Debt Ceiling Crisis Reaches Richardson

Last week, in reporting on Richardson's budget retreat, I warned:

"The city proudly points to its Aaa/AAA credit ratings by Moody's and S&P as a factor in keeping its debt service costs low. A dark note that was not considered during the budget retreat: Moody's says it will downgrade at least 7,000 top-rated municipal credit ratings if the U.S. loses its own AAA grade. What would be the consequences to Richardson in that case? I didn't get the impression that Richardson has contingency plans. Let's hope Washington comes to its senses and raises the federal debt ceiling before the federal government defaults."

Well, today, the Congress seems just as belligerent as ever about reaching a compromise over raising the debt ceiling. And today, we moved one step closer to that downgrade of Richardson's own debt. After the jump, the details.

Resistance to Brick Row Cracks

The Richardson City Council voted 5-2 on Monday to approve zoning changes requested by the Brick Row developer that would allow units planned as condos to be built as apartments instead. Ian McCann has the story in The Dallas Morning News.

Last October, a different council voted down a similar request 6-0. Only Steve Mitchell and Amir Omar cast "no" votes both last October and this week. Bob Townsend switched his no vote to yes. Mark Solomon, who was absent at last October's vote, voted yes this time. Gary Slagel, John Murphy and Bob Macy, who all voted no in October, are gone from the council. Their replacements voted yes this time.

New council, different result. Is this another case of the old rule that elections have consequences? Probably not. After the jump, why.

The DMN's Rick Perry Problem

Mike Hashimoto, the most conservative member of The Dallas Morning News's editorial board (at least since Rod Dreher left and arguably before), has been beating the drum for the last six weeks to get the rest of the board to encourage Rick Perry to run for President. Only Hashimoto is too cool to admit to driving the Rick Perry bandwagon. Instead, he says:

"My position, in vast oversimplification, is that while I'm not certain he would be the best GOP nominee, the race sure could use what he has to offer."

Whatever. After the jump, how is Hashimoto's drive going?

How Good Is Your Local School?

How good is your local school? Don't expect to find out from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) accountability ratings, due out this week. You know, the ratings that say your kids' school is "Exemplary" or "Recognized" or "Acceptable." Why not? Thomas Ratliff, a member of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), explains why ... after the jump.

Elections Have Consequences

The mayor won the election. Elections have consequences. A revealing exchange of emails was published this weekend on David Chenoweth's blog that shows how this old rule is playing out in Richardson and how some don't like it.

The first email is a personal email from Richardson's new mayor Bob Townsend to City Plan Commission member Jim Henderson. The mayor informed Henderson that he will not be supporting him for reappointment to the Plan Commission. The mayor gives no reason. The short email reads like a courtesy email intended to ensure that Henderson learns of the decision directly from the mayor himself.

The second email is the response by Henderson, in which he suggests that the mayor's decision is politically motivated.

Then a former candidate for city council, Bill Denton, comments. The mayor is accused of acting in "your vendictive [sic] ways when someone crosses you."

After the jump, the emails.

Highlights from Richardson's Budget Retreat

The Richardson City Council held back-to-back budget review meetings Tuesday and Wednesday at a "retreat" at the Richardson Woman's Club. City Manager Bill Keffler presented a proposed budget for 2011-2012. The introductory handout for the retreat claims that the city's budget development process conforms to a variety of guidance features including "City Council Goals." But the City Council is still in the process of setting their 2011-2013 goals. So, I'm not sure how the City Council provided inputs on the general goals for the budget -- e.g., overall revenues and expenditures and tax rate, what areas to increase or decrease, etc.

Anyway, after the jump, the highlights of this year's proposed budget.

Lake Mendota from the Union Terrace

From 2011 0707 Madison

Is there a better place to be on a late afternoon in summer than in Madison, sitting on the Memorial Union Terrace of the University of Wisconsin? Is there a better setting at any university in the land? I admit I'm biased, but there isn't for me. These photos make my case.

Richardson Taxes in Context

It looks like one of my wishes for the 2011-2012 budget will come true. No increase in property tax rates is proposed.

After the jump, an excerpt from documents used in the Richardson City Council budget retreat July 19-20. The first table shows total property tax rates for comparison cities in north Texas. The second table shows Richardson's property tax rates from 1997 to the 2011-2012 budget.

The Cottage at Fifty

From 2011 0703 Big Lake

Fifty years ago this summer, my uncle Floyd Steger bought an old cottage on Big Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin. The cottage became the site for many family vacations. Floyd passed away in 1990, but the tradition he started in 1961 continues. This year, over the Fourth of July weekend, 41 members of the family gathered there for a family reunion. These photos show how the cottage continues to play an important part in our family's history.

Laura Maczka, Uniter

Richardson Mayor Pro Tem Laura Maczka is already proving herself to be the best of Richardson's new City Council members at healing the divide in Richardson politics. She has drawn praise from backers of the defeated slate of candidates for attending a local tea party meeting and listening to their intense questions. In a City Council work session devoted to drawing up Goals for the 2011-2013 term, she spoke up for being proactive, not just reactive, about improving fiscal transparency and for supporting small business, both issues important to the campaigns of losing candidates. It's far from certain Maczka will be able to win over the hard-core anti-government faction in Richardson, but she's taking the right steps.

Honorable mention to Steve Mitchell, who also attended the tea party meeting and, in the work session, first expressed the desire to emphasize the goal of continuing to improve fiscal transparency.

P.S. The July 11 and July 18 work sessions are great examples of how writing vision/mission/goal statements by committee results in verbosity.

P.P.S. Advice to city council: When reviewing the near-term action items colored "done," it's embarrassing when no one can remember exactly *what* was done.