Illegal County Raises...The Rest of the Story

Happy New Year to one and all. Hope it was safe and fun for everyone. 2011 will bring many new challenges to state and local government. Each and every citizen can help meet these challenges by simply making a New Year's resolution to become better informed and educated about the issues in local and state government.

One thing that more information and becoming better educated will do is allow you to understand the issues better and see through the spin that politicians will throw at you. Take the spin used by John Carter in the last campaign referring to the election of a certain party's ticket would create jobs and rebuild infrastructure in Milam County. Really?

Another recent issue brought forth by the public watchdogs in Milam County is illegal raises given by the Commissioners Court. Sometimes the media gets only one side of the story. Well, read on for the rest of the story.

The Court in fact did not give any pay raises to any county employees as stated. What the court did was to approve the budget amendment that resulted when the department head gave their employee a pay raise.

County positions are funded with a certain amount of money. If someone is hired for less than that amount the department head can later give that employee a raise since the money is already in the budget. There is no increase in the budget due to the raise. As a matter of fact it is standard procedure for new county employees to be eligible for a 1,000 dollar pay increase after a six month probation period.

Furthermore, there are many statutes and Attorney General Opinions that deal with the Commissioners Court interfering with an elected official's management of their department. Bottom-line is the court has absolutely no authority to tell them who they can or can't hire and what they can or cannot pay. If the position is budgeted and they stay within the limits of their budget it is basically up to them, not the court to give a raise.

It was also brought to my attention that the county was trying to hide from the public that only employees from two (2) precincts were getting raises. Not sure where they got their information, but in budget amendments approved on December 13^th 3 employees from the County Attorney's Office and one Dispatcher in the Sheriff's Office received raises, while the salaries for one position in the Sheriff's Office and one position in Precinct 1 actually received decreases.

On November 22^nd 27 positions across many departments including County and District Clerk, County Attorney, Tax Office received raises, and 13 positions received decreased amounts for 2011. One position that is grant funded and not directly related to the court's authority received an increase as well. I wonder why the whole story was not told and why those making allegations failed to mention the decreases approved by the court?

I am not sure whether those complaining were misled, misinformed, or just putting their own spin on the story but again the rest of the story was not told. Just one example again where the radical fanatics attempt to pull the wool over your eyes. Just like our Washington politicians. I am not sure which are really more dangerous.

Here we are December 28th and I am awaiting my transition back into the private citizen category. Certainly something that I am looking forward to.

While I have had this blog up for sometime I have been somewhat lax at staying current. Due to time constraints and certain rules that Judge's have to serve under I have been limited in time and freedom of speech. These will issues will be resolved December 31, and I am going to try to stay a bit more current with postings in the future.

Many have asked what I am going to be doing in the future. Well, Horticultural Hotline will remain on the air. That is unless they kick me off.

I plan on remaining in Milam County it is my home. I also plan on staying involved in local issues including county government. This blog will be one of the ways that I will attempt to share with readers "real" information on the issues. By "real" I mean non-partisan accurate information that will help the reader make an educated decision on an issue.

I also will be sharing information on the upcoming Legislative Session in Austin. With a 25 billion dollar shortfall facing the state there is a lot of work to be done. There is also a lot of room for misinformation during the session.

Take redistricting. Will Milam County be best served by remaining in a district with an urban county? Will a representative be able to effectively represent a district that has a super majority of the constituents in an urban county? Milam County needs to be aligned with counties with like issues.

There are lot of challenges facing our state and county and as responsible citizens we need to arm ourselves with all the information we can so that we can effect good decisions by our leaders. Seems lately the fanatical groups that are yelling and foaming at the mouth are the only ones making the news. Time the common folks spoke up.

Stay tuned and tell your friends about Inside Milam County...it's a good thing.

I'm Back

Been gone with the campaign and work and just plain busy. However, I do plan on blogging on a regular basis in the the future.

I will continue to blog on Milam County issues and news. Maybe not as deeply inside after December 31st, but still a Milam County resident and interested in all the happenings.

Stay tuned and tell your friends.

BEEN GONE TOO LONG

Well here I am again. No excuses for not blogging more often. Just busy and lots going on. Budget time for the county. I will be using this site more often to communicate with folks in Milam County that use the net.

There has been a lot in the media lately about the county budget. Some of it actually misinformation. I will try to clarify the reality of county budgeting in this and coming blogs.

One of the "foggy" rumors about the 2011 budget for Milam County is that we will be raising taxes. We are in fact lowering the county tax rate one cent to sixty cents per one hundred dollars of valuation. This coupled with the fact that most valuations decreased for 2011 results in a lower tax bill for the majority of county taxpayers.

The reason that Tax Increase Hearings are being held is that the county will be raising more revenue from ad valorem taxes than it did for the 2010 budget. Not because we are raising the tax rate, but because the Luminant Power Plant Project is now complete, and the full value of the plant is now on the tax roll. Anytime an entity receives more revenue from property taxes they are required by state law to hold Tax Increase Hearings. Even though the increase is a result of increased valuations rather than actually raising the tax rate. Perhaps a better title would be Tax Revenue Increase Hearings.

Many people actually pay a lower county tax bill in 2010. If you have questions about the county budgeting process stay tuned to this blog site, or call my office at 254-697-7000 and I will answer your questions.

Budget Woes for Texas Could Mean Unfunded Mandates for Local Government

Lots of talk going on about the financial situation for Texas. Seems as though while fairing better than most other states the recession has still had its effects on the Lone Star State. Last report has us about 18 billion short of what the state will need to operate over the next biennium.

Being an election year I am sure that Governor Rick will be taking advantage of the budget shortfall anyway he can. Note I said taking advantage not credit. Seems to me if he is requesting that all agencies cut budgets by 5% maybe he should take a look at what we taxpayers are paying for his living quarters. $8,900 per month plus utilities. Doesn't this guy have a house?

A five percent cut in his rent will only amount to 445 dollars, meaning we will still be paying 8,455 per month for his rent. A person really has to wonder about leaders that talk about cuts but seem to always find a way to avoid any cuts in their budget. Surely there are some suitable places for rent in the 1,500 to 2,000 range.

So, what about the budget shortfall? I am not real sure that five percent cuts will solve the problem. Cuts plus an increase in revenue for the state is what is needed. Austin already is using dedicated funds, such as the 911 fund, to balance the state budget. Those Stimulus Funds that Rick did not accept also helped balance the last budget.

Maybe it is time that Texas took a real long look at casino gambling. The facts are that casino gambling has helped in each and every state that has legalized the revenue source. The state currently conducts a lottery, which truly is one of the worst forms of gambling there is. Back in the days I think it was referred to as the numbers game.

Point is Texas will be needing more money to balance not only the next budget, but future budgets as well. One way that Austin has balanced budgets in the past without raising any taxes is through unfunded mandates. Texas has managed to keep schools running and take credit for not raising taxes. The truth of the matter is that they simply mandate that local government raise taxes.

Unfunded mandates currently cost local government millions of dollars each year. Instead of stepping up and accepting their responsibilities they simply passed the buck and then took credit for not raising taxes when in fact they were the only reason taxes were raised.

The next Legislative Session begins in January 2011. Redistricting will be a major battle and will detract somewhat from the state's budget woes. The reality for local government is that they must be vigilant and pull together to prevent Austin from passing the buck.

Dewberry Festival

Those of you that did not make it to the Dewberry Festival missed a sure enough Central Texas good time. Probably one of the better turnouts that I have seen in quite a while. To think all of this began with Jeff Smitherman's idea to honor the status of Milam County as the Dewberry Capitol of Texas.

Milam County became the Dewberry Capitol of Texas in 1995. Then Representative Dan Kubiak authored and presented House Resolution 11 which was passed on March 30, 1995. The late Gene Smitherman, of KMIL radio, is often given credit for coming up with the idea. However, those of us in the know are sure that it was his co-host Silas Strausburger that presented the idea to Representative Kubiak.

Silas was especially partial to dewberries. Listeners across Central Texas could keep a check on the local dewberry crop progress by tuning into the morning talk show entitled the Breakfast Club. Dewberries were a favorite food for Silas, and he also supplemented his income by selling fresh dewberries to the public. One year a gallon of dewberries that Silas donated to charity sold for 1,700 dollars.

I am proud to have been a part of the very first Dewberry Festival ever held in Milam County. The first Dewberry Festival was held in Cameron's City Park in 1999. The first ever event was the brainchild of Jeff Smitherman. In 2001 the event was combined with the Chamber of Commerce March Fest

One of the big events then and still today is the Dewberry Cook-Off. Jeff Smitherman called me as he was formulating plans and questioned me as to when the dewberries ripened in our area. I informed him that in an average year in Milam County, if there is such a thing, dewberries will be ripening around the first of May, and peak around mid-May.

He then questioned me about the last wekend in April, and I agreed that in some, but very few years, there would be some dewberries ripe during the later part of April. Especially when the last weekend of April fell close to May 1st. For whatever reason he decided the last weekend in April would be the date, and it has continued to be held the last weekend in April.

Now, with all that being said I too am a connoisseur of fine baked dewberry goods. However, the key to truly exquisite results relies on fresh dewberries. That is not to say that one cannot create a great cobbler or pie with frozen dewberries.

Nevertheless, for those of us that look forward to the first cup or two of fresh picked dewberries for that initial cobbler of the year there is no substitute for fresh main ingredients. Time to look at changing the event to the first weekend of May. Might not improve the event, but it will sure improve the chance of having a cobbler made from fresh dewberries. I believe it only fitting that the Dewberry Capitol of Texas have fresh dewberries available during the celebration.

County Roads

Okay, okay, so it has been almost a month since I last posted to my blog. Things have been bit hectic not only in the courthouse, but in the personal life as well. Sometimes it is hard for some folks to realize that elected officials, especially at the local level, are people too.

For those of you that have been keeping up with local happenings through the media you know that one of the recent "issues" for county government has been roads. I have owned property in Milam County since 1969 and while living here off and on since 1969, my family has permanently resided in Milam County since August of 1979.

One of the reasons I decided to locate my family and raise my children here was the people of Milam County. The rural area provides, in my opinion, a much better environment for raising kids. Both of my sons graduated from Yoe High and both grew up on a gravel road.

There were a couple of individuals in court last week complaining about County Road 250. It has been my practice to personally go out and drive the roads that the court receives public comment on just to see what some people think is a "bad road." I drove the entire length of CR 250 and CR 250 Loop on Saturday April 17th.

One individual was complaining about the horrendous condition of the road. I will admit that the Commissioner is in the process of getting the road in shape for seal coating so there is some inconvenience with the oil on the road, but overall I found the road in very good shape. I managed speeds of 30 to 40 miles per hour with no problems. Plenty fast for a gravel road.

Another individual was attempting to blame the condition of the road for an accident one of his family members had. The accident led to the family member receiving a ticket for failure to control speed. If I remember correctly every thing I have ever learned about driving includes the principle that you adjust your speed according to the road conditions.

Their bottom line was that something needed to be down about the road and that it should be done today. I attempted to explain to them that the Judge had no authority to tell or force another elected official to do anything (that is a whole other column), but they did not buy it. Some times the truth is hard for some folks to take.

As a landowner for over 40 years and full time resident for almost 31 years I can attest that the county roads are much improved over what they have been in the past. They are wider, and better maintained today. Granted they are not all paved, but part of country life is the roads, and in Milam County the majority of the roads are gravel.

Progress is being realized with the condition of roads in Milam County. Progress will continue to occur. The reality is that Rome was not built in a day, and 780 plus miles of gravel roads in Milam County will not change over night. As for me and my family that's just fine.