Live Tweeting the Budget Retreat

The City of Richardson is holding its annual budget retreat to provide preliminary budget planning information to the city council. It's all tentative. It's all preliminary. It's all subject to change. Nevertheless, it's more likely than not to reflect the budget that's finally filed on August 10, 2018 and approved after a subsequent public hearing. My notes from the budget retreat are presented as captured in my tweets from Monday night made during the meeting. (No review. No fact-checking. No filter. What I got wrong blame on my listening comprehension faults.)

• CoR open mic: No one here to speak. It's the budget retreat. You know, the one where surging property appraisals are discussed along with tax rates and spending. But no one cares...to speak.
• Dan Johnson forecasts a 7.5% to 8.5% increase in property values. Preliminary budget assumes only 6%. In other words we can expect an "impactful" budget for 2018-2019. Each 1% equates to about $1 million for operations.
• Dan Johnson proposes phasing out short-term debt issuance for equipment purchases. Maybe all that's why taxpayers weren't lined up to speak at the open mic.

POTD: Welcome to Cabo San Lucas

From 2018 01 31 Cabo San Lucas

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where the pelicans in the harbor entrance welcome cruise ship passengers ashore.

Bonus photos after the jump.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): Ant-tastic. Just kidding. Too many things going on. A house arrest for something, a woman lost in quantum realm, a ghost or something, some tech thieves. What's missing is a supervillain. But nothing is too serious and there is some fun dialog. C-

POTD: You Can Buy Me That

From 2018 01 29 Acapulco

Today's photo-of-the-day is from the Las Brisas neighborhood in Acapulco, Mexico.

Bonus photos after the jump.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018): Wild dinosaurs on the loose, some killers, some not. Erupting volcano. Greedy, evil villain. All the expected ingredients, no surprises. Not even dino whisperer Chris Pratt can save this rehash. C-

David Tyson Strikes Again

In January, former Richardson ISD trustee David Tyson sued the RISD over its at-large voting system, claiming it is a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA). While that case is still pending, David Tyson struck again, filing yet another lawsuit last week.

Richardson's Central Park

"In Wildness is the preservation of the world."
Henry David Thoreau

In 1851, when Henry David Thoreau was making his plea for environmental conservation in Concord, Massachusetts, half a continent away in Texas pioneer Jacob Routh was already putting the call into practice. When Routh built his homestead on land that would become present-day Richardson, he set aside some of his woods for preservation in its natural state. Thanks to good stewardship by his descendants and then by the City of Richardson, which eventually acquired the land, that bottomland hardwood forest remains wild today as the Spring Creek Nature Area, the city park that one city council member called "Richardson's Central Park."