Inside Milam County

THE RACE IS ON

2012-02-03T17:05:00.007-06:00

The race is on for the White House, Congress, state representatives and senators and of course local governmental offices as well. The various media sources have been loaded with reports of the presidential race, and to a lesser extent state and other national races. Where are the reports on local government races?

The signs are-up all over the county and the rumor mill is firing up. Hard to tell where these rumors originate. Some say the candidate's opponent starts them, or perhaps the supporters of a particular candidate or maybe it is just plan ignorance of the voting public.

The reality is we as citizens of Milam County have the opportunity to get to know our local candidates on a personal level. We can approach each and every one them, or call or email them and ask them the pointed questions. Something we can't do with the majority of state and national candidates.

Take time to get to know the issues and the candidates. Remember this?

" Some of you may not know about me and my friends. This is Congressman John Carter and like you I am concerned with the lack of jobs, excessive spending by the government and lack of infrastructure at the federal level state level and county level we need to get Milam County back to work. And to do that we need a new team, a conservative Republican team. I am proud to be on the same ticket….names candidates. This team is dedicated to creating jobs building roads spurring economic development and being held accountable by their neighbors. So go out and vote for this new conservative Republican team that will get Milam County back to work. They deserve the best county leadership in the state and this team will provide it."

That's the text from Senator Carter's political ad from the last general election. I did leave out the candidate's names, but that's it word for word.

Now the point I want to make is that he speaks about several issues that are nothing more than political rhetoric like we will hear until the election is over. I like Congressman Carter but would like to point out that the unemployment rate has not drastically changed in Milam County. There have not been miles and miles of county road paved, and the local county spending increased by $1,187,224.48. That is the increased revenue from taxes.

It is called political rhetoric. Congressman Carter was telling folks what they wanted to hear. The reality is that the county could have encouraged economic development by lowering taxes, but they did not. They can't do much for job creation and as a matter of fact actually cut some jobs. And remember your county elected officials are most likely not going to put Milam County back to work.

By now voters should have learned it is what elected officials do not what they say that counts. As we move into this election take time to look at the records of each and every candidate. Yeah they might be your friend, even your best friend, but not sure that is a reason to vote for them. Might be the best reason not to vote for them, cause you know them. Can they do the job?

Take time to review the record of those that have been in public service and look closely at what those who have not been office holders have done over the years. At the county level it really is not about Democrat or Republican it is who can best do the job, and who will best do the job for the citizens of Milam County.

Law enforcement is not Republican or Democrat, keeping books for the county is not Democrat or Republican and serving as a commissioner or a constable is not political. It is doing a job and keeping the best interest of the people of Milam County as their top priority.

Study the candidates well and make your decision based on not who is the best Republican or Democrat or Tea Party candidate chose the best person for the job and vote. Remember, county elected officials are not going to put Milam County back to work. We need county officials that are going to work for us.

PRAYER

2012-01-17T09:01:00.003-06:00

Monday's January 9^th County Commissioners Court meeting minutes had some comments from Judge Barkemeyer about a letter he received from some group on the prayer on the agenda. As a Christian I am pro prayer and prayed before each meeting for twelve years. Prayed a lot after the meetings too.

According to the letter from the organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State we can pray before court it just has to be done in the proper manner. They state, "… the practice is in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

Their letter continues in the next paragraph to state, "The U.S. Supreme Court has concluded that prayer in the opening of legislative sessions are constitutionally permissible if-but only if-they do not use language specific to one religion."

So we can pray we just can't say Jesus, Christ, Allah, Buddha, Lord or any other word that indicates one specific religion. The letter from this group cites many legal cases that have been decided in the courts to support their position.

They request that the court bring their prayer practice into constitutional compliance. They suggest that the prayer be replaced with a moment of silence, revise the prayer to allow only nonsectarian prayer or injecting religious diversity into the prayers so that prayer opportunity is not solely dominated by Christians.

They have their options and I have one that worked for Judge Blake, Judge Hashem and myself. While they refer to the constitution, and I am strong supporter of the constitution, I believe that there is an answer to their suggestions. Judge Hashem and myself as well always said the prayer before the opening of the court meeting.

Secondly, prayer was not listed as an agenda item. Listing prayer on the "official county business agenda" probably crosses the line of separation of religion and government. I would say it does as only county business should be listed on the agenda.

As a Christian I believe in prayer and can testify it has worked for me. On the other hand I am also a strong supporter of our constitution. It was written by men who followed those that came here for freedom of religion. My belief is that they wrote the Constitution to prevent the same thing from occurring in the Colonies that sent the first settlers to this continent.

Point here is that prayer probably does not belong on the agenda of any governmental meeting. However, if the prayer occurs before the meeting is called to order those that do not agree can step out of the room, or maybe go back to where they came from.

2011 BUDGET CLOSES OUT WITH 400,000 SURPLUS

2012-01-10T11:22:00.001-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone. Sure hope everyone had a great holiday…that would be Christmas and New Year… season. Guess it is time for all of us get back to work and try to make this year better than 2011. In some ways it certainly could not be worse.

Looking back over the year many of you can remember the dire financial straits the county was in. In January I believe the Judge's comment was somewhere a million plus over budget. Well, the year is over and the facts are in.

While all the elected officials and department heads deserve credit for staying within budget it is something that they are used to doing. Not a new characteristic for Milam County's leaders. Been something that has been going on for many years, and you might also give some credit to the court that approved the 2011 budget.

According to Monday's Court minutes the county ended the year with a surplus of 400,000 dollars in the general fund and all the precincts wound up with sizeable reserves as well.

Another bright spot in the 2011 budget was the Sheriff's office. Sheriff Greene came in under budget in the jail operations by over 200,000 dollars, and in the law enforcement by over 100,000 dollars. Sheriff Greene's outstanding management of the department is the primary reason for this excellent performance.

I was unable to attend Monday's Court meeting, but I sure hope the year end synopsis was clearer in court than in the minutes. One interesting note to me was that figrues were stated for some offices that were represented as revenue, but half went to the state. Sounds to me like the revenue for the county should have been half of the amount represented in the minutes. Half is half, not whole.

As I have said many times before county budgeting is difficult at best. 2012 will be no different. The minutes pointed out that Judge Barkemeyer stressed the Liminant suit and capital murder trial as two concerns for 2012. I have to agree. It is just sad that the leadership was not there to plan for the Liminant suit as did the Rockdale ISD.

I guess the bottom line is that Milam County Government is not going to go away. However, it could get hammered hard during the upcoming year. What does that mean in the end? County taxpayers are the ones that will pay the bill. As an optimist I just have to pray that Judge Barkemeyer's logic will prove accurate, but at this point in time Ijust can't bring myself to bet on it.

FIVE PERCENT RUNNING TEXAS

2011-11-22T06:20:00.004-06:00

The amendment election went as expected across the state. A five percent voter turnout in Milam County matched the statewide average. Pitiful. Yeah, some of you think maybe the amendments really did not affect each of us, but the fact that no one cares is one of the major problems with this country today.

It really amazes me just how naive, or perhaps just plain dumb, some people can be. There were several amendments that will in fact affect all of us. One in particular will result in the average landowner paying more taxes in the future.

SJR 14 Proposition number one amended the constitution to authorize the legislature to provide the surviving spouse of a 100 percent or totally disabled veteran with an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the surviving spouse’s residence homestead as long as the surviving spouse has not remarried, the property was the residence homestead of the surviving spouse when the qualifying veteran died, and the property remains the residence homestead of the surviving spouse.

Since the amendment passed those meeting the requirements will get an exemption from property taxes. Do not get me wrong I definitely am not against veterans or their surviving spouses, but the reality is that the lost tax revenue for all taxing entities will have to be made up somewhere.

Have you ever considered how many exemptions there are for taxes in Texas? Both property and sales tax codes allow for many exemptions. For property there is the homestead exemption, over 65 exemption, renewable energy exemption, wildlife conservation exemption and agricultural exemption to name a few.

Each and every exemption takes money away from the state, city, county and school tax base. As a result those of us that do not qualify for an exemption get to pick up the slack for those that do. Granted many exemptions are good and for a good cause. The point is the revenue has to be made up somewhere.

This last amendment election was once again a notice to Texas that it is time to revamp some things. We have been doing business as usual for way too long. A good example of this was Proposition Number 7, SJR 28.

SJR 28 would have amended the constitution by adding El Paso County to the list of counties authorized to create conservation and reclamation districts to develop parks and recreational facilities financed by taxes. Why is it the entire state of Texas votes on an issue that affects only El Paso County? Local control? I don't think so.

It is time for our leaders to take a look at revamping the constitution which the state now operates under. Might also be time to look at the tax code and the way we do things. Some say removal of exemptions would lower the tax rates for everyone.

I mention all of the above in making a point that we all need to be more involved in what is going on in government. Granted the Federal government is way too complicated and closed for most of us to even begin to catch a clue. We have to rely on the media, and we all know one needs to be very careful about their sources.

When five percent of the voters are making all of the decisions it is no wonder the rest of us are a little discouraged about government. Everyone is busy and it does take time to educate yourself. However, time invested in trying to understand what is going on will be time well spent. Just remember this that it's your own damn fault if you do not get out and vote.

AMENDMENT VOTE NOVEMBER 8TH

2011-10-13T07:16:00.004-05:00

Most political elections in this country are decided by less than a majority of eligible voters. One example is the 2010 General Election where in Texas 32.3% of the eligible voters decided who won. That means 67.7% of the eligible voters had no voice in their government. Remember we are talking "eligible" voters. There are lots of folks who unfortunately do not even register to vote.

Now, if you think that is low voter turnout I would certainly agree with you. However, Constitutional Elections are notorious for low voter turnout. The Constitutional Election in November, 2009 had a turnout, are you ready for this, of 8.18%. There ought to be a law, and if you do not take the time to vote on the upcoming proposed constitutional amendments there in fact could be several new laws.

There are a total of ten proposed amendments to our state constitution. Those that are passed by the voters will become the law of the land. You need to study the proposals and decided on your position as to the positive or negative effects it could have on Milam County and Texas.

Constitutional elections can be very confusing. Take for instance Amendment 7 is to be voted on by the entire state, but will only affect El Paso County. So why does the entire state vote on it? It takes a vote of the entire state to change the state constitution even if it will only affect one county.

Amendment 1 if passed could provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the residence of a widow of a 100% or totally disabled veteran. Amendment 8 also relates to creating another ad valorem tax exemption.

While property tax exemptions might sound good remember that those taxes exempted have to be made up somewhere. That somewhere is those of us that do not qualify for the new exemption.

Amendment 10 relates to the resign to run rule. Currently the state constitution provides that an elected office holder at the county level automatically resigns from their office if they announce their intention to run for another office with a year or more remaining in their current term.

During the last legislative session Austin changed the filing dates from December 1st to January 2nd to November 12th through December 12th for the upcoming political season. Basically this means if say a Milam County Constable wanted to run for Sheriff he would have to file with more than 365 days left in his term and as a result of filing for another office automatically resign from the current office.

Amendment 10 will change the constitution and provide for lengthening the time that results in an automatic resignation. Instead of one year this proposed amendment will change the time periods to one year and thirty days. It is also interesting to note that the amendment will take effect if passed by the voters in time to apply to the upcoming political season.

Too bad the resign to run rule law does not apply to the Governors office. Just think how much money we Texas tax payers could be saving on security costs we are paying while Rick runs for president.

Of course Mr. Transparency in Government Perry lobbied hard during the last special session this summer to make sure we would not know the cost to Texas for his political ambitions till after the presidential race is over. He managed to get a bill passed that would keep financial information related to his security from the public for 18 months. Government transparency? Really?

Point is folks you really need to brush up on the proposed amendments for the November 8th election. You need to let your friends know that they too need to cast their votes on November 8th. The upcoming vote may well be more important than the candidate races in that you get a chance to vote against the person next time around. An amendment to the constitution is much harder to come by and you might not get a second chance to change the law.

RESPECT OUR VETERANS

2011-10-12T14:51:00.002-05:00

Many of my blogs are interpreted by some as attacks on Judge Barkemeyer. While they do express my opinion which in many cases is opposite or out of line with Judge Barkemeyer's I can assure you I have a great deal of respect for the job he is doing and do agree with many things he has accomplished.

However, I do have a real problem with his recent article of September 28th where he expounds on the many benefits of the Veteran's office in Milam County, and concludes his article on how he and the Commissioners Court will be looking at cutting up to a third of the budget to bring Milam County more in line with other similar counties. I have to wonder why he does not take that "other similar counties" idea into consideration for the redistricting process.

He mentions in his article that Veterans Administration payments coming into Milam County total almost $14 million per year. He also mentions the budget for 2012 for the Veterans Office is "... just over $89,000..." If you do a little math using the Judge's figures you will find that for every one dollar of the $89,000 spent it returns over 157 dollars to the Milam County economy. Not a bad return on our investment.

He mentions part-time offices in his article as well. Our veterans did not serve part-time and they deserve more than part-time service. Their efforts is what allows Dave to write his articles and me to in turn freely speak my mind. We owe our freedom to our veterans. Freedom for Americans is not part-time.

This particular issue sort of hits close to home for me as well. No, I am not a veteran, but have recently had some personal experience with our local Veterans Officer . We all know that with any government program there is "red tape" to wade through. I can testify that the Veterans Administration paperwork is a lot more than the average individual can handle. Each mistake or omission delays the process of obtaining benefits even longer.

My Mother-in-Law had a stroke and is confined to a long term care facility. She is the widow of a WW II vet who fought in the European theater. As a widow of a veteran she is entitled to certain VA benefits. Benefits that she would most likely not be receiving today if not for the efforts of Ken Janicek and his staff.

My Mother-in-Law is not the only example. While serving as County Judge there were a number of veterans who came to the office, called and wrote letters in support of the Veterans Service Office.

There are a lot of other areas to cut. If you consider the Judge is proposing to cut one third of the budget, and that amounts to right around 29,000 dollars it really is not that much. Each Commissioner could donate 7,500 dollars from their almost million dollar budgets, or their reserves and bingo.

Bottom line is we owe our veterans our respect and thanks rather than making it more difficult to obtain what they have earned. And never forget many of them earned it the hard way.

KUDOS TO ROCKDALE SCHOOL BOARD

2011-10-07T05:42:00.007-05:00

In leadership positions in local government it is sometimes very difficult to do the right thing. I recently commented on the lack of leadership being shown by the Milam County Commissioners Court for the stance they took on our current economic situation. I now must congratulate the Rockdale ISD School Board for their stance on next year's budget.

An article in the September 22nd edition of the Rockdale Reporter reported members of the school board approved a tax increase for the 2012 school year budget. Part of the article read as follows:

Rockdale ISD trustees voted unanimously to adopt a ninetenths of a cent tax rate increase for 2011-2012 during their regular monthly meeting Monday night in the Central Administration Building.

The $1.225 tax rate is up slightly from the current $1.2135.

Marla Wallace, chief financial officer, said the increase is in response to Luminant’s lawsuit over values at its Sandow Power Plant. She told board members that the adopted amount may still be short.

This is one of the same issues that faces Milam County in the coming months. Just how will the court rule on the Luminant suit, and what effect could that ruling have on Milam County government?

While the Commissioners Court took the do not worry stance it might go away members of the school board made the tough decision and raised taxes to prepare for possibilities of the future.

They have taken the steps to keep the school running if things do go Liminant's way, and they can always adjust the rate next year if the ruling does go in favor of the taxing entities. The point is they did something other than bury their heads in the sand.

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. Hoping for the best might be considered a vision by some, but by others it is purely a lack of leadership. Or maybe just the inability to make the tough decisions.

COURT TO DECIDE REDISTRICTING FOR TEXAS

2011-09-21T07:12:00.004-05:00

The Justice Department said Monday that Texas' state House and congressional redistricting plans didn't comply with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), indicating they thought the maps approved by Gov. Rick Perry (R) gave too little voting power to the growing Latino population in the state.

A special three-judge panel in Washington, D.C. will ultimately decide whether the redistricting plan for the state violates the VRA. That's because the state of Texas chose to skip the cheaper pre-clearance process, which would have put the decision in the hands of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. A hearing is set for Wednesday.

It is going to be interesting to see how the court rules. If you followed redistricting this year in the state, and if you took government in high school you got to see a textbook example of gerrymandering.

The point is redistricting should not be a politically led process. The reality is that areas with like issues and needs should be included in the same district. When you see the GOP redistricting committee take a district in South Texas and when they are done with it less than 2% of the original voters are still in that district you got to know something just ain't right.

Funny how the current rep Aaron Pena was elected as a Democrat in HD 41 and now the district lines have been changed so the district is a majority Republican district. By the way Pena switched parties after being elected. If the current district lines stand he will represent only 1.3% of his original district.

It is also interesting to note that the Justice Department is separately deciding whether a voter ID bill signed by Perry violates the Voting Rights Act. Keep a watch on what happens with the courts ruling. Could be a good indicator of whether or not there is any justice left in the Justice Department.

WHAT? ME WORRY

2011-09-16T07:48:00.008-05:00

There are certain things in life that we know as indicators. For instance one of the things you can deduce when you see cactus and mesquite dying is that it is dry, and most likely dry for a long time. Granted it could be herbicide or other factors causing the problems, but when you take a look at the entire picture you quickly can see drought probably has some effect on what you are seeing.

There are many indicators or signs of tough times ahead for Milam County and Central Texas. If you listen to the weather pundits we are in for several more years of hot dry weather. Of course that could change overnight. After all, this is Texas.

There is no argument that production agriculture is a major part of the local Milam County economy. In fact agriculture provides for a majority of the dollar turnover in the local area economy. Prolonged drought certainly does not bode well for an already impacted sector of the economy.

Luminant is a major partner in the local economy and in the current 2012 tax year will provide for just under 32% of the total Milam County appraised values. The lawsuit they have filed could result in lower values either ordered by the court or negotiated through mediation.

Now, with all the previous being said one can easily figure that the two major economic factors in the local economy are at best iffy for the next 12 or more months. Take into consideration as well that the national economy is said to be entering another recession. FOX news states that one in three national economists say the country will be going into another recession. Persoanlly, on the local basis I say we are already there.

Then we read in last Thursday's local papers the county will wind up with a surplus at the end of this year. Remember, in January, or maybe it was February the same media reported we were already 1.5 million in the hole. What a difference a few months can make. Or, maybe it is just how you interpret the indicators.

I also noted in the budget hearing and later in the local news that Judge Barkemeyer said that the issues with the economy and the potential negative effects of the Luminant law suit on county finances were somethng that we should not worry about at this time. The court would do whatever it needed to do to meet the challenge. So evidently he is not too worried.

I believe that in any situation you have to have a "Plan B" just in case the best does not come to pass. I believe a lack of leadership is being shown when you see a potential wreck down the road and simply stay the course. It is much easier to meet the challenge with a plan than react to the challenge with no plan.

Quit honestly I am concerned; worried. Things do not look good down the road and if Luminant gets even some of what they want Milam County will suffer. What makes me worry even more is that those that are in charge seem to be betting on the best possible results rather than contemplating something less than the best. I just hope for all our sakes they are right.

NEW MATH?

2011-09-05T10:33:00.010-05:00

The final hearing on the proposed 2012 Milam County Budget will be held September 7th at 6:00 pm in the Commissioners Courtroom. My last blog referred to this and again I stress the importance that the public attend and hear about the budget.

Judge Barkemeyer's article dated August 31 used some very interesting calculations that one might call more of a political spin than the real facts. He states the following in his article:

"The four Commissioner’s Precinct Budgets on first glance appear to have been increased by one and a quarter million collectively to $6,345,057 total. However, when you back out the allowance for reserve accounts, the actual budgeted amount remains essentially the same with 2011 budget without reserves being $4,520,448 and 2012 being $4,495,792, slightly less. So bottom line, our planned total budget for 2012 is some $300,000 less than 2011."

Now I am not sure where he gets his figures or why he indicated something can be backed out of a budget to balance it. Why not back out the $300,000 in reserve in the general fund and then claim a bottom line savings of $600,000?

The real figures are contained in the proposed budget available online. The grand total for General fund and Precinct funds for the 2012 budget is $16,639,883.47, and the grand total for this year's budget is $15,678,995.98. While math was not my best subject in school I did learn to do the simple stuff like add and subtract. Bottom line in the budget shows an increase of $960,887.49. That's the real bottom line.

Furthermore, the official proposed budget states that the 2012 budget will raise a total of $1,187224.48 or 1.17% more in total property taxes than this year's budget. So, again the math just does not add up. If we actually cut the budget as Judge Barkemeyer proclaims in his article by $300,000 you add that to the increased take in property taxes there should be over 1.4 million dollars hanging around somewhere, and a part of that should be returned to the taxpayers in a tax rate reduction.

As I said math was not my best subject, but this is pretty easy. I just wonder if Judge Barkemeyer's calculations are a result of his math skills being less than mine or if in his opinion we are really that stupid, or maybe it is just Austin or Washington DC math.

BUDGET HEARINGS ARE IMPORTANT

2011-09-02T16:39:00.000-05:00

The last 2012 Budget Hearing will be on September 7th at 6:00 pm in the Commissioners Courtroom. This will be the third and final of the statutorily required public hearings that every county must hold. It is the public's opportunity, maybe even duty, to comment on issues they have with the proposed budget.

I attended the first and plan on attending the last. During the first hearing concerns about selected employees and elected officials receiving salary increase was brought up by several individual's in the audience. It was and remains one of my current issues with the 2012 budget.

My concerns are based on the fact that in initial planning of this year's budget (2011) there was a proposed across the board increase for all employees of two percent. No raise for elected officials just employees. Even though the money was there and the economy was much better the members of the court felt at that time no increase was needed.

It just does not make sense that with the current economic situation and the pending Luminant law suit that 51 "select" employees and elected officials receive a raise of any kind.

In the hearing I attended one elected official spoke and said that the raises for the elected officials were needed. I cannot remember the exact words, but basically the statement that was made indicated that if pay was not raised it could lead to dishonesty. Now folks, this is an elected official that made this statement.

It really did not hit home with me at first, but upon reflection was it a threat to steal? Was it indicating that county employees will become dishonest if they do not receive pay increases? What about the other employees and officials that will not get raises this year? Will they, as a result of no raise, steal from the county?

Another issue that I have is that all Milam County Justice of the Peace officials are receiving a $400 increase in travel. It was stated that Precinct 3 and 4 have to travel to the Cameron one week of each month to magistrate. Okay I understand that gasoline is expensive nowadays. However, Precinct 1 and 2 are housed in the Law Enforcement Center and they too are getting an increase in travel.

Mind you Precinct 1 and 2 have offices that are maybe a hundred or so footsteps from the magistration area, The reality is that the Law Enforcement Center was built to include two JP offices so that magistration of inmates could be done by those in the building. This was done to expedite the judicial process as well as save money for the county taxpayers.

Now I am not sure why the two newly elected Conservative Republican JP's that are housed in the Law Enforcement Center refuse to follow the lead of their predecessors, but it is costing the county money. Not much I grant you, but you gotta start saving somewhere.

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

2011-08-31T15:46:00.003-05:00

No, I have not retired from blogging, but retirement has been keeping me rather busy. It has really been too hot to do much of anything. However, lots going on and finally back in the mood to speak my mind.

County budgeting is a difficult and a somewhat convoluted activity at best. It is extremely difficult for the average citizen to understand. County budgeting does not follow the logic that business budgets do.

One of the main differences is that businesses can adjust their budgets on an as needed basis. Counties on the other hand can make line item transfers but statutes keep counties from changing their bottom line. Only in "true" emergency situations can the county change its bottom line.

Section 111.110 (c) of the Local Government Code states; The commissioners court may authorize an emergency expenditure as an amendment to the original budget only in a case of grave public necessity to meet an unusual and unforeseen condition that could not have been included in the original budget through the use of reasonably diligent thought and attention.

Now, I am not sure if you have heard that Luminant Corporation has filed suit against the Milam County Appraisal District disputing their appraised value for the 2012 budget year. If they win their law suit then the current county budget, based on a higher appraised value, will fall considerably short of the current income estimates.

So, my question is will the Commissioners Court see this as a reason to adjust the proposed budget accordingly? Remember the law says, "...only in a case of grave public necessity to meet an unusual and unforeseen condition that could not have been included in the original budget through the use of reasonably diligent thought and attention."

The possibility of Luminant winning their case, or a settlement that brings down the revenue for the county can reasonably be seen at this point in time. Hopefully, Judge Barkemeyer and the Commissioners will show the leadership to make the tough decisions. If Luminant does not win then look at all the extra money they will have for the next budget. Better safe than sorry.

CAPITAL ROAD BUDGET

2011-07-19T11:53:00.006-05:00

Several of you asked about my comment on the Capital Road Budget in my last blog. Why do I think it will not happen? It all boils down to money. It just is not there, and the Chief Budget Officer of the county should know this.

If you were a County Commissioner would you commit 7% of a budget that already is insufficient to do what needs to be done? Our Commissioners do an excellent job with what they have to work with. It is common knowledge that they simply do not, and we can not afford the money that would be needed to afford Judge Barkmeyer's dream. Would you commit one of your employees to the effort when you are already shorthanded?

Let's do some math. Figures are from the 2011 Milam County Budget. Each Commissioner's 2011 budget is approximately 1,277,611 dollars. Seven percent of that is 89,432 dollars, times four precincts equals approximately 357,731 dollars.

Paving costs for a mile of road vary depending on width of the road soil type the road is on and other factors. However, one figure quoted time and time again is 25,000 dollars per mile of road 18 feet wide. The overall cost is dependent on many factors and is arguable. However, using this basic figure you can see that you really can't get much done with 357,731 dollars.

Don't forget the maintenance of a paved road. Once over with a blade or a load of gravel will not do the job. The idea that paved roads last forever simply is not true.

Another question to consider would be how would the loss of 7% of the budget and 1 or more experienced workers per precinct effect a Commissioner's ability to maintain the current work level?

The reality is that we live in a rural county in Texas. We choose to live here for various reasons. My choice was made in 1969 when the roads were in much poorer condition. Along with gravel roads and flat tires I choose to live among copper heads, coral snakes, scorpions, wasps, black widows, mesquite thorns, and a number of other not so pleasant realities of a country life. It is what it is.

I had to have four flats fixed in the last ten days, and have ruined brand new tires on more than one occasion. Just a fact of country living. Would I trade it for the urban life? Not a chance.

I for one do not want my road paved. Quite happy with just the way it is. If Judge Barkemeyer wants to pacify those that want paved roads why not put it to a county vote?

There is a road and bridge ad valorm tax that is available to counties that would be dedicated strictly to roads and bridges. In the past the conservative leadership of Milam County has opted not to burden the landowners with increased taxes to please a few newcomers.

Times do change however, and it might be time to put the question to a vote. Instead of taking from my Commissioner and thwarting his ability to do his job why not have a countywide referendum and let the voters decide just how important Judge Barkemeyer's idea is.

BUDGET WOES? FACT OR FICTION?

2011-07-19T07:42:00.003-05:00

Can someone, anyone make any sense of what is going on with the county budget? Better yet can anyone tell me what Judge Barkemeyer is up to? Really seems as though he is lost or maybe just truly clueless. His reports simply do not add up.

Take for instance the month of January report the county was 1.5 million in the hole. Then 60 days later the elected officials are doing a great job and we are not 1.5 million in the red. Now here in July he is quoted in the local media discussing the current budget woes again.

He also mentions the problems with next year's budget in his weekly article. However, Judge Barkemeyer, from experience I can assure you that the "problems" with next year's budget will always be there. At least that was the fact for the 12 years I was in office it's just the nature of the beast. And you ought to start out with zero reserve. That really makes things interesting.

So where do we really stand? According to the official Milam County monthly budget analysis for June it looks like the county is in pretty good shape to wind up under budget for 2011 budget year.

Through June, or halfway through the year 47% of the budgeted expense amount has been expended. Common sense will of course tell you that half way through the year if we were at 50% we would be right on target. However, as the Judge has said in the past the elected officials are doing a good job, and we in fact at this rate are actually going to come in 6% under budget.

Income wise the county has collected 75% of the projected income. There are a number of income sources that will not hit the books till later this year. Sales tax is projected to bring in 850,000 dollars for 2011. Through June county records show that over 491,000 dollars in sales tax has been collected. If the collection rates hold steady the county will collect over 982,000 in sales tax. That is 132,000 more income than projected. This along with other income that is currently uncollected will get the county close to projected income figures.

County budgeting is difficult and hard for many individuals to understand. Because of the statutory restrictions on counties and the fact they are required by law to set what they will spend 5 months in advance it is difficult to hit the bull's eye on every line item. That too must be considered when discussing the health of the county budget.

Again, I am not sure what the Judge is attempting to communicate to the taxpayers, and I am not too sure he knows what he is trying to communicate. But discussing budget woes one minute and the next talking about committing funds to security cameras on courthouse doors, economic development and a capital road crew, that by the way will never happen, just does not make good common conservative sense to me.

When December 31 arrives be sure to thank your local elected official for getting through the year within their budgets. It will be them and their common conservative sense that made it happen.

SPECIAL SESSION TO MAKE SPECIAL PLATES NOT SO SPECIAL

2011-06-23T18:19:00.004-05:00

The special session that began May 31^st will come to an end next week. No more than 30 days per special session. That’s the law. However, don’t be surprised if there is another special session called, or maybe two more before it is all said and done.

Mind you there is a super majority in Austin and they still have yet to get the budget balanced for the next biennium. Of course they have all the emergencies taken care of, but you already know that story.

The constitution requires that the state of Texas to have a balanced budget. I am not sure that the writers of that requirement defined balanced in the same manner it is being defined in Austin today. I am not sure that normal accounting procedures can tell you the whole story.

Balancing the budget with smoke and mirrors is simply delaying the inevitable. Using dedicated funds such as the 911 and Trauma fund do not truly balance the budget. Delaying payments due until the next budget cycle do not reflect sound budgeting principles. Basically it is lying to the taxpayer.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just delay or postpone our obligations to some future date? Why not renew your vehicle registration and tell the state you will pay next year. Think Rick would go for that?

Another interesting aspect of the tricks used to balance the budget might well make those special license plates not so special. Each year over 100 organizations including the University of Texas, Special Olympics and Girl Scouts earn collectively $2.5 million from specialty license plates voluntarily purchased by drivers across Texas.

The plates cost an extra $30 over the regular registration fees. Of that extra $30 organizations receive $22, $7.50 goes to the state highway fund and 50 cents goes to the county in which the vehicle is registered. Under the current budget bill half of the $22 that organizations receive would be deferred until 2013.

The idea is that turning that revenue into state income would help balance the budget. Bottom line is that the longer the money sits in Austin the more attractive it becomes for Austin to want to keep it for some other purpose. Another thought is what if the economy has not rebounded in 2013? Then what? Take the other half and defer it for another two years?

The sad thing here is that many of these organizations depend on this money to support their programs. This will leave some organizations hundreds of thousands short for their next budget. So before you purchase that special plate in support of your favorite organization just remember that plate is not near as special as it could be thanks to our leadership in Austin.

THE CIRCUS IN TOWN?

2011-06-13T22:18:00.000-05:00

I was recently reminded by an Inside Milam County follower that it has been a some time since I have written on my blog. Truth is it has been a while, but it’s not because there has been nothing to blog about. It has been more of a problem with what to blog on.

I have been waiting to see something significant on the issues facing Milam County in the County Judge’s weekly news column, but his “I” reports do not share with the taxpayers the reality of what is going on and how it will affect Milam County residents in the future. He does a good job of sharing his thoughts, but seems like they are not always related to the realities that surround us.

Another issue for me has been how to get across the real issues that face Milam County and Texas at this point in time. I mean we have handled the Perry “emergency” issues and yet still do not have the issues not deemed emergencies resolved. Simple unimportant things like immigration, border protection, public education and other matters that do and will affect Milam County and the state.

In my search to keep current on the issues and try to find a way to share with my readers the reality and the real irony I came across an article that pretty well sums up what has happened and where we are at this point in time. Can’t take credit for any of the writing, but can say my thoughts are along the same lines. The column by Martin Rick Duiker appeared in the June 6^th Austin American Statesman.

Under the big top, they’re juggling with our futures

‘Quick, send in the clowns. Don't bother — they're here.'

— Stephen Sondheim

Clowns? You bet. Comic relief can help all of us muddle through this crisis-in-the-making cobbled up in the Texas Capitol.

Check out the light side. We've got Daffy, Goofy and the rest of the gang in the Texas Legislature doing their best imitation of "Animal House," leaving the rest of us to either laugh or cry at the political circus playing out.

Here's a thought: Relax, enjoy the show, but understand, of course, that while the political slapstick continues, an economic tsunami of disastrous proportions is roaring down on Texas.

There are hints the legislative antics might be a sideshow, a clever con artist trick to keep voters' eyes off of the hidden agenda: the tea party's push to choke off funding for essential governmental functions.

Consider how legislators played Trivial Pursuit on the taxpayers' dime, burning time with noncritical issues: spanking (yeah, spanking), packing weapons on college campuses and statutes to allow lawmakers to tote six-shooters.

They played doctor, too, requiring sonograms for pregnant women considering abortion. They wrestled with enormously vital issues such as breeding puppies, bare-handed fishing (seriously) and even cockfighting.

Did the goofiness end there? Nope. They clowned around with horned toads and snake welfare, 85 mph speed limits, sanctuary cities legislation and gerrymandering.

You might wonder whether solutions for issues of immediate concern for most Texans — education financing, for instance — spun out of this funfest. Well, no.

Public education faces a $4 billion shortfall, a disastrous slash guaranteed to degrade a program already near the bottom nationally.

In-our-face immigration concerns haven't been solved.

Texas is on the ropes, and issues that will have an enormous effect on the lives and welfare of its residents are on the table.

But wait, they're back in session. Good luck, Texas.

Duiker, a documentary videographer and producer, lives in Austin.

Well said and to the point. I just wonder how many more tax dollars will be spent on special sessions this year for the circus.

DOES LAW KNOW A PARTY?

2011-05-20T13:23:00.006-05:00

Okay, now he has done it. Sheriff David Greene has switched parties. The world is coming to an end. Not really, but it is a good example of why local government should be run on a non-partisan basis.

How many of you have ever voted for a Republican or Democrat, or any other party affiliation for City Council or the School Board? Maybe you knew their espoused party affiliation, but there was no party affiliation associated with race. You are just looking for good people to serve in those positions. Folks that will get the job done.

There have been several attempts over the years to implement non-partisan elections for the Judicial branch of government. They all failed. However, there are good reasons why non-partisan elections are desirable for judicial elections and local elected offices.

One of the best is that lawmen and judges enforce the law, not political platforms. There is no such thing as Republican or Democrat law. Sure, laws are made by politicians, but enforcement should be on a non-partisan basis.

The local taxpayers pay for elections and going to non-partisan elections would eliminate the need for primary elections. Much like school districts and municipalities there would be only one election with the candidate getting the most votes winning. Like school and city elections the number of candidates would be limited only to the number filing for office, rather than the number of parties.

There are arguments, as with most issues, both pro and con. The reality is in local government there are very few political issues that the local leaders rule on. True they are our voice to those that do make the rules, but our local elected officials’ main focus is on doing what is right for their constituents, not a political agenda.

Bottom line is that we do not need a good Republican or a good Democrat to be the chief law enforcement officer in Milam County. Partisan politics has no place in law enforcement. We need a good Sheriff. David has proven his ability to get the job done. His primary interest in Milam County as Sheriff is fair and cost effective law enforcement for everyone. He needs to continue serving Milam County as Milam County Sheriff. He’s got my vote.

BURNET COUNTY KEY PLAYERS WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH PROPOSED HOUSE DISTRICT

2011-05-12T05:16:00.000-05:00

In his April 27^th column Judge Barkemeyer states, and I quote, “I went to the Capitol last Sunday and testified at the redistricting committee hearings along with a number of others including the county judge from Burnett County and the state representative from Round Rock. I mention these two specifically because they along with our state representative Charles Schwertner were the key players in influencing the members of the house redistricting committee in determining what happened in the drawing of the lines in our 3 county area.”

Now if you read that statement as I do it sounds like the Judge is saying that Judge Klaeger of Burnet county was a key player in influencing the drawing of the lines. The way it is written tends to make one believe that Representative Schwertner and Judge Klaeger were directly involved in determining how the lines were to be drawn.

Judge Klaeger and I served together as rural county judges and on the Judicial Committee on Information Technology (JCIT). Judge Klaeger was also appointed to the Jail Commission by Governor Perry. We have had the opportunity over the years to discuss rural county issues, and it was hard for me to believe that Judge Klaeger would be pushing for alignment with Williamson County.

Donna Klaeger is a strong Republican in a Republican County. I have known her for years and know that she as a strong county elected official is interested in what’s best for her county. With this knowledge in mind I contacted Judge Klaeger to discuss the issue of redistricting and the current proposal up for consideration.

She did, as Judge Barkemeyer stated, testify in Austin. However, I believe that his interpretation of her testimony is slightly off base. What follows is the actual text of the resolution on Judge Klaeger's and the Burnet County Commissioners Court's position on the current redistricting plan. filed by the Burnet County Commissioners Court.

BURNET COUNTY RESOLUTION

TEXAS STATE HOUSE REDISTRICTING PLAN

WHEREAS, the citizens of Burnet County have always expected their voices to be heard by local, county and state government; and

WHEREAS, living in the Hill Country in a rural setting has always been one of the main attractions to visitors and residents alike; and

WHEREAS, the proposed change in Burnet County legislative boundaries will have an economic, political and emotional impact on the citizens who live here; and

WHEREAS, including Burnet County with Williamson County, our good neighbors, will potentially change our development by including us with counties facing major transportation, environmental, and infrastructure challenges, as well as focusing on the attraction of major industry; and

WHEREAS, including Burnet County with House Legislative District 53 will allow us to continue to work with our neighboring rural counties to address similar challenges such as water supply and infrastructure issues, transportation improvements, regional emergency communications, drug enforcement, and public defense with a continued effort to increase our major economic driver, tourism, which attract visitors and permanent residents to the Hill Country.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Burnet County Commissioner's Court respectively requests to be included in Texas House District 53 which will allow rural counties to continue a collaborative effort to meet our common goals.

Adopted this 26th day of April, 2011.

The Court's resolution says it all. Keep us in a district with like counties with similar issues. My congrats to Donna, and the Burnet County Commissioners Court. She is a great Republican Elected County Official looking out for the best interests of her county.

CHECK THIS OUT

2011-05-04T18:24:00.005-05:00

How many of us will benefit from this?

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/02/texas-house-panel-approves-tax-break-for-yachts/

CURRENT PLAN NOT IN MILAM COUNTY'S BEST INTEREST

2011-04-29T06:20:00.003-05:00

Well, Judge Dave has shown us what his angle is on redistricting, purely political. Or maybe he has just not really considered what will happen with the current redistricting plan. How truly diluted the voice of Milam County voters will be in the future.

I wrote in my last blog about some figures and the current plan for sweeping Milam County voters under the rug. I want to expand a little on the real figures and what the future brings with the creation of the new House District.

First of all, Judge Barkemeyer has made it clear his main interest is political. “My position was that we stay connected to Georgetown and keep Dr. Schwertner as our representative. He is familiar with Milam County, knows our needs and has been very responsive to my requests. My connections in Georgetown should continue to benefit Milam County in our economic development which in my opinion is priority one.”

Nothing against Representative Schwertner, but not real sure that he knows much about Milam County or our needs, except those expressed by the Judge which you can be sure will follow party lines. I have not seen much of our representative in or around Milam County except for campaigning.

Not sure what connections the Judge has in Georgetown, but I sure would like to hear his story on how they will influence economic development in Milam County. Compete with yes, benefit no.

Now on to the rest of the story most folks will not be aware of. As mentioned in my last blog Milam County voters will make-up just under 15% of the total population of the district, Burnet County 28% and Williamson 57%. Those figures represent the make up at this point in time. Let’s take a look at what the future may bring.

Growth rates for the three counties from 2000 to 2009 were 64.3% for Williamson, 32.2% for Burnet County, and Milam County’s population grew at a rate of 1.6%. Now if the growth rate stays the same that means in 2020 the next shot at redistricting Milam County will have a population gain of approximately 400 persons, Burnet County will see an approximate increase in population of 14,800, and the part of the district in Williamson will see an increase of over 62,000 in population.

That means that in 10 years our ideal sized district of 167,637 will have grown to 244,837 in population. Keep in mind that only 400 of those new voters will come from Milam County, Using current figures Burnet County population will grow at a rate of 3.22%. Williamson County 6.43% and Milam County will increase at .16% annually. Our voice will grow smaller each year. This is not unique to our district, but an issue that confronts any fast growing state.

Okay so we are way outnumbered. Surely there are some common issues between Williamson, Burnet and Milam Counties. There is one big issue and it is water. We got it they will need it. So ten years from now when Williamson and Burnet are booming and our, and I use that term loosely, our representative has to work on the issue facing the rapid growth in two of his, or her, counties in the district, and the two biggest need water, the smallest has water; who do you think wins this battle?

All I can say Judge is that you were elected to represent the interests of Milam County not a party. I do not care how you massage the numbers or sweeten the pot Milam County belongs with like counties. The current plan for the next ten years is not in the best interest of Milam County or its citizens.

REDISTRICTING COMPLEX OR JUST POLITICS?

2011-04-24T18:26:00.005-05:00

It was interesting to note Judge Barkemeyer’s comments on redistricting in his weekly column titled Redistricting Getting Complex. Where was he 10 years or 20 years ago? It has always been complex or maybe a better adjective would be political.

Anyone that has been around Texas politics for very long knows the rules when it comes to redistricting. The party in power draws the lines. While redistricting is intended to keep a level playing field at the polls, the exact opposite occurs.

It has been awhile since my high school government class, but they did teach us about gerrymandering. Current federal laws sometimes force gerrymandering to balance out districts based on racial make-up. When you add the political influence you get to see real gerrymandering in action.

Judge Barkemeyer made mention in his article of his suggestion to try to straighten out some of the “crossed up/mixed up precinct lines that currently exist in our towns.” I wonder why he would want to pursue something that is a result of federal laws and racial make up of the county and not be pursuing Milam County’s best interest in another crossed up mixed up state redistricting issue that is based purely on politics.

The current redistricting plans have Milam County remaining in a district with Williamson County. I do not see any like issues between one of the fastest growing counties in the state and one of the poorest with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Yet the redistricting plans snake the district from Milam County taking in a chunk of eastern Williamson County taking a narrow strip through the city of Georgetown and then flaring out to include all of Burnet County.

Burnet County is also one of the fastest growing counties in Texas with just over a 32% increase in population since 2000. However, still being somewhat rural it does have something in common with Milam County.

If you round up the latest population figures for Burnet County to 46,000 and Milam County to 26,000 you get a total of 72,000 population. The target size for Texas House Districts is 167,637. Do the math again and you will find there will be 95,637 people making up the new proposed district from Williamson County.

It should be about grouping populations with like issues and concerns. There is still a long way to go before the districts are finalized and approved. If the Judge is so concerned about straightening things out he needs to look towards Austin, or is it just politics to him?

MORE YOU TUBE?

2011-04-13T18:58:00.008-05:00

Blogging can be hard to do. Especially when every time you start to blog your biggest problem is selecting a topic to blog on. With all the current happenings in Washington DC and Austin that will be affecting Milam County in the future it can be difficult too chose a topic. Unless of course you do nothing but blog.

This time I am going with something a little bit closer to home. This week’s Commissioners Court meeting had an interesting topic. To open bids for surveillance of courthouse, agenda item number nine.

Courthouse security certainly should be a priority for any county. Even though we might consider our rural county atmosphere somewhat safer than other more urban areas do not fool yourself. County courthouses, especially those with minimal security, have been identified by Homeland Security groups as a target for terrorist groups.

In 2010 the Commissioners Court took action to provide for an armed bailiff to serve in the District Court courtroom. This would and still can be provided with no use of county tax dollars. The courthouse security fund that is financed by the courts through a courthouse security fee provides adequate funding for the position.

For some reason even though previously approved by the court the subject was brought before the court again by Judge Barkemeyer. For reason or reasons unknown he seems opposed to the idea, and he has had difficulty in vocalizing any specific reason that he opposes an armed constable. Instead he is pushing the idea of surveillance cameras.

Now I cannot tell you why he feels the need to spend county dollars on something that while taking pictures of the deed can do little to intervene. A good example of this is last year’s school board incident in Florida. The video is on the internet and shows great footage of the incident. However, no one was killed because there was an armed security guard there to intervene. Without the armed intervention there would be dead school board members.

Lack of inability to intervene in the situation is one specific reason I oppose the security camera idea. Another specific reason the idea should be opposed is the question of who is going to watch the camera feed? To give surveillance cameras even a slight chance of providing real time security someone has to be watching. Cameras are just not a cost effective solution for the return in real time security in a courthouse situation.

Hopefully the Commissioners will see this as a waste of money and stick to their original decision in 2010 and hire a full time Bailiff for courthouse security. No, an armed Bailiff might not stop someone from hurting a member of the public, but you can be sure that on scene armed security can do a lot more than produce another video for You-tube.

HERE IS ANOTHER GUY THAT GIVES US SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

2011-04-03T08:40:00.006-05:00

Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...

He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People

-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts – of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan .

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.