Randy Scott, Position 4 Township Director: In more debt but at a low cost

Thursday, March 25, 2010

In more debt but at a low cost

The Woodlands Township Board approved a new bond issuance yesterday at a rate of 3.82%. If there ever was a good time to issue bonds, it was now. I am told bonds could continue downward, but nobody seems to have high confidence that we have not bottomed out. Considering risk factors, I believe this is the right time to execute such an issuance. We came close to a AA+ rating which would have given us an even lower rate. The MUD and school debt held us back. Our MUD debts will remain for a while before disappearing. Each MUD district's debt declines every year. Our staff and consultant worked hard to get the rate we got. Not a terrific investment for buyers, but not too shabby, considering the market. I support this method of financing capital assets for 20 years, most of which will have a useful life of 30+ years. Municipal bonds are great tools to spread the tax burden over 20 years to a population that tends to be mobile, moving every 3-6 years. There could be 3-4 owners of any one home over 20 years.
Commentary - Bond 2010 Announced
Commentary - Bond 2010 Details

No comments:

Post a Comment

FAQ

What is your position on homestead exemptions?

We must have homestead exemptions. Residents living in their home support the community much better than renters and investors. They deserve to pay less taxes. We must encourage homeowners to live in their homes so the community is better maintained. Rentals are a financial burden on the community. Unfortunately, in the last board meeting, the incumbents were unprepared and too politically motivated to provide that to you.

What is your opinion on the water taxis?

We have water taxis now but have too many. I believe this operation should be a private enterprise, not a government one. Our public image carries passenger boat images all over the world. Perhaps we need to dry dock some of them, change operating hours, cut the cost of operations, and certainly be forthright on what their purpose is. Private enterprise would find ways to make money with them. We have them for advertising and for short excursions by visitors and residents. They are not a transportation vehicle and not part of our mobility plan. It is very simple – keep some in operation, keep advertising their availability, keep operating them. They have a role for doing business in The Woodlands. Let’s optimize the use of what we have and minimize or eliminate the burden on residents.

You say that you support the current expanded policing plan. Can you be a little clearer in your vision?

The new plan will bring deputies closer to each neighborhood. I envision “beat cops” to be a successful practice. Yes, I am cautiously optimistic, but it does not mean that I am status quo. We will get to know our beat cops if we choose to do so. Since there remains a staff turnover of sheriff deputies, we must be able to replace them without undue stress on our residents. We need to check and measure if our vision is working. Therefore, we need to develop metrics such as the number of contacts with “beat cops” or by simple feedback from their customers (residents and businesses). My view is that we need to right-size the policing operation to fit the problem, not necessarily be staffed to respond to worse case scenarios. We will need more detectives. That should be first step toward right-sizing. The local “policing city” is really the combination of Shenandoah, Oak Ridge and The Woodlands. I-45 is also part of that combination. Any comparisons to other municipalities must be in this context, looking at the area policing staff levels, not just The Woodlands. All the police agencies act together for our safety and law enforcement. In addition to staffing for crime response and police visibility, we need to enforce the speed limits within The Woodlands better to reduce risk to drivers who are not comfortable driving at high speed on main thoroughfares. I might also add, there is considerable merit to starting a process to develop our own police department. In my view that is part of the consideration of what we are to be in the future as we move forward towards our final governance model.

How are you aligned politically?

I am a conservative and aligned with Republican values. Conservatism is reflected in my desire to trim the budget and do the right things for the Township with as little of your money as I can. Your money is real! It isn’t anything to be taken lightly. Private enterprise typically provides more efficient operations than public enterprises. However, we must also consider our growth. That growth continues to require master planning to achieve the vision of The Woodlands. Residents must play a part in determining the use of our neighborhood streets and amenities to abate unwanted growth consequences.

What village do you live in?

Indian Springs, on the border with Panther Creek. I love my little home in the forest!

How long have you lived here?

12 years.

Why do you think you can do the job better than your opponents?

I am glad you asked it that way. My opponents are nice people, but they lack the skills and background that I bring to the table. My project management background provides you with a person having skills in managing budget portfolios, setting the project scope and work frame correctly, asking pertinent questions, researching ideas, questioning solutions, understanding rejected alternatives, contracting issues and following up with success measures. My community background gives you deep and broad experience in this community. I also have deep information technology experience which enables me to vision time saving automated processes. I will commit 8 hours a day or more if necessary to this voluntary position, scheduling my time around my mandatory presence and involvement, without asking for prestige or honor. I do it for you, not my ego or substance gain. I am retired, so I know what it is like to be on fixed income. I am a people’s person, eager to discuss issues with any ethnic or cultural group of any color. Therefore my friends say, "you are the real candidate".

Are you open to ideas and complaints?

I have never failed to answer an email arriving in my inbox and often take action on it. That will not change. There will always be a REAL person here. I will answer the phone as well. Yes, I am open and encourage dialogue. I have been told several times that I am an excellent listener. When I wrote this, I was working on four issues - three in Indian Springs and one in Grogan's Mill.

Do you have a family here in The Woodlands?

Yes, I am a bit different than many people, but the same as most. I have a wife and two children here in The Woodlands. My two lovely children and wife are Venezuelan, a vestige of working in Venezuela for Chevron. Therefore I speak Spanish as a second language. I also have four grown children in this part of Texas and four grandchildren with two additional on their way. I am blessed with family and love The Woodlands.

How would you reduce taxes?

This is not an easy subject for a sound bite. I will write a more detailed response on the Commentary before the election. All is not well with the current system of property value assessments, budgeting and taxation. Additional processes need to be put into place to stop over-budgeting. I have several taxation alternatives to show you which could provide more fairness than the current model. The current tax model is not fair to all residents. I want to see an analysis by the government staff on the alternatives. Then we will go from there. My philosophy is to tax based on REAL requirements, not spend what is available from taxation and not over justify any proposal. Windfall revenue is not meant for the government.

How do you feel about additional sports fields?

I am for additional sports fields. We have a shortage of soccer and LaCross fields. For years, residents have complained about this shortage. Getting a field for our children's sports activities is very difficult. Isn't it time to do something about it?

How do you feel about the mounted police?

Residents should not have to pay for them.

Do you support having dog parks?

I own two small dogs and love dog parks. They are popular in many locations now. Dog parks are a perfect example of great amenities for families. Creekside will eventually have to have one. I can envision one more in the far west. The new one in Grogan's Mill is certain to be popular.

The May Eight Issues

My actions will be guided by the following strategies for key issues. (1) Budget Reality- I seek to right size our operating budget for acceptable service levels, financially governed by an affordable budget, accompanied by the execution of the right capital projects to promote commercial growth and reduction of our taxes. Excellent contract management and contractor selection processes will be keys to putting a lid on our operating costs. Proper project management will be the key to reducing our capital expenditures. Excellence is achievable within affordable budget constraints and is an appropriate goal for our community. I seek to keep our taxes under $0.32/$100 annually, possibly even lower. (2) Police Protection - I am for right sizing our law enforcement staff to address our own issues and situation. We should have proper staffing and processes to achieve a 5-minute or less emergency response service level and establish an average non-emergency response time goal as well. Establish additional metrics as well. We are The Woodlands; we need to make it affordably safe. We need to do whatever is required to protect our community. That includes communication efficiencies and effectiveness, through processes across operating departments. Let's give the new policing structure a chance to succeed, support it, monitor it, and tune it up before we jump into wasted spending. Supporting such a program is what you can expect of me in this position. Your safety is very important and will not be compromised. (3) Fire Protection - This is a costly service, but we need to have a 5-minute or less service level to all homes in The Woodlands. That requires us to build two more fire stations and replace another. Over the next two years, we need to look at what can be trimmed from the operational budget and programs to reduce fire risk in the community, but retain or improve current service levels. (4) Incorporation? - I was highly involved in the first decision process to determine our separation strategies from Houston. The end process was in my opinion not very good, but we did succeed to avoid annexation. There are good reasons to incorporate, but I do not yet endorse incorporation, primarily because of the anticipated very high cost. We will determine what we want to be and how much we are willing to pay for it in community forums. I am not in a hurry and believe we must give our future long-term governance model the advantage of being well thought out by developing doable alternatives first, selecting the right alternative for us, and getting it in place as soon as we can. 2014 is an acceptable time frame to study, assess our alternates and vote on this subject. I see a new government model in place by the end of 2015. I want to be on the Board of Directors to get this job done right. It is too important to put into incapable hands and too important to defer to later years. (5) Water - has the potential to affect our taxes more than anything else. The Township cannot effectively govern the community without the authority to control water and provide water solutions to the community. Over the next five years, the community will be faced with decisions on this matter. Right now, we don't have clear alternatives defined. Let's see some excellent project management that assesses the situation correctly, develops doable alternatives and leads to decisions based on financial risk. The Woodlands Township does not yet have control over this, but is an important stakeholder. (6) Roads - Our community is constantly faced with mobility issues, whether it be noise or congestion. The Township cannot continue indefinitely to defer to the county and the Woodlands Road Utility District for maintenance and control of our roads. We need a plan for our future, and then we need excellent project management that includes input from residents of The Woodlands. We are often presented with an answer to a problem, but not necessarily the alternatives. (7) Our tree population in the Western part of The Woodlands needs help. We have villages that appear more like The Lands rather than The Woodlands. I say develop a project plan to bring those areas to an acceptable population within the next 10 years. (8) Taxes are causing excessive burdens on our residents. This problem exists for the Township, school system and county. I believe we should start with the Township since we have control over it. For some residents, assessments continue to rise at alarming rates, but the actual sales values are increasing at a zero rate in middle class neighborhoods. We need a different taxation model to protect people from drastic assessment increases. Our tax rate is higher than predicted when we we voted to change governments. It is $0.328, but TCID predicted it would be $0.297. Our middle class is on fixed income in this economy; the government is not. We need to fix the problem with lower taxes and a governing tax model.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

In more debt but at a low cost

No comments:

Post a Comment

FAQ

The May Eight Issues

Campaign-related links

Campaign Contributions

To Volunteer

Facebook

Campaign Calendar

Blog Archive

Followers