Editorials

Candidate's Budget Claim Off the Mark

Richardson City Council candidate John DeMattia has incorrectly claimed in several candidates’ forums that the City has had a $20 million budget deficit over the last four years.  He claims that data from the last three City CAFRs (Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports) and the current year budget (2010-2011) show that the City has had operating losses of $18 million over the last three years and will add another $2 million by the end of the current fiscal year.

Richardson has a Balanced Budget. Failure to balance our budget has never been an option. We should all take great pride in Richardson’s stable financial condition. Richardson’s triple A bond rating by Moody’s, as well as Standard & Poor’s, would never have occurred if the City were consistently running deficits as asserted by Mr. DeMattia. He seems to believe that these national rating agencies have it wrong.

The problem is that he is adding apples and oranges.  The explanation is technical, for those interested, here is further detail:  Budgets are based on a cash method; CAFR’s are based on an accrual method.  That is, the amounts in the CAFR’s are not cash losses, but are changes in net assets.  And what are these changes in net assets?  Frequently, they are the result of accounting changes and actuarial assumptions that have nothing to do with cash flow.

Actuarial studies include estimating future liabilities for things like post-employment benefits paid to City retirees.  The cost of these benefits is estimated over a 30-year period, and then the “expense” per year is added to a table in the CAFR that shows changes to net assets.  But the assumptions underlying these studies frequently change based on expected mortality, interest rates, changes in the benefit plan, and so on.  A change in the assumptions can cause a significant change in net assets--with zero effect on cash flows or the budget.

Another perennial source of these changes is the movement of funds to and from the water reserve fund, to make up any gaps between bill revenues and the City’s annual obligation to the water district.  These amounts can be significant, particularly in wet/dry years when billing revenue is less/more than our obligation.

The City has at least four CPA’s and two Certified Government Finance Officers on staff--this is the team that prepares the CAFR’s.  Mr. DeMattia’s assertions may be the result of bad advice about the meaning of the information in the CAFRs. Richardson does in fact have a balanced budget.

For further details, please visit the independent web site RumorCheck.org, which has thoroughly researched this issue.

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City Council Mid-Term: How Are They Doing?

It is important to note that the current council has been able to have spirited debate but, in the end has come to a unified view of most issues. This has enabled swift progress on issues that are important to the success of our city.This council is working together under the able leadership of Mayor Slagel.

In our opinion the results and challenges for the council this term may be summarized as follows:

Principal accomplishments have been:

• Council Goals:

Concentrating on the setting and approval of city goals was a top priority for this council, and both were accomplished in record time by July, 2009.

Once goals have been set, then the hard work can begin…and it began at a rapid pace after approval.We note that approval was unanimous, after a healthy discussion and debate.

• Cotton Belt rail to DFW Airport:

Major progress has been made with respect to the Cotton Belt route and new UT Dallas DART station for our city. The Cotton Belt route will provide direct service from Richardson to DFW Airport.

• Ethics Policy:

This long-discussed ethics policy is under final consideration and a public hearing has been scheduled.

This policy needs to be tough and to receive final approval.While we know of no ethical issues, this policy needs to be adopted.

Absence of a policy leads to suspicion by some. The view of the Coalition is that it is time to proceed with this very important matter.

• New major development for Bush/75:

A concept plan with the Caruth and Bush/75 Ltd. interests has been initially presented to the City Council. This will result in major construction at the intersection of Hwy. 190 and U.S. 75 in Richardson.The tax base resulting from this future development is very significant and will continue to add to the percentage of taxes paid by businesses rather than residents.

The addition of the proposed Cotton Belt Dart Station will further enhance this project for Richardson.

• Major business investments attracted to Richardson:

Our tax base has increased significantly with investments by many companies. We especially like the developments in the former Collins Tech Park that will produce hundreds of millions in assets and millions in new tax revenue for our city.

Of special note are the Digital Realty Trust, BlueCross BlueShield, The Shire Phase II, Brick Row and Eastside developments.

• Finances:
  • We cannot overemphasize the importance of our AAA bond rating by both Moody's and Standard and Poor's. The rating was reaffirmed by both rating agencies immediately after voters approved all four proposals of the city's 2010 bond program by a comfortable margin.

In addition, the rating has permitted the refinancing of higher interest debt with lower interest debt in the same amount, resulting in a saving of approximately four million dollars over the remaining term of the debt.

• • The city's 2009 audit by KPMG International has yielded another clean result for the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 year. Richardson continues to be one of the best-run cities in Texas.

 

• Bond Program approved:

In a citizen-initiated and supported move, voters approved a $66 million bond program.Involved citizens and homeowner associations largely drove this process.

The overall cost to the average-valued home in Richardson will be approximately $9.00 a month, with extraordinary benefits to all of our neighborhoods.

It is of note that businesses pay approximately half of the taxes in our city and the business community also wholeheartedly supported our citizens and council.

It took leadership and foresight for the council to endorse this in a difficult economic environment, and our mayor, city council and manager deserve much credit for making this happen.

• International Business Advisory Commission:

Under the leadership of the Economic Development Partnership, the new International Advisory Commission will help propel the city's development and relationships between our businesses and our highly diverse population base.This will allow development of all resources in our community, hopefully bringing more businesses to our city from around the world.

Areas for Improvement:

Time is quickly passing and we would like to see the city pick up the pace in the following areas:

• Citizen Communications:

While the city has added a much-needed communications director, our city remains behind in effective communications with residents.Relying on our HOA's to communicate is now and has been a less than completely successful strategy.

We need better, faster and more timely communications.We are one of the technology centers of our country and we need to provide City Hall with the tools and staff to fix this long-term issue.

• Get on with Hwy 75 TIF development:

The City's TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Zone #1 was created to stimulate new development in an816-acre area along the Central Expressway corridor and the southwestern border of the City. While the plans for Spring Valley improvements are making good progress, the progress with respect to plans for further Central Expressway improvements have been slow.

We need to press hard to get this process underway by the end of 2010.

• Redevelopment planning:

We have a diverse population and some pockets of our city need more attention than others. The City has a Comprehensive Planning Guide but we are not implementing it at a satisfactory pace for all redevelopment areas.

Six redevelopment areas are identified in the City's 2009 Comprehensive Planning Guide. Only one (West Spring Valley) has been acted on with further detailed study, community input, and action plans.

The council needs to move forward with the other five (Central Expressway, Coit Road, East Arapaho/Collins, Main Street/Old Town and West Arapaho). We would suggest that a schedule be put in place by the end of 2010 for further study and community input for the other five areas.

Improving what we have now will be much easier and less expensive than fixing issues once they have become apparent.

As the old saying goes:"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Real Heroes - Unsung Contributors to Richardson

The City of Richardson is often recognized for its outstanding attributes, including exceptional city staff and services. Countless awards and recognition are presented in Richardson year after year.

Our Richardson community does a great job of highlighting visible people who have made contributions to our city.

However, there are many less visible people who provide service to our city and its citizens with no recognition for their contributions. These unsung heroes are the backbone of our Richardson community. To honor these very important citizens the Richardson Coalition announces its annual Real Heroes Award.

We are conducting a search for Real Heroes that represent the spirit of Richardson. You, the citizens of Richardson, are the nominating committee. You know who our quiet contributors are. These unsung heroes are your friends and neighbors. We are asking you to participate in the process of recognizing these people and the wonderful things they do to make our city great.

Until February 28, 2010 all citizens in Richardson have the opportunity to nominate one or more Richardson residents for recognition (see the end of this editorial for the online nomination form link).

To be eligible, a nominee should be someone who has provided unpaid service in an exemplary way to our city or to his/her neighbors in Richardson.

• A nominee must either be:
  • A Richardson resident
    • Or
  • A nonresident whose qualifying service has benefited the City of Richardson and/or its citizens
• A nominee should be someone who has not received prior formal recognition for this service in the recent past.
• A nominee must not have received compensation for the award-qualifying activity.
• Past and present elected officials are ineligible for any activity during or related to their term of elected service.
• City, county and state employees are eligible only if the qualifying activity occurs on personal/unpaid time.

Based on nomination inputs and selected interviews, a list of finalists will be posted on the Richardson Coalition website in March. Then you will have all of March to vote on finalists.

Votes will be limited to one per individual identified by a unique email address. You are encouraged to inform your Richardson friends and neighbors about supporting a nominee they feel strongly about by casting their vote and submitting comments on why they feel this nominee is deserving of the award.

Updates and announcements will be made as part of our regular email updates, so make sure that your email address is up-to-date and registered on our website.

The Real Heroes committee of the Richardson Coalition will determine the winners. The decision will be based on a combination of website voting, website-submitted comments and nominee interviews.

The winners will be announced at a public event sponsored by the Richardson Coalition. Everyone will be invited to attend and celebrate these Real Heroes.

If you would like to nominate someone as a Real Hero, click on the link directly below and you will be taken to the on-line nomination form, where you can fill out information about your nominee and submit.

Click here: Real Heroes Nomination Form link

The Richardson

The City Bond Issue - Your Vote is Important

The Richardson City Council has approved placing a bond election before voters on a May 8, 2010 ballot. The bond election ballot will be separated into four different propositions.

Each proposition the Coalition believes will help maintain and improve the quality of life in our city.

Also, certainly the timing is right to take advantage of historically low interest rates and construction costs.

Details about the bond propositions can be found at the city website: www.cor.net

Early voting starts Monday, April 26. The Richardson Coalition encourages you to read the details regarding the bond issue propositions at the city website and then VOTE to make your voice heard.

Congratulations to Leadership Richardson 25 Amazing Years

It's hard to believe, but this is the 25th anniversary of Leadership Richardson!

For those of you unfamiliar with Leadership Richardson, it is an intensive nine-month program whose mission is to strengthen and transform the community of Richardson through a structured program of leadership development, community study, and involvement. Leadership Richardson is sponsored by the Richardson Chamber of Commerce and assists participants in identifying and addressing community needs, issues, and problems and enhances personal and organizational leadership skills.

Leadership Richardson graduates have and are making unbelievable contributions to our city. Take a look at these astounding facts:

Currently alumni include:

• Chamber of Commerce for 2010:
  • 55% of the Board of Directors
  • 37% of the Advisory Board (Grads or enrolled)
• City of Richardson:
  • Three of the current Council
  • Numerous Boards and Commissions members
  • Majority of the City Leadership
• RISD:
  • Six of the seven Board Trustees
  • 70% of RISD Excellence in Education Foundation members
• Methodist Richardson Medical Center Foundation Board:
  • Approximately 30% of Board

Grads also serve in many different capacities in:

• The Arts:
  • The Richardson Arts Alliance
  • Richardson Symphony Orchestra
  • Majority of the Wildflower! Steering Committee
• Social Services:
  • Network of Community Ministries
  • Neighborhood Youth and Family Services
  • The Warren Center boards
• Civic Clubs and Organizations: (not all are listed)
  • Altrusa Int'l of Richardson
  • Rotary
  • Richardson Council of PTAs
  • Citizens Police Academy
  • Citizens Fire Academy
  • Richardson Symphony Orchestra
  • Richardson Coalition (most of our members are grads)

The picture is clear!!! Leadership Richardson has and is making a huge impact on our community.

Part of the reason Richardson remains a world-class city is the symbiotic relationship between the City, the Chamber of Commerce, RISD, and other countless organizations.

The Richardson Coalition congratulates Leadership Richardson and the very positive example these people set for our community.

It takes work and persistence to graduate from the extensive training that is offered. Friendships and relationships made for life.

Leaders are trained in the following areas:

• Social Services
• Cultural Arts (including Santa's Village)
• City Government
• Business / Economic Development
• Health Care
• Public Education
• Public Safety

We urge all interested in leadership in our city in any capacity to consider applying for the next class.

Information can be obtained at:www.richardsonchamber.com

Congratulations and best wishes for the next 25 years!

The Eisemann Center

Highlights:

• Catalyst for $500 million in additional Galatyn construction
• $36 million in positive economic impact for Richardson
• Major quality-of-life enhancement for our citizens

In a recent appearance before the City Council a citizen inquired, "When can the taxpayers expect to see sufficient positive economic return on their sizeable investment in the Eisemann Center?" The return began immediately with the construction of the hotel and Nortel buildings.

Here are the facts:

• The Eisemann Center was opened in September, 2002.
• The Center cost $40.6 million, plus $8.6 million for the parking structure.
• City notes in the amount of $37.6 million were issued to cover the cost of the Center.
• Over $6,000,000 (cash plus land) was raised from individual Richardson citizens and corporations to help with this effort.
• Revenue to pay the notes was the planned increased hotel/motel tax, supplemented by the general fund.
• The Center was built within budget.
• The parking structure is designed to support the hotel as well as the Center.
• The Center has been hailed as the premier regional venue in North Texas.
• Approximately 1,250,000 people have used the Center since its opening.
• The Center has enabled an enrichment of our citizens' lives.
• The Center has enhanced Richardson's reputation, where the concept of "Live, Work and Play" is more than just empty words.
• Many corporations have used the Center for their employee and sales meetings, as well as other business functions.
• Many family functions such as weddings and anniversary celebrations have been held, as well as children's recitals.
• Our diverse population has used the Center to celebrate cultural events and holidays.
• Arts groups have blossomed in a professional environment.
• Thousands of children have had their lives enriched at the Center.

The corporate decision makers for major economic developments have indicated the Eisemann Center was a major factor in their decision to invest in Richardson. These investments total almost half a billion dollars and include:

• The Bank of America (formerly Countrywide) buildings with an investment of $176,000,000.
• The Blue Cross building, which is the largest construction project for 2008/2009 in the United States, with an investment of $265,000,000.
• The Venue, with an investment of $24,000,000.
• Thousands of new jobs have been created here in Richardson.

Previous to the Development of the Eisemann Center, the surrounding property was rated "agricultural" and generated less than $75 per year.

Millions of dollars in tax revenue has been and will be generated as a result of the careful planning by Mr. Keffler and our previous City Councils.

On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Center's opening, an economic impact study was conducted regarding the past and probable future impact of the Center.

For the first five years the total impact, including business generation, bond cost, new construction, hotel/motel visitors, etc., was estimated at $24,100,000.

For the next ten years the impact is estimated at $64,000,000.

Prorating the cost for the seven years to date, the total positive impact for the City of Richardson is estimated at approximately $36,000,000.

All of this was accomplished in the face of significant headwinds created by 9/11 and the subsequent national technology recession.

Yet despite this, there are still citizens who attempt to portray the Eisemann Center as a giant mistake.

The truth is that this is great news for Richardson, not bad news, as some who may not have all the facts would have you believe. The Eisemann Center is, indeed, a true city crown jewel.

Great News for Richardson

In case you missed the recent announcement, Texas Instruments has announced it will add $170,000,000 of equipment to the recently constructed $320,000,000 chip fabrication plant in Richardson, and will begin adding 250 highly-skilled people to this LEED-certified green building.

Highlights of the impact of this new TI plant:

1. Half a billion dollars in new construction
2. $300 million in research dollars for UTD in Richardson
3. 250 new highly-skilled jobs now, more later
4. $4.1 million in new tax revenue to date

This investment will create the world's most advanced analog semiconductor plant.

These are the continuing results of a cooperative effort between the State of Texas, Collin County, Plano ISD, Collin College and the City of Richardson, with the assistance of the Richardson Chamber of Commerce's Economic Development Program.

Complete details may be found:

TI press release and video:

http://newscenter.ti.com/Blogs/newsroom/archive/2009/09/29/video-ti-opens-world-s-most-advanced-analog-manufacturing-facility-in-the-u-s-228966.aspx

You may also be interested in a fair and balanced article by Ian McCann in the Dallas Morning News detailing the history of this project:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/richardson/stories/DN-richplant_04met.ART.Central.Edition1.4c13c9e.html

Some additional, very valuable information you may find of interest:

• As part of the fab project, TI and its partners enabled a $300 million investment in engineering and research projects for UTD in Richardson.
• We are four years into the abatement.
• The fab was built in anticipation of the right market conditions so that many millions of dollars of equipment could be added at the right time to service its customers.
• That time has now arrived and the plant is being populated with the first wave of chip manufacturing equipment.
• Citizens should know that, while awaiting the commencement of production, four years of the abatement have expired and the city has collected $4,100,000 in tax revenue.

Here is the math:

• If this were still a wheat field, then the city would have collected $75 a year for four years, or $300. No, this is not an error.
• Instead, the City collected $4,100,000 with almost no expense for four years.

Here at the Coalition, we think this is a darned good deal. A $4,099,700 improvement in tax revenue is a stroke of genius.

Even still, some in our community are attempting to portray this as a big corporate giveaway.

This is not a bad deal for Richardson…it is a stunningly great deal for our city and no spin can make it otherwise.

The truth is that the economic development program in the City of Richardson is alive and well, even in this down economy. We are doing better than most other cities as a result of strong management and a forward-looking City Council, as well as great support in the city's economic development effort by the Richardson Chamber of Commerce.

The Richardson Coalition thanks Mayor Slagel, City Manager Bill Keffler and the City Council of four years ago for their forward thinking and aggressive efforts in behalf of our city.

Texas Instruments is a terrific corporate citizen and we thank them for their confidence in our city and investing in our future.

RICHARDSON'S 2009-2010 BUDGET REFLECTS SOLID MANAGEMENT AND DEDICATED EMPLOYEES

As we all know, these are still tough economic times. In such times, we can be glad we live in Richardson. To meet the current environment, a city to our near north is raising the tax rate 3%. A neighbor city to our south is significantly reducing staff, services, and also lowering fund balances.

Richardson is not immune to the economic times. Total property valuations city wide are down for the first time in five years. The sales tax revenue for the city is projected to decrease 2% this year. However, in spite of the above, the 2009-2010 Richardson budget provides for:

• NO TAX RATE INCREASE
• NO INCREASE IN THE WATER & SEWER RATE
• NO INCREASE IN SOLID WASTE RATES
• CONTINUANCE OF IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
• TARGETED FUND BALANCE LEVELS TO BE MAINTAINED
• THE $55,000 SENIOR EXEMPTION TO BE MAINTAINED
• NO CUTS IN CITY SERVICES

Achieving such a budget in these times is a testament to great city management and the hard work and dedication of Richardson city employees. In fact, city employees are foregoing raises this year and performing the same level of services even though a hiring freeze has been implemented.

The Richardson Coalition wants to take this opportunity to thank all our city employees for a job well done.

There are a few city fees that are increased in this budget, but the Coalition believes the small increases are very reasonable and keep the city in line with current conditions. For instance, for the first time in the city's history, residents of other cities will have to pay a small non-resident fee to use the award- winning Richardson library.

The City Council and staff are working hard to improve future budgets, also. In just the last several months, four major new economic development announcements have been made in Richardson. This bodes well for increased property valuations and thus strong budgets in the future.

Again, we can all be thankful we live in Richardson and the Richardson Coalition thanks all those who work for the City and the City Council.

Transparency… Finally, some progress!

Over the past few years there has been much talk about our city's governmental transparency.

While it is a fact that there is already a great deal of transparency in our city affairs, we have had a real need to make a significant improvement.

For the past two years there has been much talk and not much action in this very important area.

The new City Council has now made some quick decisions to implement much of what has been discussed.

Here are the measures recently enacted:

1. The City Council work sessions as well as Council meetings are currently being broadcast live (pod cast) as well as archived for future listening. You may listen to the last one by clicking this link:

http://www.cor.net/uploadedFiles/CityHall/PublicNotices/Council/Audio/2009-07-27%20Council%20Audio.mp3

This is only a first step. The Council has directed city management to implement live video streaming of council meetings beginning as soon as possible (probably August).

Each meeting is planned to be archived for later viewing at a citizen's convenience. You may view these using the Internet at home, in your office or when traveling anywhere in the world.

Please note that, in light of current economic conditions, the least expensive solution will be implemented immediately. A more comprehensive and higher quality solution will be added as economic conditions permit.

2. Effective with this month, all work papers for council meetings are now available online.

The NEW index of Council agendas and records may be found at the following link:

http://www.cor.net/CityCouncilDocuments.aspx?id=10441

These steps are only the beginning. There will be more to come.

Lastly, transparency is not a new issue. Our city has had a completely open process for years. For those of you interested in probing deeper into our city government, we would suggest the links below. These speak clearly to the transparency of our governance.

The City's budget retreats are always open to the public and the media. All materials provided to council members were also provided to all other attendees. In addition, these important materials were posted on the city's website the following morning. During breaks, council members and staff were accessible to those present for questions about the budget or other City matters. In case you are interested in the City's budget process, you may study the links from the council's budget work session:

http://www.cor.net/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=10556

http://www.cor.net/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=10569

When we have had questions about our city, we have found city management to be quite receptive in listening to and addressing any issues.

During the recent campaign, Councilman Murphy provided a list of resources that together provide a terrific avenue into researching the wealth of information that is online, most of which has been available for many years.

• City news and events (http://www.cor.net)
• Names, email addresses, and photos of all 7 Council members (http://www.cor.net/CityCouncil.aspx?id=6094)
• The agendas and actions taken for every Council meeting in the last year:
  • 2009 agendas at http://www.cor.net/CityCouncilAgendas.aspx
  • 2009 actions taken at http://www.cor.net/CityCouncilActions.aspx
  • 2008 agendas and actions taken at http://www.cor.net/CityCouncilArchive.aspx
• Names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and photos of the senior management in the City (http://www.cor.net/cmo.aspx?id=930)
• Listing and phone numbers of every department in the City (http://www.cor.net/citizens.aspx?id=472)
• The Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports for the last 5 years (http://www.cor.net/Finance.aspx?id=1492) - each one more than 100 pages packed with information and tables describing the finances and accounts of the City of Richardson, and each one accompanied by:
  • A Certificate of Achievement of Excellence in Financial Reporting presented by the Government Finance Officers Association of the US and Canada
  • An independent auditors' report from the national accounting firm of KPMG
• Information from the City's Budget Office, including:
  • A 45-page document on the Fund Summaries for this year's budget (http://www.cor.net/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=7368)
  • A 61-slide PowerPoint presentation that was the same information given to the Council in the budget process (http://www.cor.net/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=7382)
• The names of each board and commission in the City (http://www.cor.net/PublicNotices.aspx?id=2468), along with:
  • The names of all members along with their terms
  • The current agendas, the archive of past agendas and actions, and other information as relevant
• The City Charter and the Municipal Codes and Ordinances (http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=10221&sid=43)

In order to assure the communication of this important information, the Richardson Coalition will continue to communicate relevant links for future meetings as soon as they are posted, at least through the end of this year. This should make it easy for you to check out areas of individual interest to you.

The Richardson Coalition thanks the new Council for quick and decisive progress in this important area.

Editorial Regarding Transparency and Ethics Follow the Money

Much has been said about transparency and ethics during the candidate forums and in election materials. Thus further examination is appropriate at this time as it relates to the individual candidates.

Recently one of our readers asked:

"How much money has the Richardson Coalition given to politicians during the 2007 and 2009 City Council elections?"

That was a fair question. Here is the answer:

Funds donated by the Richardson Coalition to political candidates:

The Richardson Coalition is about policy and principles.

We have watched with interest the unfolding of the campaign waged by 17 aspiring citizens for City Council seats. To our memory, never have so many sought this office at the same time in Richardson.

Campaigns are a healthy thing. But what has been a historically collegial undertaking in Richardson seems to be taking on a more combative/competitive tone that also seems to be driving fund raising.

Among those arguing for "Out with the old, and in with the new," or "We need change" or "It's my turn," we detect a desire to change the character of the council and arguably the city.

An examination of the election reports recently filed with the City Secretary for this election reveals a very troubling pattern.

Two years ago to our surprise we were startled to learn that the RFFA union PAC (Political Action Committee), an organization with a post office box in the city and whose members are largely OUTSIDE the City of Richardson, contributed $13,725 to a slate of candidates. We reported this to you in our editorial last year.

www.richardsoncoalition.org/Editorials.html#PotentialInfluenceUnionPAC

This year it has come to our attention that this same union PAC has contributed between 22% and 89% (average 63%) of the money raised to date by seven of the candidates.

Once again, the same union PAC is apparently advancing a slate of candidates in contested races.

Let the position of the Richardson Coalition be perfect clear. We have always supported and will continue to support the men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day, 24/7/365. Please see our editorial regarding our appreciation of these terrific men and women.

www.richardsoncoalition.org/Editorials.html#edRegardingPubSafety

We are all for individual giving to candidates of one's choice, especially by those within our city limits. We are concerned, however, when significant sums come from organizations outside our city with agendas that may not be in the city's best interest. We also note that a significant number of contributions have been made to candidates from other cities in Texas and many from out of state, from coast to coast.

We are particularly concerned with the acceptance of such contributions by candidates for City Council and their reasons for doing so.

The union's to-date 2009 cash donations ($10,250) far outweigh the average of less than $300 for all individual donations.

Here is the current tally of union PAC contributions as reported to the City Secretary for 2009:

With the current clamor for "transparency," especially about our city's budgets and spending, we wonder if those receiving large contributions from the union's PAC will be equally transparent with the voters.

The real questions are:

• "Why would an employee union PAC be by far the largest contributor to our City Council campaigns for 2007 and 2009?"
• "Why would a union PAC contribute to people who have no demonstrated record of concrete action while they have passed over other candidates who have consistently supported our fire and police services with the best equipment, highly competitive pay and benefits, modern facilities and full council support?"

What could they possibly have to gain?

The Richardson Coalition will be watching this carefully to insure that this organization does not receive any preferential treatment, regardless of who prevails in the election.

The Richardson Coalition believes that our citizens understand this issue and will make the appropriate decision when they visit the voting booth starting with early voting next week.

A $7,000,000 contribution to Richardson

Our community is blessed to have many terrific individuals who give not only of their money, but also and of greater importance, their valuable time.

The Richardson Coalition has attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of volunteerism in our community.

We have requested input from many groups and most have provided it.

The Richardson Coalition salutes those individuals who have given time and resources to support our not-for-profit organizations.

In advance, please accept our apology if we do not list your group. There is no doubt that there are more than the following organizations which we have identified. We plan an update for 2009 to be published in 2010, and would encourage each group to report 2009 volunteer hours to us in January 2010.

Some groups reporting include:

• Altrusa Int'l. of Richardson
• Richardson Arts Alliance
• Citizens' Fire Academy
• City Boards
• City Council (yes they get a whopping $50/meeting but also put in many hours doing the citizens' business).
• Fountain Festival
• Kiwanis
• Network of Community Ministries
• Richardson-based PTA's
• Richardson Adult Literacy Center
• Citizens' Police Academy
• Citizens' Police Academy Alumni Association
• Crime Watch Patrols
• Eisemann Center Volunteers
• Police Department Chaplains
• Volunteers in Policing
• Richardson Regional Medical Center Authority, Foundation and Auxiliary
• Richardson Retired Teachers Association
• Richardson Chamber of Commerce Boards and Committees
• Richardson Woman's Club
• Three Rotary Clubs
• Richardson Symphony
• Senior Center
• VFW Ladies Auxiliary
• WildFlower
• Cottonwood/Huffines Arts Festivals

These organizations produced an amazing total of almost 350,000 hours of service to our community in 2008.

While dollars are inadequate to express the magnitude of these contributions, you should know that, using the standard metric, this is a value to our community of almost $7,000,000.

The Richardson Coalition wants to express our thanks for a job well done!

Editorial Regarding Public Safety

A Salute to our Fire & Police Staff/Leaders and Volunteers…and a note to those who would violate our laws:

In the Richardson Coalition's recent stratified random sample telephone survey of Richardson voters, 89% indicated that fighting crime should be one of the highest priorities for the City of Richardson.

In our internet survey the following results were received:

The following would be a good use of City funds:

Let the position of the Richardson Coalition be perfectly clear. We fully support the efforts of our Fire and Police Departments and the outstanding service they provide. These men and women put their lives on the line for us every day, week, month and year. For that we are truly grateful.

According to a recent FBI report, while some crime categories are up and some are down, overall crime in Richardson is down 13% over the past few years. The longer-term trend is even more positive.

Even with this positive feedback, some areas of our city have experienced increasing crime rates. While the tactics used by our police are having good results, we must continue every effort to address this early.

For example, the Operational Support Unit recently successfully "busted" a group of people who targeted food delivery persons. These arrests were made with minimal information and no witnesses.

Police and Fire Services Update:

The following are some things that the city is doing that not many citizens know about. Some of these have been discussed in recent City Council work sessions and other forums.

Fire insurance – The effectiveness of our Fire Department is one of the major factors affecting our fire rates. Richardson's fire insurance rates are lower than those of many cities.

License plate recognition technology – The Police Department now has a vehicle with equipment that will automatically read vehicle license plates on a drive-by basis. The system automatically consults several databases to determine if a vehicle has been stolen or is illegal. RPD volunteers are operating this vehicle to minimize cost to the city.

As reported by acting Police Chief Spivy, this program has been very successful since inception on January 23, 2009:

• Four stolen vehicles have been recovered.
• Four RPD warrants have been served.
• Fifty+ regional warrants were also identified, enabling appropriate police activity.

Red light camera enforcement – The goal of this program has been to improve public safety by using technology to enhance enforcement. The goal was never to increase ticket revenue. Currently the program is approximately on a break-even footing. Significantly fewer accidents (including rear-end collisions as people hit the brakes) have occurred, with decreased injuries and property damage. We thank the current City Council for expanding this very successful program.

Crime watch patrols – Over the past few years the number of crime watch patrols has doubled. Richardson now has 180 volunteers supplementing our fine police officers. With decreasing crime rates, home values have increased according to some sources.

The BOLO (Be On Look Out) Program – Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activities to the Police Department so that it may take action. Alert citizens can impact crime rates, not by taking action themselves, but by quickly calling 911 so the Fire/Police Departments can take quick action.

Our police and fire volunteer programs are almost without equal in the United States. While we will not go into detail about each, we have citizens who volunteer every day in programs such as:

• Crime Watch Patrols (3600 hours in 2008)
• Citizens Fire Academy
• Citizens Police Academy
• Volunteers in Policing (national award-winning program)
• National Night Out Parties (1st in Texas and 2nd in the USA)

The Richardson Coalition salutes these people who give their time and service to help make Richardson the very best that it can be.

The Bottom Line:

• Public safety is a top priority for Richardson citizens. We must do everything possible to ensure that it continues to improve.
• Over the past 18-20 years Richardson's overall crime rate has substantially declined. Even so, we must do better to help our police continue this trend.
• We need to continue to embrace new technologies as they become available to our police and fire services.
• One way Richardson becomes the best that it can be is to press forward to be even better than we are in police and fire services. The city has excellent leaders in our City Manager, City staff and both the Fire as well as the Police Departments.
• There is one additional thing that each of us can do: Say, "Thanks for your service!"
  • …when you see our public servants. It takes years of training to achieve their level of proficiency.
  • …when you see your fellow citizens who volunteer to help make our city the best that it can be.

And a final note to prospective City Council candidates and to those who will ultimately serve:

1. Citizens want and demand a safe environment.
2. The Richardson Coalition encourages you to set goals for the next two years that will take on the tough issues in our city. While our crime rates are low, they could be even lower with improved funding, training and technology enhancements.
3. Be assertive and address issues in their early stages, rather than waiting until they become obvious.
4. Let's make Richardson the place that criminals don't want to be.

Great Voter Turn-out and Interest in the Recent Council Elections

A stated goal of the Richardson Coalition is to work to help make our city be the best that it can be.

Part of being a city that is "the best" includes healthy citizen participation in the election process. This year Richardson had a record number of council candidates running for office, some new faces among the council candidates, and a big increase in voter turnout at the election. We are excited about each of these healthy achievements.

Average voter turnout this year was above 7000. In comparison in the 2005 city council election voter turnout was less than 5000. In the 2007 elections average votes were less than 6000.

The Richardson Coalition gives our kudos to EVERY citizen who voted in this year's council election.

The Richardson Coalition also extends our sincere thanks, to ALL council candidates who took the time and interest to run for election.

Looking forward, even though we can all be proud of this year's increased voter turnout, 7000 votes is still a small percentage of the total registered voters in our city. We hope you will join us over the next years in working to ensure we continue to have a growing number of citizens interested in and voting in local elections and have many good candidates in city elections so voters continue to have great choices.

In an effort to achieve this, we would like to invite you to help us increase citizen awareness and involvement by inviting your friends and neighbors to join the Richardson Coalition e-mail community. At our website main page: www.richardsoncoalition.org, there is an easy sign up box. They will receive about one e-mail per week, including the monthly feature "Richardson News in 3 Minutes".

Regarding Sexually Oriented Businesses in Richardson

After the outcry in 2006, it was thought that the point had been made about the desire of the Richardson citizens to do everything legally possible to control and/or eliminate this type of business.

In our recent survey of registered voters in Richardson, the following results were received:

"In 2006-2007, the City Council added to the city's ordinances regarding Sexually Oriented Businesses, making Richardson one of the toughest cities in the state to protect citizens from this type of business. Do you agree or disagree with this move?"

In fact the 2006-2007 City Council enacted ordinances to effectively control zoning to the fullest extent possible in light of recent U. S. Supreme Court decisions.

During the first year of the current council, led by Mayor Mitchell, a large number of goals and initiatives on a wide range of issues was added to the list of initiatives for its term.

Only one was removed. It was the continued emphasis on keeping Richardson free of Sexually Oriented Businesses.

On January 7, 2008 this initiative was presented as part of the proposed initiatives for the current City Council:

At the end of the discussion the comment was made, "The less said about that the better," and Mayor Mitchell directed the City Manager to remove this initiative from the list of initiatives for the City Council.

One week later, on January 14, 2008, the next draft was presented and the SOB initiative had been removed.
After Removal

We do not believe that Mayor Mitchell supports Sexually Oriented Businesses.

We do not believe that the rest of the council supports them.

We do believe that the new members of the Council lack the will to address this sensitive issue. If not, why then would this have been removed from the current City Council's list of initiatives?

If this, a most sensitive issue, were treated with a head-in-the-sand attitude, how will other sensitive issues be addressed?

The citizens of Richardson need leadership. Removal of this initiative, hoping that it will just go away, is certainly not what the Richardson Coalition views as being in alignment with citizen priorities.

The Richardson Coalition believes that to ignore critical issues is irresponsible.

What we need are people who lead, not people who follow or attempt to hide from the important issues of our day.

Regarding Illegal Immigrants

The Richardson Coalition supports the following concepts:

First, the United States is a country of laws and all citizens and any non-citizens in this country should be expected to obey the laws of our country.

Second, we believe in equal rights and responsibilities for all who have respected the laws of our country and arrived using the legal processes available to all non-citizens.

We do not support our city providing special services to persons who have violated their duty to our laws and illegally come to our country and city without legal application and approval from the Federal Government. We never want to see Richardson become a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants as a few other cities in Texas have become.

We strongly support our city police in their right to report to the federal immigration authorities any person found to be in this country illegally while caught during an offense in violation of our laws.

As of October 1, 2008 the Texas Department of Public Safety adopted a new policy requiring non-citizens to prove they are in this country legally before they can obtain or renew a driver's license. Under the change, people who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States must present valid governmental documentation that they are in the country legally before they can obtain a driver's license or personal identification card.

We applaud this change by the State. It should greatly help all local authorities identify immigration law violators during routine transactions including something as simple as driver's license checks during traffic incidents.

We believe that English should be the language of the City of Richardson.

We do not support so-called "door-to-door" searches to check legal status of law-abiding citizens.

We do not support expensive and exploratory ordinances that could create legal issues for the City.

In our recent survey of Richardson voters the following results were recorded: