Consistent. Principled. Action.

Citizens,

In a unanimous vote, your Commissioners Court just approved a balanced budget that gives the average taxpayer another tax decrease for 2010.

The court held the line on spending; approving a balanced budget that will spend only what will be collected with no change to the tax rate. There were some hard decisions made in order to maintain a balanced budget during an economic downturn, and the entire court recognized the fact that an economic downturn is NOT the time to increase taxes.

Your court worked together over the past three years to restrict the operating budget to an average annual increase of only 1.26%, far less than previous increases. That is a result of shared commitment to slow the growth of government.

I thank my fellow court members for their commitment to pass a balanced budget.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens, summer is over, school has started, pools are closed, and the political scene is wild.

The fascinating national political environment almost totally crowds out local political news, and there is no doubt that there are profound implications to North Texas as the federal government grows ever larger and more intrusive. The real fascination to me is that many do not see that growth as a threat to our liberty. I am excited about the growing number of Collin County citizens who have just now started to make their voices heard as they engage in political dialogue based on the national political issues.

While the national scene garners the headlines and airtime, local governments are busy with final budget votes in the midst of the economic downturn.

Here's a question for you. If higher taxes are necessary during boom times in order to "keep up with growth", and higher taxes are necessary during economic downturns in order to "make up for the loss of property appraisal values", then when CAN taxes be cut? How would you ever slow the growth of government if higher taxes are required during the good times AND during the down times? Have you ever pondered this question?

The county is addressing this issue in several ways during this budget cycle.

The first is giving another tax DECREASE this year to the average taxpayer. This also slows the growth of county government. More citizens help shoulder the tax burden every year, so the load is distributed across a larger number of taxpayers.

Second is our transparency initiative. Our checkbook is on-line and available for your review, which makes county officials more accountable to you.

Third is a citizens' efficiency committee. This is not a committee of government employees; it is made up of citizens who have expertise in certain areas, volunteering their time to find efficiencies in county government to streamline our processes and recommend ways to save money. Just as you are cutting expenses and saving more, so should the county. And after all, lower taxes not only create a positive business environment, but they also mean more efficient government focused on core functions.

Welcome back from your summer travels and vacations. We have lots to discuss through the next months.

Sincerely,
Keith