Keith Self's Blog

A Wonderful Short Book and The Debbie Davis Show

2008-05-05T06:46:00.003-05:00

Citizens,

I have just read a wonderful book, "The Law," by Frederic Bastiat, a French economist, who penned the short work in 1850.

"The Law" could be describing our 21st century nation, rather than 19th century France.

"The Law" lays out in simple, understandable terms the underlying concept of individual liberty as the foundational concept for a just and enduring society.

Given his regard for liberty, Bastiat could have been an author of our own Declaration of Independence. In "The Law" Bastiat states, "Life, faculties, production - in other words individuality, liberty, property - that is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it."

On the last page, Bastiat ends with, "Try liberty."

Our Founding Fathers gave us a republic based on liberty - not a perfect republic, but a republic nonetheless. I pray that we will not stray any further from the foundation for a just society. That's right - first and foremost a just society. Let's continue to "Try liberty."

Bastiat was an economist and the work was translated by the Foundation for Economic Education, demonstrating that individual liberty is tied to economic freedom and private property. I know that at least two organizations are distributing "The Law;" The Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Foundation for Economic Education. I encourage you to read it carefully - it is only 85 pages. You may read it on-line at http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/The_Law.pdf or you may purchase a copy at http://www.fee.org/store/detail.asp?id=387

As the county enters another budget cycle, I see more desire to provide property tax relief and I eagerly look forward to the budget discussions as we examine the best way to do that.

I am scheduled to discuss the county budget on the Debbie Davis Show on KVCE AM 1160 this morning, Monday, May 5, at 9:30 AM. Listen in if you get the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Keith

Some Thoughts on the Year Ahead

2008-04-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

Citizens, there is an exciting year ahead of us.

The budget cycle.

We are starting the yearly budget process. The last Commissioners Court session included a serious discussion about a tax rate decrease compared to a homestead exemption. No decision was reached, but the court asked for more options to be brought before the court on April 29. I look forward to continuing this dialogue on how best to provide property tax relief to our citizens.

The court is also addressing how to set elected officials' salaries. I do not favor delegating that responsibility to a committee. There are discussions during the last two court sessions available for you to familiarize yourself with the issue at the link to the webcast of Commissioners Court sessions on March 26 and April 15 at http://collin.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

Collin County adds a new District Court on January 1, 2009, which will ease the backlogs on the felony courts. Collin County will fund a major portion of this new court’s costs.

Legislative session.

We are preparing to participate in the 2009 legislative session in order to advocate for Collin County interests. We are following the progress of various Interim Study Charges in both the Texas House and Senate where our interests are being discussed prior to the start of the legislative session. Transportation funding process looks to be a priority issue for the next session.

Transportation.

Transportation funding continues to generate lively debate at the regional and state levels. The Collin County transportation funding available from the SH 121 agreement is very much involved in the regional discussions and the Commissioners Court will discuss a draft resolution on April 29 that encourages the region to abide by that agreement with respect to SH 121 funds distribution.

I will attend the Transportation Forum in Austin this week in order to better understand the future of Texas transportation funding.

There are challenges ahead this year, but that is what makes life interesting. Let's all embrace meeting the challenges as a way to make a difference in Collin County. Be involved; educate yourself using the webcast of Commissioners Court meetings, and we will all be able to better provide core county government functions to our citizens.

It continues to be a great honor to serve as your County Judge.

Sincerely,
Keith

Family Land Heritage Program and Budget Cycle

2008-04-06T18:33:00.002-05:00

1. The Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Todd Staples, hosted the 33rd Annual Family Land Heritage Ceremony in Austin on Friday. The Family Farm Heritage program pays tribute to Texas farmers and ranchers who have maintained ownership and agricultural production in the same family for a century or more.

I attended because three Collin County farms were recognized; the Collinsbrook Farm for 150 years and the Gantt-McMahan Farm and the McDonald Farm for 100 years. Forwarding the Family Farm Heritage applications to the Department of Agriculture is one of my most fun duties. I love to meet the owners and to ask about their experiences. They remind me of the section of land that my family homesteaded in 1907 in the panhandle.

During his remarks, the Governor Perry graciously recognized Jackie McMahan, who was representing the Gantt-McMahan Farm.

2. The budget cycle will begin soon. I am pleased at the amount of discussion about cutting spending in government - from the earmarks discussion in the U.S. Congress - to the efforts starting in the Texas Legislature to buy down more property taxes - to the plentiful campaign discussions about lowering taxes and cutting spending in the county budget. It is about time that this discussion had a full day in court. Stay tuned as the budget cycle unfolds. I will continue to work to honor my commitment to you to lower your taxes and control spending.

There is a direct link between low taxes/limited government and increased freedom. As I report the progress of the budget cycle, I will put that direct relationship between the size and scope of the government and your freedom into perspective. This is not simply an argument between competing political views, it bears directly on your freedom to live your life as you choose and spend your money as you choose.

3. I continue to get good feedback on the webcasting of the commissioners court meetings. You can find it right now at http://collin.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 and watch the session of your choice.

Sincerely,
Keith

Doing Our Part to Attract New Employers

2008-02-25T05:51:00.003-06:00

Citizens,

Job growth and continued economic development are crucial to the future of Collin County. Our continued population growth and the challenges with future transportation funding mean that we must grow our employment base by almost 100% over the next 22 years, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Collin County has some tremendous assets that are very attractive to major employers. I hesitate to name any assets because I cannot list them all. However, in order to give you just a small sample, consider the Natural Science and Engineering Laboratory at UTD, a world-class research lab located in Collin County; the excellent sports venues in several cities; the Collin County Regional Airport; and the Forbes magazine article of July, 2007, that rated Collin County schools as a whole as the second best "bang for the buck" in the nation. This very short and partial listing demonstrates the wide range of assets within Collin County that will attract employers.

I have asked the county staff responsible for our county web site to add a major section to our site that consolidates all the assets of the county in one place. This will cost almost nothing, yet will provide a single location for prospective major employers to discover the wide range of quality of life assets that are located in every city and across the county. This addition to our web site will complement the excellent marketing tools developed by our individual cities and their economic development organizations.

Sincerely,

Keith

The County Contract Award Process

2008-02-20T09:34:00.003-06:00

Citizens, I want to follow up on one of my comments in my last blog about weak state law for awarding contracts.

The county has now received the professional qualifications for the companies that want to receive county contracts for architectural and engineering services for the projects that you approved in the bond election last November. There is a wide range of company sizes, from small, local firms to national and even international firms represented. I'm sure that all are outstanding companies that bring a wealth of architectural and engineering excellence to the table. My comments below and in court yesterday, February 19, in no way reflect on these companies - they are operating within the environment in which they find themselves.

As I reviewed the qualification packets submitted by the companies, it became obvious that many contributed money that was used to buy the print media, radio, and signage that advocated passage of the bond initiatives last November. As far as I can tell, approximately $19,000 was contributed by the companies that are now standing in line to receive the contracts for bond projects.

My comments in court yesterday concerned the integrity of the county process to determine which companies are awarded contracts. It is a very simple concept that when a company gives money to support bond initiatives, and then submits qualifications in hope of winning the bond projects, it gives the perception of buying influence in the county. Or perhaps the companies consider their contribution just the price of admission to win county contracts. Either way, it brings the integrity of the process into question. This is not complex - there is a perception that companies give money in hope of winning contracts.

This brings us to state law. The law does not authorize direct price competition for architectural and engineering services, even when choosing among many obviously well-qualified companies. The sole use of price competition for engineering and architectural services is illegal. Amazingly, the last paragraph of the applicable law states, "This section does not prohibit competitive bidding in the private sector." Thank goodness for that, but for the life of me, I do not understand why state law does not allow competitive bidding in order to reduce costs to taxpayers.

In our case, the county develops a subjective scoring system; a county committee then scores the companies' qualifications, and negotiates a price with the highest scoring company. This system is full of danger and far too subjective; particularly in light of the money contributed by the companies to support passage of bond funds in the first place.

My comments in court yesterday should be available on the webcasting link shortly at http://collin.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

I encourage you to go to the webcasting site and "jump to" agenda item #4 on the workshop agenda in order to listen to the discussion.

Sincerely,
Keith

Observations on My First Thirteen Months

2008-02-03T12:47:00.000-06:00

Citizens,

After thirteen months in office, I want to make some observations on what I see as your county judge and as a member of the Executive Board of the North Central Texas Council of Governments. I will not address individual issues in depth, but will instead cite examples as I reiterate my foundational beliefs in individual freedom and limited government. These observations represent, in my mind, the single most important trend in local and regional government today. I am not addressing federal level issues; only local and north Texas regional issues.

We are sliding toward socialism.

Many in government today agree with the statement, "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need." And of course, government decides who gets what. Some of you will recognize these words popularized by Karl Marx in his writings on communism, and they apply directly to the softer socialism that is growing in America today. However, these words do NOT describe America down through its history.

But today, most in government advocate unfettered yearly increases in your property appraisals; not in order to reflect market conditions, but to ensure constantly increasing tax dollars for government use. Most advocate a new transit tax. Most advocate an increase in the gas tax. All of these taxes are meant to feed the growth industry of government in north Texas. Even our county government was scheduled to grow at 13% each year for six years from 2006.

Another example includes the very close call that the Collin County Commissioners Court had this past year when a proposal to fund a $15 million building with public funds for use by private organizations was pulled from voting at the last minute. I fully expect this proposal to reappear in the future.

Even our bond programs are built on socialism. The county is responsible to build very few of the roads contained in the recent transportation bond election. The majority of the funds approved by the voters will be collected by the county from one set of taxpayers and distributed to a different set of taxpayers for spending.

Competition in government contracting for certain services is weak. For example, it is illegal to have direct competition for public contracts for architect and engineering services. Illegal! Lack of competition in public contracting leads to higher costs for services and cozy relationships between companies and government officials.

Some of our governments are building businesses that directly compete with local commercial businesses. Why would government compete with successful local businesses? It not only costs tax dollars, but reduces the commercial tax base.

However, there is no general discussion about reprioritizing expenditures in order to fund the most important core functions with the taxes already collected from you, the taxpayer. Prevailing thought is that every new "need" requires a new tax.

Central planning was a key precept in the former Soviet Union. And it was a colossal failure. Yet central planning is also a key function of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG.) What started with the federal mandate that every urban region have a Metropolitan Planning Organization has grown to encompass many other areas of planning on a regional scale.

For example, many tens of millions of dollars pass through the NCTCOG in grants each year to regional governments, primarily federal tax dollars that you, the taxpayer sent to the federal government. Our estimates, which we are working to verify, suggest that Collin County receives approximately 4% of the grant funds distributed, although Collin County represents approximately 11% of the regional population. That is a direct application of the mantra by Karl Marx, "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need." This also brings to mind another great historic quote, "Government is the great fiction by which everyone attempts to live at the expense of everyone else." Working within the established NCTCOG system, I recently nominated six Collin County representatives to one of the NCTCOG committees that decides one area of grant funding, but only one Collin County representative was chosen. I will continue to press the issue of adequate Collin County representation with the NCTCOG.

Government should not be a growth industry. Government should stick to core functions and encroach as little as possible on the freedom for its citizens. Ronald Reagan once said, "We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around." The Constitution's core function is to preserve individual freedom and to limit government; and authority flows from the people to the government, not the other way around. Freedom is the first responsibility of government, including national defense, but includes much more just national defense. Freedom. Freedom is not the government coordination of every aspect of life. Nothing is better than freedom. Nothing is more productive than freedom. Nothing is more protective of our citizens than their individual liberties.

Socialism is a pessimistic outlook to government; an approach that assumes that individual citizens are not capable of managing their own lives. Freedom, on the other hand, recognizes that individuals are innovative, independent and resilient. The American Dream is not dependency on government, but is instead reaping the rewards of individual effort and achievement.

There are ways to stem the tide of socialism. Be involved. Educate yourself on the actions and activities of your government. Take responsibility for maintaining your own freedom by carefully watching government actions that limit your freedom to control your dollars and your life. For example, the Collin County web site provides webcasts of Commissioners Court meetings. Watch them at your convenience in your own home. Hold your elected officials responsible for the taxes that they put on you. Hold us accountable for spending your tax dollars wisely.

Sincerely,
Keith

Commissioners Court Meetings Now On-Line

2008-01-11T19:11:00.000-06:00

Citizens,

The Collin County Commissioners Court sessions are now on-line! You may view the court sessions at your leisure from the comfort of your own home.

Go to http://www.collincountytx.gov/ and click on the icon on the right that says, Now Playing Commissioners Court Webstreaming Meetings. Select the meeting you wish to view, and away you go! The agenda is attached for your reference and you are able skip ahead to the subject you wish to view without having to wade through the entire meeting.

Now you, the taxpayer, can monitor commissioners court meetings on topics that interest you. I look forward to your feedback on the new capability.

Sincerely,
Keith

2008 Opportunities

2008-01-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

2008 will bring new opportunities.

There will be numerous opportunities to stand for low taxes, individual liberty and freedom.

There will be opportunities to move beyond rhetoric to actually cut the rate of growth of county government.

There will be opportunities to focus on core government functions, rather than using the authority to tax 730,000 individuals to support special interests. If we lose focus; if we try to fund every special interest, we will not adequately fund our core services and infrastructure.

These are exciting times in county government. I am excited about the year ahead of us, and I hope you share my enthusiasm for the most dynamic county in America!

It is my honor to serve you.

Sincerely,
Keith

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2007-12-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

Dear citizens,

The Christmas season is here and our attention turns to celebrations of faith and family.

As you know, making county government more accessible and transparent to you has been one of my major goals. Just to give you a taste of what the New Year will bring - the installation of the broadcast and webcast system is almost complete. We should begin to broadcast and webcast commissioners court proceedings beginning with the court session on January 8, 2008. You will then be able to view court proceedings from the comfort of your own home either through the various city cable channels or through the internet. This will expand the availability of commissioners court proceedings to every citizen who wants to see and hear the business of county government.

As my first year anniversary in office approaches, I thank you for your support and encouragement. It has been an exciting first year, and I look forward to our second year together!

Tracy and I wish you and your's a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Keith

Election Now Settled

2007-11-07T20:29:00.000-06:00

Citizens, thank you for reading and participating during the last months as we have debated and discussed the recent bond election.

As you know, each of the three bond propositions passed, and they now represent the settled will of the majority of the voters. Now we will carry out the bond propositions as approved by the voters.

As promised during the budget cycle, I will reduce the number of blogs and emails now that this election is past. There are many other things happening in the county that I have not had space to include, and I look forward to sharing them with you as time goes by.

And always, it is an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,
Keith

Election Day is Tuesday, Let's Work Today

2007-11-04T20:07:00.000-06:00

Concerned citizens,

Election Day is Tuesday. I need your help now. Let's exercise fiscal responsibility, stop the pork proposal, and then move forward to the alternate program that WILL relieve our congestion.

If you did not vote early, you can still help us stop the pork proposal on Tuesday.

If you did vote early, you have friends who have not yet voted and THEY can still help us stop the pork proposal. Your friends will listen to you if you explain the details of this bond proposal. The details are at the end of this entry.

On Election Day, you must vote at your precinct designated polling location. You may find those locations at http://www.collincountytx.gov/elections/election_information/2007/110607/ED110607.html

Meanwhile, the momentum against pork continues to grow stronger.

Pork opponents have developed a YouTube pictorial piece that demonstrates in pictures what we have discussed for weeks. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Electronic bulletin boards around the county now have bond opponents openly advocating a vote AGAINST the bond proposals. Bond supporters are playing defense while we continue to advocate fiscal responsibility. Taxpayers have awakened to the fact that this pork does not relieve our congestion while it does give us excess debt. I am delighted at the activity now being generated against the bond in many venues.

As you go to the polls or ask your friends to go to the polls on Tuesday, remember:
1) Three out of four taxpayers will actually receive less money from the county match than they pay in county taxes into the bond funds. Those taxpayers who lose money are from large AND small cities.

2) The same taxpayers pay both portions of this "match" - county match and city match. The county match is not free money.

3) The bond "partnership" is actually just a single source of taxes - you.

4) Our county government is growing too fast; 16% growth in debt payment this year and 13% estimated average growth in maintenance and operations from 2006 for six years.

5) The total bond package more than doubles our debt payment, from $33 million this year to a peak of more than $60 million.

6) This debt will not be paid off until your small children have small children of their own.

7) Many of our smallest cities are penalized by this bond and receive little or nothing from it.

8) The transportation pork proposal does not relieve congestion at the major chokepoints.

9) And there is an alternate program already submitted to the state that will quickly start to relieve our congestion chokepoints if we fully fund it.

Sincerely,
Keith

Today's Issues

2007-11-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

Citizens,

Now is NOT the time to add excess debt to your county tax bills.

1) Today, Texas has the 10th highest mortgage foreclosure rate in the nation. Texas is not immune from the mortgage and credit market problems.

2) Today, Nov 1, the Fed pumped $41 BILLION liquidity into the financial system. That is a total of $240 BILLION that the Fed has injected since August in an effort to stabilize a fragile financial system caused by the mortgage and credit market fallout. Do you think the Fed is concerned about a possible recession? I do.

3) Today, Congress is openly considering what is called the Mother of All Tax Bills. Stand by.

Now is NOT the time to add excess debt to your county tax bills.

I have every confidence in the entrepreneurial spirit of Americans and in our free markets. We may manage to fight through this period of instability with little long term effect. However, I have no confidence in excess government spending because increasing government debt and spending can eventually overwhelm even the hardiest entrepreneur or competitive business. Government taxing and spending stifles our free markets.

Now is NOT the time to add excess debt to your county tax bills.

You only have the last day of early voting, plus Election Day next Tuesday remaining to cast your ballot. The special interest money from Austin is pumping out mailers and radio spots in support of the pork proposal. Your vote AGAINST is vital.

Now IS the time for you to vote AGAINST more taxes and more congestion.

Time is running short.

Vote AGAINST Collin County Proposition #1, the pork proposal.

Sincerely,
Keith

Let's Finish Well

2007-10-31T05:28:00.000-05:00

Citizens,

If you have already voted, thank you. Thank you for exercising your right to actively engage in determining the future of Collin County.

If you have not yet voted, rest assured that your vote WILL make a difference. Only 5,500 early votes have been cast through Monday, October 29, two thirds of the way through the early voting period. Your vote could eventually represent 75 taxpayers.

If you did not see my article in the Dallas Morning News on Sunday, click on http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/opinion/stories/DN-north_self_1028edi.ART.North.Edition1.426445d.html

As I wrote before, this contest is David versus Goliath. If you have not yet voted, pick up 5 stones by inviting 5 friends to go with you to the polls. Better yet, pick up 10 stones by asking 10 friends. We are up against massive special interest money from Austin, yet we continue to receive support from individual taxpayers/voters.

Our work is not done. There are still three days of early voting, plus Election Day next Tuesday, November 6. Many of you have not yet cast your ballot and I'm sure the results hang in the balance. Let's finish well.

Thank you for your support. I appreciate the calls and the emails that you send encouraging me. It is an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,
Keith

Lipstick On A Pig

2007-10-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

Citizens,

You can put all the lipstick you want on a pig, but it's still a pig.

Voters are more informed today. They want to know the details of issues. They want to know where their hard-earned dollars are being spent. They want results from government, not just more taxes. They want to cut down congestion, not just talk about cutting down congestion.

We have discussed the details of the pork proposal in depth in the blog postings below, and you may read through all the issues at your leisure.

As Election Day draws near, let's remember the important details of the pork proposal:

1) Three out of four taxpayers will actually receive less money from the county match than they pay in county taxes into the bond funds. Those taxpayers who lose money are from large AND small cities.

2) The same taxpayers pay both portions of this "match" - county match and city match. The county match is not free money.

3) The bond "partnership" is actually just a single source of taxes - you.

4) Our county government is growing too fast; 16% growth in debt payment this year and 13% estimated average growth in maintenance and operations from 2006 for six years.

5) The total bond package more than doubles our debt payment, from $33 million this year to a peak of more than $60 million.

6) This debt will not be paid off until your small children have small children of their own.

7) Many of our smallest cities are penalized by this bond and receive little or nothing from it.

8) The transportation pork proposal does not relieve congestion at the major chokepoints.

9) And there is an alternate program already submitted to the state that will quickly start to relieve our congestion chokepoints if we fully fund it.

Have you voted yet? Through 6 days of early voting, the number of early votes so far indicate that many more voters will vote in this election than in the 2003 bond election, and every vote will be critical. The discussion and the debates have raised the interest in this bond election, and your participation will increase the percentage of registered voters that take the time and trouble to exercise their right to vote.

Sincerely,
Keith

The Alternate Funding Plan is In Place

2007-10-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

Citizens,

In the last transportation bond election held in Collin County in 2003, only 9,404 total votes determined the outcome of a $142 million tax for approximately 600,000 citizens. Less than 3 percent of registered voters bothered to exercise their right to vote to determine how much tax the entire county would pay for 20 years.

Even for our traditionally low voter turnout, that was very low. You can change that.

Many of you courageously voted for change in the last election. NOW you have the opportunity to make changes that will slow the growth of county tax dollars and at the same time start to fund core programs that actually relieve our traffic congestion.

However, you are hearing doomsday predictions about Collin County coming to a halt if the transportation bond does not pass. Nothing could be further from the truth. But you may be wavering on your vote because you believe that the county "needs something" to keep us moving, even if that "something" is a bad bond.

We have an alternate plan ready to substitute for the transportation pork bond.

The Pass-Through-Financing program was produced by a committee, approved by the Commissioners Court and submitted to the State of Texas in April with a commitment to hold a bond election for the county costs. This program is ready to go on the next available ballot and the delay should be minimal.

The Pass-Through-Financing projects are very large compared to the projects in the pork proposal (twelve projects for $330 million compared to 113 bond projects for $235.6 million) and will start to relieve our congestion. The projects were specifically selected to be attractive to TxDOT and should bring a significant reimbursement percentage when negotiated. That's right; the state will reimburse a major percentage of our costs, which makes this program especially attractive to you, the taxpayer. While this program will be partially funded by the SH 121 concession fee, it will not be fully funded because there is not enough concession fee to do that. County tax dollars will fill that gap and start to relieve our congestion.

The way ahead is to defeat the transportation pork now, then turn around and place the ready-to-go Pass-Through-Financing program on the next available ballot. We will know the unfunded amount by the end of the year and it should be well within the maximum $271 million that we should bond.

We have a plan in place. Let's make the change that is necessary to implement the plan. Vote AGAINST the transportation pork proposal.

Sincerely,
Keith

The 2003 Transportation Bond Was Not Wildly Popular Either

2007-10-23T10:26:00.000-05:00

Concerned Citizens,

The last transportation bond proposal in 2003 was not wildly popular with the voters either. Almost 25% voted AGAINST the last transportation bond proposal, even without ANY serious critique and analysis of the proposal. And there were very few votes cast, less than 9,500.

Be encouraged! You are a much more informed voter. You are aware of the pork in the 2007 bond proposal. You are aware of the debt payments that will double if the pork passes. You are aware of the alternate highway funding program that will be underfunded if the pork passes. If you need to look it over again, please review the blog posts below for extensive analysis.

While our mission to defeat the 2007 transportation pork proposal looks difficult in light of the special interest money coming out of Austin to fund political mailers for our opposition, just a small swing of votes AGAINST the pork proposal can win this victory for the taxpayers of Collin County. Even though we will be outspent by the special interests, this victory is possible if we all work together at the grassroots to find those voters who are sick and tired of how their tax dollars are being spent. And spent. And spent.

We can break the cycle of congestion. We can set the stage to start relieving our congestion.

Yesterday, the day early voting started, USA Today ran the article, "38 big-money issues in balance on ballots." It read in part, "Voters in Texas, New Jersey and Maine are being asked to approve large bond issues to continue a year of record borrowing by state and local governments....State and local governments borrowed $198 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 10% from a year ago." We are not the only local government that is growing too fast. And do we want to start being lumped with high tax states like New Jersey? My wife was born in New Jersey, but it a high tax state - one of the highest.

Early voting has started. Have you voted yet? You can vote today at any early voting location. You can find the location nearest you at http://www.collincountytx.gov/elections/election_information/2007/110607/EV110607.html

Sincerely,
Keith

Now It Is Up To You

2007-10-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

Concerned citizens,

Now it is up to you. The talking is over, the head-to-head debates are history, the editorials and articles are written. Now the future of the transportation pork proposal rests with you, the taxpayer/voter.

I believe that as of today, Sunday, October 21, it is clear that we are dictating the debate verbiage on the bond election by presenting actual analysis of the pork proposal, offering new ideas, and educating voters on the issues. You are making a difference in the community. Several items published today clearly demonstrate that bond supporters are no longer defending bond details, but are only attacking our positive ideas to break out of the cycle of congestion and to address our increasing congestion. Several points made in the articles clearly indicate that the authors do not understand our protection of the taxpayer. Even the very good, positive alternate funding proposal approved by the Commissioners Court and submitted to the state is under attack, even though the April letter to the state approved by the Court was very positive. It is clear that supporters of the status quo congestion are worried about the impact of an informed electorate.

The shrill tone of those opposed to our efforts to fully inform voters on the details of the pork proposal reminds me of the strident, and often violent opposition when President Reagan deployed tactical nuclear weapons to Europe in order to defend our allies against Soviet invasion. Just as the Soviet Union understood the impact of Reagan's initiative, you can tell by the strident language that our opposition understands the impact of the taxpayer rising up to defeat this transportation pork proposal.

In spite of the current vitriolic tone by supporters of status quo congestion, I ask that you not make personal attacks in return. We will maintain our focus on the details of the transportation pork proposal. If you have any remaining questions, please contact me.

There is much work yet to be done. Bond proposals almost always automatically pass because very little analysis and no opposition are presented to the voters. In spite of our progress, we are still like David facing Goliath. I ask that you pick up five stones by inviting five friends to go with you to the polls. Better yet, pick up ten stones by inviting ten friends to go with you.

Thank you for reading the emails and blogs over these past weeks and months. Election Day is now only sixteen days away. I appreciate your support, and your efforts to educate yourself on a complex issue. Thank you for standing with me and giving me the opportunity to fulfill my campaign promises to you.

Early voting starts tomorrow, Monday, October 22. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to stand firm in the face of strident opposition. Now is the time to make a change. We have changed the debate verbiage, and I believe that we can now change the usual outcome by rising up to defeat this pork proposal.

Sincerely,
Keith

You Are Making A Difference!

2007-10-17T17:38:00.000-05:00

Concerned Citizens,

You are making a difference. Taxpayers all over Collin County are awakening to the fact that the transportation bond proposal is NOT fiscally responsible.

Now is the time to get the facts to your friends who are registered to vote. Now is the time to start asking your friends to go with you to the polling stations to vote AGAINST the transportation pork proposal.

Shining the light of day on the transportation pork proposal is revealing details that would otherwise never be known:

1) Three out of four taxpayers will actually receive less money from the county match than they pay in county taxes into the bond funds. Those taxpayers who lose money are from large AND small cities.

2) The same taxpayers pay both portions of this "match" - county match and city match. The county match is not free money.

3) The bond "partnership" is actually just a single source of taxes - you.

4) Our county government is growing too fast; 16% growth in debt payment this year and 13% estimated average growth in maintenance and operations from 2006 for six years.

5) The total bond package more than doubles our debt payment, from $33 million this year to a peak of more than $60 million.

6) This bond debt will not be paid off until your small children have small children of their own.

7) Many of our smallest cities are penalized by this bond and receive little or nothing from it.

8) The transportation pork proposal does not relieve congestion at the major chokepoints.

9) And there is an alternate program already submitted to the state that will quickly start to relieve our congestion chokepoints if we fully fund it.

I thank you for standing with me. Early voting starts on Monday, Oct 22. I ask you to vote and to take your friends with you.

You are making a vast difference in getting the truth out. We are seeing people come and join us as they understand the facts behind the bond. Now I ask you to make the crucial difference at the ballot box.

A head-to-head debate on the bond election will be held Thursday, October 18, at 7:30 PM at the McKinney Performing Arts Center on the square in downtown McKinney. Doors open at 6:45 PM. I invite you to attend and hear for yourself.

Sincerely,
Keith

No Free Lunch in the Transportation Pork Proposal and Bonus Coverage of Parkland Hospital

2007-10-14T16:34:00.001-05:00

Citizens,

1. Last week, I had eight speaking engagements on the transportation pork proposal, including two head-to-head debates and I continue to be delighted with the amount of discussion and interest being generated.

It has become obvious through these speaking engagements that the prevailing belief that government funds are free money has now filtered down to county level. Many consider the county match in this bond proposal as "free money."

However, there is no free lunch. Not in your family budget, not in business, and not in this bond proposal.

You, the county/city taxpayer, pay both the county match and the city match. It is all your money. There is no free lunch.

However, the notion that county money is free money, rather than your hard-earned tax dollars, is obvious when I field questions. Very few in government want you to consider these bond funds as your tax dollars. They only want to be able to say to you that they are providing some benefit. But remember, they are spending your tax dollars. Always.

As Ronald Reagan said, "...when it comes to spending your hard-earned money, they act like they have your credit card in their pocket. And believe me, they never leave home without it."

The only problem with these three bond proposals, they have reached too far and charged too much - almost $60 million too much. We need to live within our means.

Every level of government should focus on their particular core functions; not just the county level, but every level. If our cities, the county, the state and the federal level of government focused on their respective core functions, we the taxpayers could be sure that the tax dollars sent to each level of government would be spent on appropriate city, county, state, or federal level projects. Instead, our tax dollars are mixed and matched and spun around like a shell game that makes it hard to identify where your tax dollars are being spent, a confusion that used to be reserved only for the federal level. It may be the way that business is done, but there is a way to make this more transparent to you, the taxpayer - focus on core county functions instead of dishing pork across the county.

I also hear how the traditional bond funding by mixing county and city taxes supposedly "generates" additional funds. Government does not generate funds; government collects taxes that have first been earned by citizens and businesses. Do not be deceived by claims that additional funds are generated by this method of mixing funds. There are no outside funds in the traditional match between county and city - it is all tax dollars collected inside this county from you, the taxpayer. There is no free lunch.

2. Bonus coverage of the Parkland Hospital issue.

I wrote a letter to the editor to the Dallas Morning News in response to the article on October 6 reference Parkland Hospital. You may read the article at http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/stories/DN-indigentcare_06cco.ART.North.Edition1.424a760.html

The Morning News did not print my response so I copy it below for your review.

Quote:
Collin County pays for treatment provided to Collin County indigents by Parkland Hospital, and we verify indigent claims before we pay. We take responsibility to protect our taxpayers from false indigent claims.

Indigent claims are based primarily on state requirements, not county. Counties can only control the percentage of federal poverty level (FPL) at which the county will provide indigent care. Collin County recently increased that level to 100% of FPL. In addition, the state requirements do not include non-citizens, an issue often confused with indigent citizens.

Organizations act based on incentives. The incentives for Collin County are different than Parkland Hospital.

Collin County has two fundamental incentives:
1) Pay for treatment of Collin County indigents.
2) Protect our taxpayers against false indigent claims.

Parkland Hospital has different incentives:
1) Maximize federal dollars flowing to the hospital through several federal programs.
2) Which is accomplished by maximizing the number of indigent visits to Parkland.

Every month, I send a letter to Dallas County Judge Foster, the Dallas County Commissioners, and Dr Ron Anderson, detailing the payments Collin County makes to Parkland Hospital for treatment provided to verified Collin County patients.

I raised the verification issue at the September 24 public hearing hosted by Representatives Laubenberg and Jackson. I believe that Collin County taxpayers deserve to know that their indigent care tax dollars are being spent only for verified indigent claims.

Eventually, I would like to see Collin County take care of its own. A vibrant and growing county of 730,000 citizens with outstanding hospitals should be able to develop relationships that provide care for our own indigent citizens, rather than continuing this debate over who owes what to whom.
End quote

Sincerely,
Keith

A New PAC and Head-to-head Debate

2007-10-10T08:46:00.000-05:00

Citizens,

A group of concerned citizens have established a political action committee to oppose the transportation pork proposal.

"Vote NO on Transportation Pork" was established yesterday. I appreciate very much these citizens listening to my message of fiscal responsibility and the need to attack congestion on our major highways.

Please consider a financial contribution to support this effort. Please make your check out to:

Vote NO on Transportation Pork

Please mail your contribution to:

9720 Coit Road
Suite 220 #130
Plano, Texas 75025-5833

There are several great opportunities to hear head-to-head debates on the transportation pork proposal. These all include presentations on both sides of the issue. These are excellent opportunities to educate yourself on this complex issue before you vote.

Debate sponsored by the McKinney Area Republican Women's Club
Thursday, October 11, 7 PM
McKinney High School

Frisco Chamber of Commerce
Government Affairs Committee
Friday, October 12, 10:30 AM
Frisco Chamber

Smart Talk with Trey Graham
Saturday, October 13, Noontime
KTXG, 90.5 FM

Debate sponsored by Mark Yablon
Thursday, October 18, 6:45 PM
McKinney Performing Arts Center (MPAC)

Dialogue sponsored by McKinney Chamber of Commerce
Friday, October 19, 8 AM
Eldorado Country Club, McKinney

I continue to be delighted with the amount of dialogue that is being generated by a frank and open discussion of the future of transportation funding in Collin County. The sheer size of this large bond package is daunting to citizens. And the fact that it does not attack congestion on our major highways is concerning to citizens as they look at the growth of the county and yet see the county abdicating its responsibility to address congestion.

I look forward to seeing you at one of the head-to-head debates.

Sincerely,
Keith

Vote AGAINST the Transportation Pork Proposal

2007-10-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Citizens,

We must be doing something right in our efforts to fight higher taxes and county pork in the 2007 transportation bond proposal.

Bond supporters are getting desperate. Putting it kindly, a press release put out today, but dated October 8, is misleading.

The individual elements of the press release are correct. However, the press release suggests that $1 billion is a direct result of this bond election. That is misleading. This bond election only deals with your permission for the county to spend $235.6 million in county tax funds for the pork projects outlined in the bond proposal.

The $898 million from the SH 121 concession fee is a done deal. Those funds are already allocated to Collin County. And $290 million of that is not immediately available, but is paid over the next 50 years.

The $188 million from city taxes is a city decision. It does not depend on our county bond proposal. Cities will decide their individual city taxes.

That leaves us where we have been all along.

The central question remains, "Do you, the voter/taxpayer in Collin County, believe that the $235.6 million in pork projects that do not help relieve congestion on our major highways is how you want to spend your increasing county tax dollars?"

The "no increase in the tax rate" statement must be cold comfort when you watch your taxes skyrocket every year. You know that the county watches its tax revenues skyrocket based on the rapid increase in your property appraisals. I could not convince the Commissioners Court to lower your tax rate this year, in spite of holding more than $100 million in SURPLUS funds when we started the budget process.

Make no mistake about it - if this bond proposal passes, the county debt service will go up from $33 million this year to a peak at over $60 million, almost double.

Let's put it this way. If you have small children, these bonds will be paid off when your children have small children of their own.

The debt service increases next year in 2008 by more than 16%, even before we start selling these bonds.

The maintenance and operations budget is forecasted to increase by an average of 13% EVERY YEAR for six years, starting back in 2006.

Is your salary growing by 13% or 16% every year?

Collin County government is growing too fast.

This is the issue before you on November 6.

Do not be deceived. Get the facts. Ask questions. It is your tax dollar at stake. Read previous blog entries below for more details.

If you do, you will agree that the transportation bond proposal represents government pork and runaway growth.

Vote AGAINST Collin County Proposition #1, known affectionately as the transportation pork proposal.

Sincerely,
Keith

Defeating The Pork So That We Can Defeat Congestion

2007-10-04T05:54:00.000-05:00

"Our problems are both acute and chronic, yet all we hear ...are the same tired proposals for more government tinkering, more meddling and more control - all of which led us to this state in the first place... We must have the clarity of vision to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable, and then the courage to bring our government back under control and make it acceptable to the people." Ronald Reagan, 1980

Concerned Citizens,

Ronald Reagan could have been addressing Collin County transportation woes. We are a dynamic county that is on the move, except down our major highways. There we have to crawl along. We have extreme and costly congestion - no one can deny that.

Leaders in positions of responsibility have to eventually be accountable for the successes and failures that happen on their watch. It is true for business leaders. It is especially and publicly true for football or basketball coaches. Their successes and failures are followed closely and daily in the media.

At some point, if current operations are not working, teams try something new. The Dallas Cowboys made the change from Drew Bledsoe to Tony Romo in mid-season last year. Why? Because the current quarterback at that time, Drew Bledsoe, was not producing. There comes a time when pointing fingers, making excuses, blaming others, not taking responsibility comes to an end and a change is made.

The same should be true for political leaders.

Collin County did not start growing yesterday; in fact it has been growing for decades. Our current growth is not a surprise. The congestion has been growing for years right along with the population. And the same system of transportation bond funding has been around for decades as well. When do we admit that the current system does not work and make a change?

The citizens of Collin County have expressed their frustration with congestion for years. The time for change is NOW.

As Ronald Reagan stated, we must have the clarity of vision to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable. This takes difficult choices, just like the Cowboys made a difficult choice to change quarterbacks in mid-season.

You have a choice coming up during early voting that starts on October 22, or on Election Day, November 6. Make a choice for a better future, for relieving our congestion.

Vote NO on the flawed 2007 Transportation Bond Proposal that takes more taxes from 3/4 of our citizens than it returns to them.

We must get our citizens moving again on our major highways. We must ensure that we work together with our regional and state transportation partners to relieve congestion on our major highways. It is time to make a change.

At a reception and dinner for Texas Transportation Commissioner Ned Holmes on Monday, October 1, Commissioner Holmes said that our highways will be funded in the future by multiple sources. Collin County must participate in that partnership for the sake of our citizens, our transportation network, and our county's future economy. Just as the Dallas North Tollway has proved a great economic generator, our other major highways will prove the same if we attack the congestion.

I ask that you make the change NOW. Early voting starts October 22 and runs through November 2. Election Day is Tuesday, November 6.

Vote NO on the transportation bond proposal and let's join our transportation partners to attack our congestion together.

I stand ready to be accountable to you to accomplish the campaign promises that I made to you when you elected me. I have not forgotten those campaign promises. I still want to address our congestion. I need your help to defeat this proposal so that we can stop passing out pork and start aggressively working together to defeat congestion.

Sincerely,
Keith

The 2007 Transportation Bond Program is Pork

2007-09-30T21:31:00.001-05:00

Citizens,

The information generally available to you from the supporters of the transportation bond proposal looks only at the distribution of the funds - where they will be spent. I want to give you a picture of which Collin County taxpayers will pay the taxes that make up the bond funds, as well as a different perspective on where they are scheduled to be spent. A complete picture looks from the taxpayer perspective, as well as the expenditure perspective.

I believe that county government ought to accomplish projects that benefit the entire county. This means large projects that require taxes from across the county; projects that require a vision and a plan so that all taxpayers share the sacrifice for a worthy cause; projects that attack the transportation chokepoints that affect all our citizens. This will require a change in how we do business. You may read www.KeithSelf.com for greater details.

However, the current transportation bond proposal is constructed differently, so I will deal with the proposal as it reads. This bond proposal has 113 projects that, like peanut butter, are thinly spread across the county; "something for everybody," as bond supporters say. Only peanut butter never spreads evenly, and neither does this bond proposal. Remember, I do not agree with the peanut butter wealth redistribution model, I am just examining it.

There is NOT "something for everybody" in this bond proposal.

537,000 Collin County citizens will receive less from the bond funds than they contribute through their county taxes. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for these citizens to vote for this proposal.

Five "large" cities are on the short end of the stick. By $76 million.

Ten "small" cities are on the short end of the stick. By $5.4 million.

One "small" city receives $1.3 million less than they contribute. That city pays 6 times more than they receive. That's right; a small city of just over 5,000 loses $1.3 million. To a city that size, that is a huge sum. 8 of these small cities receive NOTHING from the bond funds. When asked why the smallest cities receive nothing, the response is that, "They didn't ask." That is not an adequate answer when one of the stated objectives of the bond was to provide more funding to the small cities. This violates American sense of fair play.

Let me state it a different way. These 15 cities, totaling 537,000 citizens, will have more total dollars if they vote NO on this bond election, collect through city taxes the same number of dollars that they would have paid in county taxes to the bond fund, and build city projects themselves using only city taxes.

There is NOT "something for everybody" in this bond proposal.

A "Fact Sheet" that is being distributed refers to the facts above as, "a fair, balanced program county-wide." You decide.

However, if bringing home county pork is the objective, then 172,000 Collin County citizens should vote for this bond proposal. They will receive more than they contribute to the county bond funds.

The distribution of pork extends across different city sizes.

One "large" city gets more than they contribute.

Ten "small" cities get more than they contribute.

One "small" city receives almost 10 times what they contribute. Yet two of the roads in this city that are scheduled to receive funding under this bond program are forecasted to have less traffic even in 2030 than one of the least capable roads on the Thoroughfare Plan, a Regional Arterial 2 Lane road. Quoting a recent email by a bond supporter, "His (meaning me) proposal leaves the total funding of our critical 6 lane divided thoroughfares entirely up to the cities rather than the 50-50 county/city split under the current system." I'm not sure that a road can be described as "critical" when it is forecasted, 23 years from today, to carry half the traffic of a 2-lane road.

A second "small" city receives more than 9 times what they contribute. Together these two cities receive almost 1/2 of the $35 million "set aside" for small cities.

I'll be honest with you; there is no short term reason for those 172,000 citizens to vote against the proposal. They will bring home the pork. That's the way it's done in some places in the federal government, but that's no reason to import the pork business to Collin County.

On the other hand, there is absolutely no reason for 537,000 citizens to vote for the transportation bond proposal. That's a majority. If you stand with me against pork in Collin County, we can defeat this proposal and go on to build a vision and a plan for our future county level transportation needs.

This picking winners and losers happens when government simply redistributes wealth, however noble the stated purpose. Instead of attacking county level congestion chokepoints with your tax dollars, this transportation bond program selects winners and losers and distributes tax dollars.

While I admit that there are reasons for 172,000 citizens to take the short view because they will get the largest portions of the county bond funds, I am asking all of you, the voter and taxpayer throughout Collin County, to vote AGAINST the transportation bond proposal in the long term interest of Collin County.

We can do better. Let's change the way we do business. Let's stop dishing the pork and get a professional system in place that determines county responsibilities and attacks our congestion regardless of location.

Join me in stopping the import of the government pork system to Collin County. Vote NO on the transportation bond proposal.

Sincerely,
Keith

Are The Transportation Bond Funds Distributed Proportionally?

2007-09-26T16:19:00.000-05:00

Citizens, the more analysis I do on the 2007 Transportation Bond program, the more surprises I find. In order to keep blog entries short and so that you will continue to read them, I will be discussing only one small issue in each blog entry.

Today we will examine the question that a citizen asked me recently, "Are the transportation bond funds distributed proportionally?"

No, the funds are not distributed proportionally, nor did the report ever recommend that, but the distribution details ARE enlightening. Did you know that there is a group of cities that get NOTHING from the county taxes that they will contribute to the county bond fund?

You know that I do not believe that the county ought to pit the cities against each other in competition for bond funding, so I am attempting to give you facts without making that competition worse. Where I can, I will try to not name cities; where I have to, I will.

I promise to discuss our small cities in later blogs, but today, let's examine one sentence in the 2007 Transportation Bond Program. You can find this sentence on electronic page 20 at http://www.collincountytx.gov/engineering/final_report_7_11_07.pdf or on page 15 of the written report.

The sentence reads, "However, funding percentages for the cities of Frisco, Plano, and Wylie were set higher than their population projections indicated because of the expected growth that is anticipated in these communities over the next 10 years."

This sentence reveals the fallacy of tying transportation spending to population growth in a complex county that includes mature, slow growth urban cities; fast growing suburban cities; and rural areas that have not yet established a viable tax base for growth. The committee used a 10-year time frame from some cities; a 23-year time frame for all other cities, rather than a common standard for all cities.

Collin County should be conducting a transportation needs assessment and setting priorities in order to reveal the county transportation chokepoints that require county spending to benefit the entire county. Instead, we are spreading your tax dollars across the county like peanut butter, with uneven peaks and valleys. 113 total projects is a pretty thin spread.

Appendix J, electronic page 51 at the link above, shows the population data used. This data is radically different than data at the North Central Texas Council of Government website at http://www.nctcog.org/ris/demographics/population.asp

Remember, we are examining just a small slice of the report today. I will get to other cities in later analysis.

There are several issues with our one sentence.

1) We cannot say that Plano will receive a "higher funding percentage" by any measure, except projected growth rate, which is the lowest in the county.

a. Plano will actually receive $43 million LESS than Plano taxpayers contribute through county taxes to the county bond fund. If this is a "higher" percentage, I would hate to see how little Plano might receive at a "normal" percentage!

b. The Plano tax base is 35.7% of the county tax base for the coming year, far above the 20.9% they are scheduled to receive from the bond proposal.

c. In the 2003 bond election, Plano received 31.8% of the funds, while in the 2007 bond proposal they will receive only 20.9% of the funds. That is a significantly lower percentage than the last bond.

2) Plano has the LOWEST future growth rate of any city in the county, including Collin Dallas and Collin Richardson. Using North Central Texas Council of Government population estimates for January 1, 2007 and 2030, Plano expects to grow by just 1,361 people between 2007 and 2030. How much can Plano grow in 10 years if the city only expects to grow by 1,361 people in 23 years?

3) As I said earlier, we will examine our small cities in other blog entries. More surprises await you.

So, in response to the original question for the day, the bond funds will NOT be distributed proportionally, in spite of the fact that the report attempts to gain Plano voter approval by portraying the Plano distribution in a positive light. As Dick Armey used to say, it is hard to be this wrong by accident.

Remember, if you like our congestion now, then this program will give you more:
More taxes
More congestion
More of the same

However, if you want to help relieve congestion on our major highways, vote NO on the bond proposals so that we can move forward, institute a professional system to determine our transportation chokepoints, and set priorities to relieve congestion.

Next blog: small city issues.

Sincerely,
Keith

Transportation Bond Analysis and Tax Rate Increase Watch

2007-09-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

Citizens, I apologize for the length of this post, but ask that you read it carefully.

A. Transportation Bond Analysis

It has been a wild week on the speaking circuit, including a Commissioners Court workshop in the Plano City Council Chambers Thursday evening. I believe that the issues are starting to take shape as analysis continues on the specifics of the bond proposal. One very positive sign is that the county is now taking the Pass-Through-Financing program seriously and trying to identify the funds to make this program work and receive state reimbursement.

You have seen the many articles in the news, including the huge front page article in the Dallas Morning News on Wednesday, September 19, telling us what we already know; that we spend many hours daily, weekly, yearly in congestion. Make no mistake about it; these articles are addressing the major highways, not local streets. The entire region understands the problem, now let's attack the problem and not perpetuate policies that produced our extreme congestion.

You know my three reasons for asking you to vote NO on the three bond proposals:
1) The $328.9 million total for three bond proposals is too large. We should not accept excess debt.
2) The transportation bond proposal does not break the cycle of congestion and does not relieve congestion on our major highways.
3) The Pass-Through-Financing program will be in jeopardy.

More attention is now being paid to the Pass-Through-Financing program and I think that everyone is more hopeful that we will be able to negotiate this program with the state. There is still not enough funding available from the SH 121 concession fee to fully fund this program, but the county is moving to identify funding to fill the gaps. This is a very positive sign, and I wholeheartedly support efforts to fund this valuable program.

I want to start more in-depth analysis of the transportation bond proposal so that you can make an informed decision when you vote starting October 22 for early voting, or on election day, November 6.

Let's start by examining a few cities in the proposal. Several are being asked to sacrifice a significant amount of tax dollars. As do most former military members, I understand the concept of shared sacrifice for a common goal that benefits everyone. However, as you will see below, I cannot identify in this bond proposal the common goal that benefits everyone by the significant sacrifice by several of our cities. When I discuss "contribution" below, I am figuring the amount the city will contribute based on their percentage of the total county tax base for the coming tax year.

1) Three of our large cities, Plano, Collin County Dallas, and Collin County Richardson, will contribute over $66 million more than they will receive from the total $235.6 million. Plano is the most significant at some $43 million in additional contribution over and above what they receive. Plano citizens will contribute $84 million and receive $40 million, a return of 48 cents for every dollar they send to the county. Texas receives 86 cents for every dollar that we send to the federal government in federal gas tax, and we think that is a low return! Again, if there is a clear common goal that benefits everyone, then this sacrifice may be justified.

2) One of the stated reasons for the distribution in this transportation bond proposal is to spread dollars to the smaller cities, in fact the committee briefed that $35 million will be distributed to the smaller cities. However, one small city of 3,500 will receive almost 1/3 of that total, a full $9 million more than they contribute. This city will contribute $ 1 million and receive over $10 million for a return $9.76 for every dollar. Another small city will receive $ 7 million more than they contribute, so almost half of the small city funds will go to just two cities. I am not naming the small cities because, as I often state, one of the issues I have with this system is that we pit the cities against each other, and I do not want to encourage competition here. See my September 5 blog. However, I do need to give you the facts without exacerbating competition.

When we consider the concept of shared sacrifice for a common goal, you would expect the projects in the first small city to be very important from a county perspective. However, when you look at the projected traffic count on these projects for the year 2030, 23 years from now, the projects do not seem to be significant in terms of traffic. Why are we asking some of our citizens to sacrifice when the end result does not seem to be a major road that will serve a significant number of county citizens?

3) A different small city is in the opposite situation. This small city of about 5,000 will contribute over $1.5 million, but receive only $250,000, a sacrifice of approximately $1.3 million. $1.3 million dollars is a large sum to 5,000 citizens. Why should a small city be asked to sacrifice when one of the stated goals was to send dollars to the smaller cities?

Shared sacrifice for a common goal is a worthy concept, but when a common goal that benefits everyone is missing, the concept morphs into sheer socialism, the redistribution of hard earned income, not shared sacrifice for a well understood common goal and benefit.

One other issue is local control. Plano had to justify to the county their desire to rehabilitate their city streets with their own tax dollars, both those collected as city taxes and as county taxes. Why is it any business of the county where Plano spends their hard earned tax dollars? That is an issue between the Plano City Council and Plano citizens. The county ought to get out of Plano business.

Flozell Adams, the Dallas Cowboy lineman, weighs 340 pounds. His skeleton is not the same size as the skeleton of a 100 pound woman. The skeleton of a 100 pound woman would not carry Adams' 340-pound weight. Collin County is no longer a rural county and the transportation skeleton of the rural Collin County of yesteryear can not carry our modern traffic. We need to continue to develop a more robust transportation skeleton to handle the weight of traffic in modern day Collin County. This bond proposal does not address the congestion on our "100-pound" transportation skeleton in a county growing toward 340 pounds.

Nor do I believe that the current citizen committee system of determining our transportation requirements can survive the crush of modern traffic requirements. Just as we need a modern transportation skeleton, we need a modern, professionally-driven process to conduct a periodic needs assessment of our transportation system. The citizen committee has served this county well for decades. We should honor that system for past service, but now move to a modern, professional approach to our transportation requirements.

I recently listened to the saddest thing that I have heard during this debate over the transportation bond proposal. A citizen listened to my presentation, and then said that the congestion situation is so critical that the voters have no choice but to vote for this bond proposal, suggesting that something is better than nothing. I totally understand the cry for help in the present situation. But if we take the long view, we must first defeat the current bond proposal, define the county transportation skeleton for a "340-pound" county, and then aggressively pursue building up that transportation skeleton. We must not ask that citizen, or any citizen to accept the deep sacrifice being asked without a clear understanding of the common goal and benefits. And citizens do NOT have to accept this bond proposal - you can vote NO and make a change.

Every day, I become more convinced that the right path ahead for Collin County is to vote NO on the three bond proposals, then immediately begin the change to define our county transportation skeleton and engage a professionally-driven process to conduct a needs assessment, followed by steps to properly fund that transportation skeleton, leading to a long term positive vision for a "340-pound" skeleton for a large and capable county.

B. Tax rate increase watch

There may be a subtle campaign starting to try to raise your taxes.

1) In the McKinney Courier Gazette on June 8, the article concerning the transportation bond committee stated that the committee suggested that the Commissioners Court consider a 1 cent or a 1/2 cent tax rate increase.

2) When the committee briefed the court on July 23, the suggestion had grown to a consideration of 1 cent and 4 cents. You may see this on page 8 at http://www.collincountytx.gov/public_information/features/documents/transportation_bond.pdf

3) An official briefing by the county bond counsel was presented at the workshop in Plano on September 20 that openly stated that we have debt capacity available to raise the debt level. I did not request the briefing, but it was clearly intended to paint a very positive picture of our capacity to pay more debt.

I don't know if the groundwork is being laid for a campaign to raise your tax rate or not, but discussions and briefings that openly advocate additional tax and/or debt raise my eyebrow. And a pattern of discussions raises both eyebrows.

I will closely monitor these discussions and resist any attempts to raise your county tax rate.

"I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." Winston Churchill

Sincerely,
Keith