An Open Letter to
Subject: Your Jobs, Your City & Your Future
From: Ron C. West, Individual Citizen
Over the past couple of years, I have become involved in the local politics of our city. I am not now, nor do I plan to be a candidate for any office in the city in the future. I have been called almost every name imaginable by our City Leadership and painted as some kind of nut or extremist. Last night, I appeared before our City Council with comments relating to the upcoming city budget. I was allowed 3 minutes to address any issues I felt the council needed to consider in the planned $79 Million plus budget. I noted that many city employees were in the audience last night probably because of anticipated “attacks on the budget” that might threaten them.
Prior to this meeting, I had submitted a list of possible cuts in what I consider to be a very extravagant city budget. Please note, that none of my possible cuts would have cut a single city job or reduced the pay of a single city employee. To the contrary, the suggestions I have submitted would allow the city to retain the Police employees that they plan to cut, would allow the immediate staffing of the needed third ambulance and would allow the Animal Shelter to remain operating at current hours.
Please understand that the folks like me, that have decided to stand up to the corruption and arrogance of the existing city leadership are not fighting against all the loyal and professional city employees, police officers and firefighters. I believe that you deserve recognition and pay commensurate with the contributions you make daily to the city. My fight is with the city leadership and the old City Council Members that have taken our tax dollars and threaten the citizens by penalizing the very services that are so important to us. I am not for cutting any city employees, line police officers or firefighters. I am not for cutting your pay.
My fight is against the very waste and corruption that denies you and our city the real benefits of the wealth of the city. As of March 31, 2004, our city had over $75 Million in cash and other financial instruments on deposit. About ˝ of this is “unencumbered”. When I mentioned this before our City Council, high level staff members tried to blow off the magnitude of the numbers by talking about “restricted” funds. The two words have different meanings. The city reserves are for use in the case of necessity (as defined by the current council and the City Manager). Unencumbered means that they haven't identified what they will spend the reserves for. Restricted means that such funds do have designated uses. In the new budget before the city, I have found that the city plans to use nearly $500,000 to increase these already adequate reserves. This $500,000 could be used to retain the records people in the police department. The cities tactic of “obfuscation”, deception or confusion has long been a tactic of the current leadership.
The long tirade by the Mayor proclaiming the councils dedication to providing critical services was very similar to a campaign speech. To me, it seems unfair that the City Council can berate citizens without time limits – whenever they disagree with the citizens. The citizens cannot refute or rebut any of the comments of this privileged club of masters. (They seem to forget that they are supposed to be public servants.)
I know that your time does not permit the careful examination of the City's proposed budget and that you probably depend on the city leadership to talk honestly with you about funds availability as it affects you. I do not believe that the information being presented to city employees is either accurate or factual.
For example, an item that showed up in the budget last evening was $1,000,000 for “street and signal improvements” for North Hills Mall. This is a privately owned enterprise that has multiple problems. The city's answer appears to be to take money from the “street and sidewalk fund” and effectively give it to the current owners of the Mall. This money belongs to the citizens of NRH and yet we have no say in this payola to friends of the council. This money would have staffed the new Ambulance service immediately with money left over.
Our
city leaders are crying about the poor economy but in their wisdom, the created
a Tax Increment Financing District called TIF#2 that took prime city land and
classified it as an area that would not be developed without the creation of the
TIF. This deal is taking all property tax revenue from Hometown NRH and
diverting it to the building of a new Library, a new
For the record, the council has seen fit to divert these funds for the next 27 years but is fighting a tax freeze for our seniors and disabled. The effect of the tax freeze is miniscule when compared to the near permanent diversion of the taxes on what is projected to be a $400,000,000 development.
Another item that might be of interest to you is the fact that they appear to be also diverting $579,000 in funds from the General Fund to further subsidize the development of streets in Hometown NRH. Add to that over $500,000 for the “south library branch” and $250,000 for an Economic Development slush fund and you begin to be talking about real money.
Many of you live in the city as I do. All of us have been talked to death about the benefits of increased sales tax revenue. Between 1992 and 2002, sales tax revenue in our city increased by 140%. Not one dime of benefit was accrued to the citizens of NRH by this tax windfall. Instead, our city leadership spent it all – and they still want more.
One more thought. Our current city administration has a hired City Attorney that has an incentive to pursue litigation regardless of risk to the city. He has no incentive to try to settle or avoid litigation at all because the more the city is sued, the more money he and his firm make. In next years budget is a $500,000 number for legal fees which will largely be direct to Mr. George Staples. I have suggested that our city would be better served to separate the job of City Attorney as an advisor from the job of litigation. The City Attorney would then be in a position to make recommendations on suits based on the best interest of the city rather than his personal gain or loss. As this is written the city is facing the possible loss in court of a wrongful death lawsuit that may cost the city many millions. If that suit is not settled and does go to trial, the loss to the city could truly impact the city's ability to provide all critical services.
As I conclude this, I am actively engaged in fighting for the tax freeze for the seniors and disabled. The so called cost to the city (which in reality is not a cost but a denial of the right to continually increase taxes on our seniors and disabled) is reported to be less than 2 tenths of 1% of the budget. I believe if you will check out all of the information in this open letter, you will see that we all gain as citizens by real information. With a budget of $79 Million plus, we should be taking care of our city staff . The revenues to our city are not for the aristocracy or a private club to spend on their whims.
While I will continue to fight against what I consider to be Runaway Spending, please recognize that things like curved sidewalks, decorative bricks, new (unnecessary) fire stations, a new city hall, TIF’s and similar boondoggles are the targets. It is not your pay or your jobs that I would like to threaten. I personally am opposed to the current Mayor, City Manager and five members of the City Council. I am for a much, much stronger code of ethics for our elected city officials and executives on city staff. I do not think that elected officials should be benefiting from their position by doing business with the city or by cutting special deals to use public lands for private gain. I plan to continue my fight for what I believe in and hope that perhaps a few of you will do your own research and perhaps help in the battle ahead.
If you have read this far, thank you for doing so. This was written only because of all the slanderous misinformation that has been and is being directed at me personally.
My thanks to you for your service to and for the City of North Richland Hills, Texas.
Sincerely,
Ron C. West
Resident/ Voter – North Richland Hills.