March 12, 2007 22:29 - Hard-working court
Commentary
By Bill Peterson
Whether you approve of the new commissioners court's work or not, one has to grant that the court puts in the time.
The new court, which runs 4-1 in favor of the Democrats, seems to have conducted about as many special meetings and workshops in the last four weeks as the former court held in four years. To settle on a road and parks bond package to bring before voters, the commissioners met almost all day last Tuesday, for much of last Friday and for most of Monday. And when they finally knocked off that contentious issue, they faced a Tuesday morning agenda numbering 30 items.
The former court often conducted meetings as short as 20 minutes, so brief that you missed them if you blinked or stopped for a train. The old court sensed that the voters didn't really want much action and personal animosities among commissioners ran deep. The present commissioners certainly have their differences of opinion, but they came in under the cloud of the road issue and managed to work a compromise that should be satisfying to all parties.
That doesn't mean it's necessarily a package all the commissioners want to pass. We'll learn more about that in the next couple months.
Commissioners who wanted to road projects on ballot as a single up-or-down vote have their wish. Those who harbor suspicions that paying the up-front costs for state roads and recapturing the money from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) might be pleased that the bond proposal asks for $172 million, rather than the $155.8 million originally under consideration. After all, it stands to be a might bit tougher to pass a $172 million proposal and, if it fails, then opponents of the arrangement have won.
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March 16, 2007 23:53 - Buda's Harold Stassen?
Commentary
By Bill Peterson
Hooray for Sharon Faulk, who filed to run for the Buda City Council this week, thereby forcing a May 12 election. Without Faulk's candidacy, the city would have no election, and that simply isn't healthy, no matter how well the council does its work.
Buda is swimming in money with all the new retail business popping up on IH-35. The newest sales tax figures from the state comptroller's office show a March allocation of $269,360.98, which is 39.71 percent higher than a year ago. For the year, Buda already is approaching $1 million. The city is able to buy police protection from Hays County without raising taxes. Buda isn't even large enough yet for home rule, yet it's sales tax allocation this year is nearly three times as large as the allocation for Kyle, which is about six times as large.
But that doesn't mean Buda should forego the discussion every election brings about. When times are so good, that's exactly when public officials should be on their toes. That doesn't mean fix it even if it isn't broke. It means take a look. It's a bit like doing maintenance on your car.
Faulk almost certainly won't win. The incumbents up for election – Cathy Chilcote, Tom Crouse and Sandra Tenorio – are all hard-working councilmembers who are proven effective at winning elections. The three at-large spots all will be picked from one ballot, with each voter selecting up to three names and the top three winning seats.
Faulk is trying for the third time after failing to win in her first two attempts. She's making a bid to become the Harold Stassen of Buda politics. (Stassen, a three-term boy governor of Minnesota in the early 1940s, ran nine times for U.S. President, never coming very close after his second try in 1952).
Whether Faulk wins or not, she makes a valuable contribution to the life of the city just for running, even if only about 200 people vote, which, in light of recent history, is likely.
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