Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams read this letter during a special meeting of the Hays County Emergency Services District #8 board of commissioners. He read it again Tuesday night during the Buda City Council meeting. Bold added for emphasis.
October 6, 2011
Good afternoon President Weatherford, Board Members, and Fire Chief Huckaby of the ESD #8. Thank you for allowing me to speak to you today. As I have not met the board members before, my name is Kenneth Williams and I am City Manager of the City of Buda, a Board member of the Buda Economic Development Corporation a citizen of Buda and a tax paying member of ESD #8. Although I am speaking with you tonight let me be clear that the Buda City Council has not addressed this issue as a board at this time to provide direction on this matter.
I come to you today in an air of corporation and collaboration to speak to you about the resolution and order calling for the special election on the issue and adoption by the District of a Local Sales and Use Tax Pursuant to Chapter 775, Health and Safety Code.
In particular I am asking that you consider voiding of this election as the entities affected including the City of Buda, City of Kyle, the Buda Economic Development Corporation, among others partake in dialogue to find a win-win situation for the District and all involved. I do believe that there is a solution that can be worked out that will benefit everyone.
I am sure that you did not reach this decision lightly but the action that this board has taken will have a tremendous effect on the physical development, economic development and the air of cooperation which now exists that has made our community so great.
I understand the needs of the District in supplying public safety to the region. You are recognized and appreciated for all that you do. I too realize that resources are required for you to continue providing top notch service.
In having been in municipal government for over 23 years and having emergency services of police, fire and ems, I realize the constant challenges of funding by seeking the sources of property and sales tax revenue, the charging of fees to individuals and cities and the seeking of grants for equipment and buildings including Homeland Security Funds, SAFER Grants, Texas Fire and through the Texas Forest Service.
In having been a Public Works Director for eight years I realize the challenges that first responders face in continuing to fund personnel and the pressures that presents.
In having been an Emergency Management Coordinator I know what it is like to be an incident commander in the middle of a wildfire in the Davy Crockett National Forest and having to pull all of the firefighters, equipment including myself and my 2002 Yukon and turn tail and run out of a forest trail when the fire line was lost.
I know how it is to be the local EMC when you get the call that the Space Shuttle Columbia has fallen out of the sky and need to set up operations as the Feds and State move in for a six month Emergency Operations Center operation.
I understand your challenges in having served as Emergency Management Coordinator during Hurricane Rita and sheltering 30,000 people in a town of 35,000 that was hit by the very hurricane people were fleeing and providing them with resources including food, water and shelter for weeks because they could not return home or Tropical Storm Allison where we suffered 15 inches of rain in 5 hours with tremendous flooding with people needing rescue.
I know the challenges that you face. But, I too know that Emergency responders cannot do anything with out the people of a community. We can never buy enough resources to overcome the greatest of disasters. But we can depend on the people in the community, the churches and non profits to get us there.
I am saying that I understand where you are.....but we do not have to sacrifice our neighbors to solve the problem. We can all sit down and come up with a solution as good communities do.
Although we are working to change the balance, sales tax comprises over 50% of the total revenues for the city of Buda. Sales tax comprises around 98% of revenues for the Economic Development Corporation whose job is to bring economic growth to our area.
If this is allowed to proceed the City of Buda will receive 0 sales tax from newly annexed areas. We appreciate you for providing fire protection in that area, but we have to provide police protection, streets, parks, library services, code enforcement and all other city services within a short time. It would take many years for the collection of property tax in the area to provide these services and it is not fair to increase existing tax payers rates to do so. Therefore, naturally all of our sales tax efforts would suffer.
The City has had an air of cooperation. In 2009 when we annexed property we thought that the ESD 1/2 cent would be sacrificed in the area of I-35. Because City Council thought that the ESD 8 would be harmed, we put money in the City budget to pay the ESD for its loss. However, you were able to keep your tax and the City did not have to.
In some cases, sales tax is all we can get. In what is not a positive subject, the City of Buda and the EDC worked to get US Foods into town. After contentious meetings and legal battles all the way to the Texas Supreme Court it came in. The City will not get any property tax off of this project for twenty years, but ESD 8 will get property tax next year. We can only get sales tax. We would lose this money in a new annexation scenario with your proposal in a different part of our ETJ. So the picture is bigger and by cooperating we all benefit. The City included the donation of land in the development agreement with 2428 partners in which the 2001 Fire Station is built.
Please do not disenfranchise the 7,295 plus citizens of Buda who are tax paying members of ESD 8 and have no say in this matter. We need for you to be their voice. Remember the donations made by citizens of Buda and the City of Buda to the Fire Department. The City has appointed a liaison to the department. We believe good communication could have prevented and can solve this situation.
I ask that you void this election and open a good faith dialogue with the entities involved to come up with a win-win situation for all. If nothing can be worked out, you have the option to call an election in the future.
We owe this to taxpayers, to the citizens and to each other to arrive at a solution in an air of cooperation and collaboration that is beneficial to all.
