The Galveston Daily News missed the point
An article in today’s Galveston paper misrepresented the situation confronting Friendswood taxpayers. Taxpayers deserve to know the facts.
Fact #1: Taxpayers already rejected the $9 million bond initiative the city leaders recently proposed.
Fact #2: Now the city council wants to spend $11 million and claim they won’t incur any debt. Give me a break – did the “need” the $9 million or not? If not, why did they ask taxpayers for it.
Fact #3: This paper also failed to mention one itsy bitsy tiny point. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a letter last Friday saying that the City didn’t have the authority to purchase the land in Alvin, since it is outside the City’s jurisdiction and the City Charter doesn’t expressly grant that authority.
No matter, say the city attorney, Mayor David Smith and the Council ignore the AG and now proceed to attempt to extort them with blood money (or did I say “silence them”).
Fact #4: The reporter also got it wrong that the city can issue certificates of obligation without voter approval. The City Charter says “debt” and the City leaders are claiming that the $11 million can be paid out of existing revenue streams.
They also claim it to be an emergency – good grief, Charlie Brown – err, David Smith – since when is a ball park a public emergency? The city claims that the projects they are proposing using the certificates of obligation for aren’t the same as the bond initiative, but some look the same to me.
Finally, the City isn’t just up against these five citizens. I think the City leaders will be surprised to find the citizens who voted against the bond initiative will also oppose this $11 million gimmick.
The city leaders have to hope that this threat of $1 million bond in hush money will keep alert residents quiet so the City can purchase the land which City leaders have already signed for and which the developer is already improving…unless the AG gets involved again.
In any case, the Citizens of Friendswood are being taken for a very expensive joy ride by their elected officials. Problem is, it’s not so joyful. Citizens will pay for the lawsuit either way. Friendswood Mayor David Smith is using Friendswood taxpayer dollars for this lawsuit boondoggle.
Friendswood elected officials should be ashamed of their antics!
Peggy Venable, taxpayer advocate for 15 years
And Director, Americans for Prosperity-Texas
Click here to read the flawed Galveston Daily News report:
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=61bae0c100093019
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3 comments:
Thank you Peggy, for your tireless service on behalf of the taxpayer, in general, and on behalf of Friendswood taxpayers, in particular.
Friendswood citizens are uniting in a manner that spans every spectrum you can think of, most notably, political. We want an UP OR DOWN vote of the citizens on any indebtedness the City Council proposes.
As a former Councilmember stated, without a vote of the citizens, the Council could post millions of dollars of projects every Friday at 7 pm and vote the following Monday at 7! As an employed member of the taxpaying public, I don't have time to research/follow that kind of spending!
Remember, the City is already in debt at least $49 million and the Galveston Country portion of the City has also taken on $99 in school bonds with Harris sharing part of the CCISD bond debt--and the current Council thinks there are $165 MILLION MORE projects that "need" to be done?
If the Courts let Friendswood get away with this, the floodgates will open for other municipalities to do the same thing!
Kathy, thanks for the comments.
Actually, when Friendswood taxpayers consider principal and interest, debt there is $74,045,902! That is right off the official Texas Bond Review Board website: www.brb.state.tx.us
And what is a city charter for if not to set limits on spending, debt and on the officials' ability to obligate taxpayers?
Could you please provide a better link to this information. The link above only goes to the home/welcome screen and I am having trouble locating a verifiable reference to the $74M estimated cost figure. thanks!
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