LETTERS
Editor:
Your story about the bugs getting a little out of hand, eating salt cedar and other trees along the Rio Grande, reminded me of something my dad used to tell me.
He said, “If you hear someone say ‘Hi, I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,’ run him off if you can.”
Joe Cole
Weatherford
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Editor:
I second the emotion shared by Daniel Hernandez in last week’s letters to the editor section of your newspaper about the two Marfa High School summer graduates.
Kudos to MISD administration, board of trustees, staff, students and community members present at the presentation of diplomas to these two courageous and diligent students.
From a member of the class of 1969, I welcome you both along with your class of 2010 to the MHS alumni with pride and best wishes for your continued successes.
Mario Acosta
Pflugerville
A Marfa native and MHS class of 1969 member, Acosta earned education degrees from Sul Ross State University in Alpine and Texas State University in San Marcos. A retired career educator, he was Marfa Elementary School principal from 1990 to 1992. He currently is a Texas Education Agency program specialist in Austin and a Pflugerville school board member. – the editor.
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Editor:
I hope what I hear about the closing down of the Marfa Chamber of Commerce may be reversed.
I write a general guidebook for visitors to the Big Bend, “Adventures in Big Bend,” now in its fourth edition. As such, I am well placed to judge the performance of local Chambers of Commerce/Convention and Visitor Bureaus. The operation in Marfa under Joni Marginot and her staff is second to none in its professionalism and friendliness.
Tourism is our only industry in our region. Closing down a vital and successful operation that promotes tourism does not make sense.
Sincerely,
Jim Glendinning
Alpine
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Editor:
Last week’s BBS article regarding the appointment of a county auditor paraphrased a comment from Paul Hunt in which he said that during a meeting with Judge Kenneth DeHart, the District Judge had “seemed concerned that Agan and Skiles hadn’t kept other county officials in the loop on their request for the auditor. ...”I certainly would not presume to comment on whatever Judge DeHart may have said or implied, but I can comment on the facts, so let’s get the facts straight, shall we?
First of all, I did not ask Judge DeHart to appoint a county auditor. My involvement was related to the fact that I suggested to Judge DeHart and Judge Agan that they consider jointly appointing a purchasing agent for the county, as they are empowered to do by the Texas Local Government Code (Chapter 262, Subchapter B). A purchasing agent would, in my opinion, save the taxpayers a lot of money by consolidating purchases, securing better prices, and keeping better track of the county’s property. And in fact, in a letter dated June 3, 2010, Judge Agan did formally request of Judge DeHart that the two of them jointly appoint a county purchasing agent. The letter made no mention of a county auditor.
In discussing the matter with Judge DeHart, I explained reasons that I believed a purchasing agent would be beneficial to the county. Judge DeHart expressed the opinion that he was not convinced that a purchasing agent would have the necessary tools and authority to correct the financial practices which had resulted in the county’s bankruptcy in 2008. He wondered whether a county auditor might be a better solution. I agreed that a good county auditor could probably be more effective than a purchasing agent in helping to solve some of the county’s endemic problems, both financial and procedural. We discussed how a county auditor’s office might be integrated into the county’s budget and other matters relating to the establishment of an auditor’s office, should Judge DeHart decide to appoint one.
Judge DeHart apparently had similar conversations with Judge Agan, as a result of which Judge Agan asked him to appoint a county auditor. Judge Agan then told me that he would like me to meet with him and Judge DeHart on July 23 to discuss the matter. I went to Judge DeHart’s office on that date. Judge Agan did not appear. Judge DeHart expressed concern that Judge Agan was not there, but he told me that he had decided to appoint a county auditor, at Judge Agan’s request. I asked him whether he could possibly announce his decision prior to the commissioners’ court meeting which was scheduled for the following Monday, July 26, so that the matter could be presented to the court. He agreed to do so, and the county judge’s office did receive a letter stating his intention prior to the Monday meeting. Unfortunately, the commissioners’ court meeting scheduled for Monday evening had to be cancelled due to the lack of a quorum, so the information was not presented. Apparently, Judge Agan had by this time permanently moved out of state, although he was, and as of this writing still is, the sitting County Judge.
This brings us to the second fact that needs to be pointed out. Although I was aware that Judge DeHart had decided to appoint a county auditor, it is not the Treasurer’s job to keep the court “in the loop”. The County Treasurer is not a member of the Commissioners’ Court. Keeping the court informed is the County Judge’s job, and staying informed is each Commissioner’s job. Nevertheless, when it became apparent that Judge Agan was not going to perform the function, I distributed copies of Judge DeHart’s letter to the commissioners at the budget workshops, and I modified the proposed FY2011 budget to accommodate the office of a county auditor, as directed by Judge DeHart in his letter.
That is the sum and substance of my role in the matter of the county auditor. But as long as I’m at it, permit me to throw a little more water on the misinformation bonfire: I was never offered the position of County Auditor, and I would not have accepted it if the offer had been made. That position should be held by an accountant. I am not an accountant. I am the county’s banker, and I enjoy it.
Larry Skiles
Presidio County Treasurer
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Editor:
Citizens of Alpine, hold on to your wallets!
Less than two weeks after not giving us a break on gas bills, the Alpine City Council accepted the city manager’s proposed budget for next fiscal year. It includes a tax hike of three cents per $100 valuation, doubling the base rate for the first 2,000 gallons of water from $4 to $8, and a certificate of obligation for extra projects that would otherwise unbalance the budget. The city council will hold two public hearings to receive comments on this proposed budget during September.
Our mayor and council members agreed on the need to “sell” this budget to the taxpayers - meaning they’re trying to pull a fast one. You “sell” a product when it lacks substance, so perhaps before we get “sold” we should ask tough questions about the assumptions supporting next year’s budget.
For example, everyone agrees our sewer lines need replacement, but is doubling the base water rate really the smartest way to finance it? During budget hearings the city manager said we can get 100 percent grant funding for replacement in low-income areas, but “grants take time.” So we’re going to shake down fixed income households, seniors, and single moms rather than wait for funding or raise the rates for medium and large users? Does anyone at City Hall really believe that constitutes “excellent service?”
And before we talk about a new certificate of obligation, how about a full accounting of the last one? It had $850,000 dedicated to constructing a new animal shelter, but now we’re told that among other things the new CO will contain another $150,000 to complete that project. Why?
Going for tax and water rate hikes and a CO is the simple way to balance the budget, as long as you ignore the pain it will cause. Our city council has an obligation to treat us better than that, even if it means extra work for them. Judging by their votes on lowering the gas rate and accepting this budget, a lot of people are going to need to remind them of that obligation.
Sincerely,
Peter A. Smyke
Alpine
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Editor:
I was raised in the countryside near a small town in southwest Louisiana, dominated much like Marfa by a unique culture – Cajun versus Hispanic. To our back was the Piney Woods of east Texas and to our front, the flat Cajun rice-farming country. This was in a time when telephones and television were not as prominent as today and computers were far in the future. Peyton Place was the favored television show as it was so much like our town.
And, in most ways, these many years later, it reminds me also of Marfa. I was raised to ‘leave the campsite better than I found it.’ I have tried but nothing fundamentally has really changed in my 12 years in Marfa. The downside is still down, if not worse, and the upside is still up, if not better. I continue to write letters to the editor and generally get beat up for having an opinion. Consequently, I spend more and more time hunkered down than hanging out. Many times I long for the anonymity of the city. I go to the city and almost immediately want to come home to Marfa. I have been to more funerals in my 12 years in Marfa than in my 72 years of life. And, while some folks don’t care for me, I feel that I have many real friends in Marfa.
I am closer to nature on the Marfa high plateau than I was as a kid. I always enjoy watching the turkey vultures come home from a hard day’s work to perch for the evening in the tall trees down on Ridge Street. Last evening was a sight. The wind was very high and from the north-northeast. It took near an hour for the first of about thirty TV’s to land successfully. I’m sure they had a restful night.
I look back and wonder why I have written this letter. Perhaps I just wanted to share some sweet thoughts before I find out what our town government has done with the Chamber of Commerce, and I go back to getting beat up for expressing an opinion.
Ken Whitley
Marfa |
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