There was a lot that happened at our meeting last night but I’m attempting to keep this brief. I’d like to give you the run down and why I voted the way I did. Also, there were some VERY good things that happened in this meeting like how we approved an inter local agreement with Cedar Hill for mental support for first responders. I LOVE this! So please don’t think this is all negative.
Also, for reference, here is a link to the agenda packet, which has all the details of each item: 9/16/19 City Council Agenda Packet
Item 22: Mr. Thedford’s case at Garden Valley Pkwy and Brown: Denied - While Mr. Thedford will most likely try to get his engineer letters about draining and bring this case back, it has been denied for now. This is just a poor place to put the development he wants to build for many reasons, but I’m keeping this “short” remember? So I’ll move on.
Item 8: Approved 4-1 (I voted against) - This was an ordinance to pass 31.5 MILLION dollars of Certificates of Obligation. Much of this amount was for infrastructure and items that need to be done for the WWTP (waste water treatment plant). Even though I’m not a fan of CO bonds (this is YOUR debt the city is incurring without YOUR consent and primarily backed by property taxes), I would’ve voted FOR the infrastructure monies because I know we need them. I voted against because of the items I felt were extraneous and could’ve been done using different funds instead of incurring debt. If the public voted FOR the $31.5 million, then I would’ve voted for it as well. I just couldn’t get behind that method of funding for some of the projects.
Item 31: General Fund Budget: Approved 4-1 (I voted against) - I do agree with Council that there are are some great things in this FY 2020 budget, but I feel there is a lot of fat to trim. In addition, this budget is predicated upon a 0.68/ $100 valuation, so it was a no for this. This doesn't mean that I don't appreciate staff's time and dedication to creating a budget. There's a lot of work involved and I appreciate all that they do. I just couldn't approve of the budget itself.
Item 33: Ordinance Increasing Water & Wastewater fees: Approve 4-1 (I voted against). There are many reasons including having an excess in the account (I am 99% sure of this, but you can check it yourself through last year's budget and financial statements online) and how expensive it already is. My family moved back to Texas (and our lovely city of Waxahachie) from the desert of New Mexico, and here's the kicker - we pay MORE for water here than we did in the desert. That just doesn't seem right to me at all.
Items 32, 34, 35: Multiple Budgets - Approved 5-0
Item 36: Ordinance to Approve a Senior Citizen Discount for Solid Waste / Water Bill - Approved 5-0: Residents 65+ can show proof of age to water billing folks. It's approximately $2/month
Item 37: Ordinance Approving the 0.68 tax rate for fiscal year 2019-2020. Approved 4-1 (I voted against) I get that going down to 0.65 isn't a drastic change but it IS something. There was plenty of room in the budget for this reduction and we wouldn't have to cut any first responders. I hesitate to say it wouldn't cut services as well though, because it depends what people think of when it comes to that. Basically, you wouldn't see any change except for more money in your bank account. This is why I voted no. You can see the analysis I did in the graphs. It has a cumulative effect and people are paying way too much for taxes here. Not only that, but conservatively, 90-95% of my constituents wanted a reduction in the tax rate. I cannot ignore what people want. I pledged to give the folks a voice in City Hall and I feel I'm honoring that promise.
Item 44: Consider Board Appointments: Approved 5-0. I haven't mentioned anything about this as of yet, but I feel that I need to at least get it down for my own record (although I won't include EVERY tiny detail). I feel, and in fact it is written in our city's charter, that the Council has a say in who is appointed to boards. Not the Mayor nor the City Manager appoint are to appoint, but the Council as a whole.
That's not what happened this year. I didn't even have any input on the appointments to the 5 boards I am the liaison to before the meeting. We were presented with a slate and one councilmember made a change at the meeting, but otherwise, that was it. I didn't even see the applications we had for people to serve on boards. Let me clarify that I, without any hesitation, GREATLY appreciate all of our board members. Just like Council, they serve without pay and they give their time to the city. We have so many wonderful, knowledgeable people on our boards as well! It's been nice getting to know everyone a bit more and how each has a particular niche that they excel in (or multiple as is the case most times.) This is why I could justify voting to approve the slate.
I just don't like the PROCEDURE for how this is currently being done. I really feel that it should be a more open process and because we have so many people who WANT to get involved, that there should probably be a maximum of 1 person to a board and that the terms should probably be enforced. That way, it gives others a chance to get involved and share their ideas too. At a minimum, I feel strongly that it should be done in a way so that we are in line with our charter. Again, I'm not upset with the people who were on the slate, or who currently serve on our boards at all... I just think it's time to let others in.
Well, it turns out that this wasn't short at all. I did intend it to be. Here is the link to the video and you can watch the almost 3 hour long meeting (not including the hour long briefing before the meeting) to see for yourself what happened. Video of the 9/16/19 City Council Meeting
My last comment here is that although I don't always vote in line with the Council there is no denying the time and effort each member of our Council puts in. I believe in giving credit where it is due and genuinely thank them for their time and effort.
Okay... LAST last comment! THANK YOU to everyone who came out and participated in the meeting last night! Most people were there for zoning cases, but some spoke about the budget and tax rate and I appreciate every one of you!
Have a GREAT rest of your week, Waxahachie!
Your Friendly Councilmember,
Melissa Olson
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