Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:44:21 +0000

Hays County Judge Liz Sumter, left, and Specialized Public Finance Consultant Dan Wegmiller, right, at last week’s meeting of the Hays County Commissioners Court. Photo by Sean Batura.

By SEAN BATURA
News Reporter

Hays County’s governing body resumed course towards up to $74 million in capital improvements and bond sales after dropping anchor briefly last week to check for dark economic clouds on the horizon.

With that, the county will go forward on a $73 million government center and other office facility improvements. Increases in the county’s property tax rate are almost certain to follow.

The Hays County Commissioners Court solicited advice from its bond agent, Specialized Public Finance (SPF), which presented three four-year property tax rate scenarios: one in which property values neither increase nor decrease next year, another in which values increase by 2.5 percent next year, and another in which property values decrease one percent. All three scenarios entail property tax increases, ranging from 0.71 cents per $100 of valuation to 1.19 cents per $100 by next fiscal year, and from 2.43 cents per $100 to 2.97 cents per $100 by 2014.

Hays County Judge Liz Sumter (D-Wimberely) set up the debt workshop two weeks ago over the mild reproaches of Hays County Precinct 3 Commissioner Will Conley (R-San Marcos) and Precinct 2 Commissioner Jeff Barton (D-Kyle), the latter of whom is running against Sumter in the Democratic Primary for county judge in March. Barton said the workshop was an “effective tap dance” that cost the county thousands of dollars, while Sumter said the county needed to prepare for possible declines in property values next year.

“I would say it cost — my guess is (the workshop) cost somewhere between five and $15,000 because we had … bankers, staff, auditors, engineers, program managers, several different groups of engineers, at the judge’s instruction, preparing data today,” Barton said. “Since that data actually reinforced what a lot of us had been saying for weeks — this was supposed to be a broad-ranging discussion on whether we should move forward at all, and what we should do, and the sky is falling — and you noticed today that it didn’t go in that direction. And that’s because, after spending thousands of dollars to recompile and reiterate data that we’d already seen, we found out that, except for an upcoming election, nothing has really changed, and that we’re going to move forward just as we always were.”

Sumter said the workshop was not costly, adding that it was necessary because it enabled the court to discover that selling the government center bonds in two issuances might save the county money. The workshop yielded different tax rate projections that what County Auditor Bill Herzog made two weeks before.

On Jan. 13, the day after Sumter voiced her concerns about property values and said she would schedule a debt workshop, Herzog said the county’s property tax rate would increase less than one-half of a cent for Fiscal Year 2011 if property value increases up to 2.5 percent or declines up to one percent. During last week’s the debt workshop, SPF estimated that the same changes in property values would increase the tax rate by 1.19 cents.

“(SPF consultant) Dan Wegmiller doesn’t charge us anything, he’s free,” Sumter said. “(Broaddus and Associates consultant) Bob Hinkle was also there for other items. (HDR consultant) Jeff Curren and (Prime Strategies consultant) Mike Weaver usually come to do updates in our courtroom. Yes, they probably charged us for being there, but they were essential because if there were questions about roads and that budget … they needed to be there to answer those questions. So, no, it was money well-spent, and it wasn’t very much. It wasn’t thousands of dollars.”

Hays County accountant Vickie Wilhelm said it will not be possible to find out how much Tuesday’s workshop cost the county until the consultants who were there for that item — and who opt to charge the county for being there — send their bills.

SPF’s property tax rate projection under Scenario 1, which entails a .71 cent county property tax increase for next year, assumes 2.5 percent growth in property values each year for the next four years. Scenario 2, which entails a 1.05 cent tax increase for next year, assumes no property value growth next year and 2.5 percent growth in subsequent years. Scenario 3, which entails a 1.19 cent tax increase for next year, assumes a one percent property value decline in 2011 property values and then 2.5 percent increases in subsequent years.

The court voted unanimously to publish notice of a March 30 sale of up to $72 million in certificates of obligation (COs) for a 233,600-square-foot county office complex, the groundbreaking ceremony for which is slated for April 7. Though the county has hired a design-builder for the government center, a price will not be negotiated until middle or late March. The current contract with design-builder Balfour Beatty specifies a not-to-exceed amount of $58,288,337.

The court also voted unanimously last week to execute a design-build contract with Flynn Construction for an expansion of the Resource Protection, Transportation and Planning Department (RPTP) building, the cost of which has not yet been negotiated — though the contract specifies a not-to-exceed amount of $1,452,500. The county paid MRB Group $66,102 for schematic design and programming services for the RPTP building expansion before ending that firm’s involvement in the project in October.

Flynn Construction will offer at least some of the same services for which MRB Group was paid. Broaddus and Associates (B&A) project manager Codi Newsom said it is too early to tell how much of MRB’s work will be preserved in the final design. The RPTP department is going through some internal reorganization, which may render some of MRB’s work useless but may increase the efficiency of county operations. As of Jan. 5, the county paid B&A $27,968.35 for managing the RPTP project.

The court further cast a unanimous vote on Tuesday to authorize an expenditure of an additional $68,120 in state-mandated repairs to the county jail’s roof, putting the current contract total for that project at $567,570. The original contract amount for the roof repairs was $424,000, which county officials said did not cover the costs of some items they knew all along they would need.

“We allowed (Texas Fifth Wall Roofing) to move forward on that first phase because we didn’t have bids yet for the skylights and the other work that needed to be done,” said Hays County Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe (D-San Marcos) last week. “So once we received those, then we let them proceed.”

The recent change order included $25,200 more for skylights than was originally planned, because the bid documents listed eight skylights instead of the actual 12. At least $42,920 of the change order will go to remedy structural problems discovered during current roof repair efforts. Fifty-five percent of the new roof has been installed, and a mobile kitchen should be operational by the end of the week so that repairs to the jail’s internal kitchen may proceed.

The lowest mobile kitchen provider bid solicited by the county came in at $11,200 per month, plus a $3,500 setup charge. A Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) inspector, during an April 2009 jail inspection, requested by the county sheriff, found at least seven areas of noncompliance with state law. A major noncompliance issue involved the jail’s deteriorating roof, which the county had not fixed by the time TCJS conducted its regular annual inspection — a surprise inspection — near the end of September. As of Jan. 5, the county paid B&A $61,581.81 for overseeing the county jail repairs, plus $70,244.70 for related consultant fees.

Sumter and Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff have expressed support for the building of a new jail of at least 1,000 beds. The current jail has 362 beds. Herzog in November estimated a new jail might cost “close to $50-or-$60 million.”

The county hired PBS&J to design the government center but discontinued the firm’s involvement last year after B&A — hired after PBS&J — recommended a total redesign of the building. HDR is the new architect for the building.

The county paid PBS&J $2.4 million for design work related to the government center project and the two entities are now engaged in litigation over the status of the contract. County Auditor Bill Herzog said PBS&J had completed about 40 percent of its scope of work, and Broaddus and Associates Austin Area Manager Brenda Jenkins said PBS&J’s “site analysis, utility review, space relationship and programming effort, allowed us to cut 20 percent of the time needed to get us to this new design outcome.”

As of mid-January, the county had paid B&A $498,055.61 for work related to the government center project.

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Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau for Texas State Board of Education

This is one of those races that is way too often ignored, yet really is critical. In this case, the education of our kids is at stake.

From this Act Blue Page:

The State Board of Education sets policy for Texas public schools. But Republican extremists, such as Ken Mercer, would rather fight culture-war battles such as undermining the teaching of evolution.

Democrat Rebecca Bell-Metereau is a professor at Texas State University, where she has been recognized for teaching excellence. She is the recipient of Fulbright, Ford Foundation and N.E.H. grants. Rebecca and her husband have two grown daughters who graduated from public schools in San Marcos, Texas. In addition to being an academic leader, Rebecca is a leader in her community, having served on the San Marcos Planning Commission.

Your donation through ActBlue will help Rebecca build a strong presence on the web and reach out to like-minded friends across Texas and across the country.
Please support Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau for State Board of Education ... and help us get Texas public schools out of the hands of the extremists and back on track

I donated and I hope you do to. And I also urge you to vote for Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau for Texas State Board of Education


BLOGGING TEXAS:

The Burnt Orange Report is a good blog source of news and politics in Texas.

Dos Centavos covers Chicano socio-political discourse in Texas. (new web address and design)

LeftyBlogs Texas is the place to find out what's happening in the progressive blogosphere across Texas.

To the Left of College Station: A Liberal Voice in a Conservative Community

Dallas Progress: "Named a "Best of Big D" New Media Star by D Magazine, I write about politics, development, and whatever else comes to mind."

The Lubbock County Progressives are committed to advancing the needs of all citizens. Our organization welcomes diversity and new ideas from all citizens and we respect that all have a voice. The freedoms that form the foundation of our country are still important to us. We understand that agreement is not always possible but we strive to present positions that respect the person and advocate a free exchange of ideas.

North Texas Liberal covers the Dallas/Fort Worth area.


Here are some alternative energy groups and events:

Some statistics from Repower America:

* Texas' wind energy accounts for close to one-third of the nation's total installed wind capacity.

* If Texas' solar potential was fully realized, the state could generate up to 40% of its electricity from rooftop applications, as well as 70% from solar thermal systems.

* The state's energy efficiency programs save enough electricity to power almost 30,000 homes for a whole year, save more than $51 million in energy costs, and prevent the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking over 46,000 cars off the road. Although great progress, the state still has much more potential to increase its energy efficiency.

Alternative energy and YOUR energy bill: YOU can be part of the solution for America by signing up to purchase your energy through a Green Power Provider. My wife and I have been doing this in NYC for years. All our energy usage is provided through wind energy generation on American farms. So we use clean energy AND help American farmers. It costs us three cents per kilowatt-hour more per month, but we feel great about it. Although our actual energy may come from anywhere, we are paying to purchase wind energy for the energy grid. Each state has different programs available, usually through yuor existing energy provider right on your existing energy bill. To find such options in Texas, go here and pick your energy provider from the list. If you need help, you can email me and tell me who you get your bill from (don't give me any other info!) and I can tell you who to contact to go green through that energy provider. Or you can do the same thing using Renewable Energy Certificates through an organization that works with utility companies, though in this case it is a separate bill. One off the cheapest (.4-1 cent per kilowatt-hour), but still e-Green certified, ways to do this is through Good Energy. Or, for about half a cent per kilowatt-hour you can purchase renewable energy certificates through Carbonfund.org. ANY of these ways you do it, you are helping the environment, helping America, and helping cut carbon emissions.

Texas Solar Energy Society: The TXSES mission is : To increase awareness of the potential of solar energy and other renewable energy applications and to promote the wise use of sustainable and non-polluting resources. Find local chapters here. Check out their calendar for upcoming events.

The Dallas Progressive Alternative Energy Meetup Group
Want to know when and where this meeting is? Sign up for this Meetup.

The foremost purpose of The Dallas Alternative Energy Meetup Group is to bring together individuals seeking better, cleaner, more economical energy methods and technical experts working in the field of solar, wind, water, geothermal and other renewable sources to gain knowlege and how to use that knowledge. Any individual that has family or friends who live and breath air, those who live in a home, apartment, condo or townhouse as well as those who own automobiles or any other energy powered machinery would be well served to visit our monthly meetups.

Sign up to find out when a meeting is scheduled

Texas Wind Energy Group (Austin)

This group is to discuss the role of wind power in Texas. Who should attend?

-citizens interested in learning about wind
-homeowners and landowners
-wind industry professionals
-wind industry job-seekers
-investors
-anyone who feels they can contribute to the group

Go here to find out more info, sign up, and find out when and where the next meeting is.

Alternative Energy Resources in Texas: a short summary of alternative energy resources for Texas. For more information on each technology, visit the State Energy Alternatives Technology Options page.

Texas Food Co-ops:

It took nearly 7 years living within a few blocks of one of the biggest food co-ops in America before Joy and I joined it. We were definitely reluctant. But, in the end the lack of good produce and the decline of our local supermarkets led to us joining. And the result is a slighly more inconvenient shopping trip each week, but much healthier, higher quality and cheaper food. I recommend joining a co-op if there is one nearby. You will save money and eat healthier. Here are a few co-ops I could find in Texas:

Wheatsville Food Co-op
3101 Guadalupe
Austin, Texas 78705
Phone: (512) 478-2667
FAX: (512) 478-2081
gm@wheatsville.com
http://www.wheatsville.com

The purpose of Wheatsville is to create a self-reliant, self-empowering community of people that will grow and promote a transformation of society toward cooperation, justice, and nonexploitation.

Wheatsville's mission is to serve a broad range of people by providing them goods and services and by using efficient methods which avoid exploitation of the producer and the environment.

The Sustainable Food Center/Austin Community Gardens Not a food co-op per se, but related.

1106 Clayton Lane
Suite 480W
Austin, Texas 78723

Phone (512) 236-0074
Fax (512) 236-0098

http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/

From seed to table, SFC creates opportunities for individuals to make healthy food choices and to participate in a vibrant local food system. Through organic food gardening, relationships with area farmers, interactive cooking classes and nutrition education, children and adults have increased access to locally grown food and are empowered to improve the long-term health of Central Texans and our environment.

Sustainable Food Center works to create a food secure community by improving access to local, healthy and affordable food for children and adults in Central Texas. Our community and youth gardens, Farmer's Market Initiative, and cooking and nutrition education classes benefit an estimated 20,000 Central Texans annually.

The focus of this mission is to supply high-quality food and nondoctrinaire information about food to the people in Austin, Texas.

"Best of the Blessed" Healthy Food Co-op
2900 Mistywood Lane
Denton, Texas 76209
Phone: (940) 380-0787
hardiehome@netscape.com

Central City Co-op
2115 Taft
Houston, Texas 77006
Phone: (713) 524-9408
FAX: (713) 520-9813
yaya@wt.net
http://www.centralcityco-op.org/

Imagine communities of people coming together each week in different parts of the city to purchase high quality, organic food at reasonable prices. This was the dream of Jennifer Georgantas and Patricia Greer in September 2001 as the idea for Central City Co-op was born. With the help of numerous volunteers both then and now, the dream has become a reality.

We believe that everyone has a divine right to organic food and that organic food should be available at reasonable prices--that one day there will be co-ops throughout the city that provide locally grown, high quality, organic produce to people on a weekly basis. We offer as much produce as possible from local sources that embrace the practice of compassionate and chemical free growing.

Central City Co-op offers a space--if only for a moment--where people come together as a community. Join us!

Keller Texas Produce Co-op
1401 Briar Meadow Dr.
Keller, Texas 76248
Phone: (817) 284-2433
Monic@yourhealthsource.org


And here are some groups and meetings:

The Texas Fair Trade Coalition (TFTC) is a diverse, nonpartisan, coalition of unions, environmental advocacy groups, consumer groups, family farmers, religious organizations, women's advocacy groups, low-income and immigrant advocacy groups, professors, students, public interest and fair trade groups. TFTC promotes democratic control over fiscal and social policies, social justice, workers' rights and livable wages, and sustainable development in trade policy, in Texas and worldwide.

Monthly Colleyville, Grapevine, Southlake Democrats Meeting
The CGS Democrats meet the second Thursday of each month at different locations around our three cities. Arrive at 6:30pm to socialize and eat dinner or at 7:00pm to meet.

Central Market (Southlake, TX)
Hwy 1709
Southlake, TX 76092

Meet with other local Democrats, listen to special guests speakers, and learn how to participate in the poltical process. We have a lot of fun networking and learning how to activate our voters.

Meeting agendas are posted at the club Website one week in advance of the meeting date at
http://www.cgsdemocrats.com

Look for us in the community room of the Central Market store. It is a nice meeting room and works out nicely. Call if you need directions: (817)939-5671

Lake Area Democratic Club (Social)
A gathering of Democrats and anyone interested in the democratic process.
Location: Seven Points Dairy Queen (Seven Points, TX)
Directions: On hwy 85 just west of hwy 274

We meet at the Seven Points Dairy Queen at 6PM 3rd Tuesday of each month. Come join us and dine at the Queen and have fun while we work to get our county, state, and country back in shape.

Call 214-683-2811 for more information.

Stonewall Democrats is an organization of politically active individuals working for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community. Here are some local chapters in Texas:

Stonewall Democrats of Dallas

Stonewall Democrats of Austin

Stonewall Democrats of Houston

Stonewall Democrats of Collin County

Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats


Here are the Texas Drinking Liberally groups for those who like to socialize with fellow Liberals:

Austin, Texas
* Every Tuesday, 6:30 pm onward
* The Dog and Duck Pub, 406 W 17th St (at Guadalupe)
* Hosted by Ben Andrews, austin (at) drinkingliberally.org

Corpus Christi, Texas
* Third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Cassidy's Irish Pub, 601 N Water St
* Hosted by Teresa Klein and Jim Klein, corpuschristi (at) drinkingliberally.org


Dallas
* Second Friday of each month, 6:00 pm onward
* The Stoneleigh P, 2926 Maple Ave (at Wolf across from the historic Stoneleigh Hotel)
* Check out our blog for announcements of Eating Liberally, Screening Liberally, Drinking Coffee Liberally and other nonsmoker-friendly gatherings. Also, please "friend" us at MySpace.com/DallasDrinkingLiberally.
* Hosted by Melissa Morgan, dallas (at) drinkingliberally.org

Addison
* Third Thursday of each month, 6pm until 8pm
* The Quarter, 15201 Addison Rd (next to Sambuca)
* http://www.myspace.com/addisondl
* There is road construction! However, Addison Rd is now re-opened in both directions for the time being.
* Hosted by John McClelland and Erica Stockbridge, addison (at) drinkingliberally.org

Mid-Cities
* First and third Wednesday of each month, 6:30 pm onward
* Esparza's Tequila Factory and Grill, 3314 Harwood Rd, Bedford
* Hosted by Kathleen Thompson and Todd Hill, midcities (at) drinkingliberally.org

El Paso, Texas
* Third Tuesday of each month, 6:00 pm to 8:00pm
* Hemmingways, 214 Cincinnati Ave
* Hosted by Michael Apodaca and Lily Ruiz, elpaso (at) drinkingliberally.org

Houston, Texas
* First Thursday of each month, 7 PM onward
* Dog House Tavern, 2517 Bagby St
* TRYING SOMETHING NEW. GOING TO MEET 1ST THURS FOR A FEW MONTHS.
* Visit or post on the Houston forum: http://drinkingliberally.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=6
* Hosted by David Robertson, houston (at) drinkingliberally.org


New Braunfels, Texas
* Third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* The Black Whale, On the Plaza in Downtown New Braunfels
* Hosted by Steve Woolbert and Greg Woodall, newbraunfels (at) drinkingliberally.org

San Antonio, Texas
* Second and fourth Thursday of each month, 6:00 pm onward
* The Cove, 606 W Cypress St (The Cove is located just west of San Pedro, where Cypress runs into Fredericksburg.)
* Hosted by Bill Livermore, Livi Bogrand and Ned Allen, sanantonio (at) drinkingliberally.org

Waxahachie, Texas
* Every Thursday, 6:30 pm
* Library Lounge, downstairs in the Rogers Hotel, 100 E Main St (Take the elevator or stairs from lobby)
* Location changes from time to time. Be on the email for updates!
* Food available; no smoking. Conversation-friendly environment!
* Hosted by Nathalie Guyol, waxahachie (at) drinkingliberally.org