08.08.07
Posted in Commissioners Court, Bad Government Republicans, Landfill, Williamson County at 9:53 am by wcnews
There are two media accounts of yesterday’s meeting regarding the issue of the new landfill contract. With the public finally able to air their grievances with about the contract to their elected representatives, the commissioners decided to punt the issue down the road a bit, Williamson County landfill vote put off until August 28.
After a roomful of people told Williamson County commissioners that they weren’t happy with a proposed contract with the county’s landfill operator, the commissioners decided to postpone a vote on the contract two weeks.
Commissioners Valerie Covey and Ron Morrison asked for the delay until Aug. 28, but neither would say whether the concerns brought up in court Tuesday prompted the move. The vote was originally set to be taken Aug. 14.
“I’m listening to all the input, and we’re trying to get the best contract for the taxpayers that we can,” Covey said.
Although a county attorney argued that there are only two options, that didn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Stephen Ackley of the county attorney’s office told the commissioners Tuesday that only two options existed: remain with the current contract that has no end date and allows the county little control over the landfill; or accept the new contract, which has at least 18 provisions that could lead to Waste Management defaulting on it.
Many of those who spoke Tuesday mentioned another option for commissioners to consider:
“Pull down the expansion permit, and Waste Management suddenly has an incentive to sit down with you,” Hutto resident Mahlon Arnett said.
[…]
“You folks act like you don’t call the shots, but you do,” Robin Schneider, head of Austin-based Texas Campaign for the Environment, told the commissioners Tuesday.
There is more that the county can do to negotiate a better deal, the citizens know it, and that’s what causing most, if no all, of the frustration with the court. There are many ways to make the other side bargain in a negotiation and the county’s inability to use any of those tactics is what makes people start wondering what’s going on. It also appears, because of his unwillingness to take his constituents seriously, that Judge Gattis has gotten his feelings hurt.
The group brought signs calling the landfill “Mount Gattis,” after County Judge Dan A. Gattis.
Gattis said he heard “no big flaws in the contract” Tuesday and that many of the issues are problems with the expansion permit.
He called some of the comments personal attacks.
“They’re not worrying about what’s good for Williamson County, and they’re trying to make it a personal vendetta,” Gattis said.
That goes both ways Judge. It is personal Judge when the county wants to increase the size of a dump near a citizens house and the county won’t listen to them. It’s also politics and you didn’t have to run for office.
The Hutto News also has a story on yesterday’s hearing, County hears concerns on new landfill contract“>County hears concerns on new landfill contract. Not much new in this article but there are a couple of good items from the meeting.
“Waste Management feels they have you over a barrel,” Carl Liddel of Jonah said. Liddel served as Pct. 1 county commissioner during the late 1970s and through the ‘80s, when the operation of the landfill was first contracted out to the company later absorbed by Waste Management.
“Either you are going to take the old contract or the new contract,” Liddel said during his comments against many amendments within the new landfill agreement.
[…]
“We seem to be put to this question of two choices: a horrible 2003 agreement or a bad new agreement,” said Hutto resident Jeff Maurice, landfill committee chairman for the Hutto Citizens Group, a grassroots organization fighting the landfill contract and proposed expansion. “Where is the option for the best agreement?”
[…]
The lack of an open, competitive bidding process is the most concerning issue, Pct. 4 Commissioner Ron Morrison said, but he said “it’s just not something we really can do right now.”
The county attorney’s office had previously stated that Waste Management could sue the county if the agreement was broken and put out to bid. The value of such a suit could be $200 to $400 million - the estimated revenue over the life of the landfill, Ackley said in a previous interview.
Morrison’s precinct includes the landfill, which is just north of Hutto, and although the other commissioners may look to him to take the lead on the decision, Morrison said the issue is countywide and possibly one of the most significant decisions facing the court.
“Any way we go, we’re going to have second thoughts on our choice,” he said.
Yes, Ron Morrison can talk, the silent one speaks!
The commissioners have extended the time before the final vote on this issue for two weeks. Why? Are they now saying they don’t have only two options? Are they actually going to go back to WMI and try and negotiate a better deal, a third option? Or are they just trying to buy a little more time in hopes that once the kids are back in school this whole thing will blow over? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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08.07.07
Posted in Privatization, Bad Government Republicans, Road Issues, Commentary, Around The State, The Lege at 11:27 pm by wcnews
More from today’s Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee in Dallas. This article from the SAEN transportation writer Patrick Driscoll, TxDOT rides in hot seat as lawmakers fume shows how ridiculous this whole transportation debate has become. Ric Williamson certainly must think this stuff is funny. He’ll ignore Sen. Carona and the gang for a while, then show up for a hearing (or send a minion), let the legislators “fume” a little, hell he’ll even let the governor sign a bill that’s a “moratorium” on their pet project and then ignore it like it’s nothing more than a suggestion. I’m sure he’s shaking in his boots now that he’s made Sen. “all talk” Carona mad, again.
Just two months after the state’s transportation department got its latest marching orders from the Legislature, a leading state senator said Tuesday the agency is as arrogant as ever.
At a hearing of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, Chairman John Carona, R-Dallas, accused Texas Department of Transportation officials of circumventing legislative intent and even refusing to explain what they’re up to.
“What does it take to get TxDOT to listen to the will of the legislators?” he said. “It is a core attitude of arrogance that I believe still exists.”
Hmm…maybe not letting Ric Williamson linger as the Chair of TxDOT would have been a start. Then the article just gets down right sad.
Carona decided it was time for an update, and called a hearing on the first day of the annual Transportation Summit, which TxDOT boycotted two years ago because of disagreements with Dallas area leaders over where the Trans-Texas Corridor should go.
At the hearing, held at a Westin Hotel, Carona protested that his letters and phone calls to TxDOT about its speed-camera project have been ignored.
“All we’re asking for is the courtesy of an explanation,” he said.
He cast doubt on TxDOT’s hope of using availability payments.
“What I heard was you found another way to get around us,” he said.
Ric Williamson doesn’t do courtesy. But Sen. Carona already knows that. What it takes is for the Senator(s) to use their power to do something about it. Think George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzalez. Although on a smaller scale - we’re not talking civil liberties and wiretapping I hope - but that’s exactly what Perry and Williamson are doing here. It’s the equivalent of a signing statement. Sure, there’s a moratorium, but not on the TTC because we say so.
As referenced in the previous post, when Sen. Carona caved in to the the Perry/Williamson/Corporate toll crowd, and gave up all his bargaining power what did he expect? Williamson ignored Sen. Carona during session until he used his power to make Williamson stop ignoring him. It’s hard to believe he thought they would continue to play nice once he ceded that power.
If Sen. Carona, Sen. Nichols, and Sen. Shapiro really want to change whats going on in Texas, as far as transportation is concerned, words and friendly smiles won’t work, these people don’t understand and/or respond to that. Use your power and make them do what you want them to, that’s all they understand.
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Posted in Election 2008, Bad Government Republicans, Privatization, 80th Legislature, Road Issues, Around The State at 4:54 pm by wcnews
Ahead of this week’s Texas Transportation Summit - a meeting of our elected leaders, the corporations they elect to give taxpayer money to, and transportation “gurus” - Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas), Chair of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security, convened a meeting of that committee today at a hotel at DFW airport. DMN has the story, Carona calls for change in bridge, road funding.
Texas’ methods of financing its roads and bridges are “irresponsible” and must change, the chairman of the state Senate transportation committee said Tuesday.
Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, said he will call for an amendment to the Texas Constitution during the next session of the Legislature that will end lawmakers’ practice, now routine, of diverting gas tax revenues to pay for expenses only tangentially related to construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.
“That’s going to be probably the most important single issue in this next session, said Mr. Carona. “We’ve got to stop the diversion of gas tax funds for other uses. And I think we’ll have strong support for that.”
A previous amendment already restricts the use of those funds – which last year brought in $2.99 billion – for transportation-related expenses. But for years, the Legislature has steadily expanded the definition of what can be considered related to transportation.
Last week, Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson said nearly all of the annual budget for the Department of Public Safety, for example, is now funded from the motor fuels tax. “Just because it’s legal to do something, doesn’t mean it is what the Legislature ought to do,” said Mr. Williamson, who conceded he also supported using the funds for non-construction purposes while he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
But on Tuesday, Mr. Carona labeled the practice both irresponsible and potentially tragic, especially given the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis last week.
To steal a line, “there he goes again”. In case you forgot we were all very happy when Sen. Carona used harsh, but very true, rhetoric when about tolls and PPP’s late last year and early in this year’s legislative session. Only to be disappointed when Sen. Carona caved on the transportation issue later in the session. Yes, Republicans all over Texas and the United States will be trying to make up for their neglect of our infrastructure during their reign, in the run-up to the 2008 elections. It’s up to us not trust what they say but to instead judge them on their prior actions.
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Posted in Bad Government Republicans, Commissioners Court, Animal Shelter, Landfill, Had Enough Yet?, T. Don Hutto, Williamson County at 9:37 am by wcnews
AAS has this story up regarding today’s Commissioners Court meeting where the new landfill contract is on the agenda, Williamson landfill contract gets airing.
Williamson County commissioners will hear today what residents think about a proposed contract with the county’s landfill operator.
They shouldn’t expect ovations, according to three groups fighting the contract.
“I am really fed up trying to help the court solve anything,” said Orlynn Evans, head of Mount Hutto Aware Citizens. Evans’ concerns prompted the county last year to renegotiate its 2003 contract with Waste Management of Texas to get a better deal.
But the draft of a revised contract that was released last week did nothing to assuage concerns, Evans said.
Although county officials say it’s the best possible deal, Evans’ group, the Hutto Citizens Group and Texas Campaign for the Environment oppose the new contract.
“I will be asking them to not take action on the contract until the numerous flaws in the contract are corrected,” Evans said.
As will many, many others we can be sure. The Texas Campaign for the Environment was calling residents to invite them to today’s meeting. I know because I got one.
The Hutto Citizens Group has a couple of items to read for anyone that won’t be going to the meeting. They have an analysis [.PDF] of the current contract, as well as, a nice chart [.PDF] comparing the current and proposed contracts in Williamson County with two recent contracts negotiated under similar circumstances with WMI in Arlington and Temple. Looking at that chart, it becomes pretty obvious that this is a poorly negotiated contract, financially speaking at the least, despite what Jana Duty and Stephen Ackley say.
Expanding the landfill, which would yield millions of dollars for Waste Management, was a point of leverage that the county was prepared to use had the company resisted renegotiating the contract, County Attorney Jana Duty said in an e-mail.
“When the media and all the neighborhood groups began their attacks, it was very tempting to just say, ‘Screw this, we have a contract, we are done,’ ” Duty said. “But that would not have been what was in the best interest of the people of this county.”
The new contract is the best deal “considering the circumstances,” said Stephen Ackley, chief litigator in the county attorney’s office.
Among the changes: The contract now has an end date, in 40 years; Waste Management must immediately give the county $250,000 for park development; and trash is to be measured more reliably, in tons, not yards.
Wow! That makes all the bad stuff so much better. Making the corporation do what it should have been doing all along and for the millions they will make off this deal they’re kicking back a meager $250,000 for a park. The contract our “Mayberry Machiavellis” have hammered out doesn’t seem to be close to being in the best interest of the citizens of Williamson County.
Two other issues that the CC needs to hear about are the continuing problems at the WCRAS and it might be nice to mention to them how much money imprisoning Mothers and their babies is making for CCA.
Management revenue from federal customers increased $20.7 million, or 16.0%, to $150.0 million during the second quarter of 2007 from $129.3 million during the second quarter of 2006, as a result of higher inmate populations from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (”ICE”) and the U.S. Marshals Service (”USMS”). Federal revenues were positively impacted by a new management contract from ICE at our Stewart Detention Center that began receiving detainees in October 2006 and a full quarter impact of a new management contract at our T. Don Hutto Residential Center that became effective in May 2006. Additionally, federal revenues were favorably impacted by the backfilling of the vacated beds in our Florence Correctional Center with additional USMS detainees as a result of the commencement of operations at our new Red Rock Correctional Center in July 2006.
That new contract was unanimously approved by this court.
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08.06.07
Posted in Bad Government Republicans, Animal Shelter, Take Action, Had Enough Yet?, Williamson County at 12:33 pm by wcnews
From this article at KEYE-TV, Williamson Shelter Temporarily Closed, (link via Shelter Concerns), it’s safe to assume there are still major issues at the Williamson Count Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS).
Since opening in March, the Williamson County Animal Shelter has been plagued by controversy over cruelty allegations and overpopulation — and claims of understaffing.
That understaffing could explain what happened on Sunday.
No one answered the door at the county-run shelter, where posted signs say an “unforeseen emergency” that forced the shelter to shut down.
A county spokeswoman says one of the front desk workers had to leave yesterday — when she suffered a minor injury on the job. And the shelter is just too shorthanded to handle any clients for the day.
The shelter is supposed to have a staff of 12. They’ve been operating with just eight. Still, the closing was disappointing for some.
There was staff in the shelter caring for the animals, they just didn’t have enough staff to allow the public in, the article goes on to state.
This will be on the Commissioners agenda tomorrow morning. Not only can a citizen come speak out about the landfill, they can also voice their concerns about the animal shelter as well.
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07.31.07
Posted in US Senate Race, Bad Government Republicans, Health Care, District 31, 80th Legislature, Congress, The Lege at 1:59 am by dembones
Rep. John Carter (R-Round Rock) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are among a group of Republicans in Congress speaking out against plans to increase federal funding for State Childrens’ Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP). Pres. George W. Bush has asked Congress for an additional $5 billion over five years in his budget; however, a bill before the House will allocate up to 10 times that amount. The AP is reporting that without large increases in SCHIP funding, most of Texas’ 1.4 million uninsured children will remain uncovered.
Rep. Carter disparaged a House bill proposing an increase large enough to cover all uninsured children as “a slow stroll down the road to socialism.” The AP reports that Sen. Cornyn “is concerned about the program’s ‘dramatic expansion,’ warning it could set the stage for a government-run, national health care system.”
Rep. Joe Barton (R-Ennis) thinks the President’s plan goes too far. He “wrote an alternative bill that would spend $500 million to $1.5 billion over the same timeline.” That is as little as one-tenth as much as the President is requesting.
The Texas Republicans’ criticisms run in stark contrast to public opinion, which is firmly behind the expansion of SCHIP. Recent polling shows that Americans favor [pdf] “offering a government-subsidized health insurance plan to individuals who do not have access to employer-paid health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid” by a three-to-one margin (WSJ/Harris May 8).
State Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) broke down in tears on the floor of the Texas House in the waning hours of the 80th regular session to convey the lengths he was willing to go to restore SCHIP coverage to 127,000 uninsured Texas children. He allied with Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) and wielded the gavel for hours at a time, refusing to recognize members of both parties who sought to be recognized to make a motion to vacate the chair. Turner made it clear that he would bargain with the devil to restore coverage for those 127,000 children. Yet, if Congress does not pass and Pres. Bush does not sign a bill to increase SCHIP funding by an amount significantly higher than what the President is requesting, many of those 127,000 children will remain uncovered.
Texas Republicans are leading the charge to stab Turner in the back and render worthless the bargain he made.
The intense emotions and passionate debate over a matter, literally, of life or death for our nation’s 11.6 million uninsured children [pdf] will reach a fever pitch as Congress takes up this issue, with votes coming perhaps this week. The National Academy for State Health Policy’s Chip Central web site provides a great deal of material on this issue, including a side-by-side comparison [pdf] of three SCHIP reauthorization proposals under consideration.
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07.30.07
Posted in Bad Government Republicans, Cronyism, Commentary, Williamson County at 4:47 pm by wcnews
In 2004 the City of Hutto knew they were buying more water than projections said they would need and did it any way. AAS has the story, How did Hutto end up with so much water?
This Williamson County hamlet signed a deal in 2004 that committed it to buy more water than its own growth projections indicated was necessary, according to recently released documents and interviews with city officials.
Still, city leaders went ahead with the deal, perhaps under the impression they had no other choice. This year alone Hutto, by now a city but still growing fast, will spend $1 million on water it will not use.
Customers’ water rates have already gone up once because of the contract, and another increase is expected before the end of the summer. The city is now renegotiating with the water provider, which has cost taxpayers about $100,000 more in consultant fees.
When asked about the extra water, current city leaders have said Hutto simply didn’t grow as fast as expected to cover the extra water. But documents obtained by the American-Statesman and interviews tell another story.
Among the findings:
•Hutto’s city engineer calculated growth projections showing that the water contract was too big. Those projections turned out to be fairly accurate. But there’s no record that the City Council ever saw them before signing the 2004 contract.
•City leaders said Hutto was under orders from the state to buy more water immediately. State officials deny that.
•There’s evidence that there were other water options in the works. Nearby Taylor and the Brazos River Authority were planning an expansion of a water plant — fully expecting Hutto to be a customer.
I’m not sure how many people are familiar with the growth of Hutto in the past seven years, or so, but it’s been massive. To say Hutto didn’t grow as fast as expected sounds suspicious. Especially when in the next paragraph we find out that Hutto is the fastest growing city in the state. Instead is appears that Hutto’s leaders, at the time, panicked and mishandled a state citation.
This need was made more dire in the summer of 2003, when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality cited Hutto for not having enough water to meet state guidelines.
Mel Yantis, Hutto’s city manager at the time, said he took that citation — and numerous verbal warnings — to mean that they had to find a new water supplier.
But that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Hutto city engineer Dan Hejl had appealed to the state environmental agency to relax its minimum guidelines. The state denied his request, but only because it didn’t include the proper paperwork.
“We definitely didn’t tell them, ‘You need to get a whole bunch more water,’ ” said Judson Smith, who wrote the denial letter from the agency’s technical review and oversight team.
Yantis said this month that he didn’t know Hutto needed only to provide more detailed information. He said he relied on Hejl for engineering advice about state water requirements.
Hejl said he had prepared the missing documentation for the state, but city officials did not ask him to submit it — instead, they signed a new water contract with Heart of Texas Water Suppliers.
Yantis said he went with Heart of Texas because it was the only supplier with a contract ready to go.
Hmm…Heart of Texas Water that sounds familiar why?
Heart of Texas has come under scrutiny because it is partly owned by Frankie Limmer, the area’s county commissioner during the negotiations.
Yantis and Limmer said Limmer had no part in negotiating the deal because of his position with the county. Limmer is also a part-owner of land in two water control districts within reach of the pipeline. Limmer did not return calls for comment.
Hejl owns land in one of those districts through a limited liability company. He would not answer questions about whether he has or has had a business relationship with Limmer. He said Hutto approached the deal from a “purely water research standpoint.”
“Hutto has been extremely good to (my engineering company), and I would never do anything to harm that community,” Hejl said.
Why is it that whenever the people of Eastern Williamson County are getting a bad deal that Frankie Limmer is involved so how? Let’s see if we have this straight. Hutto needs water because of fast growth. The city then buys too much water, and says it overestimated the growth, even though Hutto is the fastest growing city in the state. We then find out they knew they were buying too much water when they signed the contract but did it anyway. And who did they sign the contract with? Well the company owned by then Precinct 4 county commissioner Frankie Limmer. No big deal it’s not like all this extra water is going to cost the citizens of Hutto or anything like that.
Hutto customers already pay some of the highest water bills in Williamson County. The city plans to raise rates again soon, to an average of $72 per month.
Those rates shouldn’t change until 2011, according to a rate study by an outside engineering firm.
But that’s only if a new contract with Heart of Texas is finalized — and if the city grows as expected under Hejl’s new projections.
The new deal would decrease the amount of water the city buys from Heart of Texas considerably over the next few years. The council approved the new contract, but the two sides are working out small details; once completed, the deal would go into effect immediately.
But it also calls for Hutto to buy more water in the long term that its customers might not use. In 2027, Hutto would have to buy 5 million gallons of water a day from Heart of Texas, but according to Hejl’s most conservative projections, the city would need only 3.6 million gallons. If the city grows at a faster rate, the city would need 5.2 million.
A $72/month water bill would not make me happy. This sounds like another issue that the Hutto Citizens Group could add to it’s . Like with Limmer’s landfill contract this deal is now being renegotiated. And like with the landfill deal the citizens of Hutto are the ones who are likely to suffer and better hold onto their wallets.
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07.27.07
Posted in Bad Government Republicans, 80th Legislature, Had Enough Yet?, Commentary, Around The State at 9:24 am by wcnews
Dave McNeely on what the governor’s plans may be, Perry won’t rule out another race. It’s frightening to think that if Perry was to run and win in 2010 he’s not even half done with, what would be, a 14 year run a governor.
If he is re-elected in 2010 and serves all of another four-year term, he will have been governor a little more than 14 years. Which means the six and a half years he’s occupied the governor’s mansion would be less than half his total tenure.
There are some who think Perry’s simply brandishing the re-election possibility to hold off being disregarded in the 2009 legislative session as a lame duck. The presumption is politicians in leadership positions who reveal too early they’re planning to leave may find their power over events and people is diminished.
One seasoned onlooker reasoned there’s about a 10 percent chance Perry will seek another term, a 10 percent chance he’ll quit before this term is over, and an 80 percent chance Perry will serve out this term and leave.
On retiring early, one observer said with the looming prospect of a significant budget deficit in 2009, Perry may want to exit before he has to eat a significant tax increase, or again make draconian cuts in programs like children’s health insurance, as he did in the last budget shortfall in 2003.
Or, he might figure it would make more sense to go out hot — perhaps to a position like chancellor of Texas A&M University, his alma mater, where he has appointed every member of the governing board.
It’s also possible Perry is just using the possibility of another campaign as a means to keep political money coming in, since he also uses that for expenses that can’t be charged to the state.
The lame duck trying not to seem too lame, still raising money to covert trips to Turkey and Dubai, is the theory that seems most plausible.
If he is going to run again he’s going to have to make up for what everyone agrees is a horrible veto. In today’s WacoTrib they have this editorial, Undoing Perry’s brutal veto. There’s much more from Kuff and Burka on this.
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07.24.07
Posted in Bad Government Republicans, Had Enough Yet?, Commentary, Around The State at 10:13 am by wcnews
There’s really not much left to say about the horrible stewardship of our government that the Republicans in Texas have been in charge of. Whether it’s defunding CHIP, the TYC scandal, and now this, Abuse, neglect plague state schools. (Not to mention the neglect of our infrastructure that they’ve presided over as well).
There’s a common thread running through all of the three issues mentioned above - CHIP, TYC, state schools - they’re involving people who can’t take care of themselves, can’t defend themselves, have little political power, and they donate nothing to political campaigns. In other words the Texas GOP, which has many times wrapped itself in the Bible, has little problem neglecting these least brothers.
Vince at Capitol Annex has much more analysis of the DMN article linked above, Abuse, Neglect Plague State Schools For Mentally Retarded.
When reading about these horrible atrocities that are happening with out neglegent state government we must keep this in mind, we can’t expect people who think government IS the problem to use government to fix the problem. Or as said here:
But Republicans are incapable of running an effective government, lest they refute their own “government is evil” mantra. It’s quite the paradox.
Republicanism works fantastic as an opposition party. In charge of things? Not so much.
Stop, If you’re a wing-nut, I’m not saying the government is the answer to everything, I’m saying many times it is the better or best answer. Now we must ask one more question, are these things being done on purpose? To perpetuate the GOP’s self-fulfilling prophecy that government can’t work. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The way the GOP handles these issues shows much indifference for the least brothers. I’ll leave you with this excerpt from Vince’s post above:
And, more from the Perry Administration:
“It’s important not to sensationalize these incidents,” Ms. Moody said, noting that the Department of Aging and Disability Services didn’t become responsible for the state schools until 2004. “They should not be portrayed as though they happened yesterday, and no action has been taken.”
First off, you don’t need to sensationalize someone being left naked in a trash bin. That pretty much sensationalizes itself, don’t you think?
Second, regardless of when these incidents happened, this administration has shown us not one iota of evidence that such behavior is not continuing. The system is broken, and, while perhaps it didn’t break yesterday, no one has provided credible evidence to show it is fixed today.
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