Pay More for Drainage?

The City, in post 4-18 efforts to get its arms around the drainage issues in League City has proposed the creation of a "Storm Water Utility District". At first glance this sounds like a good idea to handle long range planing and funding for drainage issues. However, is this an admission by the city that it has failed to adequately fund and manage the existing drainage system from the general fund? Chris Stevens, a well known Galveston county resident and advocate of groups who oppose largess in government says [SIC]" Furthermore a hydrology report was done on my neighborhood; it is definitely NOT flooding yours. Why should I have to pay more fees and taxes on top of what I am already paying?"

There is no doubt that mistakes in managing drainage have been made. This is exemplified by, poorly maintained drainage ditches, complaints that drainage was not functioning prior to 4-18 and suspicion of collapsed drainage pipes pre existed the big storm. The city declared and reported these pipes to be fine until the rain water backup caused irrefutable evidence when water would not pass through the pipes causing the flooded houses. Another run through of a pipe camera revealed a collapsed 24 inch drain in Clear Creak Village.

Does the public want the city to find away to fix these problems from the general fund? This could possibly be a slow moving process and be operated an as funds become available bassis, or should we accept the failures of the past and create a "Storm Water Utility District" through the use of dedicated funds as a more expensive quicker fix? I think this issue will come down to a basic "Drainage or Butter" issue.

Our forefathers who who founded this nation, did so for our benefit. Has League City as a community honored them and their great ideas of government? As we celebrate our independence, we should reflect on our own fulfillment of the ideals of those who wrote the Declaration of Independence and what they would think of the way we conduct ourselves and our own community government.

No matter how many times I have seen the Declaration of Independence in person, or copies of it such as the one in my post, this document sends chills up and down my body, I know that the people who signed it and the document is why I am alive, and live in freedom.

Parks Survey-Who Got One?

The Canine/human recreational facility (CHRF) is polarizing the city. Those who support the CHRF, appear to be avid dog owners. Those against the CHRF are more likely fiscal Conservatives of League City and who do not want to spend any tax dollars or other dedicated non public funds held by the city on the CHRF. The third division of this issue is those who want a boundless playground for children. According to the website for boundless playgrounds, "Most people wouldn't be able to tell a Boundless playground from any other playground at first glance, but the difference would be apparent to someone with a disability." I feel compelled to ask, why aren't all our playgrounds boundless already? I think that both types of parks both boundless playgrounds and CHRF have merit in our parks system. There is a certain amount of shame we should all feel that we do not already have a boundless playground built yet.



Boundless Playground virtual tour

The fees used to build these types of facilities come from non public funds. These funds are created by fees paid by developers on every lot they plat in a new subdivision. These fees are paid at the time of recording their plat. Developers pay $1000.00 per lot. I have been told that the account for these fees has $2,000,000.00 .

Personally, I never received any Parks survey that I can recall. I never saw a survey on the City Web site. I was told the survey was done in 2005 and sent to me in my water bill and 1500 people responded. My bill is auto drafted so that the water never gets cut off, I never saw it.

I think using a survey from 2005 as data to establish the priority of the park in 2009 is flawed. So much has changed in five years. I suggest we get a new web based survey on the city web site and really see what the current data shows us.

Yesterday, while leaving the grocery store, I was asked to sign a petition for the park. The persons passing the petition around were not people I have seen before, I think they work for Acorn. They asked me if I knew the city had approved a dog park and then rescinded their approval and cancelled it after expending $15,000.00 towards its completion. I smiled and signed the petition. With some of the legislation that is pending in the U.S. Senate, these kinds of projects may double or triple in cost. I say build a boundless playground and a dog park. The money in the bank is most likely to become devalued from future rampant inflation. We might as well get something of value for these dollars.

Thanks, But No Thanks!

The City hired a firm to find candidates so the city can select an interim City Administrator. The firm found and recommended three candidates to be considered by council for final interviews. The selection of one of the candidates as our interim administrator is to be decided at a future council meeting. Over the last two weeks, information about two of the three final potential candidates has been in circulation, none of it flattering. One candidate, Mr. John Pape, had controversial expenditures while traveling. click here for full story You should read it as that story sounds all to familiar for League City residents. In a second unrelated controversy, Mr. Pape sent a memo to the Village of Angel Fire's accounting clerk to expedite payment for a bill for liquor. This article states that during a period of time, Angel Fire was not in compliance with the Department of Finance Administration for the State of New Mexico. "The DFA, meanwhile, is also expressing concern over other financial matters at the village."
"The department of finance is taking action to address a number of financial problems in Angel Fire," Lenhart said. "The village is operating without an approved budget and is two years behind in submitting annual audits."


The second candidate, a city manager who was arrested for suspicion of DWI, but not convicted.click here to see the video taken during a traffic stop.

click here for the Story about Terrell City Manager League City does not need to provide more fodder to be the laughing stock of the state. I question the process in which these candidates were vetted. Three words in a google search revealed problems with 2 of the candidates last week. Possibly we should engage another firm to provide additional candidates. Maybe we should ask Chris Reed to stay on until a permanent administrator is selected. Whatever your opinion may be, all of League City deserves the best possible candidates to be presented as choices for interim and permanent city administrator. What do you think?

June 24th Meeting Most Interesting in a while.

On the evening of June 24th, League City Council was asked to approve Brittany Business Park. Doug Frazior, our economic development coordinator, has represented this business as a "Targeted business" and stated he could not reveal the name of the business and to do so would violate their confidentiality agreement with the prospective new League City Business. During his presentation first to P&Z and then to Council, Frazior requested for an approval of a special use permit to operate this business along the Gulf Freeway property. Last night, representing the Land management department was Tony Allender, and Economic Development corporation was Mr. Frazior. Mr Fazior and Mr. Allender identified this prospective new business as a strictly distribution business, that receives finished product, cuts the product to order and ships it out. Hours of operation 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. During the public hearing, speaking against the proposal and asking council to deny the special use permit was Chris Mallios, or as we know him as "Grassy Knoll". While city officials are convinced this is the most desirable kind of business, creating jobs and sales tax revenue, Grassy Knoll says this business is a metals smelter or a bio hazard lab and it is going to wreak havoc on the property values of adjacent properties. The Mayor has been to the facility of the prospective business, so she knows what kind of business it is. Doug Frazior needs the Special Use Permint in hand to continue to negotiate with the company to move here, but he can not divulge the name of the company until the negotiations are over as required by the prospective business. The proposed building is being purported to be Leed certified in design and construction.


Who do we believe? Doug Frazior who promises a clean well run company that ships a product in from a production facility, then the product is cut to size and shipped out. Then brings in considerable job base and sales tax revenue to the city. Or do we believe "Grassy Knoll" who says a harmful business such as a metal smelter, or a bio hazard is coming and we should reject it.

We have all wanted for years for light industry to come here and help us share the tax burden. Well here they are and some of us want to send them away. What do you think?

The Dog Park, being reconsidered by Council.

Within recent months, the last council approved a dog recreation park. This is not a foreign idea to communities with urban and suburban dwellers. There are many Dog parks throughout the country and in Houston Texas. The nearest one to us is on Bay Area Blvd, in Pasadena. In Houston alone, there are 15 of these facilities for dog lovers to recreate with their dogs. Friends of the Houston Dog Parks

Dog parks are not much different than other parks to recreate with children are they? Some say that dogs are part of their family as well as some couples who have no children say their dogs are their surrogate children.

The need for such a facility is great. This can be witnessed in almost any neighborhood between 6:00 P.M. and 8:15 PM. You can see the armada of people walking their dogs or riding their bikes with their dogs in tow. It is estimated that there are approximately 74.8 million owned dogs in the United States
•Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog (higher percentage in League City)
•Licensed and unlicensed dog population is estimated at 12,000 dogs in league city
•Most owners (63 percent) own one dog
•Twenty-five percent of owners own two dogs
•Twelve percent of owners own three or more dogs
•On average, dog owners spent $219 on veterinary visits (vaccine, well visits) annually

In League City, dog owners are recreating with their dogs on the sidewalks and in the streets. Why not provide a nice facility for residents to use with their dogs?

I have no dog in the fight as I have no canines. I am unabashedly showing my bias on this issue because I think it seems like a really good idea. Facilities like this increase the attractiveness and completeness of our community over that of our neighbors who do not have any facilities like this. In order to keep League City in the top 100 cities to live in, we must offer these types of amenities. The sources of the funds to create this facility are from the park dedication fees paid by development of the past 10 years. I am interested to hear from the detractors why they are so vehemently opposed to this park that has already been approved? Is there another project that you think deserves precedence over this one? If you do not agree with the use of park dedication funds to build this park, what would you like to see built with the funds earmarked for the dog park?

I wonder how much of the city's money has been spent already in professional fees such as architectural, engineering and city salaries to build the park?

This Tuesday, June 23, on the City Council agenda is item 15A "Consider and take action to suspend activities of the dog park project and return project to the Parks Board for review and prioritization" Requested by Councilman Mick Phalen. In other words, cancel the Dog Park for now. Is Mr. Phalen's motivation on this issue a question of fiscal responsibility or is it politically motivated move? Please weigh in on this issue.

Information on the organization for League City Dog Park can be found by clicking here
clicking here

La Quinta not coming within 2000 feet of Victory Lakes schools

The applicant for La Quinta Motel has decided to move the project across the Freeway to a compatible piece of property. As I stated in the meeting, I can not vote to approve applications for projects that the likelihood that such an affirmative vote could possibly promote activities that are in opposition of existing ordinances of League City. In my opinion the community needs to make a decision to either leave the ordinance alone, modify the sexual predator ordinance to exclude hotels/motels and allow them to exist within 2000 feet of a school or require a technology based system be used that helps prevent transient sex offenders from checking into a motel/hotel that is located within 2000 feet of a school. CCISD uses a system at the schools to prevent convicted sex offenders from checking into a school as a guest. The CCISD uses a system of a card reader that scans a Texas Driver License and then scrubs that id against a database of known offenders in the state of Texas. While the data may not contain names of offenders from other states it is a start to show that a hotel or motel would be serious in trying to meet the existing requirements of the sexual predator ordinance..

The community either wants to allow hotels and motels within these 2000 foot zones and will then modify the ordinance or require the technology to prevent sex offenders from checking into temporary residences. Do not ask Planning and Zoning to approve projects where we know our affirmative vote could possibly promote activity that does not meet or violates the spirit of the sexual predator ordinance or its stated goals. This is the second time this area has had an applicant get turned away by P& Z for this reason. If there is a desire to change this ordinance, which council person will have the fortitude to address this issue? My guess is that if challenged in the courts, these ordinances are unconstitutional. However, as planning and zoning commissioners we should not be asked to approve applications where the applicant does not intend to employ any technology to prevent sex offender guests from checking in or prevent temporary residency in opposition to existing sexual predator ordinances.

Southwest Water Recovery a Project needed? Is A Storm Water Management Project Needed More?

Severe Weather Strikes League City Texas
This item was on last weeks agenda for city Council
Bond Proceeds:
Face $38,730,000
Cost of Issuance - 178,045
Underwriter’s Discount - 232,380
Deposit to Debt Service Reserve - 3,519,575
Balance for Project $34,800,000
Bond Use:
SWWRF 4 MGD Plant $24,600,000
Trunk Lines 6,000,000
Lift Station and Force Main 4,200,000
Projects $34,800,000

Staff Report

These monies are just to build the new water treatment plant. Where is the money going to come from to repair the collapsed storm sewer lines in Clear Creak Village and the rest of the deferred costs of infrastructure problems that some have estimate to more than $50,000,000.00?
Questions I ask myself.

1. Who will benefit more from this water treatment plant? Will existing residents bennefit? Will future residents benefit more?
2. How do we as citizens get the city to address the problem of flooding that directly impacts all of us now?

Is this good timing for this project? If we wait, this project could cost much much more. Is this the project you want done now? As a community how are we going to protect ourselves from the next event like April 18th? Should we prepare for a 2% event? Should we start to fix all the infrastructure deficiencies that exacerbate flooding? Should we have a plan that addressess the needs for repair like collapesed storm sewer lines on the west side? Is there a plan for these needed upgrades and repairs? If so, where is the plan? An annualy negotiated CIP is not the plan in my opinion. We need a long range plan to fix our infrastructure. If a plan exists, the citizens need a place to see it on the city web site. I am certain we need this water treatment plant to allow for further growth for both commercial and residential development. What are your thoughts?

The Two years after.

Click on the title to go to the Texas City Managers Association
It has been two years after the charter review committee concluded its deliberation on several important issues of our community. We are still discussing the idea of changing our city’s form of government from strong mayor, to a council manager form of government. The biggest change from strong mayor to council manager is that under council manager form of government the manager is the chief executive officer of the City instead of the mayor. Click herer for sample employment contract. Note the severance clause.

Many who were originally opposed to council manager form of government are now considering the merits of the change. Proponents of council manager say that a city manager form will enhance the excellence of management by employing professional city managers and the city will have enhanced continuity in the management of the City for the benefit of its city staff and its citizens. Do you believe we should change to this form of government that changes the mayor’s role and allows the city manager to run the city and make decisions at the pleasure of four votes? Are you ready to vote on this charter change?

F.M. 518 Bypass has Issues?

Several bloggers have said that there are issues with establishing the 518 bypass. I am aware of the concerns of homeowners in Bayou Brae. Let's discuss the pro's and con's of this project. I am interested to hear more facts about this matter.