A letter to the EDA from U.S. Senator Cornyn

Friends,

      As you know, we are anxiously pacing the floor to learn if the village will receive the 1.5 million dollar grant for the water treatment/sewer plant.  This is a "matching" grant which means that the Village matches every dollar the Economic Development Administration gives us.  By passing the Sewer Bond election, we can match the 1.5 million.  This gives the Village a total of 3 million of which only 1.5 million will have to be paid back.

      To help us is a letter to the EDA from our U.S. Senator, John Cornyn, supporting our grant.  "Thank you, Senator Cornyn for believing in our Village and giving us your total support.  If the grant is awarded, it will decrease the cost of the sewer system as will as save the citizens increased property taxes.  Not only did you support, you asked to be informed of the progress of the application.   Please accept our appreciation for going the extra mile."

The Art of Negotiation -- humble pie

Friends,

      Saturday morning there was a knock on the door.  Gayle opened the door and there stood four beautiful girls -- three in the second grade and one in the fourth.

      Is the Mayor home?

      Yes, but he is on the phone.

      Can we talk to him?

      Yes, you may.  Would you like to come in?

      Sure.  We are studying about President Obama and the Mayor in school.

      Enter the Mayor.

      Hello, Ladies, what an honor.  How may I help you.

      We wanted to meet you because we are studying about you in class.  Can we have your autograph?

      I am really honored.  Thank you.  Yes, but first I would like to ask how the Village can help you?

      How about free ice cream on Saturday.  (girl one)

      Well, I am not sure.  I can get free snow cones.  (Mayor)

      I would like to go to school four days instead of five. (girl two)

      Ok.  I am going to speak to you class in a couple of weeks.  Let's talk about it.  (Mayor)

      I would like to have free pizza.  (girl three)

      Would you like to have a carnival this summer?  (Mayor)

      We have to go now.  (Girl one)

       Thank you for coming.  I will write down your suggestions and discuss them with the Aldermen/Lady and Chamber.

       Ok. Bye.

Only one thought.  The unexpected art of negotiation with second graders is powerful.  As a village, we do not have enough activities for our children and families.

This will be the best Saturday in the history of being Mayor.

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Your Village in 3 Minutes

Friends,

This is the latest news:

1.  Hidden Glenn Senior Citizen Project, what happened to it?

"We are moving forward with the project as expeditiously as possible at this point.  We have submitted our construction plans to the Village for review and are currently responding to some comments on the plan.  We have completed our State accessibility review as well.  Things are tracking along and I do expect to have plan approval soon.  At that point site work preparation can begin.  We have paid the permit fees, we just need sign off on the plans.  We are still working through the subcontractor base at the moment getting bids but all of our design work has been turned into the village."

Best Regards, Jim Markel

2.  Why do you have "executive closed sessions" so frequently?

(1)  Personnel issues -- we do not discuss personnel issues in public.  We never will.

(2)  Sanctuary negotiations -- they are very complex and, sometimes controversial.  Information is given to the Aldermen/Lady and discussion follows.  There are usually an exchange of ideas, suggestions, and straightforward talk.  If something was heard and repeated with less than 100% accuracy, the unintended consequences would be major.  There are no secrets; just precaution.  What is done with Sanctuary will "set the stage" for any development that comes to Salado.  We have to do this right and always consider the village's best interest.  The Aldermen/Lady spend long hours into the night, using the best intellectual, balanced thinking possible.  You would be very appreciative of the concern for you and the village.  They are super!  Once an agreement is reached you will be informed fully and it will be presented to the BOA for a vote.

(3)  The Aldermen/Lady are excited about the road work to begin in mid-April.  Be patient, it will take about 90 days to complete.

(4) Children and Family Activities.  There is much talk that there is nothing for children and families outside the school activities.  Especially during the summer when school is out.  A small committee is forming to begin making plans.  While campaigning for Mayor, the one question that was asked by young families frequently, "Why can't we have something for our families?  A Carnival or something."
Well, we are going to do something for families in Salado.

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What makes a good Mayor?

Friends,

Below should be the standard and not the exception -- I will do my best not to fail at this.

CITY MAYORS
Code of Ethics

2 January 2014: The City Mayors Foundation was established in 2003 to promote, encourage and facilitate good local government. To strengthen local government further, City Mayors has instituted a Code of Ethics for city leaders who wish to perform their duties beyond all reproach

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Code of Ethics
PreambleGood and honest local government is the foundation of any nation that strives to provide its citizens with happiness, security and prosperity. Incompetence, corruption and misconduct in local government threaten fundamental decency in a society.

Article 1
Mayors shall execute the office of mayor for the common good of their communities while refraining from actions that may harm other communities or the wider world. They shall take full responsibility for any acts performed by themselves or by members of their administrations.

Article 2Mayors shall not discriminate against individuals or groups because of their politics, race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

Article 3Mayors shall support and uphold the letter and intent of the laws of their cities and nations as well as relevant international laws. They shall demand the same degree of respect for the law from all members of their administrations.

Article 4Mayors shall be free to oppose any laws of their cities and nations where such laws contravene the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 5Mayors shall administer public resources for the public benefit of their communities while considering whether such use could cause unreasonable harm to other communities and the wider world.

Article 6Mayors shall never use their official positions to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages for themselves, members of their families, friends, colleagues or others.

Article 7Mayors shall not perform any official actions where a direct or indirect financial or personal involvement might reasonably be expected to prejudice their objectivity or independence of judgment. They shall demand the same degree of impartiality from all members of their administrations.

Article 8Mayors shall accept no gifts or offers based upon an understanding, stated or implied, that they were given to influence them in the discharge of their public duties. They shall demand the same degree of honesty from all members of their administrations.

Article 9Mayors shall be open to public scrutiny of their official actions and those of their staff, including their relationships, contractual and otherwise, with vendors, consultants, and business associates. Mayors shall report any improper actions they witness, such as bribes, kickbacks, and gift offers.

Article 10Mayors shall work to strengthen civil society by raising public awareness of, and confidence in, their city government’s activities.

Article 11Mayors shall use their influence to promote co-operation and good will between cities, nationally and internationally.

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Your Village in 3 minutes

Friends:

1.  The Robertson Ranch contract has fallen through.  Reason:  Sewer.  18 months is too long to put money into a project.

2.  Major Road Repair begins Mid-April and will be finished in July.  Aldermen/Lady voted to award Wheeler construction the contract.  It will be the raining season and Salado will be in 2 construction projects at the same time:  I-35 and this contract.  The good news is that in 90 days, the neighborhood streets will be done.  Please be patient.

3.  The Village is looking for 10 acres to Build their Water Treatment Plant.  Any suggestions.  The Aldermen/Lady want to begin as soon as possible. Please call Kim, 947-5060.

4.  The following emails are from the Deputy Engineer of TXDOT:

"Hello Mayor-

I wanted to let you know that JCG/PSC (the contractor) plans to make the southbound frontage road one way next week.  I believe the plan is for that to take place on Tuesday (3/10).  You probably saw the signs that they have put up notifying traffic.  I think this will help with the area around the Sonic that was an issue that many people raised at the Town Hall meeting.

Also, I will be off next week.  If you need something you can contact Jason Hudson (cell 512/585-4637) or of course you can always contact Bobby Littlefield (254/867-2700).

I will be back in the office on March 16.

Andy"

Concerning all the 18-wheeler traffic on Main Street due to the wreck on 35

Mayor-

This is unfortunate.  But when an accident happens on IH 35, we or PSC cannot keep traffic from finding other routes which might include Main Street.  I will touch base with the DPS and ensure law enforcement working accidents are not directing traffic down Main St.  

We knew this may possibly happen at times during the construction (delayed traffic finding their way to Main St. as an alternate route), that is the reason we set up the re-paving of Main Street as a part of the IH 35 project (to be done at the end of the project).  I cannot assure you this will not happen again but we will work to keep these occurrences to a minimum.

Andy

5.  The Aldermen are discussing the deer problem.  It is controversial -- deer are beautiful animals and are a part of Salado's mystique;  however some are tired of plants being eaten, feces in the yard, and the danger and expense of hitting one in a car.  From a biological and environmental stand point the problem is three fold (1) Malnutrition --  If the deer herds keep growing and it is a dry summer Malnutrition is going to be a serious, inhumane problem.  Corn is not the answer.  All reports indicate that corn is not good for deer as it causes intestinal problems. (2)  Disease --  With malnutrition comes disease.  (3) Spring is usually the fawning season for does.  A large crop of fawns will bring more of the same problems.  Aldermen Amber Preston-Dankart is researching every possible solution that is humane and safe.  

More to come.

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The Aldermen/Lady Election

Friends,

The 4 candidates for Aldermen/Lady are below.  At 5:01 Friday, 27 Feb, 15. the names were drawn in this order and will appear in this order for the May 9 election:

1. David Williams

2. Fred Brown

3. Hans Fields

4. Michael McDougal

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The first Negotiation meeting between Sanctuary and the Village

Friends,

     Many have been asking about the first negotiating meeting with the Village, Tuesday, 24 February in the Village Lawyer Office.

     The meeting started at 1:30 in the Conference Room.  The start of the discussion was straightforward and to the point.

     This meeting was centered on Water Treatment Plant:

      Location

Who builds and owns the plant

Cost

Who gets the treated water

How large a plant and the amount of acreage required

Administration of Plant

Who pays for Engineering and Lawyer costs

Permits

What if Robertson Ranch desires to become a partner in building the plant?

The amount of time it takes to build a plant and lay the piping

Other areas covered:

Annexation

Th purchase of additional land

The latest sketch of Sanctuary

     The meeting lasted approximately 4 hours.  No agreements or possible agreements were made.  The dynamics of the room were interesting.  Careful notes were taken and will be presented to the Water Treatment and Sewer Committee.  Kim is scheduling a date for this committee to meet in the near future.  Their recommendations will be presented to an Aldermen Workshop.  The Aldermen/Lady will receive the report and give directions on the path to take.  A second meeting will be planned with Sanctuary.

     Please know that the negotiations will not be easy.  Be thankful we have 3  good committees with experienced Salado citizens and 2 Aldermen/Lady on each.  They are Economic and Development; Water Treatment/Sewer; and Annexation.  Equally important is the interest and effort of Tim Brown, our Commissioner.  

    Also know, the Village wants to be a partner and will work to make good agreements that are solid and legal. However, we will not be run over and we will not compromise who we are.  The Aldermen/Lady will represent you well.  They are broad thinkers (both liberal and conservative); intelligent; wise; and can see clearly quick.  They are not bashful and love you greatly.  You are in good hands.   

    It is realized that you need information about the above skeleton outline. As soon as we have a position or agreement you will know.  Right now it is just heavy "dancing-talk around the Conference Table."  However, it is about to get midnight serious.

VR/Skip