Probably no more posts

I've suffered a blow that I will probably survive, but which renders local politics not only uninteresting but obnoxious.  I may blog again, but I cannot predict when.

Insfrastructure Design and Development Standards

I'm pretty much OK with the Infrastructure Design and Development Standards and the Post Construction Storm Water Control Ordinance that will be up for vote next week.  I've read about 40 pages and scanned maybe twice that many, and it's not the monstrosity I thought it was after the first briefing on July 5.

The council briefings have been poor, though.  I'm not sure how council members (whose lack of questions lead me to believe none have read deeply in the documents) can be expected to make intelligent decisions about the ordinances that will be before them July 24.  I guess they can do what the last council did: accept staff recommendations and hope nothing bad happens.

Important (and probably long) workshop tomorrow

There are three items on the agenda to which I invite the council's particular attention:

• DS-3 Discuss an Amendment to the Subdivisions and Other Developments Ordinance, Chapter 26  City Code, to Incorporate an Infrastructure Design and Development Standards Manual I
• DS-4 Discuss an Amendment to the Municipal Drainage Utility System Ordinance, Chapter 32 City  Code, Adopting Post Construction Storm Water Control Ordinance 
• DS-5 Briefing/Discuss FY 2012-13 Proposed Annual Budget and Plan of Municipal Services  
• A. Major Operating Funds 
• B. New Programs and Fleet

DS-3, if I understand it, is something the council has sort of said it would sort of like.  Even though the idea has been briefed before (iirc), I hope it will be treated as a first pass, to start the discussion.

DS-4 is technical but related to DS-3 and very important.  Again, it should probably be part of a longer discussion.

DS-5 requires a lot of homework by the council before the meeting.  They'll hear the staff's spin -- and there's nothing wrong with that.  I hope, and am reasonably confident, that council will approach the presentation with

• background from close review of the proposed budget book
• a questioning attitude
• confidence in both the staff's competence and their own judgment.

UPDATE:  The mayor will not attend the workshop.  It will be interesting to see how this changes group dynamics.

Congratulations to Mayor Corbin

Our mayor was elected State Commander of the American Legion today.  It's an honor for him and for the city.

Getting your head around the city budget

It's hard.  What you see is not necessarily what you get.  At the highest level, the city expects to spend $242.4 million dollars in fiscal 2013 (the year beginning Oct. 1, 2012), slightly less than we will spend this year; and to take in $170.7 million, for a deficit of about $71.7 million.  (For the actual numbers, see http://www.killeentexas.gov/pdf/finance/FY%2012-13%20Proposed%20Budget.pdf p. ii.)  Sounds totally scary, right?


In a way the numbers are deceptive.  No one is going after tax- and rate-payers next year to make up a shortfall that amounts to $550  for every man, woman and child in the city.  Part of the money we've already borrowed; part of it we will.  But we will pay for it all over the next 25 years.


There's no way to make decisions about the budget at that high level.  You have to look at the individual pieces, which the city breaks down (for budgeting and accounting purposes) into funds, each of which has its own expenditures and revenues and can be thought of as something like a "profit center":  an individual activitiy that can be managed, at least in part, independently of other activities of the city government.


Yesterday we took a brief look at the largest of these funds, the General Fund, out of which many city services are paid for.  We'll return to that fund because it is large and contains some discretionary elements.  But it's only carrying a $2.3 million deficit for 2013.  Where's the rest of the deficit?  The bulk of it, as you would expect, is in the Capital Projects Funds, which is what we'll look at in the next installment.

Budget, first post of many

I spent some time with the budget book at the library today.

The story of the 2012/13 proposed budget for the General Fund is this:  it assumes a deficit of $2.3 million.

Why is that OK?  Well, there are a couple of reasons:

• The General Fund balance at the end of FY 2010/11 was unexpectedly high due to deferral of some expenditures.
• We will probably run a small (and unexpected) surplus -- $700K -- in the General Fund for the current year.

We can afford to fund expansion this year by reducing the fund balance because the fund balance is greater than 25% of annual expenditures.  It should be obvious to everyone that this is a one-time-only option.  Next year we must find more revenue, reduce expenditure, or see our general fund sink below an acceptable reserve.

The council's job, at the highest level, is to decide whether we want to take our one-time option this year.  Alternatives are fairly simple:

• propose higher taxes
• reduce or eliminate the additions in expenditure proposed by the city manager
• hope the economy gets better

Corbin for Congress

I admit to being dense, but for a long time I didn't understand why Dan Corbin paid so much money to guarantee he was elected mayor of Killeen, especially since he had given out that he didn't intend to hold the office for more than the one term.

An obvious answer (not necessarily the correct one) is that Dan intends once again to run for Congress, this time in 2014 against John Carter.

I wish Dan well in that effort (if indeed he intends it).  He would certainly be an improvement.

Water

The city plans to serve the rapidly growing southern part of the city using water from Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.  Pushing water from the existing treatment plant on Belton Reservoir is just too expensive.

I was at Stillhouse Hollow, near the long bridge, this afternoon.  It looks great.  The thousand acres of grass-covered silt that was exposed last summer is now under a shallow but concealing layer of water. People buying homes in the south need to consider, though, whether last year represents an exception or the new norm.  Stillhouse is fed by a beautiful but fickle river that drains a semi-arid region.  That river goes dry every five years or so even in normal cycles.

I'm sure WCID-4 is on top of the forecasts (and I know they have an alternate plan to pump untreated water from Belton to Stillhouse) but I worry that they are putting too much reliance on a finicky resource.

Revisiting last Thursday: my idealized council member

The council member I imagine last Thursday, when Mayor Corbin was bullying Robert Retz, the Director of Code Enforcement, would have said (after politely letting the mayor finish his rant):

"Mr Retz, the mayor is venting a frustration that I'm sure you know many people feel.  Please tell us what things, if any, are in your way of creating more effective code enforcement.  Some things you may want to touch on (and I would appreciate it if you would) are:

• Guidance from the council.  Mr Shanaa has said tonight that currently there is no council guidance.  In what way could such guidance help you?
• The ordinances.  Are the ordinances you enforce clear?  Are they sufficient to cover the problems you see in your daily work?  We will of course seek information on this subject from many sources, but your information is particularly important because you deal with the situations we're concerned about every day.
• Organization.  We've heard that code enforcement has been an orphan child, moving from department to department in the city government.  What effect has this "homelessness" had?  Where do you think this function belongs organizationally."

I blame none of the council for not being this ideal.  I didn't think of these questions until at least 24 hours after I listened to the Thursday session.  But if the council gets another chance to review code enforcement, they may want to pursue this line with the Director.

2012-2013 proposed budget

Next year's proposed budget was presented and briefed at this afternoon's city council meeting.  The summary sounded good, although there are a couple of things that will no doubt be disappointing to city employees.

A pdf version of the budget book will be available on the city web site "soon", according to Mrs Gonzales.  I'll provide a link as soon as I find it.
UPDATE. And here it is: http://www.killeentexas.gov/index.php?section=295

The budget book is so large and comprehensive that it's easier to peruse on paper.  I intend to spend some quality time with it at the library on Saturday.  I'm not sure if both branches will get copies, but will post when I find out.

UPDATE:  I did find the budget book at the main branch of the library today (July 14).  The librarian told me that there is also a copy for the Copper Mountain branch, and it should be there some time next week.

Growing disillusionment

The city council needs to find and exercise its voice, both collectively and individually.  Three months after their election, this group of new legislators should be challenging (or at least questioning) the mayor and advocating positions that move the city forward.  I don't think anyone can make the case that this has occurred.

Cleaning up Killeen

For the most part I agree with the opinions expressed by the editors of the Killeen Daily Herald this morning. (Unfortunately I can't find a link to the editorial.  If one appears later, I'll post it.)
Ah, here it is: http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?c=21  I had to log on to the KDH site to see it.

To summarize a somewhat rambling essay, the editors say that Killeen has a lot to clean up, and that there probably are no short-term fixes that aren't just painting the pig.

Their most convincing propositions appear near the end of the piece:

The effort must be more than skin deep.
City leaders must continue the downtown revitalization project that is now under way.But more importantly, they must move forward zoning ordinances that mandate larger lots and deeper setbacks, and place a greater emphasis on parks and green space buffer zones.

It may be unfair to contrast this with Mayor Corbin's proposal, because (although he's been vocal about it) I don't think he has yet been clear what his proposal is.  From last Thursday's City Council Workshop recording, I gathered that he is looking for a short term fix.  The KDH editorial is a strong argument that we need more than bandaids.

What's valid criticism?

The mayor (in semi-private correspondence) was upset with comments I made on his remarks in Thursday's City Council Workshop.  I think I'm on fairly safe grounds to comment freely, (especially if I give good grounds for my opinion), but I'm open to other views.   Do I need to run for city office in order for my my opinions to be considered?

I have a deep interest in the business of Killeen.  I own my home here.  My wife and I are involved in many civic, religious, and charitable efforts.  That makes me very much like a whole bunch of Killeenites.

If I make a comment about how I think the city should work (and I know I make a lot of comments like that) are my comments the less valid because I have  a job that keeps me out of town too much to do more than attend City Council meetings?  In spite of that, I think I attend more meetings than all but a few.

I'm actually wrestling with this.  Should I shut up until I can (if I'm still able) run for city office, or should I continue to insert my unofficial (and apparently sometimes obnoxious) views without status? I'm pretty much on the "screw 'em, keep blogging" page,  but I'm open to input.

Still on last Thursday's WorkshopL IDSM

This is an important document and very impricely briefed.   The council should postpone consideration until there is a complete proposal.  This is probably the worst staff briefing I've heard in the last two years.
Acting on this document on July 24 is probably the worst proposal to come before the Council since firing Connie Greene.

Yet another reason why Council videos are inadequate

The council takes a 10-minute break.  The video just goes silent for 10 minutes.  Knock, knock.  Is anyone awake in there?

Code enforcement 4

Oh, good grief:  Mayor Corbin says "I'm just a poor boy and I keep my property up and my poor family always has."  Give me a break.

Code enforcement: 3

Is this Dan Corbin and the seven stooges?  (I'm only at 1:32 of the Thursday stream.)   I didn't vote for Corbin at all, but if I had, it wouldn't have been as the de facto legislator.

Jonathan Okray (at around 1:33) made a lot more sense than the mayor did.  Jon said that there's a lot more to it than "gosh that's ugly," especially when it comes to people who are trying to balance all their civic and personal responsibilities.

Code enforcement: 2

I've known Robert Retz for 34 years.  I've never bullied him, but he's easy to bully.  It does not reflect well on Mayor Corbin that he chooses to do so.

Code Enforcement: 1

Dr Shanaa: :We need more resources, but I can't tell you how much.

That's like saying "We're doing stuff, but we don't really know what we're doing."  That was really bad.

City employee health insurance

There's something odd here.  According to Mrs. Mayer, the city has to d4ecide on a vendor before budgeting an amount to pay for it.  In an odd way, it makes sense:  the cost of health insurance is so uncertain that we have to have a firm bid before we know what we ought to pay.  It's still odd, though.

Repairs to refuse transfer station

This is one of the best briefings I have heard before the Council.  It's detailed, accurate, and to-the point.  Basically, we're on the hook for around $180,000.  The rest is covered by insurance.  It's unfortunate, but  I'm grateful that Mr. Mackey is able to be so clear.

Sunguard

I'm listening to the very, very lame feed the city provides of last Thursday's City Council workshop.  Forgive multiple posts.

The continued use of Sunguard by the city is yet another case of the city being in the last century with regard to software and technology.  _Nobody_ still uses 1998 technology for business.  We may be their only customer on that ancient technology.

Killeen up

I was unable to clear my calendar for the irregular City Council workshop tonight.  I see the recording is 3 hours long, and given the lame interface the city provides for video, it will probably be Saturday night before I can slog through it.  (It amazes me that Dan Kott can provide perfectly usable videos in 15-minutes clips, while our city government insists that you have to watch from beginning to end without the ability to back up over parts you may have missed.)

Here's the crux of Killeen Up (and I hope the point was raised at the workshop):  it's fine until someone claims they were unfairly singled out, and that's likely to be the case on the first citation.

It doesn't matter if a claim of unfair application of the ordinances has merit or not.  An assertion that "I criticized the mayor and was cited for my grass being too long" will bring doubt on the process and eventually bring the process to a halt.

I hope the council will take this inevitability into account and make sure code enforcement is visibly and believably beyond the influence of people in power.  If they don't, it's an idle exercise.

July 4

Well, actually July 2, but who's counting?
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

Agendas: Paragraphs rather than sentences, please

I have to decide whether to postpone a meeting in Austin on Thursday in order to attend the special Thursday, July 5, city council workshop.  I don't have enough information to do so.  Take a look at the agenda posted at http://www.ci.killeen.tx.us/files/07-05-Agenda--W-.pdf and decide for yourself whether there is anything there that requires special attention.

I think the council agendas, both for workshops and regular meetings, should be expressed in paragraphs instead of bullets.  The more information the city can provide about what will be discussed, the more participation they will get from people who have an interest.

Which way property taxes?

City Manager Morrison has already said that he intends to run the city next year on the basis of the current ad valorum tax rate.  Given the economic and political climate, he couldn't easily make any other decision.

What worries me is what direction we will have to go in future years.  We have two neighbors that might provide a hint:  Pflugerville (south and east of Round Rock) has lowered its tax rate in each of the last several years; Austin can't fund its increased costs at the current tax rate.

I hope someone in city government is looking at these two (and many more) examples and trying to figure out what any of them portend for Killeen.  Growth in Pflugerville is almost entirely suburban and largely funded by impact fees; growth in Austin is more industrial and involved tax abatements amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.  Does Killeen fit either of these models?  Does it fit somewhere in between?  When we get done with this budge cycle, I think we need to start figuring that out.

Formula 1 in November

If the city and Chamber are not promoting Killeen as a place to visit and stay during the Austin Formula-1 races November 16-18, they should be.  According to this morning's American-Statesman, hotels in Austin are completely booked, and the overflow is going as far north as Waco.  We should get us some of that.

Taking care on motions

Something that drove me crazy with the last council seems to be creeping into this one.

For the most part, the actions of the City Council are expressed in the resolutions and ordinances they pass.  These are usually presented to them in the form of documents submitted by the city staff and are summarized as agenda items.  Typically a council member will say something like "I move approval of item PH-X", and the council will signify its pleasure.

To make my concern concrete, consider a request to rezone the lot at the corner of Stillforest Drive and Business 190 to B-5.  This request will be reviewed by the city staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission, and their recommendation (or recommendations) will be presented to the City Council for approval.  This might be a controversial request.  It might be in conflict with surrounding land use.  Let's say for argument that city staff recommends B-1 zoning and that P&Z supports the staff recommendation.

The agenda item (call it PH-X) before the Council will probably reflect the original request: B-5 zoning.  Staff will brief the council on their recommendation that B-1 zoning be granted.  Some council member will say "I move approval of PH-X"; and everyone will vote in favor.

What are they approving?  The item as written and read, which grants B-5 zoning and allows a hide-tanning factory in the mayor's back yard?  Or the staff recommendation?  Or something else that might have been discussed during the briefing?

Motions before the City Council must be concise.  I don't think we yet have agreed-upon language that allows council members to be precise about what they are moving, and that worries me.

Indifference

The most incisive comment on politics to-day is indifference. When men
and women begin to feel that elections and legislatures do not matter
very much, that politics is a rather distant and unimportant exercise,
the reformer might as well put to himself a few searching doubts.
Indifference is a criticism that cuts beneath oppositions and wranglings
by calling the political method itself into question. Leaders in public
affairs recognize this. They know that no attack is so disastrous as
silence, that no invective is so blasting as the wise and indulgent smile
of the people who do not care.

I didn't say that.  Walter Lippmann did, in 1914. 

So who read that city manager contract?

In my last post I spent several paragraphs praising the employment contract that makes Glenn Morrison city manager of Killeen. In this post, I'll analyze the city council's actions with regard to that contract.


Employment contracts are usually written in a jargon particular to that kind of agreement.  Words are not always used in their usual sense; precedent often determines how terms are phrased.  People untrained in employment law are unlikely to fully understand a well-written employment contract.  Given that, it's interesting to speculate "who read that contract?"


Jonathan Okray certainly did, and he had several questions about it.  We can assume that Terry Clark, Elizabeth Blackstone and Jared Foster, if they did not read the whole thing, at least understood it based on their participation on the contract negotiation team.  I'm willing to concede that Mayor Corbin read it: if he didn't understand it he has staff in his law firm to explain it to him.  But where does that leave us with council members Gilmore, Lower and Segarra?  As far as I can, none of them has special knowledge in this area, yet none had substantive questions about the contract.

Good City Manager Contract

The contract to hire Glenn Morrison as City Manager was well done.  Terry Clark, Elizabeth Blackstone, Jared Foster (council members), Katherine Davis (city attorney) and Debbie Maynor (director of Human Resources) negotiated what seems to me a contract that is fair on both sides.

The City Manager's compensation package (exclusive of benefits common to all city employees) is $186,000.  That may seem high to you, but it's well within the normal range of executive compensation for managers of a city of this size.

The best things the committee did fall outside direct compensation:

1.  They negotiated a fair severance package.  Glenn will get six months' base pay if terminated without cause.
2. They carefully specified the ways in which the employment contract can be terminated.  Again, it's fair and common-sense, but it's something an earlier council  did not make clear in the last city manager's contract.
3. They based the contract on agreements already in place in other large Texas cities.
4. They sought outside advice in the form of community input and independent legal council.  Both of these should make citizens confident in the integrity of the result.

I think Glenn Morrison is a good administrator and has the capacity to be an even better one.  Congratulations to Morrison and the committee that negotiated the contract.  To the council that approved the contract, maybe not so much.  That's the subject of the next blog post.

Blogging? What's that?

My wife and I will be chilling with my son and his wife and her family this weekend.   I might think about blogging, but I won't do it.

Look for me Monday night or so.

Temporary signs: "Sale This Weekend"

Among the local business people who spoke at last night's City Council Workshop on the subject of the   proposed revisions to the Sign Ordinance were two who insisted that temporary signs are vital to their businesses and that the temporary sign provisions proposed are insufficient.  I'll write about both of them.

The first comment was from the owner of a gift shop on S. Fort Hood Street.  He said that signs announcing "Sale" drove a large part of his business (especially on Federal holidays) and that when he could not longer put up such signs, his sales fell 40%.  This is worthy of consideration.

There are a number things to look at:

• Do we care about temporary signs?  If so, why?
• Was the reported drop in sales caused by the removal of temporary signs, or were there other possible causes?
• Is there something about Killeen shoppers that make them especially responsive to such signs when buyers in Harker Heights, Salado, Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park and other local communities don't seem to require as many of them?
• In what way are the proposed temporary-sign provisions insufficient for this man's purposes?
• Are there cost-effective ways for this business owner to draw attention to his sale events that don't involve frequent resort to temporary signs?
• Is there any observable impact to city revenue?  In other words, did the drop in this store's business cause a decrease in city sales tax returns, or did people just take their custom to other Killeen businesses?
• What did the Planning and Zoning Commission say when this testimony was presented to them? Did they follow a consistent methodology in evaluating this testimony?

Obviously this is not an exhaustive list.  The complaint should be looked into on these and no doubt other grounds.  A problem is that the city council is not organized in a way that makes these kinds of inquiries easy.  Perhaps the council can return the issue to Planning and Zoning with a request to resolve the questions.

Workshop not great entertainment

I'm afraid I oversold it.

There was a single bright spot in the 4-hour City Council workshop tonight:  Many (maybe most) of the opinions about the proposed revision to the Sign Ordinance were brought  up.  All the citizens who testified did a good job; so did the staff.  I think we now know what areas need further study and documentation.

Unfortunately, the City Council sleep-walked through it.  Come on, guys.  You weren't elected to sit up there and mumble platitudes about being flexible.  The obvious answer about what to next was "break up the problem into decidable issues and dig into them."  I won't pre-suppose an outcome.  There may be room for a "Sale this weekend" exception to the temporary sign provision.  There may be a good reason to build signs so high they can be seen from any place in town.  But just "being flexible" is what got this city the reputation of being ugly in the first place and is another way of saying "we don't want to make a decision."

Don't pay too much for those tickets

The agenda for tomorrow's City Council Workshop is jam-packed.  In fact, I would not be surprised if the meeting were still going strong (or at least still going) at 2100.

Here's the top-level agenda:


DS-1 Discuss City Council Agenda Items and Land Use Cases

There isn't much that looks controversial, but there are 11 consent agenda items, 7 public hearings and an ordinance proposal.  That will take a good hour to get through even if there aren't questions (and I hope we never get in a situation where there aren't any questions).

DS-2 Discuss Sign Ordinance and Proposed Amendments

Depending on who shows up and how much public input the mayor decides to permit, this could go on for a long time.  There is a lot of strong feeling about this ordinance (I'll probably be inclined to chime in myself) and we might as well get it all out on the table.

DS-3 Aviation Update

This should take only 10 minutes.  It will take longer.

DS-4 Briefing on University and Cemetery Overlay District and Revised Amendments

This is a subject that the new council needs to understand in detail.  I haven't seen the slides, but if they follow the tradition of other City Planning presentations, they will be extensive and detailed.  Everyone should listen anyway.

DS-5 Discuss City Council Meeting and Workshop Content, Start Times, Timelines and Format

I hope this will be just an introduction to the subject.  The current council doesn't have the background or experience to make good long-term decisions about these matters yet.  If the item is intended to introduce and entertain ideas for future discussion, it will be worthwhile.  Anything beyond that is rushing things.

DS-6 Receive a Briefing from the City Manager Negotiating Committee on the status of negotiations,
and discuss timeline for completing the hiring process.

I hope this can be discussed before some of the other agenda items.  If it goes last, it will probably miss the KDH deadline and be held before a largely-empty room.  The mayor is considering allowing citizen comments, but it it doesn't happen until 2100, that's an empty gesture.

Get tickets for Tuesday's Council Workshop

If you thought last Tuesday's discussion of zoning item PH-7 was fun (and it was, even as it brought out serious issues) then the workshop at 1700 on June 19 should entertain you even more.

This weekend, Mayor Corbin posted this on Facebook (reposted here with his permission):

The negotiating committee [for a contract to hire Glenn Morrison as City Manager] will give the council an update at the workshop on Tuesday evening. I expect a group of malcontents will be there urging us to rescind our previous decision; they should know those comments would be out of order but I know it will happen. Even though it would be out of order, I will probably ask the Council to let some of them address the Council.

Personally, I think Glenn Morrison will make a competent city manager.  He has the skills and is interested in doing the job.  For the most part, the city staff likes him and can work with him.  As citizens, we've had 15 months' experience with Morrison as City Manager in all but name.  Unfortunately, six of those currently serving as elected city officials have only a few weeks' experience with him in their governmental capacity.

I don't know if Mayor Corbin considers me a malcontent -- I disagree with him occasionally, so maybe he does -- or whether he would allow me to speak on Tuesday.  If he did, this is what I would say:

What each council member should keep in mind is that he or she will have to answer the question "Why did you vote to hire Glenn Morrison, one of the most important actions of your term, so soon after you took office?"   With the grace of God and the character of Mr Morrison, the question will not arise in a Connie Green-like context,  but at the very latest it will come up in the next campaign.


The five newly-elected members (and I'll include Mr Lower, who was appointed not long before a quorum of the previous council was recalled) will be able to give the following answers if they act today:

1. It was what Mayor Corbin wanted us to to.
2. Many individuals, including former Mayor Hancock and Bob Blair, spoke highly of Glenn Morrison.
3. I had observed him as a citizen before I was elected to council and from what I could see, he did the Acting City Manager job well.

What the members should want to answer, and how I want them to be able to answer, and how they need to answer in order to rebuild citizen trust in the Council -- is

• In my capacity as council member, I observed Mr Morrison through the budget process.  I paid attention to the way he resolved conflicts, unwound complexities, achieved consensus and presented results both within the city staff and between staff and council.  After that, it was a no-brainer.

I have no doubt that Glenn Morrison will be Killeen City Manager and will be a good one.  I have a great deal of doubt that the City Council will come to that conclusion for the right reasons.  If you act today, you will almost certainly be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, and you will not be able to justify your action.

Fathers Day

I spent some quality time with my wife and children and their families; and thought a lot about my own father, who passed 6 years ago.  Fathers Day is not just for the living.

Tonight's council workshop

There were presentations by the Central Texas Council of Governments and the city Water and Sewer department.  The theme might have been "and now for the folks in charge of the big ticket items."

CTCOG is a "quasi-governmental" organization formed mainly because there is a need for regional coordination of services and infrastructure improvements, but no government entity responsible for the region.  They deal with large amounts of money, mainly from federal and state grants.  Killeen is the largest city in the region.  The presentation was concise and no red flags were raised except that Scott Cosper, the recalled mayor pro tem, still represents the Killeen city government on the Council.   Mr Cosper was praised for his performance in this role, but it seems clear to me that the interests of the city would best be served by having an elected representative on the council.  City council members didn't ask about that.

The water and sewer presentation was longer than it had to be and was delivered in a tone I thought might be condescending.  Nevertheless it was good information and contained facts the city council will need to internalize before considering the budget.  There was enough emphasis on the reasonableness of the current water rate ($3 per thousand gallons) that I suspect there will be some effort to raise it (and that would not necessarily be a bad decision).

I hope that both the CTCOG and Water-and-Sewer presentations will be put on the city web site.

Video madness

Good news: the city of Killeen finally inches into the 21st century by offering streams of city meetings.

Bad news: It's microsoft only.  For some bizarre reason which I'm sure they'll be hand-waving about for years to come, they chose to reject the many popular low-cost open solutions for a proprietary one.

This is something I can contribute to the budget process:  if city Information Technology persists in using over-priced, incompatible and obsolete technology, maybe they should stop doing that.

(And yes, I'm familiar with mono Moonlight.  And its limitations.)

Update:  I have to back off, at least a little.  As much as I oppose proprietary solutions, both because of the cost and the inconveniences  they inevitably impose on users, working with video involves a lot of hard choices.  Silverlight is probably the worst of the available choices in terms of lock-in and inconvenience -- I certainly would't start there -- but there might be circumstances (previous investment in hardware and software, for example) that make it a better choice than it seems on the surface.

Update, again.  Nope. Completely unusable on Linux.  If anyone has tried it with a Mac, please let me know.  As long as all you want to do is watch from beginning to end (2.5 hours with lots of gaps for yesterday's recording) it is OK.  If you try to move forward or back, it hangs.

Good and bad about a note from the mayor

I feel really good about receiving a hand-written note from Mayor Corbin thanking me for my participation at the city budget hearing.  He even included a sentence indicating he remembered something I said.

I feel really bad that in a city of 130,000 -- one of the biggest cities I've ever lived in -- the mayor can send hand-written notes to the people who participated in the city budget hearing.

City/owner agreements

I promised to blog a bit about city/owner agreements, and I prefer to keep my promises, but I don't think I understand enough to be very helpful.  City/owner agreements are primarily used to reimburse property owners (in practice, mainly subdivision developers) for costs  incurred at the city's request. The most common case (and one that is on tomorrow night's City Council agenda) is that the city has asked that a street be wider than the minimum 36 feet required (somewhere) for a platted subdivision street.

The idea is that it would not be fair to make the developer pay all the additional cost for a more expensive street.  The best explanation I've found (and it's not a very good one) is by Connie Green in a 2006 KDH article.  According to the article, the city may reimburse the developer for 30% of the additional cost (although I thought the city staff said that the city may reimburse up to 30% of the total cost -- I may have misunderstood).

The KDH article suggests that there is a court ruling requiring the city to enter into these agreements.

I think city/owner agreements are complicated enough to require at least more extensive discussion in tomorrow's 1-hour pre-meeting Council Workshop.  And if any council member feels that more discussion is appropriate, or that public discussion in a formal council meeting would be helpful, I encourage him or her to request removing the item from the Consent Agenda (where it is CA-5b) and lacing it on the main agenda for the meeting.

KDH Editorial "Asking public input on city manager's contract..."

I like this editorial.  I don't agree with parts of it, but I really like it.

I'm not even going to mention the parts I disagree with (oh, OK "the last city manager's buyout clause was a bit excessive": ya think?).  That the Killeen Daily Advertiser grew up enough to print today's editorial is an event I've long wished for. I congratulate the editorial staff whole-heartedly.

The last three paragraphs of the piece (it's 1/5 of the page) are the heart of the argument.  I think it's fair use to extract them here:

....Why didn't the city solicit opinions on promoting Morrison before moving ahead with the vote? 

If public input is so important, why didn't the city solicit opinions on promoting Morrison before moving ahead with the the vote? 

Indeed, if the council thinks enough of Killeen's residents to seek their input on the terms and conditions of an important city contract, shouldn't it also give them a say on who is offered that contract in the first place?

I've wondered the same thing.  Yesterday morning, Ralph Cossey, one of the candidates in last month's city council election, posted much the same sentiment.

Here's advice for Jared Foster and the other members of the ad-hoc committee for the City Manager contract:  Go slow.  Not only should you collect input from citizens, you should circulate it and make it the subject of public discussion.   Your job is not only to choose a competent city manager, but to convince the people in this town that you know what you are doing.  The faster you go, and with the less public discussion, the harder it will be to carry the second point.

Blogging void

Sorry, but with work problems and illness in the family, my mind has not been on Killeen politics this weekend.  There are a couple of interesting things going on, and I'll probably comment on some of them next week:

• The mayor spend several days at the Texas Republican Party Meeting in Dallas.  He served as parliamentarian for some of the proceedings.  It's probably a positive thing that our mayor has some state-wide exposure.
• A few more people, notably Ralph Cossey, have expressed concerns about the process of bringing Glenn Morrison on as City Manager.  This could become an early defining issue for the new city council.
• I've had a half-dozen conversations this week about how the city splits costs with developers when the city wants platted roads to be upgraded; it's all about being fair, but there is a range of opinion about what is fair to whom. 

So that's my to-do list, along with preparing for Tuesday's regular council meeting.

Social networking warning

If you have an account at Linkedin.com, it's quite likely that your user-id and password have been compromised.  See http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/06/8-million-leaked-passwords-connected-to-linkedin/

If you have an account there, and you use the same password for accounts at other sites like Facebook or Google, then those accounts are at risk, too.  At a minimum, change your password(s).  If you are using the same password at different sites, stop doing that.  If you are using a pattern for your passwords, like "google.foo", "facebook.foo", etc., stop doing that, too.

I misspoke

No I didn't.  I babbled.  At tonight's city budget hearing I wanted to make a point about concentrating on budget line items that carry the highest cost.  What I said was "Duh...".

Here's what I sent to citybudget@killeentexas.gov after the meeting:

I didn't say what I wanted to say at tonight's city budget meeting when i talked about focus on big-ticket items in the budget.  What I meant to say is that we tend to argue a lot about line items without always weighing their importance in the overall budget; and that (at least during public budget discussions) I've rarely seen discussions below the level of line items.

There are a few high-dollar line items that dominate the budget.  I would like the city and the city council to pay particular attention to these high-impact items, looking closely at the expenditures they comprise.  The impact of reducing a $1 million line item by 10% is the same as eliminating a $100,000 line item.

I am certain that this kind of analysis is frequent in the budget process, but it is rarely discussed publicly.  It would be good if I as a public "budget reviewer" could see that the $1 million plan was preferred over the $900,000 alternative for reasons x, y and z.

Budget hearing tomorrow

I'm not sure how to explain it to my boss, but I intend to take off work early again tomorrow to attend the city budget hearing  at 1800 in the Utility Collections Building large conference room.  I hope I see you there. Just in case, I also sent comments to the budget email address, citybudget@killeentexas.gov

Here's what I sent.  I bet you can do better, especially if you have items you think belong on the wish list:


There are two aspects of the city budget process that I think get less attention than they should, and which are especially important in years when a guiding assumption is that expenditures must stay nearly constant.

The first is that we should be explicit about what we decide to forego.  Somewhere (I hope) there is a budget wish-list where all the ideas for things we could spend money on go to die.  The list I imagine has  ideas good, bad and debatable; but which share the common fate that they did not make the cut for the 2012/13 budget.  The list should be part of the public budget review.

The second is that we should clearly understand the consequences of austerity.  I'm pretty sure this is being done internally, but is not being well communicated.  To take a made-up example, say KPD budgeted no increase in their expenditure for 2012/13 over 2011/12.  We know that in general their costs for existing services will rise 2% over that period.  What will KPD do in this hypothetical case to make up that 2%?

• Will they cut patrol hours?
• Will they trim administrative staff?
• Will they forego fleet upgrades?
• Will they get a grant to cover the difference?
• Will they discover and eliminate inefficiencies (and if so, where)?

This is of course not meant to pick on Chief Baldwin and his department. Rather it should be a public part of the analysis of every department's budget.  Understanding the differences in what we get for our money this year as compared to last is a key part of making sure we are making the right budget decisions.

Bob Blair

Sorry, that was seriously wrong scheduling information

I wrote last night's blog under the mistaken impression that tonight was a regular city council meeting night.  It could't be, of course, because it's the first, not the second, Tuesday.  I plead overwork (and I'm sticking to that story.)  I was right about the timing, though, we didn't get to the council budget priorities (none were presented that I heard; Glenn Morrison re-presented some priority slides from the March budget meeting) or the City Manager contract committee until around 1915, when the room was mostly empty.

It was a pretty good workshop meeting, all in all.  I'll write about it next.

They're not going to cover this in an hour

Here is the agenda for tomorrow's City Council Workshop:

 DS-1 Receive a Briefing from the Fort Hood Garrison Commander’s Office Regarding Services and Operations
DS-2 Receive an Operations Briefing from Bell County Water Control and Improvement District #1
DS-3 Discuss City Council Agenda Items and Land Use Cases
DS-4 Receive a Briefing on the Budget Process to Date and Discuss Council Priorities
DS-5 Receive a Briefing from the City Manager Negotiating Committee on the status of negotiations. 

Whoever set this agenda was certainly optimistic.  I don't see a single item that can be covered well in 12 minutes, and apparently each of them is supposed to be.

The key items are DS-3, DS-4 and DS-5.  DS-1 and DS-2 involve guest speakers; these items will go first.  They have to do DS-3 before the regular council meeting; otherwise it would be irrelevant.  That means that DS-4 and DS-5 will take place sometime after the council meeting, around 1930 if things go as they have been, when there will be few people left in the audience.

I'm sure the mayor and the council would join me in asking everyone to attend these discussions.  Council budget priorities and the status of city manager contract negotiations are important and should be carried on in front of a strong audience.  I do think it's a mistake to schedule them in such a way that they either will be curtailed or conducted late in the evening.

KDH Editorial: good job

The Killeen Daily Herald, in one of their rare expressions of opinion on local matters, pretty much agreed with the views I expressed in this space two weeks ago:  there's no hurry to hire Glenn Morrison as City Manager even though he appears to be a very strong candidate.

Mayor Dan Corbin was upset with the editorial. In a facebook post this morning he wrote

While I was drinking my coffee this morning I read the factually inaccurate editorial in the Killeen Daily Herald about the performance of the Council and me. Whoever writes that garbage must have really poor judgment; they certainly have no experience in public service. I want more transparency out of KDH---have the author of the editorial column sign it.

I'm upset with KDH about a lot of issues, too, but not about any raised by Mayor Corbin.  First of all, I see little "factual inaccuracy".  I was present at those public meetings, and the paper got it right, for the most part.  (You don't have to believe either of us: you can replay the sessions from the city web site.) Second, in a real newspaper (I do not include KDH in this category), editorial opinion is decided by a committee.  There is neither a need nor a purpose for the committee to sign their names.

KDH and I disagree on the right time for the council to vote on Glenn Morrison's appointment.  I suggested late June; the paper thought September might be appropriate.  I think reasonable people can disagree on this point.

The point to take home with you is that the City Council has every reason to proceed deliberately in selecting the next city manager, and has nothing to gain by moving precipitately. 

Killeen quality-of-life post

No politics tonight.  I'm all warm and mellow from kayaking on Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir and catching 10 fish.  Life is good.

Dang, missed the meeting tonight

And it was jam packed with information.  That means 3 hours in front of the computer for me some time this weekend.  Not that I don't spend a lot more than 3 hours in front of a computer every weekend, but  this will be different.

I was ready to leave Austin at 1545, which would have put me at City Hall almost in time, but someone unkindly pointed out a mistake I had made.  It would have been wrong not to fix it.

City Council is operating smoothly, if not always well

There were positive and negative indications of the council's ability to conduct business at yesterday's special City Council meeting.

On the positive side, the council civilly and independently decided a matter of little importance: whether to postpone the Council meeting scheduled for June 12 to June 14 so that council members could attend a farewell reception for General Campbell, the departing commander of III Core and Ft Hood.  Mayor Corbin was in favor of postponing the council meeting; he argued for it.  Councilman Clark said that he thought that city business was important and should not be postponed and proposed a motion to that effect.  Reasonable people could argue either way.  The 4-3 vote was to retain the June 12 meeting.

This was important for two reasons:  first, the council voted against the view of the mayor.  It will need to do so again in future, so it's good they are getting practice; and second, the debate was conducted at a high level, each side stating their reasons and the council deciding based on the weight of the arguments.  This bodes well for future debates that have more consequence.

On the negative side, the amendment to the ordinance establishing a no-stopping zone at Willow Springs School was botched.  The motion made by Councilman Clark was garbled, and I'm very surprised that the City Attorney did not require it to be restated.  If the ordinance becomes law as amended by Clark's motion, I will be very surprised if it can be upheld.

When amending ordinances submitted to it, the council needs to be careful and precise.  If there is any doubt at all, council members should seek the help of the City Attorney in formulating the amendment.

Lyle Cheadle at tonight's City Council Meeting

Two interesting aspects of the Killeen sign ordinance  -- I would call them bugs -- came out at tonight's City Council meeting.

In one, First Baptist Church had to come before the council to request a zoning change in order to legally install an electronic message sign; the ordinance clearly did not intend to restrict churches and schools from erecting signs, but that's exactly what it currently does.  This one is an easy fix, although it's too bad that FBC had to jump through hoops.

In the second, Lyle Cheadle, owner of Guns Galore, protested unequal application of the sign ordinance.  He alleges the sign law says that if a business previously had a city permit for a sign, the sign can remain even if it is in violation of the current sign ordinance.  As a practical matter, only large businesses (or maybe it was businesses with large signs) were required to get such permits before last year; small businesses, such as Guns Galore, were not required to secure permits before erecting signs.  The result is the the large businesses' signs are grandfathered, and small businesses' signs are in violation of the ordinance.

If Dr. Cheadle's summary is accurate, it does seem that the small businesses he references were treated unequally.   You could argue that the city gave them a de facto license by not requiring them to secure any license at all.  This will be difficult to remedy, because it is just those unattractive, unlicensed signs that drove enactment of the sign ordinance in the first place.  If I follow Cheadle's argument to its logical conclusion, the small-business signs that should be grandfathered are those that, if the owners had applied for license, it would have been approved.  And that's impossible to determine. I guess I'd rather live with ugly than be unfair to anyone, but there must be a compromise somewhere.

KDH again an object of scorn

Here we are on Memorial Day, 2012.  The whole community is involved, in one way or another, with remembering men and women who served well, honorably, and sometimes fatally.

Except the local daily newspaper.

The Killeen Daily Herald decided once again to run a syndicated editorial that was probably never even glanced at by anyone on the staff.  The same plain vanilla envelope was also picked up the the Reading (PA) Record-Searchlight and the Burlington County Times.

Was there nothing to say about Killeen's observation of Memorial Day?  That seems hard to believe.  Mention might have been made of Patrick Gray, the city's first sacrifice to WWII.  Equally there is something to be said about each of the 1,000 names on graves at the Veteran's Cemetery, not to mention the hundreds of veterans buried elsewhere in this area.  There is a Memorial Day story that would wrench your heart on every street in this city.

But apparently that's not enough motivation to get a KDH editor to write a couple of hundred original words.

KDH editorial silliness

I read the Killeen Daily Herald editorial page every day, even though it is consistently disappointing and usually disgusting.  I look forward to Saturdays because that's when the paper deigns to print Letters to the Editor.

So let's look at what is on today's page A4:

There are two "editorials" (really syndicated articles from a wire service).  What could be more relevant to the people of Killeen than

• A rant on the Essential Air Service program, which affects no city within 500 miles of us, and
• Some opinions about how many people should be allowed to climb Mount Everest?

I'm guessing these "editorials" are chosen to fit the space available, automatically, with no human intervention. 

There are three Letters to the Editor:

• A thank-you from the American Veterans Travelling Tribute to the Phantom Warrior Week planning committee.  That was nice.  Organizations that make an impact should be recognized and should recognize those who help them succeed.
• Pete Stanonik's opinion that TAMUCT is spending too much money on landscaping.
• An unparsable screed from Joe Brown that seems to accuse a letter-writer whose opinion he objects to of being a heretic or a welfare mother or something.

And then there's "Last week's Poll Question", which was "Do you plan to vote on May 29?".  72.7% said "yes".  The actual percentage of registered voters who cast ballots will be about 5%.  That speaks well for the people who responded, but not for the poll itself.

So KDH: can we expect your editorial page ever to deal with real city issues?  Or is it always going to be the object of derision it is today?

CA-2 should be pulled

Item 2 in the Consent Agenda for Tuesday's Special City Council meeting should be pulled for further discussion. (CA-2  is a resolution to approve awarding a contract to construct an extension of the Andy Wells walking trail along Nolan Creek into the downtown area; and to build a plaza-like section downtown along Avenue D.)  I recommend pulling it because

1. It is a very large contract, $5 million.  Half of it comes from TxDOT, but the other $2.5 million is from bonds -- borrowed money that the city has to repay with interest.  As a matter of good practice, the council should pay close attention when approving so large an expenditure.
2. As Mayor Corbin pointed out, not many people understand what we are getting for $5 million.
3. There were a lot of questions about this item at Thursday's council meeting, not all of which were fully answered.  I will be very surprised of more questions did not occur to the council since then.

At this stage of the project -- awarding the construction contract -- there is not much the council can do other than accept the project as-is or cancel it.  (That's why it was on the consent agenda, I assume.) But they can use this final hearing on a high-dollar, high-profile  project to educate themselves and their constituents on how we got here.  If I could ask questions, they would include

• What is the history of this project?  Who initially suggested it and how did the plan change over time?  At what points was it reviewed by the City Council?
• What other high-priority projects were not funded?

Filling the city manager job

Glenn Morrison is the obvious choice for Killeen City Manager.  As former Mayor Hancock pointed out, he has been doing the job (without the pay) since a year ago February.  And he says he is willing to serve. But there are important reasons why the city council should not rush to do the obvious.

One important question is how the contract will be written.  City Managers usually negotiate a contract with the city corporate entity (represented by the city council) that specifies the term, conditions, pay and benefits associated with the position.  Killeen did a bad job writing the last contract; creating a better one while being fair to Morrison will take time and lawyers.  Rushing that process will be unwise on both sides.

But much more important (this will sound funny coming from an engineer) is the effect on how the council views itself.  This council has no personality, yet; it's too young to have one.  They are developing an attitude that there are no dumb questions and that good things seem to happen when they ask questions; but there is not yet any sense that individually or in groups they are going to put their own stamp on deliberations.  Tonight the mayor tried to push through an agenda he is strongly attached to. There was some resistance, but the major picked his battle well:  no one can plausibly oppose the decision to give Morrison the job.  But the council, I am sure, knows very well that they have almost no first-hand knowledge of Morrison.  Officially, most have known him for 10 days.  For them to make such an important decision based on ten days' experience has to be uncomfortable.

And that's why the council should not vote next Tuesday, or even June 19, to hire Glenn Morrison as City Manager.  In the absence of a compelling reason to act with undue haste, they shouldn't. If they do anyway, they are defining themselves as a group that is easily led.  In six weeks the council will have had a chance to test the mettle of Glenn Morrison both publicly and privately.  I have no doubt they will find him such a good fit for the City Manager job that they will have no reason to do anything but offer him the job.  But for them to act without making that test will mark them as being much like the councils we've had in the recent past.

Council presentations

Thanks and praise are due to City Manager Glenn Morrison and mayor Dan Corbin for following through on their offer to make city council presentations available on the city web site.  I don't know whether all of them will be -- I was told to present a Public Information Act request to get the slides from Tuesday's meeting -- but what's there tonight is a significant step forward.  Here's what I saw tonight at http://www.killeentexas.gov/index.php?section=36 :

• Dr Shanaa's training slides for the council dealing with zoning, delivered May 17.
• Dr Shanaa's training slides for the council dealing with platting and subdivision, also from May 17.

Both of these presentations are worth reading.  They are short and to the point, and contain information useful to council member and the rest of us.

Absurd agenda

The agenda for tomorrow's city council workshop (and by implication the agenda for next Tuesday's special council meeting) is absurd.  There are more issues here than any experienced council, let alone a group of rookies, could hope to digest if they had twice as much time to prepare.

I hope that some council person will  have the gumption to object to this force-feeding.  Three-quarters of the issues listed require careful consideration, and that is exactly what they will not get if these agendas are adopted.

Executive session

Dan Corbin called the city council into executive (that is secret) session tonight, without objection from the council, to discuss "the performance and duties" of the city manager.  There are three things very wrong with that.

• First, the mayor and most of the members of council campaigned on promises of open government.  More than one of them told me that he or she would not agree to executive sessions unless it were absolutely necessary.  "Absolutely necessary" seems to coincide with "at the first opportunity."
• Second, the move was taken -- I think with some forethought -- when there was almost nobody in the room.  There were two "outsiders" there when Mayor Dan Corbin declared an executive session: me and one other civilian.
• Third, and I think this is most important, the mayor and members of council have had exactly one week to take official note of the city manager's performance.  And they are going to evaluate him?  In secret?  The word for this is 'hubris'.

I have no doubt that the mayor and council members will say that if I knew the circumstances I would understand that there is no problem.  But that's rather the point, isn't it?  When you have secret meetings, almost no one will know the circumstances.

Council questions

At tonight's city council meeting -- the first regularly scheduled meeting since the election -- everything went smoothly.  The consent agenda was approved, the election canvass accepted, and a mayor pro-tem (Mike Lower) chosen.

The items of interest were all in the workshop sessions that preceded and followed the brief formal meeting.

First, in the pre-meeting workshop, council members and the mayor asked a number of good questions about the consent agenda items.   I think the questions were valuable.  They gave the city staff a "heads-up" about the kinds of material they'll need to present on future items.  I don't think many of them will want, in the future, to hem-and-haw as a few of today's presenters had to do.

The second item of interest was an executive session, after the council meeting.  That will be the subject of my next post.

It will be a race to tomorrow's workshop and council meeting

I have a meeting in Austin to nail down a patent submission at 1500.  That will make it tight for me to attend the council at their workshop which starts at 1700.  If I'm not there, someone take notes :-)

Hancock Reception

I'm sorry I will miss tonight's reception for Mayor Hancock.  He has given a lot more to Killeen than he got back from us.

Questions I hope council members ask

In my last post I mentioned that 6 of the seven council members seemed interested and engaged and asked good questions; but that they didn't ask some questions I would like to have answers to.  That wasn't a criticism, but I hope i can convince one or two of them to share my curiosity in one area.

I often wonder how the city manager and his staff make financial decisions.  I wonder because I never (or at least very rarely) see the analyses that (I hope) go into those decisions.  On a macro level, I can point to the decisions around investment in the First Baptist Church property -- not just the initial acquisition, but the decisions to turn it into  expensive performance and office space.  Whether or not those were sound decisions, I feel safe in saying that very few people know how the decisions were made.

On a micro level, take a look at Consent Agenda item CA-14 on next Tuesday's council agenda.  The city is leasing some mowing equipment over the next 3 years for a little over $100,000.   The questions I hope the council will ask would give everyone a better idea of how the city makes one kind of financial decision: whether to buy or lease:

1. What were the alternatives to acquiring the equipment?
2. Why was it better to lease the equipment rather than buy it?
3. What determined the length of the lease?  Why was 3 years better than 2 or 4?

I'm not picking on the parks department.  I would like these kinds of questions to be asked routinely.

Contacting me

Some people have complained that blogger.com's comment interface is daunting.  If you are frustrated by it and still want to contact me, feel free to send email to bblair48@gmail.com

This will have to come out in pieces...

Tonight's special city council workshop went 3.5 hours.  There was a good crowd at the start.  By the end, it was the council, the mayor, 4 city staff, the police chief, the sergeant-at-arms, Philip Jankowski and me.  We should get t-shirts.

It was mostly positive.  The first hour was business -- bringing the council up to speed on the consent agenda for Tuesday's council meeting.  The rest was training, which was valuable for almost everyone in the room.

I need time to get my notes in order. I'll just drop off a few general observations tonight:

• The council members seemed to get along well.  I would describe the atmosphere as collegial.  It's a good start down a long road.
• With one exception, the council paid close attention and asked good questions.  They didn't ask all the questions I wanted them to (I'll get into that tomorrow), but every time a member opened his or her mouth, it was to clarify something or introduce a new aspect of the subject.  I was impressed.
• Dr. Shanaa mentioned that the conservative prediction for Killeen population in 2030 is 158,000.  That doesn't mean annexing Harker Heights; it means growing another Harker Heights.  It's a sobering statistic and a good one for the current council to keep in mind, because decisions this council makes will still be felt by those 158,000 people 17 years from now.

Consent Agenda

At that start of a new council, I think it would be a good idea for each councilor to make it a habit to scrutinize the Consent Agenda.  (The Consent Agenda is usually a miscellaneous collection of items that are routine, non-controversial, and unlikely to generate questions from council members.  I'm not sure who selects the items in this section of the agenda; I suspect that whoever proposes the item has the option  of putting it there.)  At most meetings, all items on the consent agenda are approved without discussion.

Any council member may except an item from the Consent Agenda and ask that it be considered separately.  The main reason for doing this in the past has been to highlight an item that is especially beneficial to the city or that a council member had a hand in bringing to the agenda.  Off the top of my head, I don't recall any case where a Consent Agenda item was excepted because there was a question whether it should pass.

This system hasn't been badly abused in the past, but it is subject to abuse.  After 20 meetings in which only minor items appear in the Consent Agenda, any councilor might be excused for missing an item that really needs discussion.  Council members and people who are interested in city business need to look carefully at the Consent Agenda items, and carefully read the backing information for each one, for every meeting.

For example, I think CA-4, CA-8, CA-9, CA10 and CA-15 on next Tuesday's agenda deserve study.  I have no doubt that they have merit and should be passed, but I can't tell from the descriptions; and I doubt that new city council members can, either.  I intend to do my homework on them, and I hope council members, as a matter of good practice, will do so too.

The new council is in the house

I have two posts planned for tonight, but it's already late and I have work work to do, so we'll see.

High lights of tonight's City Council Workshop:

• The vote was canvassed and accepted.  I think this means that even if Mark Manning asks for a recount (and KDH is more interested in that than Mark is), it won't matter.  The Council is Clark, Lower, Blackstone, Okray, Foster, Segarra and Gilmore.
• The city has agreed to some technology changes that are going to make a big difference in the long run.  Thanks to Dan Kott and Dan Corbin for pushing them:
• Video of council sessions and workshops will be live-streamed and archived
• Session segments will be indexed so viewers can find the parts of meetings that they are interested in.
• Council packets (the boatload of information each councilor is given to prepare for meetings) will be posted so that the rest of us can see them, too.  This is going to make a huge difference, because citizens will be able to see what the questions are and hold councilors responsible for resolving them.
• Lots of "hello, rookies" information was presented.  Most of it is available on the city government web site.
• Katherine Davis, the city attorney, presented a good (meaning jargon-free) summary of the Open Meetings Act and what it means to the council.  I hope her slides end up on the internet somewhere.  I'll link to them if they do.  For the required training that each councilor will take on this subject, see https://www.oag.state.tx.us/open/index.shtml
• Workshops on council meeting days (first and third Tuesdays) will start at 1700 instead of 1600.

There's lots more city government coming up.  A special workshop is scheduled for Thursday the 17th, where the agenda items for the first formal council session in six months (Tuesday,  May 22 at 1800) will be discussed. The agenda is already posted at the city web site.  I encourage people (including council members) to pay particular attention to the crowded "consent agenda" which, in previous councils, was often approved without discussion.

Bad arithmetic

As part of my apology for misinterpreting the at-large candidate results (thanks to walkman baba for correcting me) here is a  table that shows the votes for each candidate as a percentage of the number of voters.

According to the unofficial results released Saturday night, 4232 (7.4% of the 57509 registered voters) cast ballots for at-large  council candidates.  Voters selected 1, 2 or 3 candidates from the list of 16.  Here are the results expressed as (100 * votes-for-candidate)/(number of voters):

Elizabeth Blackstone (1714 votes, 40.5% of ballots)
Jonathan Okray (1455 votes,  34.4%)
Jared Foster (1149  votes, 27.2%)
------------------------------------------------------
Mark Manning (1108 votes, 26.2%)
Jim Butler (895 votes, 21.1%)
Doris Mims-Owen (730 votes (16.9%)
Benton Goodnight (714 votes, 16.9%)
Steve Harris (589 votes, 13.9%)
Dan Kott (435 votes, 10.3%)
Milton Powell (402 votes, 9.5%)
JoAnn Demonbron (317 votes, 7.5%)
Ralph Cossey (312 votes, 7.4%)
John A. Doranski (271 votes, 6.4%)
Nathan Small (226 votes,  5.3%)
Mike Gamel (133 votes, 3.1%)
Abe Amir (117 votes, 2.8%)

It's city council season again

I''m glad we will once again have a city council after tomorrow.  I expect the new council to get a rousing round of applause when they are seated; then reality will set in  Little or no work will be attempted tomorrow, but there will still be several things to look for:

• The new mayor has hinted he will run the council meetings the way he believes meetings should be run.  Will he try to push procedural changes through in the first meeting?
• There are five rookies on the council.  What will be their plan for getting up to speed?
• Who will be mayor pro tem?  Probably Clark or Lower, but I think Mrs Blackstone may have some support.
• What will be the plan for clearing the zoning backlog? It's a remarkably small backlog for 6 months' business, but it represents a lot of issues the new members have to learn about quickly.

One more general observation on the city election.

Ah, that was nice.  My wife and I spent the afternoon with our son and his wife, his mother-in-law, and his sister-in-law among others.  All are examples of why mothers are the center of our lives.

I ran out of time to make one more general observation.

• The number of candidates had a big effect on at least two of the races.
• In the mayor's race, Dan Corbin won with 47% of the vote.  If the 23% garnered by Nellis, Estrada and Butchard were in play, the contest would probably have been much closer.
• The huge field vying for at-large seats on the council resulted in a very splintered vote.  Only 16% of ballots mentioned the front-runner, Elizabeth Blackstone.  14% mentioned Jonathan Okray and less that 11% Jared Foster.  Well over half of voters didn't vote for any of the successful candidates.
• Everyone elected (with the exceptions of Gilmore and Segarra) got in with a minority of the vote.  This puts a lot of pressure on those elected to gain the approbation of the 4,200 or so people who care about city government.

That was fun, but I'm glad it's over

We have the leadership team in place for the next two years of Killeen city government.  For the most part, I think the voters made good choices.  All of the at-large winners were on my short list, and I even endorsed one of them. Dan Corbin was the obvious choice for mayor, and I never thought he would fail.

With one exception, I've talked with all the new senators, some of them extensively.  The exception is Wayne Gilmore whom I saw for the first time last night at City Hall; we apparently do not run in the same circles.  With that exception, I can tell you that the new city leaders say with one voice that they are ready and willing to provide a city government we can be proud of.  I take them at their word.

Some general observations:

• Voters favored candidates with deep roots in Killeen.  That's not surprising given that the 4000 people who voted were disproportionately long-time residents themselves.  There are pluses and minuses, though.  In part it's just a matter of favoring people you know or have heard of; but there may an element of zenophobia.
• Except in the mayoral race, where the vote count and the money spent appear to have a linear relationship, candidate spending doesn't seem to have been a big factor in the result.
• Scare tactics seem to have been ignored.  The voters of Killeen aren't as gullible as some people seemed to think.

Happy Mother's Day.  I'm off to my son's house for some grilling and mother-thanking.

Why I'm glad to vote

Tomorrow I will be a dribble, a tiny fraction, an inconsiderable portion of the voice of Killeen.  I feel good about that.

My voice will be bigger than it ought to be because, even with record turnout, less than 8% of registered voters will cast ballots.  But that's not why I feel good.  It's because during the election cycle, the people who care have exchanged ideas and influenced each other.  Sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly we've either changed each others' minds or we haven't.  The weight of the arguments will be determined one tiny increment -- one vote -- at a time.

I'm happy where I ended up.  I think I know how the city can prosper and which candidates are best equipped to make that happen.  I'm eager to see if my views line up with those of the other participants in the discussion.

And if they don't line up, that's OK.  I'll see what I can learn from it.  The only way I can lose tomorrow is if I don't vote.

Friday-before-election Ads

KDH is probably a couple of pages fatter with them today.  The first one to catch your eye may be the 1/3 -page color-bordered screaming-font effort by the Fort Hood Area Association of Realtors (FHAAR) on page A2.  They never get around to actually supporting a candidate, and they never actually attack a candidate, either (although they mention "CAP candidates" in a negative light).

The FHAAR ad is evidence that the realtors finally realize that city government is likely to be made up of individuals who do not have realtors' interests as their first priority.  It doesn't say much about them that they wasted so much money on such a silly advertisement.  They do urge you to to "VOTE for candidates that understand the issue."  If you've been reading this blog, you've seen me recommend a few such candidates.

It's interesting that about 75% of the advertising column-inches paid for by Killeen city government candidates in today's paper are for individuals supported by FHAAR.

On page A3 we have Mark Manning, who went with small and simple: "City Councilman 1980-82; 1990-96; Mayor Pro Tem 1995-96." "Experienced. Independent."  Manning's appeal probably isn't helped by its proximity to the less-dignified FHAAR screed.  (Manning has been endorsed by FHAAR.)

Also on page A3 is the latest from Juan Estrada, who has done his only effective campaigning in the paper. He says

At the beginning of this year's election process it was my fervent hope that there would be no outside influences affecting the outcome of the election.  I had hoped that those running for office would present their qualifications to serve, were familiar with the issues, and would offer ways in which those issues could be resolved.  And on Election Day the electorate would vote into office those whom they believed would get the job done.Unfortunately that is not happening.  Certain groups and individuals with their own agenda to advance have come into the process.  They would have the electorate vote for those candidates whom they believe would promote their cause.There are problems inherent in this arrangement; First, with the myriad of issued facing our city, these proponents are promoting candidates that may not have the necessary prerequisites for the job.  Second, to acquiesce to these groups would be returning our city government to where it was prior to the recall.  The recall, of which I was a litigant, was about removing interest groups from our city givernment.  Let us keep it that way.  Third, the effectiveness of the elected officials could be rompromised due to divided loyalty between the support group and the electorate.Therefore I urge the electorate to vote their conscience. Do not give in to those who would skew the election process for their own purpose.

Mr Estrada could use an editor, and I can't support his apparent view that people and groups shouldn't seek the government they prefer, but this wasn't a bad effort.

Opposite the week-old syndicated columns that the Herald midleadingly calls "Editorials", on page A5, is a large ad for Elizabeth Blackstone.  Her message is

I am a candidate for an at large position on the Killeen City Council, and I am asking for your vote.  My heart and my history belong to this city.  As a  first-time candidate, I entered this race with one objective--to help make Killeen a better place for each of us.If you will select me as your council member, I will promise only one thing--to listen with an open mind and to vote with the best interests of all citizens.  I will be available to you and independent of special interests.The May 12th election is fast approaching, and if you have not alread voted early, I urge you to go on Saturday and note for me!

Wayne Gilmore, who has been nearly invisible in this campaign, bought color space on page A6.  He asserts "I possess the experience and love for this city so that I know I can participate in its future success."  Not a catchy slogan, but it's good to hear from him.

Dan Corbin also has a full color ad on page A6.  He includes some common-sense suggestions for running council meetings, which after all is what the mayor mainly does:

Televise or stream on the internet all council meetings and workshopsAllow internet users to download video recordings of meetings/workshops by reference to the Agenda item number so they can easily watch only the items of interest to them.Make public the packets given to council members prior to each meeting or workshop.Conduce frequent town hall meetings to receive input from citizens, to answer their questions, make presentations, and provide staff briefings of items of interest.At town hall meetings, receive input or take questions via internet, text, or phone for those not able to attend.Use closed sessions only when required by law.
"I will work hard to insure open givernment and fiscal reponsibility."

Jared Foster paid for a few words on the back page of section A: "Let's build a better place to live and work for the future of Killeen."

Jose Segarra went for a small color ad at the bottom of page B4: "Moving Forward in a Positive Direction!"  He has a bigger one on C7: "A Killeen Success Story Ready to Shake Up City Hall;" and "Open Government / Public Safety / Economic Development."

There are four political ads on page C8 (the back of the Sports section).  One is a smaller Corbin ad. Then there's Jim Butler who, in a very small font, says

Served in US Air Force Security Service / Professional Civil Engineer / Resided in Killeen 36 years.
Goals:

• Get City Council running and effective ASAP

• Public Safety: Fire and Police

• Improve transportation system

• Quality Community Development and Renewal

• Preserve, and enhance our partnership with Fort Hood

• Upgrade older parks and infrastructure in nor side of Killeen

"I have no ties or allegiances to any entites."
1. Honesty 2. Integrity 3. Experience 4. Dedication

Followed by Travis Sutterfield: "Let's move Killeen forward... Together."

And Benton Goodnight:

Ready to begin the process of regaining the trust of the citizens of this city

• Strong sense of duty

• Served as chairman of the Celebrate Killeen Committee

• Volunteered on the Killeen Volunteers Committee for over 15 years

"Please support me with your vote and encourage your friends to do the same.  I will continue to be committed to this great community that I love.  I will be open and honest to my strong moral and God fearing values, and I will always be willing to listen to your opinion and do my best to discuss the issues with you when you feel that it is necessary."

The Realtors' Endorsements

I complained yesterday that individuals and groups have not published their endorsements for the open positions in Killeen city government.  I neglected to mention the slate proposed by the Fort Hood Association of Realtors:

• Mayor: Dan Corbin
• City Council, District 2: José Segarra 
• City Council, at-large: Jim Butler, Jared Foster, Mark Manning
• The Realtors group did not endorse any of the candidates in the District 1 race.

I admit I am tempted to point out the tarring that this organization's recommendation may apply to their selections, but I don't entirely disagree with them.  Jim Butler and Jared Foster are not bad choices for the council; I've said good things about both of them.  I think the realtors' choice of them is probably (from their point of view) just a pick of the best from a bad lot.

Watch parties

One of the most neglected and least planned aspects of elections (besides actually registering to vote) is where to watch the results.  For national elections, I prefer to watch with my family, groaning, pulling out hair, rending clothes (often at different announcements) and generally enjoying the proceedings.

But being a fairly unsocial person, I'm not sure of the protocol for local elections.  There are only 5 boxes (the district voting places and the early ballots), so it's not going to be a drawn out affair.  I recall that last election, Mayor Hancock hosted people in his office at City Hall, and they were out  by 2200.

Is anyone planning a watch party?  If so, please feel free to advertise it here.

So the endorsements are done...

and I expect you to give them exactly as much weight as my reasons carry with you.  If you vote for an entirely different slate, I'll not think the worse of you and besides, I'll never know.

There are more good people running for at-large council seats than I can vote for.  I won't be upset if Elizabeth Blackstone wins a seat; she's more than smart enough to do the job and she's willing to learn it.  Jared Foster is so full of enthusiasm that he would probably do well, at least to start.  Jim Butler certainly has the experience to serve well.  But I'm satisfied with my recommendations of Cossey, Kott and Okray.

What I'm not satisfied with is the dearth of other recommendations.  The newspaper is silent and will probably remain so.  Based on my experience, the KDH motto is  "All the news that won't upset an advertiser."  And where are the many other interested parties?  Blog space is free at
blogger.com
and at
wordpress.com
to name just two sites.  If you have an opinion, put it there or elsewhere. Let me know, and I'll link to it.

Or to save you trouble, feel free to list your slate in a comment to this post.  Include your reasoning or not, as you wish.

No Endorsement for Mayor

Dan Corbin has all the skills and experience needed to be mayor (I think he will agree that is not a very high bar). He also has some good ideas about how to run the city council.  But he is spending more money on the race than he needs to.  This worries me in two ways:

• I don't understand why he's doing it.  I worry about what I don't understand.
• I don't think dollars should mean votes.  (There may be a name for this opinion: naivete.)

Billy Workman would make a good mayor except that he does not have the public speaking skills required.  I have no doubt he can acquire them, and if he is serious about a political career, he will.

Eric Nellis's qualification is that he willing to do the job.  I thank him for that.  He should continue to speak out and run for office.

I will vote for one of these three men for mayor.  I don't know which, yet.  I can't confidently recommend one.

An Aside about Work

If you wondered about the long work hours I complained of, here's a further explanation : http://armservers.com/

My employer, Calxeda Inc., is trying to build server computers that use a _lot_ less energy than current models.  So far we're doing pretty good.  But it's hard work and they expect me to do some of it.

Endorsement for at-large council: Jonathan Okray

Let's get right to the biggest issue in many people's minds:  Jonathan Okray faces trial on a Class A misdemeanor  in July.  I don't know if he's guilty.  Neither do you.  I don't like it that I don't know how the trial will turn out.  If I had other doubts, I might let the unknown sway me.

I've disagreed with Jonathan Okray more often over the last year than I've disagreed with anyone except my wife and my boss.  I've tried to change his mind about some things, without success.  Every time he has said "I'm doing the right thing."

That's what I want in at least once city councilman: a person beholden to none and firm in his belief that if he is doing the right thing there is no need to change what he is doing.  (As long as he's intelligent, sane and not fixed on a single idea; all of which apply to Okray.)

You may be put off that Jon doesn't use the rhetoric of more experienced city government figures.  I'm pretty sure that's both temporary and positive.  He'll learn the lingo, and the council will not be weakened by an honest layman.

No blog tonight

I'm having trouble with my third endorsement for at-large city council.  Not trouble deciding, but trouble marshaling the arguments.  That usually means my reasoning is faulty, so I'm going to wait until I can explain myself to my own satisfaction.

Voting

As of this morning, 1100 people have voted.  I figure another 200 probably voted today, bringing us up to 1300.  You have Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday to join them.

Let me try to put your vote into perspective:  you need to vote.  I don't care if you favor candidates whom I reject out-of-hand; I don't care if you think Hal Butchart would make a good mayor.  If you are a registered voter and you don't vote on one the three occasions left to you, don't contact me for a while.  I'll be too upset that you shirked your civic duty.

At-large Endorsement: Dan Kott

My next pick for an at-large council seat was also easy: Daniel Kott.  Explaining why may take longer, though.

A candidate for another city position told me that Dr. Kott has no chance of being elected.  In another election year I might agree with this astute observer, but this is an upset-the-applecart election.  Check off what you want in a city council member:

• Able to understand the issues before the council?  Check.
• Beholden to no one?  Check.
• Interested in making the city a good place to live?  Check.
• Good ideas that other candidates don't have (or at least haven't articulated)?  Check.
• Has the time and energy to study and understand city issues?  Check.
• Understands what the recall was about?  Check.
• Well connected with a diverse collection of Killeenites? Check.
• Plays accordion?  Well, yeah, but ....

Bottom line is that Kott is at least as qualified as any other candidate and he brings to the council an understanding of technology and technical tools that it needs.