase electricity from other sources, if the LCRA’s rates are less than competitive in the future. It also improves PEC’s ability to pursue additional renewable energy options.
• Heightened transparency and information sharing on costs and rates. The LCRA will now share information about actions — primarily those affecting rates and the development or retirement of generation assets — with a Rates and Resources Council comprised of wholesale customers.
• Greater influence and partnership with the LCRA. The Rates and Resources Council will have direct input on LCRA decisions affecting rates and resource planning.
• Stabilizing factors. Solidifying a long-term contract mitigates risk and helps stabilize both organizations in the eyes of the financial community.
“This contract redefines the relationship between Pedernales Electric and the LCRA,” said PEC General Manager Juan Garza, “and signals a new era of partnership between the LCRA and its wholesale customers.
PEC members have the opportunity to view the presentation outlining the contract online at www.pec.coop, and to further comment on the proposed contract at the next Board meeting on Nov. 17. In addition, the Cooperative will discuss provisions to the contract at three governance and legislative leadership meetings throughout the service area.
Says it all comes down to "fear and love"
Email your comments to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
Matthew Dowd, George W. Bush's chief campaign strategist in 2000 and 2004, delivered a moving message Sunday, Nov. 9 at Unity Church of Wimberley. His visit to the church was a surprise to many. His presentation was entitled, "Coming Home: A Journey Through Life."
Dowd shared a number of difficult and disappointing challenges in his life, both personal and political. "All choices," he said, "come down to (choosing between) fear and love." After many years in the rough and tumble world of political consulting, Dowd said he chose to make his home in Wimberley.
Dowd is a frequent guest political commentator on national networks and cable tv. He broke ranks with the Bush administration last year over the Iraq war and failed leaderhip. In the presidential campaign, Dowd criticized John McCain's pick of Sara Palin as his running mate.
A Michigan native, Dowd began his political career as a Democrat and once worked for Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock. He switched parties in 1999 and joined the Bush campaign for president.
Letter writer asks, 'What's up with that! We already have the highest premiums in the country'
Email your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
or pstern@austin.rr.com
Dear TDI Commissioner Mike Geeslin and Texas Legislators:
This request for a hike in homeowner insurance is an outrage (see story below). Four years ago Farmers Insurance, along with other companies in Texas, doubled insurance premiums and now it wants even more. In some cases the coverage of homes dropped while the increases were applied.
Currently Texas has the highest cost of homeowner insurance premiums in the nation.
The insurance commission should say "No!" to Farmers and the legislature needs to cut down on the lax legislation provided to the industry.
There is no justification for another increase at this time no matter how Farmers tries to defend it to the commission. Currently I pay more than $1,700 per year for my basic homeowner policy. Some homeowners pay more. Isn't that enough?
In addition, if Farmers gets an increase – no matter how much – the other insurance companies in Texas will follow suit.
It is time the Texas Department of Insurance and elected officials protect homeowners in Texas from yet another financial assault by a greedy insurance industry. We have paid enough!
Sincerely, Peter Stern, Driftwood, Tx
Farmers Insurance plans to up rates
AUSTIN — Farmers Insurance has filed for an average rate increase of 9.9 percent for homeowners insurance policies effective in February, state and company officials said Friday.
The Texas Department of Insurance says it is reviewing the rate increase, which is to take effect Feb. 16 on typical homeowner policies across the state.
"There will be ample time for us to make sure that it's a good rate," said insurance department spokesman Jerry Hagins.
Farmers spokeswoman Michelle Levy said the rate was filed earlier this week and that the increase is intended to cover the increased costs of labor and materials. It has been under consideration for several months and is not occurring because of Hurricanes Ike and Dolly, both of which struck Texas this year, she said.
Texas has a "file and use" policy that allows a company to file a rate and use it, though the state insurance department can review whether the rate is fair.
There was a telling qualitative difference in the crowds' responses to Obama's and McCain's election night speeches that spoke volumes
Email your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net or arrowbiz@austin.rr.com
By Rocky Boschert
The telling difference between Barack Obama and John McCain was exemplified at the very end by the supporter response they each got during their respective election night speeches. Obama’s acknowledgement that John McCain “has sacrificed more than anyone can imagine for the country he loves” was greeted with applause and appreciation. John McCain’s recognition that Obama’s resounding victory was an historical American milestone was greeted with boo’s and jeers.
Clearly, one Presidential campaign exemplified hope, good will, positive thought and youth while the other exemplified divisiveness, distrust, and a sort of ‘business as usual” contempt. It is this qualitative difference that propelled Barack Obama to be President-Elect of the United States of America. The United States and the world will be a better place with a Barack Obama Presidency.With this Presidential election, a majority of Americans finally agreed that for our nation to effectively lead and prosper in a 21st Century global economy, the US President must 1) be intelligent, 2) work from a compassionate multicultural perspective, 3) hire competent help, 4) listen to all sides, 5) try to find mediation and solutions to conflicts, using war only as a last resort, and 6) help others prosper, both inside and outside our country. These are the qualities George W. Bush was unable to instill in his presidency. And in the end, compared to Barack Obama, voters didn’t believe John McCain had these leadership qualities.
Good Riddance to Republican Party Divisiveness
What was rejected on Tuesday, November 4 was a narrow minded, fear-based Republican mindset that tried once again to keep Americans divided and confused with outdated platitudes and false ugly accusations. The election of President-Elect Obama was a national statement signaling an end to the divisive post 9-11 indignation that the Republican Party has exploited all these years to stay in power.
For example, voters ultimately rejected the insipid and phony white, blue collar symbol of “Joe the Plumber.” Joe was in fact neither a licensed plumber nor an entrepreneur nor the average guy looking for economic answers. His image was really an ill-conceived Republican advertising ploy that failed to resonate with the economic multiculturalism of a comprehensive America. In reality, Joe the Plumber seemed more like one of those exploited wrestlers you see on the WWF pay per view events. In the final analysis, Joe the Plumber was Joe the Scammer, going rogue and using the RNC to further his own entertainment career.
The election of Barack Obama to the US Presidency also exposed the lack of competence inherent in the Republican Party leadership. Remember when Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin, as part of their convention speeches, both asserted that Obama’s “community organizing” background was a clear sign of his vapidity and inexperience? Well, Mr. Giuliani and Ms. Palin, it is those inner city “community organizers” from Chicago that kicked your butts and the butts of the Karl Rove-engineered Republican sleaze machine. Forever changed are the strategies and tactics to be used in future election campaigns.
In reality, President-Elect Barack Obama is the best thing that could have happened to the Republican Party. No longer can the RNC and its state and local clones continue to rely primarily on right wing extremists and/or mindless free markets fanatics to get their candidates elected. What is very telling about the current state of the Republican Party is that most of the Party’s moderate intelligentsia ended up endorsing Barack Obama. As a result, a new bi-partisan cooperative America may have emerged from the smoldering ruins of mean-spirited Republican politics and the new confirmed hope of Barack Obama.
In reality, the honeymoon won't last long – progressives must walk the walk
In the end, however, the historic Obama election honeymoon won’t last long. The US economy is in taters and the world needs reconciliation and a coordinated economic plan. Obama and the Democrats need to make good on most of their promises. It is time for liberals and progressives to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Obama has the good will of most of the country now and hopefully he and his party won’t screw it up. All truly patriotic Americans will support Barack Obama as long as he shows common sense and intelligence in matters both domestic and foreign.
Finally, with the election of Barack Obama, we can now take a rest from two endless years of presidential campaigning and three sadly laughable months of Sarah Palin’s political beauty pageantry.
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.
Painfully enough, that old saying also holds true for elections . . . 'you get what you vote for'
Email your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net or codell@austin.rr.com
By Charles O'Dell, Ph.D.
The most exciting and encouraging element of the 2008 election in Hays County was the high number of voters, including first-time voters, who came out to vote. The most disappointing and discouraging election result was the road bond outcome. Voters fell into an official
disinformation campaign trap, and voted for more spending and more taxes to finance a few special interest roads promoted as safety and mobility improvements.
After the stinging rebuke in last year’s $172,000,000 road bond, our road warriors carefully crafted a campaign with the mantra of making our roads safer and less congested. In practical terms this means building huge expensive new roads from scratch that are faster, historically and statistically more deadly, and that simply relocate any existing congestion to where these big new roads converge into two lanes or dead end.
Sprinkle in a few real long-neglected safety and mobility projects from around the county costing about $50 million and you have tricked voters into financing the expensive developer roads they turned down just last year. To get a pound of bacon voters have to purchase the whole pork-barrel.
If history is our guide, it will be a free-for-all scramble for the pork.
In an orchestrated effort of coordination between the public purse and the special interest road bond Political Action Committee, Hays Families for Safe Mobility, voters were treated to a massive and persistent flow of print rhetoric and baseless cries for increased road safety and mobility. Commissioners’ Court spent well over $125,000 in consultant fees and to print and mail to 80,000 voters an official brochure full of disinformation and omissions. Don’t confuse voters with the facts.
The players and the process
Should there be any doubt that our elected officials and the special interests from outside Hays County organized and coordinated their simultaneous assaults on our voters, they need only consider the players, the process, and follow the money. Commissioners Jeff Barton and Will Conley provided leadership and support for the PAC. You can view their photos front and center on the PAC web site.
In just over a month the special interest road PAC raised more than $20,000, over seventy percent of which came from outside of Hays County. Here’s a sampling of contributors:
Walton Texas, LP, Phoenix, Az., $5,000
Tex-Best Travel Ctr, Inc., McAllen, Tx., $5,000
John Weisman, Uvalde, Tx., $3,000
Ignite Consulting, Austin, Tx., $3,500
Opinion Analysts, Austin, Tx., $7,000
Hancock/Hanks Investments, Ltd., Austin, Tx., $2,500
Heldenfels Enterprises, Inc., San Marcos, Tx., $500
A reasonable person would ask, “Why would these folks have any interest in a $207 million Hays County road bond?”
The same folks who created the massive road bonds for taxpayers in Williamson County have been working directly with our Hays County commissioners’ court special interest majority, Barton, Conley and Debbie Ingalsbe. Mike Weaver of Prime Strategies, and his road services gang are providing the same 
blueprint for Hays County that they did for Williamson County, including taxpayer financed developer roads, and the road congestion that comes with their so-called safety and mobility improvements.
Conley, Barton and Ingalsbe have already approved millions of tax dollars for their special interests, including Prime Strategies, Dannenbaum Engineering, Loomis Partners, Klotz Associates and others. Former Hays County Judge Jim Powers works for Klotz Associates. Former Pct 3 Commissioner Bill Burnett worked for Dannenbaum and now works for Loomis. Barton and former Hays County Judge Eddy Etheredge both work for Doucet and Associates of Austin. Conley is beholding to local developer Randall Morris, Dannenbaum, Loomis and other special interests. Talk about your revolving door between special interests and elected officials.
In the summer of 2006, Commissioner Conley sponsored diversion of $5 million from our 2001 county road bond to jumpstart last year’s road bond to finance state roads, the defeated predecessor of this year’s $207 million bond approved by voters to work on I-35 and new state roads. It just keeps getting worse for our property taxes.
Earlier this year Barton, Conley and Ingalsbe quietly sponsored a $19.5 million special tax road bond that doesn’t require voter approval. Are you keeping score?
What's next? Taxpayers face a ballooning debt and tax increases
What’s next from this tax and spend Commissioners’ Court majority that is making these hard times even harder for local taxpayers? With over $300,000,000 in long-term debt now facing Hays County taxpayers how will the court build its planned jail or the new $30 million government center? No problem. More debt and higher taxes for property owners.
Special interests are taking care of the special interest court members. Who is taking care of the taxpayer interests?
The following is attributed to Abraham Lincoln, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
How about fooling 65% of the voters?
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.
Media Contact: Anne Harvey, (830) 868-4933; Austin line, (512) 219-2602
Johnson City – Pedernales Electric’s Board will meet Monday, Nov. 10, to discuss the Cooperative’s ongoing wholesale power contract negotiations with the Lower Colorado River Authority. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at PEC’s Johnson City headquarters at 201 S. Avenue F, and a map to the venue is available at PEC's web site.
“There has been significant work and effort by both parties to structure a contract that is fair to PEC, fair to LCRA and most importantly, in the best interest of PEC members,” commented PEC Deputy General Manager Paul Hilgers. “On Monday we want to share the progress, direction and overriding measures of the proposed contract with our members.” LCRA already is contracted to provide electricity to PEC through 2016.
Hilgers is scheduled to open the meeting by giving a public report that outlines the proposed new contract. After taking member input, the Board will enter executive session to examine legalities and other specifics related to the contract, which is expected to be approved as soon as PEC’s Nov. 17 Board meeting.
The agenda for the meeting is posted on the Pedernales Electric web site. Members interested in addressing the Board at the meeting should call PEC toll-free at 1-888-554-4732 to be placed on the schedule. Speakers are each allotted three minutes to give their input.
Road bond is a good example of the unabashed use of taxpayers' money to promote a special interest agendaEmail your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.netor codell@austin.rr.comOpinion
By Charles O'Dell, Ph.D.
Taxing and public spending authority provide the means for controlling the public decision making process. And when elected officials control the public decision making process they can exercise greater control over voters through the use of propaganda and selected information.
The 2008 Hays County special interest road bond is a case in point.Last year, despite misinformation provided by Hays County Commissioners Jeff Barton and Will Conley, and the pro-Road Bond PAC that raised $65,000 from special interests to promote the bond, and tons of public official endorsements, including State Representative Patrick Rose, voters resoundingly turned down a special interest road bond that would have cost taxpayers in excess of $172,000,000.
Undeterred by the voters, Barton and Conley are back with an old/new road bond that will cost taxpayers more than $207,000,000 if approved. But this time Barton and Conley are overtly using public funds to control the public decision making process by misinforming voters.
First, create the illusion of citizen involvement
Here’s how they spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to market a more bloated special interest $207,000,000 road bond to voters.
To create an illusion of citizen involvement, the commissioners’ court road bond majority comprised of Barton, Conley and Ingalsbe, voted to create a Citizen Road Bond Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee of appointed citizens was told to evaluate proposed local road projects and recommend to commissioners’ court which should be added to the special interest road bond projects carried over from the 2007 road bond.
Each commissioner appointed two members of the Advisory Committee and the County Judge appointed the chair, for a total of nine members. This allowed the court’s pro-road bond majority to appoint a majority of pro-road bond citizens.
The court then solicited local road projects from local governmental entities throughout the County as possible “sweeteners” to the basic and most expensive special interest road projects carried over from the 2007 road bond. About forty local projects were proposed to the Citizen Advisory Committee.
Transportation consultants were hired to hastily hold four public workshops, one in each commissioner precinct, where they had citizens rank a set of predetermined criteria, and then use those criteria to somehow rank the forty local projects submitted from around the county.
Approximately twelve citizens attended the workshop held in Wimberley, twenty five in Dripping Springs, thirty in San Marcos and maybe a hundred in Buda. I participated in the Wimberley and Dripping Springs workshops. Participants were asked to rank the forty county-wide local projects but few citizens were familiar with all the local projects in their own precincts, much less those in the other three precincts. It was a seriously flawed process but the objective was to give the appearance of a citizen driven process and to provide cover for elected officials.
Second, add a sprinkle of local project sweetners
The consultants tallied the meaningless workshop results and submitted them to the Citizen Advisory Committee charged with selecting local road projects and recommending them to the court. The goal was to sprinkle in local projects in each precinct to fool/attract voters throughout Hays County.
Evidence of how meaningless the citizen process was is further demonstrated by Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe who interjected widening of rural CR 266. Ingalsbe lives on CR 266, but the primary objective was to widen a two-lane rural road to a four/five lane rural road with public financing for two developers, Houston tobacco attorney John O’Quinn who owns 450 acres on CR 266, and local developer W.C. Carson who owns 1,600 acres on CR 266.
Once local projects were selected by the Citizen Advisory Committee and recommended to commissioners’ court it was then time to market the $207,000,000 road bond.
Third, roll out the special interests & taxpayer paid marketing scheme
This is being done through a coordinated effort between the three pro-road bond commissioners and the Hays Families for Safe Mobility Political Action Committee. Virtually all funding for the PAC mailings, signs and promotions came from special interests located in Houston, Waco, McAllen and other areas outside of Hays County. These special interests simply want a piece of the bond action, and some have contributed to the election campaigns of Barton and Conley.
Five members of the Citizen Advisory Committee and Commissioner Barton are all listed as members of the Political Action Committee that is working in close coordination with those county officials pushing the road bond, Barton, Conley and Ingalsbe.
Photo taken from the road bond PAC web site with Commissioners Barton and Conley, front and center.
Using low-ball guesstimates of how much additional property tax will be required to pay for a total county long-term debt exceeding $300,000,000 if the bond is approved, and in the face of the most serious global economic recession since the Great Depression, the commissioners spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars for consultants and to print the County’s propaganda brochure entitled, Hays County 2008 Road Bond Proposition, and mail it to 80,000 households.
Over 40,000 Hays County citizens have voted during early voting. An additional 40,000 Hays County citizens are expected to vote tomorrow on Election Day. The road bond is not a partisan matter and it should be defeated once again by voters. Defeating it a second time will send a strong message to our elected officials that voters will not be controlled by propaganda, whether from a PAC, official charades or an official brochure paid for by our tax dollars. Demand that the public interest be served, not special interests.
For less than half the cost of today’s proposed $207,000,000 special interest road bond being pushed onto us in this deepening economic recession, we could pay for ALL forty of the locally proposed road improvement projects instead of just those selected as “sweeteners.”
I voted AGAINST this 2008 special interest road bond, and if I lived in precincts 1 or 3, I would hold those elected officials accountable for trying to control the public decision making process through misuse of our tax dollars. A road bond with merit wouldn’t require propaganda for voter approval.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.
One good place to start is to end the cronyismEmail your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
or arrowbiz@austin.rr.com
By Rocky Boschert
Even though the fat cats on Wall Street are being bailed out by the two-headed one party system in Washington DC, we Wimberley and Hays County residents need more than ever to work together and learn more about how to feign for ourselves.
But before I go on, I have a confession to make. I applied for some federal bailout funds. But since I run my business well and have no debt and didn’t lie to my clients, I was told I don’t deserve your bailout tax dollars. I even asked for a multi-million dollar “golden parachute” lump sum paid for with your tax dollars but was told I would simply have to live on my normal and healthy annual income. Bummer!
Yes, the lesson here is simple: the American capitalist free markets are great until we get ourselves into trouble. And now that the stock markets, administered by crony-run banks and brokers, have blown up, 
our tax dollars are all of a sudden really important and welcome. See, we are now being told by the free markets fans that if we don’t cough up more tax revenues, our businesses will fail and we’ll lose our homes, cars, and big screen TVs. Not only that, but our young adult children will have to get a job at Dairy Queen or go to community college instead of UT and we would lose our health insurance while our spouses are forced to work at some unnecessary government agency processing home foreclosure forms. At least that’s what we’re being told.
Now don’t get me wrong, most people in America are great. But you have to admit, when the opposing politicians accuse Mr. Obama of “redistributing the wealth” and calling him a communist because he wants to go back to the 1990s tax code that saw the best US economy of the last fifty years, it rings real bogus.
Think about it: What has the Bush Administration been doing for eight years but giving more and more money through tax breaks to the top 10% while the rest of America sees inflation-adjusted wages decline, jobs shipped overseas, houses foreclosed on, retirement plan values drop like a rock, and children go without basic health care? To me that’s really “redistributing the wealth” – the wrong way.
Redistributing the wealth, hometown style
But enough said about politics. Let’s focus on what we as a community can do together to support our local economy during the current recession. We can start by looking at the way our community works. Hence, here are some ideas that may help “redistribute the wealth” to each other here in Wimberley and Hays County:
First, make use of the local Farmer’s market every Wednesday across from the Market Days field. By shopping there, we can eat fresher produce, save money on gasoline, and support local small farmers. In addition to the farmer’s market, local residents should consider a long-term effort to organize community food gardens where both knowledgeable and concerned citizens can help each other as well as lower income families survive in what will probably be an extended economic downturn.
Second, instead of going to Austin and San Marcos, shop for food and services at the local-owned businesses that aren’t ripping you off just because we live in the outpost of Wimberley. I have a bumper sticker that reads: “Break the chains; shop at local independently-owned businesses.”
Third, if you don’t like shopping for all your food at the local grocery store, organize homeowner association ride sharing groups to go to HEB in San Marcos or Whole Foods in Austin. Ride sharing would again lower petrol use and give you a chance to meet and get to know people in your neighborhood. By being more self-help focused, we can quit blaming lying politicians for our lack of control over our lives. And we can be less dependent on what will no doubt be increased corporate control of our day to day lives.
Don’t believe the Wall Street hyperbole
Fourth, to deal with the stock market and your retirement and investment plans, organize and establish local investment clubs. An investment club is comprised of individuals who pool funds in order to make investments and to learn about investment self-management. That is, they help each other invest, and in most cases, they learn to research the investments as well. Most investment clubs set up accounts with a discount broker so they do not have to pay antiquated and costly full service broker commissions.
Considered a small business for tax purposes, investment clubs are generally social groups of like-minded people who want to see their money grow (or protected in a bear market). If you are interested in pooling money and working together with friends and neighbors to help each other invest without the high cost of a broker, then starting and joining an investment club may be a good start in understanding and surviving in the new global economy.
In fact, let me tell you a little professional insider secret. Most investment advisors don’t know any more than you do about how to invest in a bear market. They usually recommend that investors stupidly sit and hold on to their investment without regard to what is really happening in the economy. And believe me, we are in a bear market and we probably will be for another couple of years.
Consider this: Just a few months ago, Goldman Sachs was forecasting $200 a barrel for oil! Today it’s down to about $70.00 a barrel. These guys are masters at giving the investor public buy recommendations at the top of the markets and sell or downgrades at the bottom of the market. And remember when brokers were telling you to buy bank stocks just this past June? Tell me they didn’t know banks were in trouble.
These Wall Street “masters of the universe” are not entirely fools. They want you to buy at the top so they can sell their own positions to you and then turn around and tell you to sell at the bottom so they can buy back cheaply what you are selling. Any investment professional who tells you different has been brainwashed by the economic system we are now seeing fail. And they are probably losing clients because their accounts are down 35% to 40% year to date.
Organize, get smart and stop supporting stupid propositions
In the end, as a community we don’t have to be victims of what is happening economically around the rest
of the country. Between buying from local businesses, organizing co-ops and community gardens for food, smart money management, and not voting for stupid bond propositions that ultimately drain our tax dollars, Wimberley could do surprisingly well in the current recession.
It is time for Wimberley and Hays County residents to shed itself of the arrogance of entitlement and take matters into our local hands. Get rid of politicians who are sneaky promoters of local crony capitalist projects and vote in the ones who want the most people to benefit from the use of our tax dollars. But most important, use your consumer and investment power to work together and help make our local area an intelligent survivor of the American Dream.
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.
You'd think with a deepening recession under way our county officials would take a break from their pork-barrel largess . . . well, this one takes the cake!Email your questions, comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net or codell@austin.rr.comOpinion
By Charles O'Dell, Ph.D.
If you didn’t like last year’s $172 million pork-barrel road bond, and most voters didn’t, then you will hate this year’s $207 million road bond that will send our county debt soaring to well over $300,000,000 so local taxpayers can pay for building state and federal highways, and county roads for local developers.
Voters are asking, “Why are our elected officials trying to push so much long-term debt onto property owners for so many questionable roads, and at the beginning of a deep economic recession?”
Good question.
I just received my slick Hays County 2008 Road Bond Proposition brochure and it’s pure prop·a·gan·da – noun, the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate thinking, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. Produced at taxpayer expense of over $125,000, the brochure would make any honest person blush with embarrassment and a sense of betrayal.
And the slick post card from Hays Families for Safe Mobility PAC, containing claims that fly in the face of official data regarding road safety and mobility, leave readers shaking their heads in disbelief!
Improvements to FM 1626 for safety, or super sizing?
Come on, “…widening dangerous roads like FM 1626…?” Texas Department of Public Safety data for 2003 – 2005 show FM 1626 was one of the County’s safest roads, representing only 3.6% of the County’s 1,661 traffic accidents, and one of only three roads in the county with zero fatalities.
TxDOT, special interests and our County Officials want to turn FM 1626, one of the county’s safest roads, into a highway US 290, the most deadly roadway with six fatalities during that same period, and they want property owners to pay for making FM 1626 less safe.
As for increasing mobility, the special road interests want county residents to pay to build FM 110, a new $30 million five lane highway from the San Marcos Hotel/Convention Center at I-35, past the new San Marcos High School and to SH 123 where it dead-ends. SH 123 runs back to I-35, and with three traffic lights all within a few hundred feet it would worsen the already congested High School traffic.
And who would want their inexperienced high school drivers on a high-speed, five lane road to nowhere? FM 110 would make a dangerous racing strip for kids, but it has nothing to do with safety or mobility.
. . . and padding the special interests
Another of many bogus safety and mobility road projects contained in the bond is CR 266, sponsored by Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe. This expensive project is to convert a two-lane rural road that goes to the Comal county line, into a four/five-lane rural road that goes to the Comal county line. The CR 266 project is simply a developer road for Houston attorney John O'Quinn who owns about 450 acres, and W.C. Carson of San Marcos who has about 1600 acres along CR 266. Commissioner Ingalsbe also lives on that stretch of CR 266. Not with my taxes.
How did these and other bogus road projects get included in the 2008 road bond?
The three pro-road bond County Commissioners, Barton, Conley and Ingalsbe, appointed pro-road bond citizens to the Citizen Advisory Board, the group that recommended which road projects to include in the 2008 road bond. Compare the Advisory Board names with the names supporting the road PAC.
Major research shows that 80% of traffic accidents are caused by driver distractions: cell phones, eating, applying makeup, reading, talking, fiddling with the radio or CD player, etc. This behavior has nothing to do with roadway engineering. That is a matter of driver education and law enforcement.
Studies also show that as roadways become wider and straighter, traffic speeds increase and fender benders become fatalities. Proven road design that includes three lanes, turn lanes and roundabouts in place of traffic signals increase mobility without sacrificing safety.
Higher fuel prices = reduced motoring demand
It is clear that higher fuel prices are reducing the number of miles driven and are creating less demand for new suburban homes. It’s also becoming clear that future population growth patterns will involve more dense urban locations that support public transportation. Investing in obsolete TxDOT road design of the 1950’s and 1960’s is not the vision citizens of Hays County need in these hard economic times.
Playing on peoples fears and providing false and misleading information to convince citizens they should vote for something not in their own best interests is not only a disservice to our citizens, but also a violation of public trust.
With honest leadership we can have a responsible road bond that will achieve improved safety where it is needed, and increased mobility that reflects future trends in transportation needs.
I will vote AGAINST this expensive, wasteful, irresponsible special interest road bond with the expectation that elected officials will eventually be in place who have true vision and will honor the public trust.
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.
Say it isn't so Commissioners Conley, Barton, Ingalsbe, Ford, Judge Sumter, Road Chief Borcherding
Who's minding the store?
Email your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net
Did you know that:
A) Since the County Road Department went on 4 10-hour days, overtime pay has spiralled out of control. In one month alone, the overtime for County road employees has been anywhere from 24 to 100 hours paid at time and a half!
Amazingly, the Road Supervisors are not salaried. They are hourly, too, and they get the same time and a half overtime pay, at their higher salaries!
B) Hays County is having to buy new equipment because the recently purchased equipment (about a year ago) is already abused and no longer in good enough condition to run properly.
C) The Hays County supervisors are about to get new pickup trucks to ride around in. The ones they have now are about 2 years old.
D) Hays County recently purchased a new road oil base that doesn't stick to the road surface, so all the roads done, with that poor quality road oil base, will have to be redone.
E) An unbelievable fact is that Hays County has class A and class B CDL drivers ON THEIR PAYROLL that are actually flagging traffic for other trucking companies that are hired out by Hays County! Hays County does not use the truck drivers they already have on their payrolls to drive the trucks for the road jobs. Instead, they hire out to other trucking companies. This is a gross under-utilization of the qualified manpower they already have!
Yet, they have the nerve to ask the taxpayers for $207 MILLION. Why throw money at a problem where the solution is simply to have proper management and less waste.
CONLEY: This comes down to safety, pure and simple. Our road system was designed for the 1950s and 60s, and in many cases it hasn’t been updated since then. However, Hays County is home to over 100,000 people now, not 10,000. We must be proactive in improving our road safety, or else we will pay the price.
