tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58425451868000439362024-03-13T05:15:39.305-05:00The Woodlands Government<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
<u><a href="http://bit.ly/2bR7vn1">Commentary</a>
</u> <u>|<a href="http://bit.ly/7ZJ683">Weather</a>
</u> <u>|<a href="http://bit.ly/4teEQG"> Who</a>
</u> <u>|<a href="http://bit.ly/2qFIjC">Town</a>
</u> <u> |<a href="http://bit.ly/2HSuVC"> Liv'n</a>
</u> <u> |<a href="http://bit.ly/1MfPVB"> Parks</a></u> <u>
|<a href="http://bit.ly/iBjkM"> Trees</a>
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|<a href="http://bit.ly/jPmAC"> Forest</a> </u>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-57139478358325792822016-09-26T17:57:00.002-05:002023-09-10T09:19:16.365-05:002016 Election IssueIt is important for residents to understand some of the history behind the current election and the political tactics being used by some candidates for being elected. For one, there is usually an advantage of some sort for a politician in The Woodlands to run for office. Yes, they are all for "representing" the people. <span style="color: #2b00fe;">An added comment.... </span>. You know the way they make<br />
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it seem OK, "for the people, by the people". The "by the people" here has traditionally been at the election centers, not in the Board Room. The "for the people" seems to be traditionally "because I like it this way". That is, a politician typically has a motive for running for office and represents himself. The Commentary has, on occasion, asked candidates to submit their reasons for running, I received their generic rhetorical answers to try to convince the public of their motives. There are no plans to do that this year. It is too obvious.<br />
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Originally, several influential people were put on a Town Center Board. When the Township was founded by transferring and consolidating all local HOA's into one entity, the "Township", several of those on the Board came along free as new government directors. They became incumbents in the election. Their motives were in local business and political power. That is not in itself a problem. The problem in some folks view is that one (or all) of them had ties to contractors and/or properties involved in development or related contracts. They performed their new government jobs in an open and direct way (kudos), following the law. In the background, they were preparing for development and business opportunities (criticism/conflict of interest). In Montgomery County, this has been a longstanding tradition. Someone has to do the job and after all, like the lady once said, the pay is not the greatest in the world (Directors are not paid anything for their work). Now, four of those people have stepped down and others have filed to run for office. Two positions are being filled with new candidates in this election and two are being challenged. </div>
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To make it more clear, one of them was voted out of his position and two moved on to other related business activities. Our lady volunteered to work on the road issues, the Methodist Pastor decided to let go (it was said that he wanted to be mayor), and like our lady, the lawyer also went on a "road" trip. (pardon the pun). Now we see a pattern. So then, as a consequence, the road issue became a huge concern for many residents. Our county's plan has been in place for quite some time, but it was not ever presented to the residents as an option. It was just a fact. No one should get in the way. That, in my own opinion, gave residents a false impression, eventually leading to a complete revolt in the community, when confronted with a road bond election. Now that The Woodlands has awakened to the threat of the parkway becoming a freeway for through traffic, other roads in the master plan of the county have also been brought to the attention of the residents. Trees? I see the removal of trees on the parkway and Gosling in the future unless we do something about this. I can hear the increased traffic noise as horns are honked, brakes screech, exhausts boom. Maybe this is what some want, the lowering of property values along the resident corridors of these roads. Can you imagine how wide these two roads will have to be and how busy they will be in 10 or 20 years? We have an added nearby Toll Road now. I was looking for that to take much of the traffic to and from the outside. Alternatives to the master plan should be completed by the county now! We must have our say at the regional and county planning tables. Residents of The Woodlands MUST be able to manage their own streets. Also the bicycle and pedestrian traffic must be considered in the plan. We got here by being a master planned community. Let's keep it that way! </div>
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<b>But wait! </b>We are not incorporated, so we have no say-so in the matter at all. We are only spectators. Unless we are a city, we cannot actively participate in regional planning nor have a vote in what happens with our roads. Shenandoah, Oakridge and Conroe has a say, not us! The county owns and is in control of our roads - maintenance and planned widening or other modifications. Now our roads are for the county to plan and benefit, not for The Woodlands benefit. What has been seen as a benefit now is seen as a detriment to quality living here. That my friend, should tell you the situation in a nutshell. Yet there are other issues bothering some residents besides the roads. Those who say the Township is just fine as a government don't realize what we are missing in subsidies and that we are not prepared to ward off other issues that face us with 125,000+ inhabitants. </div>
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Just recently, ads have surfaced on Facebook and will soon also appear in the newspaper that local taxes will increase 70% if we incorporate. That was a worse case scenario, plain vanilla thinking, influenced by certain Board members at the time. The truth is that the same people that recently helped plan the road expansions are likely behind these ads. Why? They want the county to have control of the roads because they are tied to development investments outside of The Woodlands. Business and residential properties bought earlier are threatened by us taking control of our own roads. Roads are expensive to build. We just rejected a bond proposal to pay for the extension of The Woodlands Parkway (good for us). Properties and development projects are at risk for those politicians connected to the road issue (bad for them). So the county will use heightened property value taxes to fund some of the costs of expanding roads such as the Woodlands Parkway (good for them). Yes, we end up paying anyway (bad for us). We need the help of the state to force the reduction of taxation of properties when property values rise. <span style="color: blue;"><b>Support the efforts to protect property owners from rising taxes in the Texas legislature, a top priority for Dan Patrick! </b></span></div>
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Finally, in this coming election, I would say at the start if the campaigns, if the candidate is stating the 70% rise in taxes as a reason to vote for them, it is a flag NOT to vote for them in my view and this is the reason. They are playing to the residents' emotions. I don't want a raise in taxes and you likely don't either. But we are not voting in this election on incorporation nor the budget. We are voting on those willing to help us out of this situation and bring us to our own future determination. The previous flawed study on incorporation was performed 5+ years ago. It was influenced by the same people as are now trying to load The Woodlands up with the burden of being traffic channels for the county. Since that study, our property values have risen drastically; income has increased dramatically and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. <b><span style="color: blue;">We need clear open minds to find the right solution for us.</span></b> Those elected should represent <u>us</u>, not special interests. If new studies indicate the trendy incorporation approach, then we will vote on its merits. If another timely solution is found, then we can vote on that. But <span style="color: blue;"><b>enablement for us to participate in decisions is an absolute MUST! </b></span>Voting for directors who oppose incorporation without current data will simply block efforts to keep The Woodlands an outstanding place to live. <span style="color: blue;"><b>Vote "by the people" in this election. </b></span></div>
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indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-29954396635200210832012-04-29T11:23:00.000-05:002012-04-29T11:23:09.346-05:00Property Taxes in The Woodlands TexasIt is close to budget time in The Woodlands once more. After the election, the elected Woodlands Township Board will discover how much property values will be available and then try to spend the taxes from it. Each home is taxed based on the appraised value of the home to pay the bills of the Township. The process dictates management via a percentage of appraised value. So you have local inflation built into your taxes and your life. Here, this is often very different from the inflation rate for salary raises determined by companies using the national rate of inflation. As long as spending goes up, your taxes will go up. So what percentage pay increase do you get each year? If you got 3%, I bet your taxes went up by more than that. My taxes were raised by 10% (maximum by law) year before last, because my house was appraised at 18% above the previous year, and I fought the adjustment. I am thinking it would be better if I were to sell the house and lease it out, because the lease rate would rise with less of an impact to others, but to me on a fixed income, it impacts me negatively. How about you? Are you staying here? Can you afford huge home tax inflation in your life? Then a year ago, I ran across an attempt in Willis, Texas to deal with the situation pragmatically. Tax on dollars and not on inflating values is the proposal being considered. Why does the government receive a financial windfall when we intend to stay in our homes? Isn't that for transients and not for the base community? We need our taxes indexed by dollars, tempered by inflation rates, not by the uncontrolled contracted sale of homes in our neighborhood. At the very least we need a cap on taxes governed by the inflation rate. We are constantly paying for area growth, thereby subsidizing developers in our area.<br />
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The bottom line is that when a politician says he will keep the tax rate down at 3.2 cents per $100 appraised value or whatever, he means he supports taxation inflation in dollars. Let's stop this practice! <br />
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Then what about Homestead exemptions? Personally, I am for encouraging ownership of property in The Woodlands by the residents who live in the home. That is done through Homestead Exemptions. This type of exemption is intended to provide an incentive for home owners to live here. Our Board of Directors has voted not to have such a break for homeowners. Let's fix this problem. Income to the Township is at an all time high. Why do we as residents not see some benefits? We struggle in the traffic and with the related noise. <br />
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What cities do not have Homestead exemptions? Why do so many have these exemptions and why? Why don't we have one in The Woodlands? The state of Texas allows Homestead exemptions for very good reasons, yet The Woodlands, Texas does not yet have one. There was an opportunity two years ago, but the directors just do not seem to be on top of the real important things (yet). We sit in limbo between a bona fide city and a rural community with HOA-like governing responsibilities. We are an HOA in a rural community with a downtown business community we call Town Center. Our laws are county laws. Our roads are managed and governed by the county. The Woodlands Development Co continues to make decisions for us, without consulting us. Our directors manage a $90+ million budget. Our community requires taxation to service debt and pay operating bills, but it does not need to be for government-owned businesses.<br />
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Vote conservative and vote for fair taxes that mean something, to provide services and not so encourage rental properties and not for creating community-owned businesses. </div>
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</div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-88030738061397015142012-02-20T21:32:00.000-06:002012-04-29T10:58:38.112-05:002011 Voting Records of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors<div>
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Voting Record Documents for viewing (in PDF format)</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8zu76lpitb9f6k/Voting%20history%20Woodlands%20Board%20%20for%202011%20Calendar%20Year%20Summary%20Final.pdf" target="_blank">Link to 2011 Calendar Year Voting Record Summary</a> </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/y8zu76lpitb9f6k/Voting%20history%20Woodlands%20Board%20%20for%202011%20Calendar%20Year%20Details%20Final.pdf" target="_blank">Link to 2011 Calendar Year Voting Record by Subject </a></div>
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<b><u style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Explanation and other resources</span></u></b></div>
These voting records are extracted from the minutes of the Woodlands Township Board meetings. They document to the best of my ability, each decision in those minutes, with intent towards brevity and simple language. This is organized by subject matter and can be a used as a tool to find a motion and then seek the minutes for the associated meeting through the Township website.<br />
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If you want the exact wording from the minutes, I suggest visiting the Township website at <a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=30">http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=30</a>.<br />
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There are videos of these meetings, so the demeanor of the Directors and the rationale behind some of their votes can be seen by the public. Videos of the meetings are found at this location on the Township website: <a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/index.aspx?NID=778">http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/index.aspx?NID=778</a>. </div>
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Information to support each proposal is provided to the Board by the senior staff of The Woodlands Township or presenters at meetings. These documents on the most part are also available on the website at <a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=43">http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/Archive.aspx?AMID=43</a>. Remember that information on a topic can be more informative from the previous workshop meeting, when the Directors may be more apt to discuss an item and may ask for more information to be presented at the actual Board Meeting for the month. In some months, there are Special Meetings to receive information and/or to make decisions. I believe I have captured all the formal decisions of the Board of Directors in the two documents I have published here. </div>
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The information provided here is also intended to provide the vote on each motion of decision to see how each Director stands on a particular subject. You will be able to observe other trends and be able to discern where disagreements or agreements are found on the Board. Absenteeism is also a part of the data provided. This is intended to provide a scorecard approach, where Township Directors are more visible in their actions and thereby held more accountable for their decisions or lack thereof, when elections roll around. A report card this is not, but feasible to also produce. Remember that the Board of Directors were responsible for managing an incredible $92+ million budget in 2011, all collected from taxpayers owning assets in or visiting this community. <a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1463" target="_blank">2011 Budget reference</a>. </div>
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</div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0The Woodlands, TX, USA30.1658207 -95.46126249999997530.1062732 -95.522129499999977 30.225368200000002 -95.400395499999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-88882187340231581502012-02-20T17:36:00.004-06:002012-02-20T17:40:23.367-06:00Election Notice - Water Districts The Woodlands<h2 align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Check to see if one of the municipal districts below serve you. If so, consider applying for a director position on that Board. Regardless, please vote for your directors in the early election or at the General Election on May 12th. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Filing Information</span></b><br />
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Filing for director positions with the Municipal Utility Districts served by The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency is under way. Elections will occur on May 12, 2012 for The Woodlands Metro MUD, The Woodlands MUD No. 2 and Montgomery County MUD Nos. 6, 7, 36, 39, 40, 46, 47, 60 and 67.<br />
Candidates may file from February 4 to March 5, 2012. Application packets are available at the WJPA Water Resources Building, 2455 Lake Robbins Drive, 77380. Completed applications must also be returned to this same location. Filing, obtaining application packets and returning application packets may only be done during regular WJPA office hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).<br />
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<b>Early voting:</b> April 30 through May 7. Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. </div>
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<b>Election day: </b>May 12. Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both early voting and election day voting will occur at the Water Resources Building office located on map below.<br />
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<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHPC_enUS392US392&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1440&bih=775&ix=sea&ion=1&q=map+2455+Lake+Robbins+Drive,+77380&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x864736c8f8ace7b7:0x29139d6333f95a59,2455+Lake+Robbins+Dr,+Spring,+TX+77380&gl=us&ei=xNVCT5DkJIrg2AW987ibCA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA">Google Map</a></div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-61045205222972955612012-01-31T13:06:00.002-06:002012-01-31T13:19:40.940-06:00Two key elections face The WoodlandsI hope you are like I am, with strong interest in the local Woodlands, Texas elections. This 2012 year will be another crucial year for our community. Please be in tune with what is occurring in The Woodlands Township election, as well as the county.<br />
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One incumbent, County Commissioner for precinct 3, has decided not to run. He is apparently retiring from public office. Ed Chance has been in that position for a long time now, and has orchestrated the development of amenities and services for south county, i.e., the area of The Woodlands. He is has been responsible for developing the park along Spring Creek, maintaining our local roads, monitoring traffic and installing cameras at intersections here. He has overseen the operation of our recycling facility and generally represented us in the County's affairs. I will be commenting on that position as time moves on, but for now, you should be aware of the role of this position in The Woodlands Township. It is no accident that a key political figure, Nelda Blair, Director on The Woodlands Township Board, is managing the campaign of Mr. Kenny Speight for this position. She is part of the "GOP establishment" and has interesting motives behind that campaign. Watch here for my insights which I plan to share. </div>
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Four Woodlands Township Director positions are up for election. You might want to know more about the incumbents, and their roles in the current politics of the Board. I will be addressing that directly this year. If you are happy with the outcome and decisions of the Board, you may want to keep these incumbents in place, but beware! By doing so, you may be relying on a select few of the other members of the Board, not these four.<br />
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</div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-18938828764003194082011-07-24T13:09:00.003-05:002011-07-24T18:11:53.334-05:00Next generation government for The Woodlands Texas - Focus groups for Gap AnalysisThe first step of resident input has been completed in a newly established project to determine the next form of government for The Woodlands Texas. As early as 2014, we are legally able to change to a city form of government.This phase of the project was to get feedback from residents for a gap analysis being conducted by the project consultant. Two goals of this phase are in the project plan - (1) See what residents don't know or understand, and (2) determine what are the perceived issues and future needs for effectively governing the community. To do this, residents were divided into two knowledge groups and attendees chosen at random to attend a number of focus groups moderated by the project leader. Focus groups were kept small in size so as to encourage interaction and contribution. The data collected will be sorted out, analyzed, characterized , and then presented back to the community in January to the next focus group workshops and apparently a town hall meeting. You will find a number of issues below related to governing and what seems to be a laundry list of problems as the primary concern on people's minds as we move forward. I may not agree with some of these, but I do believe as many ideas as I can remember should be included. I missed some I am sure, but the idea is to get these out in the open for continued development and thought by residents. <br />
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To get an idea of what has been brought forward in these focus group discussions, here are some of the thoughts from one group.</div>
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<b><u>What is right about our government</u></b></div>
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There was not much discussion in this area.</div>
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(1) Parks and pathways are excellent amenities and are kept clean.</div>
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(2) Government looks after the expense of our pools but there are perhaps too many of them and some tax dollars support their use.</div>
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(3) We are not part of Houston or Conroe (implied,not stated explicitly)</div>
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(4) Inclusion of residents in Parks department and policing strategies by government staff<br />
(5) The Fire Dept is a fire class service.<br />
(6) The policing force has improved and is now one of the best around.<br />
(7) Excellent delivery of information to residents, beyond that required by the Open Records law of Texas </div>
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<b><u>Gaps</u></b></div>
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(1) Residents cannot influence decisions about land use. This is no longer a community of large land blocks to be developed except in the Village of Creekside Park. In the other villages, development is typically near and around existing residences or businesses. Residents have been demanding input for years, but go unheard and then with empty promises of inclusion into the process. As the remaining development properties within the villages are sold, residents do not want to have surprises and new establishments that seem to alter the master plan, with lack of controls such as noise, presentation and privacy expectations that affect the quality of life by taxpayers. </div>
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(2) Local taxes for the benefit of local needs are managed by separate entities, some of which reach outside of the territorial jurisdiction of The Woodlands, with even differing strategies of management. Lack of centralized control of tax dollars is a gap, especially for county wide taxation based on property values. The county commissioners conduct their meetings on local issues in Conroe, and those decisions are integrated with other county areas. Management for a town of 90,000 should be from within the community and integrated with this community's priorities and needs, not managed by an external entity. This tax domain primarily consists of road maintenance, law making, courts, policing and jail. Governing must be equal and apply to all parts of the county equally due to the legal restraints on spending of taxpayer money.</div>
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(3) There are no controls for noise pollution other than county laws which are designed for rural areas. County rules, regulations and guidelines are applied to stop signs, speed limits, signs, traffic noise, dogs barking, and other very common municipal issues within the territory of The Woodlands. The lack of ordinance power prevents The Woodlands from controlling its quality of life. It forces the community to accept rural conditions within the bounds of large densely populated area. </div>
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(4) There is not an effective way to interact with the Board of Directors as a whole. That is prevented by the current structure and method of government. There is no area representation on the Board of Directors and there is only a one way communication in meetings. Every taxpayer should be provided equal amenities and quality of community life. The village representation at meetings has failed to accomplish the original intent of Village liaisons. It is too weak a link to the board of directors. However, the Village Associations themselves need to be preserved and provide the social aspect of our community in the way they have traditionally served. All taxpayers are not represented by members of the board in the current government/political environment.</div>
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(5) Our local government has no control over the roads and streets. County and state regulations control and their funds maintain them. The placing or removal of a stop sign, the timing of lights, speed limits, design, and all related matters are in the hands of the county and state where a resident has much less influence. In contrast, our local government maintains the paths which must cross those streets and the master plan which includes easy, flowing pedestrian is sometimes impeded by actions on these roads. Noise on the roads impact the quality of life for several blocks adjoining the main roads. Some residents are thinking that we should re-evaluate the widening of the roads. Governing this issue is ineffective.</div>
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(6) Our parks for the most part are clean, but some are not. Trash is brought in and left in the parks and sometimes in the water of some of our parks apparently by outside visitors. This situation needs to be governed, perhaps by control of use.</div>
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(7) Residents do not participate in government elections sufficiently. There is a knowledge and interest gap. It appears we continue to have an educational issue or more probably are still plagued by government complexity. It takes years to get educated to a comfort level on local issues, while many people move in and out of the community. Before this government was established, all residents had a say in politics and community decisions. Additionally, demographics have been changing dramatically. We now have entire blocks where many residents have no ability to vote, because of the citizenship voting law. This problem did not exist before this new government, because all residents had a say in their government. No board member represents these people and they have no say who governs them.</div>
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(8) Managing and encouraging homes to be purchased instead of rented as a business plagues the community. Residents prefer to have resident owners as neighbors instead of renters who rarely participate in government or have an interest in the local systems. They become users and part of the problem while no one represents the home at the polls. This is apparently a growing problem and not governed in any way.</div>
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(6) There is no governing of imposed tax dollars. Instead, taxes are governed by percentage of home value. Although the economy continues to have low inflation, some home owners have huge tax increases and therefore significant inflation. Salary does not keep up with home inflation. This affects long term residents the most. It is assumed that the value of a house should be the taxed by a cap on percentage of value instead of tax dollars. This gives the government more money. Residents are more than concerned about this, but it is not governed. </div>
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(7) The DSC is a critical part of the fabric of the community, yet members on this committee are appointed by the Board of Directors. There remains representation by the development company. The RDRC boards of each village are elected to position, but the DSC sometimes overrides the decisions by those boards. This creates a gap in governing. Perhaps a solution would be to place this function in the hands of the people and let there be an elected association to manage restrictions.</div>
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(8) This government has evolved into a business-centric group of directors who are imposing past and present decisions of the development company and the prior Town Center government officials who were appointed, on the residents. There is a hesitancy to consider candidates who have other ideas for various reasons. Incumbents are the preferred choice of the very few voters who go to the polls. This seems to be the cause of the continued frivolous spending of tax dollars and lack of home owner buy-in to the business community role in the spending of tax dollars. Governing Town Center activities, plans and role in the community remains with the development company. 90,000 residents need to have a say in the development of the entire Woodlands now. These people live here and many of them work here. Governing the use of land is a huge gap as we move forward. There continues to be negative neighborhood impact by development decisions. One such recent example is a cemetery in close proximity to a residential neighborhood. When are we ever going to get a master community plan to manage? The gap is that the local government does not have land use controls. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Future Challenges</b></div>
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(1) Peripheral development of business and housing. ExxonMobil brings a larger number of people to the area in a relatively short time. Development along the new parkway and other peripheral areas will bring considerable competition for tax dollars and housing. Rental properties could increase in our community as older homes sell. Traffic could rise and the quality of life decrease if not governed. Development to our north will bring Houston closer to us. New development will outclass technology here in The Woodlands, especially "green technology". So there is a perceived related threat to home value and taxation demands by our government.</div>
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( 2) Traffic in general will rise as our roads continue to absorb traffic passing through The Woodlands, as a conduit between new development to the west and south from I45. Governing the use of roads and related noise/vibration is a considerable challenge. The quality of life here needs to be protected.</div>
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(3) Managed affordable taxation for the residents</div>
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(4) Resident participation as volunteers. There is less opportunity than in the past to participate in government. Growing replacement or new volunteers is an issue. There is less opportunity than in the past to learn how the governing processes work, how issues are addressed and how decisions on the budget are made.</div>
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(5) Developing transparency of the development company as a governing body. It makes decisions for residents and has the master plan that is not visible. Residents want transparency now. The master plan appears to change whenever the development company wants it to. It is time to stop that behavior, or it is time to open it up so that residents buy into it and have confidence in decisions and not feel constantly threatened.</div>
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(6) Getting resident buy-in/influence in decision making. This could be related to just getting the vote out. Current government makes decisions based on the ideas and thought processes of a very few. There seems to be little conferring with residents on the issues. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><u>Need to protect</u></b> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(1) Unique feel of The Woodlands</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(2) High quality of our schools</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(3) Forest including trees, undergrowth and wildlife. Seems to be a gap in protecting our wildlife.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(4) Parks and pathways</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(5) Residential standards</div>
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(6) Managed traffic flow (a county service)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
(7) Volunteer system - inclusion of residents</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><u>Missing items</u></b></div>
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I can think of a couple of additional things not mentioned but very relevant to the future governance model. One is water. We are taxed based on bonds for wells. Newer MUD districts have a much larger debt than the older ones in general. I see a financial issue associated with consolidating all the MUD districts together now but we may want to do that in 10-15 years. We face significant issues with water in the future, and there are issues with the governance model related to these issues.<br />
<br />
On the positive side, we have excellent senior staff in government, most which transferred from the associations. This was not discussed in our focus group. </div>
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<br /></div>
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In our current governing model, we cannot annex peripheral areas. This was mentioned, but I don't believe it ever made it to the gap analysis data. To be able to manage our current territory domain, we need to be able to have the sales tax income generated by nearby businesses. There needs to be flexibility to annex areas, especially to our west.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Our fire department is certainly a very good one, but we do not need to be top of the class in firefighting capability. We need better leverage surrounding departments. Our goals should not be to be the best in every class of service but to be as good or better in some of them, with a manageable and affordable budget. Budget must be governed better than it is. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The exercise itself did not ask for feedback but did ask for questions. That bothered me a bit. When I asked a few of the people leaving what they thought of it, I got some good feedback that should have been gathered in the meeting itself. However, I believe this was very worthwhile and am anxious to see the results from other focus groups. I wish they too would be published, but I do not yet have my hands on any documentation. I understand someone else has done some documentation though. The project manager seemed a little anxious about that, because I believe he wants it all to be presented as a processed presentation rather than delivering the sound bytes that were collected. </div>
<div>
<hr />
</div>
</div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0The Woodlands, Texas, USA30.01203089413168 -95.73486365625001328.97115039413168 -96.869182156250019 31.05291139413168 -94.60054515625tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-8084927515296959402010-07-30T12:10:00.001-05:002010-07-30T16:45:48.611-05:00Difficulties of governing<hr />
Government is basically the same everywhere except maybe here. You can't please everyone, especially here. In The Woodlands Texas, we have some unique issues. History drives our dilemma. We started as a development company and gradually transitioned into an association. Then we developed Town Center independently but in parallel with the residential villages using totally different concepts, but retaining similar processes and community values. Village residents were not necessarily in agreement with the development plans of Town Center but few contested the vision of a suburban downtown in the middle of the forest, governing itself. From the beginning, Town Center has been a place for visitors. Now it is also a place for a unique urbanized class of residents. With the merger of Town Center and association governments into a township government, some of the conflicts have not yet been adequately addressed. Some big issues remain and the task to effectively govern this community is difficult. <br />
<br />
Newer residents have embraced the ideas of urbanization more than old timers. This has caused somewhat of a conflict between naturalists and city dwellers, a concrete/steel society vs a natural setting. This subject is rarely discussed because it just lies in the background, like a shadow, going unnoticed and being misinterpreted as the same as a business vs residential conflict. Villagers do not want to hear noise or see concrete and steel in their communities. That is the basis of conflict between the two paradigms. Commercializing The Woodlands must be done with care and consideration for the reverse side of the coin. <br />
<br />
The line between commercialism and naturalism could be drawn at budget time. Residents should not have to pay for commercialism, yet investments in commercialism can save taxpayers real money. Now the question is constantly asked, should government be in business, with capital investments and profiteering? This is one ongoing debate that is currently occurring within the government of The Woodlands. It is a conflict, because there continues to be vestiges of the old Town Center in the way the directors think and act. After all, we have a number of old town center directors remaining on the current board. <br />
<br />
Many people here ask pertinent and pointed questions, but they rarely take any action. Last night I attended a town hall meeting specifically convened to review the 2011 budget. Outside of the normal crowd, there were very few residents, maybe only two who stood up and made what I would call "normal resident" comments. I made comments too, but I have been commenting regularly ever since our governing question came to the table a few years ago. The township directors were all ears with pen and paper in hand, but with so few voices speaking, they should not feel comfortable in receiving the feedback they sought. They get what they can and will discuss what to do before finalizing the budget. Last year, the public produced more comments than this year and had significant impact on the outcome. This year, the election generated significant focus on the issues, but the public did not come out and vote. It was no surprise to me to see so few people attending the town hall meeting and so few comments made. <br />
<br />
It is no surprise to see the same issues at the town hall meeting as the election. Are the issues real? Is policing really an issue? If it is, why didn't the public vote out the incumbents and let new ideas be brought forward? Status quo does not produce change. It sustains the old. It is interpreted as "everything is OK". Just keep the taxes the same and we will be happy. Yet the public said something different in the residents' survey. There are problems to be solved, especially in law enforcement.<br />
<br />
The board has therefore made a small change to the budget to reduce Alpha Omega mounted patrols and put the money towards policing. $300,000 was knocked off of the $1.5 million contract, yet we will continue to see the mounted patrols in the parking lot of Walmart at I-45 and SH-242. The idea is that they are charged with patrolling all of Town Center. We will increase policing in 2011 through more overtime and three more hires. Each hire will require a full sized police car, compatible with the Sheriff's fleet for high speed chases on highways. These automobiles must be replaced every four years. We are not county roads. We are a urban community of neighborhood streets. Our policing requirements are different than the county. Every officer is trained in the county processes and skills are developed in the same way. Sheriff policies must be retained in the deployment of the officers. Isn't it time to change?<br />
<br />
Hand it to the board however. The proposed budget has a plan to study policing again. Yes, get consultants and see what is needed in the community. It is difficult to govern a community, especially when there are no skills within the board to manage the policing of our community. This study may be the right thing to do now, but it must be done carefully. Representatives from the village associations are being given the job of giving feedback on the future of our policing. Maybe the feedback should also be given to a committee of knowledgeable people in the community. There is an abundance of issues associated with the direction we are headed, but someone has to lead the effort and get it done.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, we have seven residents who volunteer their time to make these decisions. I hope they take to heart the comments made last night in their thoughts as they reconsider some of the decisions in the budget. For one, I hope we move off of the old idea that there is any law enforcement benefit in the deployment of horseback patrols. That is purely a tourist expense, hid under the umbrella of law enforcement. Much of it could be used as a general homestead for residents. If in 2011 it would be trimmed from $1.2 million to $500,000, then we would have enough money to fund a homestead discount in 2012. I have heard of no plan to reduce this budget item in the five year plan, so this would apply for five years out as well as today. With $500,000 we should have plenty of visible mounted patrols in pretty red jackets to give the township its "personality". Just put them in the right places - where people walk (but not parking lots). Put them in places for physical presence at events where people gather and along paths in Town Center, strictly for visibility. Put them under the jurisdiction and management of tourism, not law enforcement. They are patrolling to attract visitors. Let's find out if they really do that.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-17039684179326011722010-06-19T11:54:00.001-05:002010-08-01T12:22:08.381-05:00Development Standards Committee of The Woodlands Township<hr />
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Recently, I attended a Development Standards Committee (DSC)
meeting to observe what transpires these days in a regular meeting. Resident attendance was abnormally high at this
meeting. There were one or two unusual
resident issues to handle on the agenda available at the front desk, apparently
creating a higher-than-normal interest. I picked this month for two reasons –
(1) the Woodlands Board of Directors has been receiving applications for
positions on this committee and are currently determining who will be appointed
to the board for the coming year. Next
week, the board selects the new members. I was observing behaviors and
interactions among the committee members and between residents and committee.
(2) One resident has been telling his story publicly. I wanted to see what
happened first hand on this particular issue.</div>
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I bring my observations for your
consideration and interest. Walking in the door of the township service center, I found
a number of residents and contractors waiting in the lobby. I signed the guest
register for the meeting and proceeded to the conference room. I discovered
that the protocol is to wait in the lobby until called, a bit different than
other meetings where you just walk in. The committee was having a light dinner,
so I returned to the lobby. A staff member announced the meeting was ready to
commence, so we all walked to the main conference room.</div>
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Similar to a RDRC meeting, the committee sits in a U-shaped
configuration facing each other and the overhead projection screen, with some
visitors sitting on the side and others behind the chairperson. I understand in
normal months, when there are fewer visitors, everyone sits to the side so that
each can see more of the board member faces and the chairperson. </div>
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On this occasion as others, in advance of the meeting it was
recommended by staff to place a number of agenda items on the Summary List.
That is, variances that had been reviewed and were considered to be OK as
submitted or needed some modifications as recommended by an RDRC and the
homeowners were present to acknowledge agreement. Also included was an
application change of a property for Fire Station #8 on Gosling Rd. These were all read to those attending and approved
by one vote of the committee. The other requests were considered individually
by the committee. </div>
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Several items on the agenda confused me. I either missed
them or they were not considered at all. All were characterized as “consideration
and action on legal action, regarding failure to comply with the Covenants and
Standards for outstanding violations on the home”. But there was one of these
that did make it to discussion that drew considerable attention. This one revealed
a power struggle between a resident and the committee. He was given 3 minutes to state his case and
he did. The resident in his mind was repairing a fence that had been damaged by
a hurricane. One of the fences encloses a dog area in his backyard. He also
has an adjoining pool area enclosed by a fence, but that fence did not incur
damage from the storm. Due to a change in height of the fence of the dog
enclosure, within the limits of the covenants, he was asked to replace the
fence pool area fence as well, based on consistency and appearance for the entire fence. Additionally,
he was required to obtain a fence permit for his pool. He had volunteered to
replace the fence for appearance but verbally refused to obtain a permit. Another
resident came as a witness and also testified on his behalf. He was given 3
minutes. That gentleman was interrupted as he spoke because one member of the
board and the chairman interrupted him and stated that what he was saying was irrelevant. I found that to
be insulting, and am sure he did also. The proper way to handle the issue was to
allow the resident to speak, receive the arguments he had and then tell the
resident that the argument was irrelevant and could not be used to support the
case. There is no reason to be disrespectful. I was uncertain at the end if the argument
was or was not relevant, due to the way it was handled. The motion was made and
passed requiring him to change the fence and get the permit. He walked out saying
he would not comply with the permit request, because he already had a permit
for a pool fence. His modifications would obviously exceed the safety criteria provided
by the original permitted fence. Here was a case of an apparent power struggle.
The human aspect of the situation did not seem to be handled very well. This
could end up to be a high cost legal action for the township for a relatively
minor issue.</div>
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In my view, residents
generally managed to present their proposals easily enough with the assistance of staff,
but it seemed that many were in a position of compromise. They wanted their
application variance to be approved but looked to the committee for ideas to
get it approved. For this reason, it appeared that much more information than
necessary was discussed. In some cases, the resident was drilled on
specifications of the materials being used, when in my opinion, those questions
were simply irrelevant to the case. </div>
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A desired outcome of a committee meeting should be consensus between resident and committee. There should be no feeling of superiority by the
committee or a feeling of abused power upon a resident. There should not be a feeling of injustice. All should be logical, guided by the covenants and common sense. Thinking
beyond the box in this case, I think we may be a little short in due process. If there
is a feeling of injustice, we should have a means for arbitration, if only to
provide a means to hear a case of injustice, not on the technicalities of the
covenants themselves.</div>
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Some of the case decisions considered by this committee can
have significant financial impact. One application had a value of hundreds of
thousands of dollars. For this reason, some
serious attention to skills must be given to the process of appointing a
committee, especially the chairperson, who must make decisions on order and psychological impact. In fact, Experience is important but more important are
the philosophies and attitudes embraced by the candidate. A candidate must
embrace the covenants as his bible; he must possess excellent interpersonal
skills; he must embrace objectivity in decisions; he must be able to
distinguish between right and wrong ethically; he must know and understand the
value system of The Woodlands; he must be respectful to peers and residents alike.
This is a demanding job that should not be filled with a person unable to put
himself in the shoes of a resident that is making the application and at the
same time put himself in the shoes of his neighbors. The integrity and general
quality of our neighborhoods depend on the decisions of this committee.</div>
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I can see that individuals on the committee should have
certain roles to fulfill the needs of this job. Within the committee, some
knowledge of architecture is required in some roles, but I do not see the need
to have “experts”. We do need experience in The Woodlands for every single
member. Each one should be a resident. We need at least one member able to communicate
well, one who is efficient oriented, one who has neighborhood vision, one who
will defend a resident, one who is technically competent and one who has legal skills. The idea is to
have a good effective team; we have to fill roles and skill needs on this
committee for it to work as we would like it to work.</div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-37974744357411896372010-06-17T16:29:00.000-05:002010-06-17T16:29:14.789-05:00Attending a MUD Meeting in The Woodlands<hr />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As clear as Woodlands Texas MUD? A<u>ttending</u> a <b><span style="color: #4f6228;">MUD</span></b>
(Municipal Utility District) meeting isn’t that bad! Yes, there are some
technical parts of the discussions and yes, there are financial parts of the
discussions, and yes, it is not the most exciting thing a person could do. I can say there were very few things I did
not understand, but then again I have a background in drilling wells and finance.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyone can attend a MUD meeting. It is healthy to experience
one, for both the board of directors and you. Showing interest connects the board to its
customers and its customers to the district. I sure don’t advocate going to
every meeting, but I do recommend that every resident attends at least one, preferably
for the district providing water service to their home. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The MUD #60 meeting I attended this month addressed a
resident’s issue with soil erosion and received reports from the various agencies
affecting MUD business. Of high interest to us, is the implementation of the San
Jacinto River Authority Groundwater Reduction Fee. This will be fully
communicated to all Woodlands residents by Jim Stinson and staff in the JPA.
Residents will likely incur an additional fee of $0.50/1000 gallons of water used,
starting with their October bill. Concurrently, all the MUDs need to develop a
higher well contingency fund for replacing a well, should that be needed. The
cost of a well has increased substantially since the last raise of contingency
fund collections. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An hour spent at a
meeting can be an eye opener. Minutes for a Woodlands MUD are not as accessible
as those for the county or the township. They <u>are</u> available per the
Texas Open Records Act. A copy can be acquired at a meeting or from the district’s
secretary. Current agenda is posted at the utility district office near Grogan’s
Mill and Lake Robins. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="color: #76923c;">Operations of a
MUD<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Each MUD has its own budget to manage. Each has its own assets to manage. Each
district has authority over a defined geographic area. Here in The Woodlands,
for efficiency purposes, maintenance and financial services are aggregated and
shared among the districts. This practice helps them to keep operating costs
down. Each MUD is responsible for its entire service process. All MUDs here have
an interlocal contract for those shared services to the Joint Powers Agency
(JPA), a nonprofit created for this purpose. The district scope of authority is
limited to the reclamation, drainage, acquisition, and distribution of water. It includes the streams and ditches associated
with water runoff, as well as the infrastructure required to provide those
services. A MUD has no limit on capital
investment. The Board of Directors consist of five elected residents of the
district. Every even year (e.g., 2000, 2002, … 2010), there can be an election
on the first Saturday of May. If there are no challenging candidates, incumbents
are automatically elected and there is no election. Each board elects
representatives to serve on the Joint Powers board. Taxation is by the MUD. Those
elected represent the tax dollars paid by residents in the MUD district.
Taxation is driven by capital expenses, i.e., sewage facilities and wells. Bi-monthly
water bills are for sewage, water and cost of operation. Now we head into a new
era, where surface water will begin to play an increasing role in our potable water
supplies, raising the cost of water to the district. For many people, watering
lawns likely will eventually be cost prohibitive. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some but not all resident issues with drainage or water
supply can be addressed by the board. Sometimes, residents work directly with the
JPA to resolve problems. For example, I recently assisted a resident, to resolve a long standing serious problem with sewage flooding in her
home. The JPA came up with a solution that should fix that problem. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2010, there were no challengers to the board in this
district. To challenge an incumbent, one must follow a procedure outlined in the
charter. Contact your local MUD representative for timing detail and procedure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>References </u></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 45pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="http://www.wjpa.net/">The Woodlands
Joint Powers Agency</a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 45pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><a href="http://www.sjra.net/">San Jacinto River
Authority</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-61132100794421586132010-06-12T12:37:00.000-05:002010-06-12T12:37:34.192-05:00First Township Board Workshop Meeting - June 17<hr />
The Woodlands Township Board of Directors will conduct its first Board of Directors Workshop on Thursday, June 17, 2010. This is not intended to be a voting meeting, but can be. Looking at the agenda, this will have a single vote, since there is a consent list for approval. This will be one of two meetings this month for the new seven member board to manage the affairs of the township. This meeting will be held at 9am at The Woodlands Township Board Chambers, 10001 Woodloch Forest Drive, Suite 600, The Woodlands, Texas 77380. About one week afterward, a second meeting for the month will be in the evening at 6pm at the township service center on Lake Woodlands, across the street from the United Methodist Church. The intent of that meeting is to make decisions in the presence of interested residents. We all hope that residents take more of an interest in what occurs. I plan to be at both meetings. Do you?
<b><a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/archives/30/AgendaSEALED61710.pdf">Link to Agenda</a></b>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-83484298469619980412010-05-25T16:22:00.000-05:002010-05-25T16:22:11.365-05:00The Mounted Police Contract - Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the endMost people are aware of the mounted police in the Town Center of The Woodlands, Texas. Alpha and Omega is the company providing this service by horseback for us. You can hardly miss their red uniforms that sort of resemble the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. That image generates a small town atmosphere, so the township concept is boosted by their presence, so it is believed. We have them deployed in various zones within the Town Center as a tourist attraction. Just like the transportation system, however, we tend to lead people to believe these mounted patrols serve another function, that is to supplement the policing of the community. They are not policemen at all and, in fact, cannot secure your safety. They serve no useful purpose at all in regard to law enforcement. Some people will say they are useful in spotting crime and reporting it. In reality, they are no more effective in doing that than any resident who has a cell phone, and almost all residents have cell phones.<br />
<br />
The other day I was at Walmart at FM 242 and I-45. I noticed two mounted police patrols in the parking lot there. Then I wondered. Why are they here? Walmart certainly does not present the image we need for a tourist, and the likelihood for a tourist to be present at Walmart sure seems to be small! I have no reason to contract these mounted people at all. If I would see them only at the parks, I would be more apt to support their presence, but why do we have them in the parking lot of the mall, Walmart, and other large commercial locations? These large commercial enterprises have their own way of protecting their businesses and managing security. Perhaps in isolated circumstances, we have a need for them in events and certain hours of the evening to help promote our community. Yet why are taxpayers bearing the burden for this extra amenity? The cost of it is atrocious! Some close to the checkbook say that the visitors are paying for them and this is what attracts them here. The horses are, after all, sort of a mobile petting zoo and children like to talk to these colorfully outfitted people on top of horses. Even adults find conversation with the riders interesting. We find that the primary functional reason we have them is to dispense information and to help people find their cars in the parking lots. <br />
<br />
Let's take a look at the contract. Budget time is coming up very shortly. Don't you want to know what agreements we have and the alternatives the Woodlands Township Board of Directors should be considering? There will be seven directors charged with making a decision to continue this program, cut it back or replace with a new one. I will give you their email addresses soon, although you can find those addresses on the township website. You will be able to copy and paste those addresses from this site onto an email to correspond with them.<br />
<br />
So I want to bring this contract to the attention of residents in The Woodlands. We pay Alpha and Omega company $39.10 for each patrol hour. That is about double what we pay for a Sheriff deputy officer according to one of my sources. Behind the scenes we are also paying for support personnel at the tune of $10.53 per hour. A patrol person is called a Trooper. Troopers provide a courtesy to visitors of Town Center. They are charged with providing information to patrons of the commercial area, but if they see some crime, they are charged to report it immediately, just like a resident would be expected to do. They are to help people find their cars in parking lots as well. The contract provides for a maximum of 700 total Trooper hours per week. Clerical support is a 40-hour maximum week. This three year contract ending in 2012 may be canceled with a 30 day notice. If both parties agree to change the contract, the contract can be modified.<br />
<br />
Value of the contract is $1,514,920 for 2010. Alpha and Omega was selected based on government staff criteria from two bids. The competing company bid was $1,361,370.<br />
<br />
Alternatives have never been defined that I can find. Back in TCID days, there may have been alternatives to the original concept, but we don't seem to have a Board of Directors these days trying to conserve on spending. <br />
<br />
What alternatives can I envision?<br />
<br />
1. Smaller presence - For this alternative, I suggest Town Green Park, the pavilion, down on the waterway and the conference center. That makes four locations, 6 days a week. As a rough simple cost estimate, let's say it takes 1/2 support person and 4 Troopers to provide that service. And let's say each patrol would be 50 hours. Per year, it would cost 52* ((20*10.52)+(50*$39.10))= $417,581. That would be almost $1,100,000 savings in 2011, more if we can cut this contract this year. I don't see any reason to continue spending so much for the remainder of this year. This is called "reduced services" by the directors but not in my book. I call it "service by need", not "service by want". <br />
<br />
2. Removal of service altogether - Forget the image. People do not come here for the horses. They come for the waterway, the fountains, the other amenities and attractions. Save an additional $471,581.<br />
<br />
3. Drop the contract and solicit new bids for reduced presence. That would likely lead to a smaller rate since we do not have to contract such a large company to provide the services and we can go out for bids again. That might save an additional $50,000.<br />
<br />
4. Replace the entire mounted horse service with cameras. I cannot price this, but it would necessitate monitoring personnel and a station. This is a common practice and enables visual contact with law lawbreakers from high strategic points using technology and monitoring staff to add additional security for all critical areas in the Town Center. This would require a capital outlay for a communication infrastructure but probably could share some of the county's resources. <br />
<br />
5. Replace the entire mounted police with bike police patrols. No cars would be required. They could operate out of the existing Sheriff building near Town Center or Constable police office nearby. A deputy should cost us about half the amount of a mounted Trooper. 12 policemen patrolling on bikes would cost approximately $639,600 per year, a savings of more than $900,000. We could probably shift some of the township patrols and thereby increase police manpower in the villages for increased security services. One option would be to take perhaps three existing patrolmen with cruisers, shift them to the villages and then put six patrolmen by bike in the town center. There would be no cost for cruisers. True, they would not be wearing red uniforms and they would not be on horses, but maybe they could ride horses. I don't know the answer to that question, but I believe the bike provides a faster and more effective response to crime or call. <br />
<br />
We could mix and match these alternatives. There are likely many more scenarios. If you can think of any, please let me know through the comment section. During the budget process, you should demand your board of directors to give you the alternatives considered, why they selected one (hopefully the best that fits the community) and say exactly why they rejected the others. That is their responsibility in managing your money and communicating back to you their stewardship of it.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-17347237693308083652010-05-21T11:14:00.002-05:002010-05-21T11:29:01.235-05:00Election 2010 Apathy and Politics - Randy's opinion<style>
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I have heard various accounts of what happened on May 8th. Each one has its
merits. However, most skirt the real issues by just calling the turnout “apathy”.
One person characterized the 92% no-show as the "shame of America". From
what I observed, the lack of turnout has numerous reasons that could collectively be called apathy. Many residents
here believe the local government is complicated and beyond their available
time and effort. Why vote on something that you don’t really understand,
especially when things seem to be OK? We have had this problem ever since I
moved here and long before. Apathy is just “leave it to the others to determine”. If anything has changed since we became a
township, we have a much better voting turnout than we did before, but the
quality of the turnout may not have been so great. The turnout in my precinct
was probably the highest ever, but not good enough to make a difference. <br />
<br />
I’ve heard this question - "who knows what is right anyway?" And in
some cases - "I don't even know what directors do! Do they have job
descriptions?" Then there is the other simple perspective - "I go
vote for someone I know, but I have no idea what the issues are. I trust the
person, not the words." Personally, I understand both viewpoints. As a
voter, I have been in both places. Circumstances around an election can create a
feeling of ignorance to many and discourage people from coming to the polls, but that does not adequately describe what happened. <br />
<br />
There were basic politics not too difficult to understand in this election.
One candidate sought his position through one issue, thinking that issue was
significant enough to get attention, and his solution would get him a position
on the board. Nope. That does not generally work. The public was leery. Crime
and policing seemed overstated anyway. There were other candidates who did not
clearly set themselves apart from the incumbents; change is usually needed to
take a position away from an incumbent. My team thought we had a good shot at
Robb, because of his attendance and voting history, along with a solid issue
platform which would have retained the waterway strategies of TCID for tourism
and commercial expansion, but at a <u>much lower cost</u>. None of that seemed
to matter, as it turned out, due to apathy and personal loyalty. Then there was a third person who entered the
contest the same day as I did. She was endorsed by what I call the “anti” group
of people. I am not an anti-establishment type of person; I am just a resident
who wants to have an <u>affordable</u> quality lifestyle. I know how to get it done
and why one needs to do it. The fourth candidate was not seriously running, so
he was not on our radar.<br />
<br />
It is tough for the working resident to sort out the issues and be able to
make an informed decision on them. In this election, the voter had significant
information provided by The Villager and the League of Women Voters, in
addition to candidate websites and literature paid for by candidates, but many residents were not even aware of them. Unfortunate
to challengers, the safe position for many voters is to vote for incumbents.
After all, they have the "insights" into how things are run and have a great deal
of knowledge and contacts, right? Actually - wrong! Can
you blame the voters? Yet there could be significant consequences from that attitude.
Status quo through incumbent support eventually leads to a decay of living
quality and lost opportunities for improvement. In this case, leaving it to others holds fast
to the commercial-centric doctrine in lieu of residential needs. Consequences of this doctrine are not
seen for the moment, but when the time comes, they will become evident. Then it
is too late. Remember the stock market? Despite all the communication attempts,
our residents generally remain an uninformed public.<br />
<br />
Leaders of the community have a job to do in order to get more voters to
participate, but that would not serve them well. They need to educate the public in a way that is clear and short,
not in the terms of those seeking deep understanding, but that is not going to happen. Many of us question the status quo, but many
also defend it as a safety net. A candidate's challenge is to gain voter
confidence, so that the voter will truly listen. I understand that. I dealt
with it daily when I was trying to describe my position on issues during the
election. The more depth one wants to know, the more difficult it becomes to
get the point across. The bottom line is that the public wants to elect
candidates it can trust to make the right decisions for it, never mind the
issues. That becomes the psychology of endorsements. What I call "limelight advertising"
is reality in the eyes of many. Focus on the people around the candidate instead of the person. That hides the candidate's capabilities and presents an image rather than a person. It is also a social issue, blinding to the eyes of those who are not interested in local issues. It takes the common resident to vote in order to make a difference. <br />
<br />
I felt most issues were simple rather than the reverse. Spending too much,
wasteful spending, the need to have better alternative and contract selection
criteria, the need to measure better, and last but perhaps more important than
anything else, the absolute need for a director to tend to the business of the
township instead of being absent from decision discussions and voting. Some
people argued that work conducted behind the scenes of the township board meetings
was more important than attendance at board meetings. I strongly disagree. Government
should be transparent and arguments visible to the public. Otherwise those working in the invisible background should not claim any responsibility for successes. The evidence of
performance is at the board meeting when one discusses a proposal and casts a
vote. That participation could also be evident in open discussions with the public, but that is
rarely seen in local politics. We do have town hall meetings for this purpose,
but they are not sufficiently leveraged to affect many projects. Hot resident
issues can be heard at these meetings, but they are not very frequently
discussed with residents. I conclude that the Board of Directors remains a
closed door operation to most of us, with political influence constantly used
to gain support for individual ideas and perspectives behind the scenes. As
long as that happens, we lack diversity in decision making, and our money is inadvertently
channeled into pet projects. That was evident in the strategic planning exercise. Residents were not invited to participate in those proceedings, but the budget is justified on the outcome of that process. <br />
<br />
So what happened out there on the 8th? I witnessed three groups of residents. (1) Those who feel
like they don't have sufficient exposure to the government in The Woodlands or
have no interest in local issues. These folks normally do not vote in local
elections. This group constitutes at least 50% of the registered voters. (2)
Family life comes first - hey it was Saturday. During the early voting there were
homework assignments, getting home late, leaving early, and the old 50+-hour
work week. No time for voting. This group is also very large and comprises most
of the remaining 92% no-shows. (3) The voters – 8% of the registered voters who
are oftentimes die-hard Americans, involved in local issues, appreciating the
opportunity to speak out, and selecting the candidates who they deem best to serve
the community. They are exercising their American privilege to choose. <br />
<br />
In the 8% who did vote, I can think of six categories. (1) Status quo - give
me an incumbent. I am afraid to change; (2) First on the ballot; (3) Loyalty: I
know the person, have organizational ties, or I am from the candidate’s
village; (4) Name recognition: I have heard of the person; (5) Issue-centric:
based on ideals, desire for change, or values; and (6) Duty: I am supposed to vote. Research often occurs
at the polling location for these people. I believe the majority of the 8%
group did their homework and were prepared to cast their ballot on arrival at
the polls, but most of them voted personal loyalty for at least one candidate. If
one looks at the voting demographics, I suspect the median age of voters was
very high relative to the median age of the registered voter community.<br />
<br />
What did the candidates do to get voters to the polls and vote for them?
Money buys votes. There is no doubt about it. With money, you can also claim about
anything you want. You have name broadcasting power. You can buy the biggest,
the most, and the labor to get your message to the population. If you are an
incumbent, you can claim virtually anything that went right when you occupied
the position, to be your personal accomplishment. If you did not vote against
it in an open meeting, then you are safe. You can also buy a following of people. If you have
organizational power, you can influence your people's role and support from
within the organization, including financial support.<br />
<br />
Standing out in the hot sun earns votes. Being the last voice or image a
voter sees before going into the voting booth is highly valued by the
candidates. Being on location to greet them is appreciated by voters. I guess
that depends though. I felt that the “hawking” done by candidates at the early
convenience election location was frankly distasteful. Many voters chose not to
be bothered and parked where campaigners were not allowed. The hawking had no
value in attracting voters to the polls, but possibly helped to persuade them
to cast their votes for some candidates. I was one of the few who preferred to
go house to house and ask people to come out and vote. Calling friends brings loyal supporters to the polls. Going door-to-door
educates the public. A personal “please vote” goes a long way.<br />
<br />
Some of the things I heard occurring behind the scenes of this election made
me bristle. Politics are not exactly ethical, you know. Candidates can be
ethical, but their people may not. Signs were stolen out of yards for example under
the cover of darkness in apparent attempts to remove advertising of targeted
candidates. There were even reports of coerced contributions of skilled
labor. Some activities by “supporters” disappointed me and some advertisement
falsehoods disappointed me. There was no avenue to contest those claims except
to spend more money.<br />
<br />
In this election, residents were blasted by propaganda in every media
possible. Many did not want to be blasted, so they turned it all off, throwing
away the newspapers, and not answering or ignoring the calls. I heard
"enough already" several times. I sure felt that way myself.
"Another d*^# call from a machine!" How is it that a candidate
can use a machine to call your home numerous times when you are on the national
no-call list anyway? Is that ethical? Is it breaking the law? Also, why would
anyone call from a church when that is against IRS regulations? Why did I get a
call from Tommy Williams? Why did I get a call from Kevin Brady? Politicians
were actually advertising themselves on someone else's campaign contributions.
Maybe robo calls should have said "This has been a paid political
advertisement for Tommy Williams and Ed Robb by the campaign committee for Ed
Robb." Why would anyone spend so much money anyway for a non-paying
job? Ego? Issue? Ideal? Fun? Experience? Why? I am a voter and a stakeholder in
this government, so I ask these questions. Don’t you? What is the motivation
and why do certain political figures want to have a certain candidate in office,
especially in light of that person’s past performance? Some people have
connected the dots and made their own calculated conclusions. Advertising can be informative and appreciated, but the
repeated immersing of people in it is not.<br />
<br />
Personally, I had one reason to run for office. I believe what has occurred
on the board is not exactly right. That was exemplified by the all out campaign
spending to maintain control of the waterway spending strategies and other
projects. I bet there were some people who would have raised $100,000 and spent
it, if they thought that was necessary to reach their goal. I draw parallels
with the spending of our taxes. That leads me to think there is big money in
getting all those people into office. Doesn’t it to you?<br />
<br />
Look back at who endorsed the candidates and start asking yourself some of
these questions. Politics here appears to run much deeper than any concerns
about The Woodlands itself. Those currently in office are not suspected of
neglecting township business in my mind, but I know the job can be done better
at a lower cost. Government watch groups are chasing the money trails to check if there is foul play with money. They
believe through those connections that we have an under-the-rug political
machine operating here. They insinuate that some of the people on the board
have personal agendas. The suspicion is raised to a much higher level when one
looks under the umbrella of endorsements and favors. It is not about the
quality of living in The Woodlands. One person compared it to Chicago.
That was because of the apparent money trail and endorsements. Well, let's see,
a church where candidacy was announced from the pulpit without equal time to
others (perception: my organization, I can do what I want). This raised the
question of church vs. state in the minds of many. If one would compare the
voting records against the church's membership role, some say the outcome would
be obvious. I do not plan to conduct that study, but perhaps some organization
or watchdog group should.<br />
<br />
I have heard these thoughts from several sources, some from activists and
others from long time residents. Several people say they are afraid to speak
out, because they fear that they will not be heard in other matters, or their
business relationships would be impaired. Influence and power drive them to be
quiet. I am not one of them. My strategy is open and much easier to understand.
We need to focus on one thing here – Be a great place to affordably live, that
serves the entire family and community. Everything else takes a back seat.<br />
<br />
For me, my values stand with those who originally came here, who developed
the feeling of a hometown, those who walked to the store, even at night to get
a gallon of milk for breakfast, in the darkness of the tall tree shadows. That
is the way it was when I moved here, and that is the way I seek it to be in the
future. Some people say we should not be out at night. Bah humbug. Quality and security is
not defined in that way. Quality is defined and measured within certain focus points,
namely safety, amenities, mobility, pollution, affordability, services, livable
homes and our natural forest. Excellence in mobility gives us the complete
freedom to move about anytime of the day or night. If you make the place not
livable, then it is not the community we have known with the advertised values
seen in marketing. <br />
<br />
Residents missed an opportunity to make a difference on May 8<sup>th</sup>. Other opportunities will come along as life
goes on. My hummingbirds returned to the yard five days after the election; I
am going to double the number of grandchildren this year with my son’s
announcement on Election Day. Yes, there are better things to do, but I do want
to thank my supporters for their confidence in me. A person can only offer to help. Some force it down the public. I will not. The community will likely continue to flourish
but at a higher price than necessary. It will be a community of distinction,
but maybe not one of quality. We continue to grow, but we are beginning to see
deterioration, and we are only two years into the township. Now seven directors
will manage your tax money. One of them was absent from voting for 37% of the
decisions for the past several months. His loyal following and political allies voted for him
to be on the board. 92 % of our registered voters remained quiet and allowed
that to happen. If you are one of those quiet ones, will you allow it to happen again next
year and the year after? What will it take to get you to help drive your own destiny?indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-80808681280218843842010-05-15T20:33:00.003-05:002010-05-15T20:50:05.774-05:00Transit Consulting Contract 2010 - Woodlands TownshipTwo contracts of The Woodlands Township should be on residents' radar during the next few months. The Goodman contract was budgeted and let for transit consultant services, primarily for trolley and water taxi services. The other contract will be considered in a separate article.<br />
<br />
The total contract is for $100k. It is to advise the township and provide reports on air quality to H-GAC (Houston-Galveston Area Council)as part of a pilot project, in addition to the transit consultation. $20k is to provide a recommendation for transition of the water "taxis" to the township. That includes the capital improvements needed to bring the boats up to specs that includes dining and completing the maintenance facility for the boats. It does not include a look into alternatives such as custom pontoon boats. Another $22.5k is included to pursue funding sources from federal and state agencies, among others. Another $22.5k is allocated for interfacing those agencies.<br />
<br />
Additionally, at a cost of $27.5k, Goodman is contracted to conduct a survey for determining the interest and value of conducting a pilot trolley program between the village centers and Town Center. In this survey, residents will be asked questions at each location. The results will be compiled and reported back to the township. Residents in apartments and homes nearby to the village centers will not be part of the survey unless they visit the village centers and participate in the process there. It seems to me that multi-family dwellings would be a primary source of passengers for such services.<br />
<br />
Right now, I am unsure what the actual vision is for the pilot program. Perhaps the contract includes that, but if so, it was not evident. The questions are apparently designed to see what interests residents have, so the vision should come out of those questions.<br />
<br />
The trolley system in Town Center has been quite successful. If you have not ridden on one before, I highly recommend doing so, just to have a feel for what the service provides. With a trolley system to the villages, an avenue would also be introduced to visitors and tourists to go into the village centers to eat at a restaurant or shop at a boutique. I am hopeful that we can produce a good vision that serves both the public and the visitor, to reduce gas emissions and take traffic off of our roads, while stimulating the financial health of our village centers. A trolley system has a high chance of success in my mind to improve mobility here. The same question gets asked though. Should that be a function of the government or a private enterprise?<br />
<br />
On the other hand, the operations of the cruisers is not a good investment, at least as currently defined. Goodman has already delivered on that part of the contract. They reported a probable loss of $240k annually is expected. However, with some tweaking and additional ridership, the operation could break into the black by "privatization" through the CVB. The taxis are perceived as a major component of drawing visitors to The Woodlands. They are perceived to be the unique difference between a visitor electing to come to The Woodlands in place of another nearby destination in the Houston area. However, the ridership statistics do not demonstrate that conclusion.<br />
<br />
The Woodlands Development Co owns the taxis free of any federal dependencies or commitments, and it owns the underlying interest in the waterway corridor. The Federal Transit Administration owns an equitable interest in the waterway corridor. The development company has a long term agreement to extend the waterway westward to the lake. They have acquired federal ARRA money to extend the waterway starting this summer, along with the maintenance facility. Additionally, the company is arranging for federal funding of another parking garage next to the existing one on Lake Robbins at Six Pines.<br />
<br />
Another project to fund with federal money, is a fleet of electric cars.<br />
<br />
So it goes. The development company has plans for additional services and eventually we will have to assume some of that operation. It would be good to have the corresponding proposal and expected burden on taxpayers. I have yet to explore that part of the development company's plan. I just hope the board is aware of this and has visibly bought into the idea before the project is initiated. What is the plan and when does the township take over the operation and at what cost? I suppose those are the questions for the board.<br />
<br />
Related Links<br />
+ <a href="http://www.fta.dot.gov/">Federal Transit Administration</a>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-10036074170766494902010-05-11T17:14:00.007-05:002010-05-12T07:57:10.808-05:00Election 2010 - No shows at the pollsHave you wondered as I have about the no-shows in The Woodlands Township election, 92% of registered voters who did not vote? I took some proactive steps as I canvassed neighborhoods to check on the pulse of voters. What I found out was simply amazing!<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 724px;"><col style="width: 171pt;" width="228"></col>
<col style="width: 55pt;" width="73"></col>
<col style="width: 69pt;" width="92"></col>
<col style="width: 248pt;" width="331"></col>
<tbody>
<tr height="89" style="height: 66.75pt;">
<td class="xl72" height="89" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(155, 187, 89) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: solid none solid solid; border-width: 0.5pt medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; height: 66.75pt; text-decoration: none; width: 171pt;" width="228">Top
Issue</td>
<td class="xl72" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(155, 187, 89) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid none; border-width: 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 55pt;" width="73">Number</td>
<td class="xl72" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(155, 187, 89) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid none; border-width: 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 69pt;" width="92">Percentage</td>
<td class="xl73" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(155, 187, 89) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 248pt;" width="331">Percentage removing the no issues and unknowns</td><td class="xl73" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(155, 187, 89) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; width: 248pt;" width="331"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">MUD</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Other Svcs</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Trees</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">5</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">3%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Other</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">4</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Schools</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1%<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"></span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Parks</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl69" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #274e13; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;"><b>Mobility/noise</b></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">12</td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">4% </td>
<td class="xl71" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>7%</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Animal Control</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Garbage</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl69" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #274e13; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;"><b>Crime/law enforcement</b></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">17</td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">6% </td>
<td class="xl71" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>10%</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Safety</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">4</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Alerts/watch</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">0% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl69" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Ad valorem taxes unfair or too high</span></b></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">17</td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">6% </td>
<td class="xl71" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>10%</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Common area maintenance</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">4</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl69" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #274e13; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;"><b>Covenants and related services</b></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">16</td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">6% </td>
<td class="xl71" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>10%</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">No issues</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">104</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"> 38%</td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Unknown</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">53</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">19%</td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl69" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #274e13; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;"><b>Big government and local politics</b></td>
<td align="right" class="xl69" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">17</td>
<td align="right" class="xl70" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">6% </td>
<td class="xl71" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(215, 228, 188) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>10%</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Against commercialization</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">5</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">3%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">In favor of
commercialization</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Loyalty</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">4</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">1% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Total including no issues and unknown</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">272</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">100%</td>
<td class="xl68" style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; height: 15pt; text-decoration: none;">Total less No issues and unknown</td>
<td align="right" class="xl66" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">168</td>
<td align="right" class="xl67" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 0.5pt; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">62% </td>
<td class="xl68" style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous; -moz-background-origin: padding; background: rgb(234, 241, 221) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(194, 214, 154) rgb(194, 214, 154) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 0.5pt 0.5pt medium; color: #75923c; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">100%</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
This was not a scientific survey. There was no attempt to balance demographics or lifestyles. It was collected solely from middle class neighborhoods. I did sample different types of neighborhoods. All villages are represented by approximately equal numbers. Generally speaking, each village was different and each neighborhood was somewhat different in responses. A total of 168 unique responses were generalized into categories. The question was "What is your top concern in The Woodlands?" Five categories accounted for 47% of the total. Some people skirted the question, which resulted in the 19% unknown. The "No issues" category came primarily from newcomers, who explained they had not been here long enough to understand local issues. Some were perfectly content with the way things are run. Others just do not understand the political arena nor how things work here.<br />
<br />
Safety signifies true safety issues such as children in the middle of the street without adult supervision, or ants on the trails establishing a high risk to allergic children and adults. Crime concerns are mostly from the press or politicians, not any first hand experiences except for one. Mobility issues were generally the result of living close to a major road. "Close" is rapidly changing from being the adjoining street to the major road, to three streets away from the major road. Access and noise were the focus of those discussions. Loud trucks and motorcycles are the primary concern, but the constant hum of traffic is also irritating. <br />
<br />
Covenants were large issues in several neighborhoods. I have passed on the complaints to the administrative staff. I found issues in almost every village.<br />
<br />
The big government category is a serious one. Many people beyond this exercise have expressed their concern about putting too much power in the hands of a few, especially when it seems there is a little voting club along with what appears to be some rubber stamping and inept, unprepared decision making. Term limits has been suggested to overcome the "been there too long" and to remove defensive attitudes associated with pet projects. After all, taxes belong to the public, not the government. <br />
<br />
So what gets people out to vote? You can immediately strike off the "No issues" crowd or in this case 37% of the registered voters. They were happy. If we assumed the 19% unknown group also are no-shows, then we have 56% of the registered voters expected not to show up. So what happened to the other 36%? Could they have been out of town for mother's day? Some yes. Could they have had other priorities? Maybe, but my assessment is that at least 36% of the registered voters were just not sufficiently interested enough to go out and vote. Ball games, picnics, children activities, and all those things you want to do on a Saturday were beckoning on such a beautiful day.<br />
<br />
How do we fix the problem? It is fairly hopeless. So what do candidates do? There is not much hope to tell you the truth. Incumbents get the draw because there are no intelligent voters. This is what some are saying and this is what will bring America down. People will complain when their taxes go up. Hey - not my problem say those who challenged the incumbents. People will complain when they suffer from a crime because of the wrong metrics and an ineffective police staffing method. They will complain when the traffic is bad. Those who can see the future issues cannot reach the general public, who is too busy to discuss the issues. Urban living is more complicated than people seem to realize. That makes the issues more complicated as well. What everyone needs is a means to understand the issues with little time invested. Based on the discussions I had, we are a society that crosses our fingers and hopes for the best. That is, things will work out out of natural order and process.<br />
<br />
Elections are great but we won't have many contenders, given the lack of consideration of the process. Who wants to throw away their money on a public that does not care? This is a new The Woodlands? This is what it has become? <br />
<br />
Consider that the 2% who responded with a "you are wasting your time here. He is my pastor" attitude. Instead of 2%, it probably turned out to be in the neighborhood of 25-50%. I will likely explain that in another article. These are the loyalty votes, not based on issues, not based on anything, except that the man preaches sermons on Sunday mornings, has lived in this community a very long time, and is an expert collector of people's money. Sad but true. There really is no way for the public to be educated. As it turned out, there was probably no reason for his team to spend so much money, but they were not sure. What is apparent is that the election for some reason was very very important to him and his team, enough to spend lots and lots of money to make certain he was elected for this two-year term. These two years are the critical years for establishing a new government. The people of this community will be hand fed into the desired results by those who are commercial-centric. Issues such as expansion west will be pushed onto the population of this community. You can expect the quality of life to continue to deteriorate as a result. My family is a victim of the general issue of development, so we know first hand about it. <br />
<br />
If you are one of those who did speak out by voting, make sure your voice is again heard when we consider a new government, have a meeting on taxes, establish a budget, and every major major issue along the way. I hope to publish major subjects that need your attention as we go forward. There will be two meetings a month. One will be in the evening where you can speak out. Those who did not vote I do not expect to take part in any of the proceedings, but realize at least some of you missed your chance for good cause. I hope you participate in the meetings. Now I have to say that you will not likely be pleased with the opportunity to speak out. The Board of Directors will continue with the before meeting / after meeting method of resident comment. It is a cold governmental process. Residents will probably never be able to engage in the actual discussion and deliberation of issues. Well, maybe at town halls. <br />
<br />
I hope this makes some people stop and think about what happened on May 8th and will help those interested to overcome the election process issues. We have only begun to fight. We will take it wherever it needs to go to get fixed. Maybe, just maybe by some remote chance, we will see some reforms, stoppage of arrogance and actual representation of the real public. I am not holding my breath.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-9408926018336912082010-05-10T13:02:00.003-05:002010-05-10T22:23:30.311-05:00Unions and PoliticsI have learned many things in this election. One of them is the lack of ethics in some activities. As many in The Woodlands know, our fire department has a union. That is not atypical but what they try to influence is simply not acceptable and not ethical. Candidates were asked to complete a questionnaire. OK, why not? I did not know that the deck was already stacked. The questionnaire was apparently for show only. There is one purpose for the process, to appear to be "fair". While candidates were doing everything they could to get their views to the public, the union was working as a special interest group, taking precious time away from the candidates and for what? For what I am about to reveal to you.<br />
<br />
True, they are not yet employees of the The Woodlands Township, they could at least act like it. They chose the most likely to succeed to serve their special interests (spending more money than required, supporting programs that have no value to residents). For that reason, until they stop their (possibly illegal) attempts to swing an election, they will not get my support. I will advise all candidates to not complete their questionnaire next year.<br />
<br />
When will the residents stand up for what is right? Some candidates endorse the union activities. This activity has to stop. I do not think it had much of an impact, but I noted a dark non-open method of approaching voters.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9mMMYtaiW9Y/S-hI-kDzFSI/AAAAAAAACY4/9Fba9udIaBM/s1600/img027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9mMMYtaiW9Y/S-hI-kDzFSI/AAAAAAAACY4/9Fba9udIaBM/s320/img027.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Here is a copy of the flyer passed out at the polls.
At least an apology to the public is needed from those responsible. I have met the person who was passing these out before when I worked at the polls. I am told he is a representative of the union.<br />
<br />
Notice that there is not a PAC (Political Action Committee) nor a union nor an association placed on this document. It is a product of the "employees" of the Woodlands Fire Department. Next time you see a firefighter, ask him why they tried to influence the election outcome. Try to get real information, not settle for just words that say nothing. They were out there at the polls. This needs to be investigated and whoever is accountable should be held accountable.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-32166032303568886452010-04-30T08:05:00.001-05:002010-04-30T21:48:20.874-05:00Our traffic and government transparencyI think about this often these days. In my mind, we still do not have a transparent government. For example, are decisions related to development of our western frontier something our community should be concerned about? Are there decisions related to the mobility of the region in which our government should be making a stand? You and I have seen but not been involved in plans by TXDOT to expand The Woodlands Parkway to highway 149. The reason to expand? Development! Think about the effects of that expansion? Like one board member told me this week. "The western section of The Woodlands Parkway will be six lanes also." Well, if the western section will be six lanes, then the front part will be 8 lanes, or worse, a freeway! How do we protect our community from continued decline by utilizing our roads as commute freeways? Who is representing and protecting us? Is it the Township Board who endorsed the TXdot proposed widening of highway 242 for the entire length so as to promote more transient traffic through our community? Do you know that 50% of that roadway is for The Woodlands, but the remainder is for transient traffic? No wonder our crime rate continues to erode! I have heard soem interesting ideas in the past few weeks from residents on this subject. <br />
<br />
Typically some of the most important issues are discussed behind "closed doors". Our politicians might be working on some of these issues privately, but the issues are in gray areas that everyone should be concerned about. The newspapers do not seem to be there nor residents. We live in a complex society that is filled with influence as a value to support enterprising individuals, organizations and companies toward their hidden agendas.<br />
<br />
Do you want status quo in our government? I sure don't! Who is helping us? The development company? indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-86209228717338989282010-04-17T15:13:00.003-05:002010-04-18T07:40:14.698-05:00What are The Woodlands resident issues found in our government request system?<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 304px;"><col style="width: 132pt;" width="176"></col>
<col span="2" style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col>
<tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl70" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: white; height: 15pt; width: 132pt;" width="176"><b>Type</b></td>
<td class="xl70" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: white; width: 48pt;" width="64"><b>Incidents</b></td>
<td class="xl70" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: white; width: 48pt;" width="64"><b> Percent</b></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">Events</td>
<td class="xl71" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">1</td>
<td class="xl76" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 0%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">MUD</td>
<td class="xl71" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">1</td>
<td class="xl76" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 0%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">Other svcs</td>
<td class="xl71" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">1</td>
<td class="xl76" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 0%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">Trees</td>
<td class="xl71" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">1</td>
<td class="xl76" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 0%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">Other</td>
<td class="xl71" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">2</td>
<td class="xl76" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl68" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">Schools</td>
<td class="xl71" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">2</td>
<td class="xl76" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d; height: 15pt;">Parks</td>
<td class="xl72" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;">4</td>
<td class="xl77" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #93c47d;"> 1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Mobility</td>
<td class="xl72" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">6</td>
<td class="xl77" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Animal control</td>
<td class="xl72" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">8</td>
<td class="xl77" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Garbage</td>
<td class="xl72" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">8</td>
<td class="xl77" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 2%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Website</td>
<td class="xl72" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">9</td>
<td class="xl77" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 3%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Crime</td>
<td class="xl73" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">13</td>
<td class="xl78" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 4%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Safety</td>
<td class="xl73" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">13</td>
<td class="xl78" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 4%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Alerts/Watch</td>
<td class="xl73" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">13</td>
<td class="xl78" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 4%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Solicitation</td>
<td class="xl73" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">15</td>
<td class="xl78" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 4%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Assessment questions</td>
<td class="xl73" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">17</td>
<td class="xl78" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 5%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Other requests</td>
<td class="xl73" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">21</td>
<td class="xl78" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 6%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc; height: 15pt;">Streetlight repair</td>
<td class="xl74" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;">32</td>
<td class="xl79" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: #fff2cc;"> 9%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8; height: 15pt;">Common area maint</td>
<td class="xl74" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8;">46</td>
<td class="xl79" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8;"> 13%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8; height: 15pt;">Covenants</td>
<td class="xl74" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8;">55</td>
<td class="xl79" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8;"> 15%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8; height: 15pt;">Information</td>
<td class="xl74" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8;">87</td>
<td class="xl79" style="background-color: #073763; color: #9fc5e8;"> 25%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl69" height="20" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: white; height: 15pt;">Grand Total</td>
<td class="xl75" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: white;">355</td>
<td class="xl80" style="background-color: #0c343d; color: white;">100%</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I reviewed the 355 resident requests from the Township Request Database over the past three months. January 1st to near the end of of March 2010. Not all requests were from residents, but the vast majority were. Obviously from the data, all who reported an issue through the database had a variety of questions and concerns. You will note that I have distinguished between safety and crime. Safety had something to do with mitigating a specific visualized risk to life or health. Crime concerns were related to the news, or general statements about the crime reported outside of the view of the resident.<br />
<br />
<b>Information </b>is a catch-all and can be about anything, such who to call on advice how to approach an issue. If information was sought for the Neighborhood Watch program, that was included in Watch. <b>Mobility </b>does not include all road issues. It is limited to change or safety issues related to mobility, whether by foot, bicycle or automobile. <b>Common area maintenance </b>includes park maintenance and water runoff from easements. <b>Solicitation </b>is usually a request to consider the use of a service provider. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/forms.aspx?fid=53">The Township Service Request Database can be accessed at this link. </a><br />
<br />
<i>If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to place a comment or email me. </i>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-76001743449876338792010-04-15T11:03:00.002-05:002010-04-30T21:51:43.403-05:00The Woodlands Independence from HoustonIsn't it great to have a guarantee of not being governed by another city, especially Houston? We don't have their taxes, police force, their ordinances, their firefighting standards, their trash and garbage schedules, their environmental standards, their 911 call centers, or their standards for a "quality life". We set our own standards and our own direction. That was what I considered when we began our trek to govern ourselves.<br />
<br />
I remember participating in the meetings with residents to determine what our issues were, where we wanted to go, and what was most important to us. Security and taxes were our utmost concern. Water should have been also, but our vision for that issue seemed further out then. Our water problems have accelerated as the build-out accelerated, and the Montgomery county growth significantly impacted water consumption. Slower reservoir recharging due to drought has also impacted the urgency to supplement our well water with potable surface water. Now that issue is probably our biggest tax threat.<br />
<br />
I recall going door-to-door getting support from the community for all three propositions. I did not want Houston to annex us; the date they could do that was quickly approaching. They could annex us as early as 2014, and from all indications they would have strong financial incentives to do so. All they had to do was to build a fire station within a certain distance of our community and bang! They could have and would have done it.<br />
<br />
I wrote several articles on the subject of those propositions, and many people read them. I did my own risk assessment based on the knowledge I had gleaned from working with many people on the project. That exercise took a lot of time, but it was well worth it. Today, I stand firm on what was done. That was a good decision. We have not lowered our taxes as much as I had hoped. In fact, the WCA has not lowered its taxes at all. I will write another article on taxes a little later.<br />
<br />
Here are the links to articles I wrote on the Township creation (three propositions) back then. You can see I have cautiously supported the Township concept from the beginning and have never backed off. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://woodlandsgovernment.blogspot.com/2007/12/residents-value-system.html">1. Residents Value System </a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodlandscommentary.com/2007/08/governance.html">2. Road to Governance</a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodlandscommentary.com/2007/09/governance-in-nutshell.html">3. Governance in a nutshell</a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodlandscommentary.com/2007/10/panel-discussion-with-woodlands-decides.html">4. Panel Discussion with Woodlands Decides </a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodlandscommentary.com/2007/10/my-decision-and-what-i-considered-in.html">5. The Decision </a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodlandscommentary.com/2007/11/congratulations-to-woodlands.html">6. Congratulations to The Woodlands</a><br />
<br />
<hr />indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-76088614672899149942010-04-09T11:09:00.004-05:002010-04-09T21:28:43.967-05:00Good news to Indian Springs and Panther Creek<br />
Actually, the good news includes the Village of Creekside Park as well.<br />
<br />
The start of the Creekside Park fire station on Kuykendahl is delayed until the 3rd or 4th quarters of this year due to delays in road construction. Therefore, the relative governing bodies decided jointly to accelerate the construction of the Indian Springs fire station and staff it with the personnel from the temporary fire station currently off of Gosling. This action will make Fire Station #8 (Indian Springs) operational before Fire Station #7 (Creekside Park). The Indian Springs Fire Station is now planned to begin operations in July 2011 followed by Fire Station #7 in January 2012.<br />
<br />
After all the insistence that Fire Station #7 had to be done first and the urgency was tantamount, we now have a different scenario. It was not that urgent after all. Residents in Panther Creek and Indian Springs, including myself, have been asking to accelerate the Indian Springs Fire Station for a long time, even before the 2010 budget process. Now that some of the hurdles have been jumped for the Indian Springs Gosling location, that location is now more advanced in infrastructure and can proceed without the obstacles that Fire Station #7 has.<br />
<br />
So residents and business owners alike in the southwestern part of Panther Creek and the southeastern part of Indian Springs are thankful that a better emergency response time is on its way to their homes and retail areas. Thanks to those who contributed to this decision.
<br />
<br />
Sometime this month, we should see the land acquisition agreements completed for both fire stations with final approvals for the project scheduled in May, with ground breaking for Indian Springs in July and for Creekside Park in January 2011. Also, those who are interested should be present at the DSC meeting in May to see the proposed plan and how these stations might impact residents' lives. The Indian Springs station is to be at the corner of Gosling and Flintridge.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-83587835950229602212010-03-25T12:42:00.000-05:002010-03-25T12:42:39.621-05:002010 Woodlands Bond Issue Announced<hr />
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<o:p></o:p>The Woodlands, TX (March 24, 2010)… The Board of Directors
of The Woodlands Township issued $34.8 million of tax-exempt unlimited tax
bonds today with an average interest cost of 3.82 percent. </div>
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<o:p></o:p>The Woodlands Township Chairman of the Board Nelda Luce
Blair said, “Our financial plan assumed a five percent interest rate, so this
issue is going to yield significant savings to the taxpayers.” </div>
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<o:p></o:p>The Woodlands Township’s Financial Advisor Drew Masterson
said, “This rate is one of the lowest I’ve ever seen.” </div>
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<o:p></o:p>The sale of today’s bonds comes after the voters in The
Woodlands approved three different bond propositions on November 3, 2009, to
fund fire services, park improvements and refinancing of association line of
credit. The sale of the bonds included a very favorable bond rating of AA by
Standard & Poor’s. The S&P noted The Woodlands Township’s strong
economy, good financial management and limited future debt as strong positives
for the rating, according to Chairman Blair.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>“We’re very pleased to issue these bonds,” Chairman Blair
said. “We are very pleased with our bond rating and very pleased with the
interest rate. The voters in November asked for us to move in this direction,
and today’s sale is reflective of their wishes, which ultimately benefits the taxpayers
of The Woodlands. The passage of all three bond propositions shows that
residents said that parks, pathways, fire stations and lower debt are important
to their quality of life, and that they understood that these bonds will make
those things possible.” </div>
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<o:p></o:p>The winning syndicate underwriters in a sealed bid
process included Southwest Securities, Citi, EdwardJones, Wells Fargo, and
Stephens. These firms prevailed over three other bidders. Bonds were offered by
the underwriters to initial investors at rates ranging from 0.73 percent in
2011 to 4.33 percent in 2030. Bonds can only be offered by the underwriters
through the Official Statement, which will be posted on The Woodlands Township
Web site.</div>
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<o:p></o:p>The first proposition approved by the voters addressed
fire department needs. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds will be used to
construct two fire stations, purchase related fire equipment for these
stations, provide payment of any emergency services district (ESD) debt
allocable to the Township upon removal of certain territory from the
overlapping taxing jurisdiction of the ESD, and any related issuance costs. </div>
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The second proposition approved by the voters addressed
The Woodlands Township’s Parks needs. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds on
the second proposition will be used for the construction of new parks and
pathways pursuant to the Recreation Facilities Development Agreement and
Construction Management Agreement assumed by the Township from The Woodlands
Association, Inc. and The Woodlands Commercial Owners Association, Inc. </div>
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The third proposition approved by the voters addressed
the refinancing of existing debt obligations from the community associations.
In accordance with the terms of the Transition Agreement, the Township assumed
certain debt obligations from each community association and related service
companies on January 1, 2010. Proceeds from the sale of the bonds will be used
to refinance existing debt obligations of $19.080 million assumed by the
Township from the community associations and The Woodlands Fire Department,
Inc., and to pay for bond issuance costs.<br />
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<a href="http://woodlandscommentaryspecialsite.blogspot.com/2010/03/details-of-woodlands-bond-issue-2010.html">Click here for additional details. </a></div>
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<o:p></o:p>The Woodlands Township
Web site is at <a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/">www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/"></a></span>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-89855139539787048172010-03-08T07:00:00.000-06:002010-03-08T07:43:39.438-06:00Government control of association functions - deed restrictionsWe have a controversy in The Woodlands that has arisen from a single action. I will not direct my comments to the exact nature of the issue, but will direct my thoughts to the overall situation relative to the situation. This is also intended to review the process here so that residents have a more in-depth understanding of it. In The Woodlands, there are three organizational entities which enforce property covenants, otherwise known as "deed restrictions". The enforcement of covenants is not normally part of a government function. In this region, association fees are normally paid by residents to fund association functions, especially to provide covenant enforcement. In the merger of the township with the associations, the township government acquired legal authority through the legislature to bring covenant enforcement under its umbrella. This has inherent consequences that residents should understand. We should also understand why we have merged this function into the government rather than keeping it separate.<br />
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Our covenants in many ways are no different than other communities, except for a few values we uphold to make our community uniquely "The Woodlands" and to provide amenities for the type of resident for which the community is intended. For example, the community highly values its trees by design and vision from the master plan. This value includes the trees on home properties, as well as in green areas. A tree of 15+ years is recognized for its value to neighbors and the community as a whole. Therefore a caliper measurement of a tree's diameter determines its protection by property covenant. This same value is highly esteemed for public property owned by the township.
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<br />
To enforce our residential covenants, we have a three-tiered system. On the frontline we have employees in the township who administer enforcement. They receive complaints, keep records, prepare and send out notification letters, monitor neighborhoods for violations, organize materials for meetings of the DSC and RDRC, and more. The Residential Design Review Committees (RDRC) is the second tier. This committee consists of resident volunteers elected annually by the community of each village to review covenant violations and decide on appropriate actions. The theory is that covenants are for the residents, and therefore actions should be decided by the residents of those village neighborhoods. I am the chairman of one of those committees, so I have been involved in the decision making process during my tenure of several years. It is the goal of an RDRC committee to be fair to the residents but at the same time enforce the covenants. A covenant is a contract between the community and the property owner. Therefore, it is legally binding. The RDRC committee members are not normally deeply versed in law, nor are the members necessarily property experts. They live in the same neighborhoods as those who seek changes to their property or have violated the covenants. They seek consistency in property presentation to the public. Those who serve should be and generally are citizens who have the same value system as the community and willing to spend their time to keep the community consistent with the master plan vision. Each decision is based on data collected from the covenant administrator who has been assigned to that particular committee, plus any committee member's personal knowledge of the situation. The RDRC does not have the authority to file lawsuits, nor does it have the authority to decide on final action of any sort. After the review of requests, the committee recommends an action plan to the property owner. It also recommends an action plan to the third tier of enforcement, if the owner does not wish to follow the recommendation, or the committee is electing some variance to the covenant. RDRC and DSC committee meetings are open. Each committee member follows the regulations of the Texas Open Meetings Act(TOMA). Residents are welcome and do at times attend RDRC meetings and DSC meetings.
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<br />
The Development Standards Committee (DSC) consists of four appointed qualified residents and three Development company designates who act on enforcement of the standards. The Township Board of Directors is responsible for appointing individuals to this committee. Most of the time, this committee will agree with the recommended actions of the RDRCs but occasionally spots an issue and overrides a recommendation. I have seen only one of these instances in our village, where there was an issue with water drainage and the DSC took appropriate steps to investigate the design of the neighborhood, discovering something the RDRC did not know, and therefore took a different approach to the solution. This is the reason the committee exists, to provide a higher level of expertise on some issues and to provide a means for a resident to protest the RDRC recommendation.
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<br />
So how does all of this play into what recently transpired at the township meeting? Our tax dollars are now used to enforce the covenants. If legal action is required by the DSC, money must be spent by the community. Legal mitigation of an issue happens when a resident either refuses to take the action(s) prescribed, or when the property owner cannot be found. The DSC has the authority to take a lien out on the property to pay for such actions. If the community pays for mowing the grass, or caring for or repairing the property, the property owner is required to eventually pay for those services. And if there are court costs, the property owner will pay for that as well, unless of course, the property owner wins the case. If the resident cuts down a large tree without permission, he will likely have to pay for replacement(s). <br />
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We do have residents who refuse to follow the covenants, even though the residents formally promised to do so by signature when they purchased (or rented) the home . Each and every covenant is to be enforced. Some people believe the trashcan regulation is simply frivolous, but it is serious. Cans left in view of neighbors and the public is unsightly and a nuisance to many residents. No resident has the right to interpret the covenants the way he or she wishes to interpret them. The trash can regulation is very important to some residents, and the regulation is part of the covenants. Making one part of it more important than another is not an option either. However, legal action is prioritized and generally taken based on the severity of the issue. If residents are routinely annoyed by unsightly property and the property owner refuses to comply with the action dictated by the DSC, legal action will be taken and that will cost taxpayers some money.
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<br />
So the recent issue, noted as a "transition issue" by the Township Board, is one of accountability for taxpayer dollars. While the DSC is an independent entity, not regulated by the Township Board of Directors, it does not have spending authority per se. Covenant administration's budget for 2010 is $2,196,883 and the anticipated income is $30,000. President (Don Norrell) of the Township has signature authority for legal expenses. No one seems to actually have the authority to say "no" to the actions of the DSC to take these actions. Therefore the controversy - growing pains maybe, but also perhaps an inappropriate government function. The idea for having this function in our township government is efficiency and funding power to enforce the covenants. So if the township can intervene in the decisions of the DSC, the process becomes vulnerable to politics, which cannot be tolerated. Our covenants cannot be enforced based on the popularity of government official(s), nor on personal relationships.
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I believe everyone in authority in the township does not want the Township Board of Directors to be a fourth tier in the process. They are not designated to be the last resort for a protest by a resident. How are the DSC committee members accountable? They can be removed by the Board of Directors if there are serious issues in conduct. The issue that triggered a discussion on the overall process and accountability debate, was one of timing and resident consideration. The resident asked to cut down a tree and apparently made some remarks on the character of one or more officials for their decision. A constraining order was issued to protect the tree(s), some saying that action was due to those remarks towards some officials. The restraining order occurred during the Christmas holidays. There is a history of residents occasionally cutting down trees, even if they are not permitted to do so. Sometimes the DSC has to assess the probability of that happening. A restraining order is the prescribed action in that situation.
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<b>Commentary</b>
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<br />
The question of covenant enforcement autonomy continues to haunt me as
we go forward. I believe this Township Board of Directors has the correct perspective on autonomy, but on the other hand, there is the issue of financial
control. Taking this one step further, <b>perhaps </b>we should not even have the covenant enforcement
function in the government, but instead return back to a separate
resident association concept, with fees levied on residents, instead of
taxation, to fund this type of activity. Then however, we would lose the economic
advantage of IRS taxation relief and probably suffer a higher total cost for this function. We would not have the financial backing of the large tax
dollar base when we have to go to court and engage in a battle with one or
more property owners. Therefore, I am not in favor for backtracking on government control of the function.<br />
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Whatever occurred in this case seems inappropriate to me on both sides of the fence, but whatever occurred would not change anything in the overall picture. The covenants must be enforced without political influence on the process. I see no reason to add another layer of decision-making. The RDRC recommended decision should normally stand, but it can be contested and overruled. The DSC action should always stand. Residents can contest its decision in court. That keeps the whole process autonomous with checks and balances, and like having the function in an association, it is not governing; it is simply enforcement just like a police law enforcement unit. So the township seems to want to reserve the right to intervene in court cases, because those cases will be in the name of the township. I believe we cannot do that. If it makes the township look bad or affects its image to the public, that cannot be the basis of enforcement; the action can only based on the enforcement of a covenant itself. There is compliance or there is not compliance. Certainly we need to have a contract for legal advice on what action to take sometimes as well as consider alternatives to filing a case in court. It is also wise to assess the impact of non-compliance and see if there is a real need to take a harsh action. That is up to the RDRC and DSC on how they conduct their business. This has worked well in the past from my experiences, but not saying it will always be so. Community associations almost everywhere also have these issues. <br />
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Legally, there are books written on the subject of associations that tend to make one want to have this function in a government, At Harvard, the issue of the power of an association was reviewed in "The Rule of Law in Residential Associations". As one might expect, there are varying views of this subject in other universities and circles of law. By having the function in the Township, we trump the issues of real government vs "democratic sub-societies". However if we maintain our position of autonomy, any related citizen rights issues remain. indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-807988718263864502010-02-26T09:06:00.000-06:002010-02-26T09:06:34.849-06:00Current candidate list for The Woodlands TownshipCandidates continue to apply for the Township board positions. As we stated in the last article, there are four positions, each defined simply by a number. Each one is an at-large position. Incumbents occupy each one with one incumbent dropping out for personal reasons, leaving that position slated only with new candidates. Nominations remain open for those four positions, but will close soon.<br />
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<b>Position 1</b> - Claude Hunter (incumbent) and Robert Tyson are vying for this position. Hunter has been a cornerstone of the community for quite sometime, highly involved in everything and reasons out all issues. It will be difficult for Tyson to successfully challenge him, but not impossible. Tyson is new to the scene but has challenged WCA directors for quite some time. He will need to convince the public that he is a team player to make any significant inroads to this position.<br />
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<b>Position 2</b> - Tom Campbell (incumbent) and Michael Donnelly are in this contest. I expect another person might emerge to join in this race. Donnelly, as a dissenter of the establishment, is a weak challenger, while Campbell is organized, issue-oriented, and always willing to listen to the community, having a significant following. <br />
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<b>Position 3</b> - Lloyd Matthews (incumbent) has dropped out for personal reasons. He does not feel he can spend adequate time on the job in the next couple of years, so he was ethically obligated to step aside. We may see him back in two years. Those remaining in this race are Jeff Long, the last president of WCA. He is the strongest contender in that he has a great deal of experience in the community politically and has had significant influence on the transition to the Township. Running against him is Adam Muery who is starting a strong campaign based on policing the community. Muery is likely to make this race interesting. The last contender, Jay Mack Sanders is fairly obscure. I am uncertain of his doctrines or contention strength at this time.<br />
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<b>Position 4</b> - Ed Robb (incumbent) has a strong hold on his position and has yet to be challenged for it. He is the pastor at the United Methodist Church on Lake Woodlands and has contributed significantly to the township board before and through the transition of government. <br />
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I believe there will be more candidates entering the election. Some are probably waiting to see who is added on the slate before they select the incumbent they want to challenge.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-84678451648865720922010-02-25T21:47:00.000-06:002010-02-26T07:28:16.606-06:00May election is creeping up on us - watch out for the new position-based processSubtle changes of process may be evident when you go to the polls this coming May in The Woodlands Township elections. Recent legislation changed the way nominees will be elected here. On May 8th, the Township election will not select the top vote getters at large, as was done in the previous election. It will instead be the winner of each of the new four at-large positions, i.e. the candidate who wins position 1, candidate winning position 2, etc will be on the board. Now how does one select a position to run for? Good question, responded some officials. The timing of application submission goes hand in hand with what strategy to select in campaigning. So to start, four candidates submitted their forms as soon as the process began. Generally speaking, one candidate chose to run for each position, like dominoes, occupying different spaces. None of the first runners elected to run against the other. So one assumes that the incumbents communicated with each other and chose to be separated into each of the four positions. That would make sort of a coalition, but it does not establish much except to make sure incumbents do not run against each other. This is the first time to elect by position, therefore incumbents filing for those four positions makes sense. There is nothing wrong with that as far as I can see; it is simply the effect of the changed law.<br />
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Instead of individuals competing each election, it becomes a system of challenging incumbents, not necessarily aligned on political boundaries or platforms. This is what happens in city elections when council candidates are elected by district. They have challengers to their positions. <br />
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The hometown feel of our community is changing with the legislation passed in the last session of the Texas Legislature. Like I say, it is neither good nor bad, just a change, looking down from 1000 feet up. Some residents were suspicious of the change and others were very critical of it, but the arguments against it have not been strong. I question the process but will wait til the end of this article to present my own thoughts.<br />
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In the prior election, some people observed weaknesses in the free-for-all at-large-position process. When voting, you chose three from the candidate list who you wanted on the board. Sounded like the top three would just naturally rise to the top. Yes, but you could have been canceling out some of your own vote. I heard several people voice a concern about that. For example, take the scenario below:<br />
You cast all four of your votes. <br />
Candidate #1 - receives 4 votes, you did not vote for this candidate<br />
Candidate #2 - receives 3 votes, your vote included<br />
Candidate #3 - receives 3 votes, your vote included<br />
Candidate #4 - receives 3 votes, your vote included. You wanted this candidate to win most of all.<br />
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If you had cast only one vote, for candidate #4, your preferred candidate would have won, given the same results from the others. The result would then have been:<br />
Candidate #1 - 4 votes , yours not included<br />
Candidate #4 - 3 votes, yours included<br />
Candidate #2 - 2 votes, yours not included<br />
Candidate #3 - 2 votes, yours not included<br />
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A different outcome. <br />
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Bill SB2515 has these changes to the original legislation:<br />
" (2) an election shall be called for the uniform
election date in May of the next succeeding even-numbered year
after the election held under Subdivision (1) of this subsection,
for <b>the election of four directors by</b> <b>[ add "position"] [cross out "at large"]</b>. Each of
the [The] four candidates [receiving the highest number of votes
shall be] elected shall serve for a term of two years;"<br />
- and - <br />
" an election shall be called annually thereafter
for the uniform election date in May of each year for the election
by [add "<b>position</b>" ] of either three or four directors, as appropriate, to
serve two-year terms.<sp>"</sp><br />
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Now with the conflicting vote risk removed, each voter can rest assured that his
own votes do not affect his own selected candidates negatively. <br />
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In a positioning move for the election, the executive committee met last month and decided on names for the four positions to be put on the ballot. They named them "Position 1", "Position 2", etc etc. Each candidate will be allowed to run for one and only one position. A position is not marked by village, demographics or population. It is merely an arbitrarily named position, elected by the majority of at-large votes for that position. </sp><br />
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I asked for the rationale behind our at-large position method, and have received a few responses. There were some interesting and relative answers by officials, but nothing from our Austin representatives, nor anyone who actually made the decision to write this new method into law. Therefore I will use what I have, since the rationale presented seems appropriate for the question asked.<br />
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It is believed by some that the old way facilitated groups or slates of candidates to run. It could then be a popularity schema, votes going to those who ran together, partied together, or had common ideas or lifestyles in common. They would naturally group together and even develop strategies together, maybe not on purpose, or maybe so. The new method would promote individuality and attract opponents to counter that individuality. Therefore, it would encourage those possessing the highest skills, enthusiasm and savvy to compete for a specific job (even though it does not pay anything). That would seem to be in the best interest of the public. It would promote more focused debates among those running for a single position rather than everyone debating everyone running for the positions that are up for election. <br />
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Coupled to that, one would assume there is rationale against geographic districts being established here. Indeed there is an argument against that. Should we pit geographic area against geographic area in the routine operation of the Township? If the
Township was divided into geographic positions, it is feared by some that the mere fact of having area representation would detract from governing in meetings and in the voting process, for show and political reasons. Since the
demographics of each area is homogeneous, a districting
method would seem counter productive. You would want the board to act
in unison on most issues. There is a lot of work to do. Quibbling and bickering on
who is getting what and special area interests should be minimized in
debate and in decision making, not saying that an area consideration be tabled, but be considered as part of the whole, not represented and defended by a board member's residential location. The new way encourages team decision making
for the benefit of the whole and not special interests in geographic
areas. Normally, districting is put into place to represent the interests of minority groups. We don't have the distribution of any minority in any special place in The Woodlands.<br />
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<b>Commentary</b><br />
<b> </b><br />
Basically I agree in part with the view that in theory, we are ethnically and racially homogeneous. I also agree that we need unity of purpose and efficiencies on the board of directors.The entire community has been designed to prevent areas from being ethnically or racially overweight. That was part of the master plan. From what I know, Hispanics, for example, are spread throughout The Woodlands. I do however have an instinct on some demographics that are prevalent in some areas. For example, there are probably lower median incomes in the WCA part of The Woodlands (eastern) vs the TWA part (western). Additionally, the median age of a resident is likely higher in the WCA villages than the TWA villages. Age of the communities also play a role in the spacial demographics and necessities of areas. For example those living in Grogans Mill and Panther Creek have issues with aging streets and pathways, while those to their west may be more concerned about filling in missing links in pathways and planting trees.<br />
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Generally, cities have at-large positions and area positions. I personally believe it would be to our advantage to have three area positions and four at-large positions. That would be like a city government and would promote more trust in the community on where being represented. Having area districts enable lower cost campaigns and less effort to run for a position.<br />
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Saying that, we also have village associations to help in representing residents to the board. I have to wait to see how this works out. The villages have no voting power or authority, but resident issues are and will continue to be heard by the board. Therefore there are residents elected to village positions having significant influence on the board's decisions. This in my opinion should offset any representation issues.I hope residents partner with the board of directors to take the village associations more serious and demand that the voices in the associations be heard. That is where local issues should be brought forward. It is my opinion that the president of each village association should be charged with making local representation be heard. We are positioned to do this. Let's make it work!<br />
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Finally, it seems that in order to be constitutionally aligned with tax representation, there would be area representation. A government by and for the people means that an equal population-based tally of will is the only way to determine how tax dollars are to be collected and spent. Maybe we have that in our current law, maybe not. I am not a lawyer. We seem to be in a gray area of legal interpretation, from what I hear. So onward on the path to May 8th. Let's see what happens. The positions remain open for additional candidates.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-68971500891400356772010-02-08T18:32:00.000-06:002010-02-08T18:45:21.422-06:00CISD solicits feedback on next school year' s calendarThe CISD website has a feedback question for residents and employees to input their preference for next year's calendar. It is especially important for parents with school age children to provide their feedback. In the comment form, make sure you identify yourself and state your position.<br />
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The difference is centered around Thanksgiving preferences. Calendar "B" has a full week and two weekends vacation for Thanksgiving, allowing parents to travel. One off day for the children is removed from the January schedule to accommodate the new alternative calendar. Teachers will be asked to begin one day earlier in August. School start and end will be exactly the same for both calendars. <br />
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Recognizing that parents might have to find additional care for some of
their children is a motivator for the standard calendar " A". Calendar "A" is similar to the 2009-10 school year, with three days for Thanksgiving.<br />
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IndianSpringsGuy endorses the full week of Thanksgiving to allow more time for families to visit relatives and travel during this very important traditional holiday of our great nation. That would be calendar "B".<br />
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Parents, teachers and other affected residents of the school district, please provide your input for more effective feedback to the school board.<br />
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Click here to make your wishes known: <br />
<a href="http://www.conroeisd.net/DraftCalendar.asp">Conroe Independent School District feedback website </a>indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842545186800043936.post-26983966401367346782010-02-07T08:53:00.000-06:002010-02-07T09:20:06.083-06:00Census 2010 - how important is it to us?The simple answer - VERY! It is a trillion+ dollar issue, and the related decisions based on the Census endures until the next census in 2020! That is a long long time. We in Texas (and especially Montgomery County) are part of the few states and counties that are growing rapidly. We have the responsibility to ourselves to make ourselves known to the Census Bureau. The U.S. Census was established to count people so that they could be represented by our government which is for the people and by the people. I am a partner on the team, having taken a certification class, so I am able to "see" the process, and I feel comfortable with the process. The process is important and safe. Ten questions will be asked in ten minutes lasting for ten years.<br />
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Census Day will be April 1st. Questions will be answered on what your household is anticipated to be on that day. For example, if your child is going to get married and leave the household, that "child" should be interviewed separately, so that person can establish location and their residence situation independently.<br />
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Forms will be mailed to your home in March. Census workers will subsequently be visiting the homes of people who have not answered the questionnaire.<br />
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Every year, some $300 billion is distributed to states and communities based in large part on census data. In a high growth area, typically there are financial issues associated with the growth and maintenance of infrastructure and projects that are required, which would not normally be required if the population was stable and self sufficient. We need every person to be counted so that we get our share of the funds. The government's representation in decision-making for those funds is reorganized based on the resultant numbers.<br />
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How is the process safe? Do you know that if there is an illegal activity observed by a census taker at the home where that person is conducting business of the Census Bureau, the census worker is sworn to not report what was seen? He is not exempt from being summoned to court, but he will not cause any issue with the law. The worker is not an arm of law enforcement, nor responsible in any way for what he sees at your home.<br />
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The purpose of the visit is strictly to count people, nothing else, leaving the household as he found it, without any risk to the inhabitants. It is all about numbers - identifying the number of potential volunteers for community services, the number of voters, demographics of voters and residents for government programs and grants, etc etc. Numbers! Numbers to help the community, with no risk! The only risk is not being counted - then you have failed to help your community, your government to make decisions, to represent you.
So please, do your part and get the word out to those on your mailing lists and social networks. This is a national effort, and you have the opportunity to promote the process.indianspringsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039507565333544019noreply@blogger.com0