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7 By Eleni Himaras, Staff Writer
Much of the Rollingwood City Council’s record near seven-hour meeting was spent discussing various projects and initiatives that would affect the Rollingwood Community Development Corporation.
Council discussed the legality of and asked the RCDC to consider financing three recently approved water projects, and voted to tentatively put a measure on the November ballot that would take half of the sales tax dedicated to the RCDC for a street maintenance fund.
“In my view, it is illegal or the RCDC to spend any money on these particular projects,” said resident John Lindell, referring to a 2003 bill that prohibits 4B boards from spending money on residential water projects that were not in the works before the bill was passed.
The projects in question are the Edgegrove and Pickwick Lane water lines, the plans of which council approved at the same meeting meeting. While city officials say they can show engineering studies prior to 2003 on the lines, City Attorney Monty Akers said it was a grey area.
“There is no clear answer and you’ve been told you are going to be challenged,” he said, adding that the safest option was to leave the RCDC out of it.
RCDC members in attendance worried that if the city council voted to ask them to finance the projects, they’d be passing the liability buck to the RCDC, many members of which are still reeling from the Gentry parking lot lawsuit.
“If you vote yes tonight, I take it as the City Council approving it. Are you prepared, as a council, to put yourselves out there?” asked RCDC president Jeff Grandcolas.
Alderman John Hinton initially made a motion asking the RCDC to fund $400,000 worth of the projects, but subsequently amended it to $250,000.
While the council voted for the request, they said it did not constitute acceptance of any liability for a legal fall-out. The RCDC does not have to include the projects in their budget.
Later in the evening, Alderwoman Shanthi Jayakumar asked the council for support in a ballot item that would take a quarter of the sales tax relegated to the RCDC and use it to create a road maintenance fund. While Mayor Dale Dingley and Alderman Brian Nalle asked her to wait an election cycle on the item, she said she had already waited two cycles.
“At the Texas Municipal League conference, a specialist informed me that no city in Texas has ever lost this item on the ballot,” she said.
July 31 is the deadline to informally request that an item be put on the ballot, but Sept. 2 is the drop-dead date for a city to formally ask that the item not be included. Jayakumar said the item was necessary because several streets had been in disrepair for far too long.
“As Brian (Nalle) rightly points out, this would be a drop in the bucket for street improvements, but a huge blow to the RCDC,” Lindell said.
Council approved the measure in a 3-1 vote with Nalle dissenting and Alderwoman Roxanne McKee in absentia.
The council said they intended to continue discussing all of these matters at their subsequent budget workshops.
Not enough 4B tax money to go around? But enough to spend $400,000 on paving an area in the park that was not important to citizens. Our water and streets are important. But not enough 4B money or other money for that matter. This happened less than one year ago. The last council FORCED us to fund the parking lot which residents really don’t use or need cuz we walk to the park. We live here.
There was “plenty” of money then, they said. We said “NO”, please think about the future. Now, these same people are complaining there isn’t enough money for our park.
The lawsuit can’t be blamed. Foolishness on the part of the city to force poor usage of the 4B tax money should be. THAT caused the lawsuit on behalf of the citizens.
Not enough to go around. Now the city wants to pass garbage fees on to the citizens to reduce costs. Gotta pave more of the park next year. Can’t repair the streets without borrowing, can’t fix our water system without borrowing but we sure could spend all our money on paving the park. Can’t fire the mayor, darn it.
Spend. spend. spend. regret. regret. regret.
Sounds like the federal government. It seems like Rollingwood would be a little smarter. It shouldn’t be that difficult.
So, where is all the money for water and streets? Isn’t a local government supposed to be focused on basic infrastructure needs? Mayor Dale Dingley was focused on everything but infrastructure. Now we have to fight over the 4B sales tax. So where is all the money now? Parking, that’s where. Fat contracts, that’s where. Now it is time for infrastructure. More asphalt in the park can wait. We have to borrow for infrastructure because there is no money. D.B.
We have to borrow for infrastructure because people in the past failed to fix the water system probelms the firt time around because they did not have enough cash on hand- so they just put band aids on it to avoid debt. No offense- this is nonsense.
There have been 7 water studies since 1994 that have said the same thing- the infrastructure needs improving. Every time one says to spend more money than we have on hand they hire someone else to do another water study to try and get the answer they want. This is insane- fix the entire system- pay for it with RCDC debt service.
And move on about the parking lot- that is an infrastructure improvement. If certain retired attorneys in the neighborhood would not have tried to continue a lawsuit that was costly for everyone- the I am going to prove my point and win at all costs hurt the City. Most people think the parking lot is an improvement. My kids don’t play ball but I use it and am happy we have it. If you are still so mad- buy a shovel and start digging.
What? A parking lot is infrastructure? Buy a shovel and start digging? Digging what?
Move on? Anytime someone says to move on it is usually because the facts speak contrary to what that person wants. “Certain retired attorneys in the neighborhood” were supportive of a signed and a valid petition of the people. The lawsuit was simply to ALLOW a vote of the people. That is democracy. That is the American way…. something that has become too rare. The win at all costs attitude that you speak of was how we got the parking lot (er, infrastructure?) .
Now, what is this pile of b.s. we are all supposed to be digging? I think I’ll take a sip of something else instead.
Victoria, You say that in the past the city put bandaids on the water problems. $313,000 and counting for the water system now would be great. Too bad it was spent on the parking lot instead. I don’t consider a parking lot to be high on any infrastructure list. The parking lot was what you call “win at all costs” by the mayor and past council. It was not necessary and was too expensive. An improvement? Maybe. Worth the bloated price? No way. It affected our city budget so much that there is nothing for road repair which is what the mayor had promised. Where is the anger about that? Your response is absolute nonsense. I don’t understand what you mean by “get a shovel and start digging”.
I’m looking for a good brownie recipe. Does anyone have one? Somehow I started thinking about nuts, which made me think of brownies. We like nuts for baking purposes.
Hey Drunkblogger, let me know if you can recommend a good red to accompany the chocolate. (antioxidants).
Thanks.
Nutty things and shoveling b.s. made you think of brownies, huh? Well, I personally like Ghirardelli brownie mix and just toss in some walnuts. That’ll give you more time to enjoy a “fine” red. BUT I must forewarn you; I have also found that bottom shelf wines taste better after the first glass. I’ve noticed it is easy to spot a Rollingwooder at Randall’s…..they’re the ones bending way down to the bottom shelf in the wine section. Wine budgets have been flushed away, I’m afraid. Water and wastewater bills (and parking lots we all must figure out a reason to use) come first. Tipsy or not, I know how to rearrange my priorities!
Cheers.