Received in an email,
"When voting, I look at good and bad. I'm fine with the good, it is the bad that gives me pause. I am a business owner and believe in fiscal responsibility. I love much about Richardson. In approaching the bond, there are needed basic projects, but a partial list of shared concerns, mine and others I see are
“Each project has a 30% contingency amount over the estimate and this increases debt requested. The sweeping of funds are a concern.”
“The staff has proposed that 5% of the bonds go to staff for salaries. Even if legal for bond projects, you do not finance $3.3million dollars in salaries for 20 years. A lot of things that are legal are still unwise to do.”JS
“UTD land, why lease and why lease if land can be bought, and how much does building and maintaining roads there cost, it is more than the listed amount and none of it is certainly “no cost” as quoted'
“repairing and replacing are different proposals than adding new things that must be maintained in addition to existing infrastructure. The future costs of additional maintenance on the newly added proposals has not been factored, estimated or divulged."
"There is a list of current repairs that are NOT included that SHOULD be included BEFORE new items are built”
“There are open ended and poorly defined items included”
“This is not the only bond we may need. It is easy for debt to mount. The large debt the city has is substantial.”
“Taking on additional debt in this manner at this time, in the amount proposed and under this packaging without sufficient controls and disclosures in place, would not be prudent.” X 4
“This is NOT our only chance as some declare”
“Think of the children”
"All the taxing entities have shortfalls and needs, this is not the only one to take into consideration"
"Other obligations of the city, will be upon us, particularly the very underfunded retiree system."
“The budget spending and the bond spending include non priority and over spending that should be removed before raising taxes. ”
“Lower taxes are better for our local economy and business owners if proper maintenance is performed first. This bond is missing some maintenances issue and including new less general use items instead.”
"The current down economy cannot simply be ignored. Afordability at the present time for the average taxpayer has to be considered. Those who can afford tax increases from different sources should not foist it all at once on those who cannot afford it."
"The water rate will increase and that is a consideration on top of any tax increases from the taxing entities"
"I lost my job. The economy has not rebounded."
UPDATE: "There are problems with the Galatyn bridge concept, dropping it essentially into the parking lot and it does not directly act as a carrier of any substantial measure of traffic."
I am not a sky is failing person, I love Richardson, but I do expect fiscal discipline in our city budget and bond proposals.
