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We Have a Lot of Work to Do


Unregulated school district growth and community wide flooding are regretfully part of Mayor Taylor's and Superintendent Ray DeSpain's legacies.

 

(Audio of the May 1 2023 city council meeting relating to Superintendent DeSpain and board member Chad Koonce request for the City's approval allowing ICISD to place speed bumps on City streets may be found here.)



As I shook Mayor Taylor's hand at the conclusion of his last meeting as Mayor on May 1, 2023, I said to him, "Don't be a stranger. We have a lot of work to do."


This is my message to all outgoing mayors, city council, members, school board members, school board, presidents and even superintendents: just because you've left office, you are not relieved from the duty and obligations of public service, especially where your service has created new problems for our community. During Mayor Taylor's term in office, my street and property flooding has increased dramatically. This means the flooding at elevations lower than mine (my neighbors, City Park and the football stadium) is also worse than ever before.


Superintendent DeSpain shares the same responsibility, as his and President Flores's decisions have directly caused increased stormwater flooding from the 2019 school bond build out.


Below are my comments during the open forum at the Mertzon City Council meeting , May 1, 2023:


This may be the last time, Mr. Mayor, that you and Supt. DeSpain are together in the same room in a public meeting. Your term ends with the election on Saturday, and Superintendent DeSpain will be learning about his new job at Giddings ISD on Thursday.


The agenda item at tonight’s meeting that brings the City and the District together is  speed bumps around the school. Speed bumps. Not street flooding, not flooding of private residences, not even the flooding of City Park and the football stadium. 


As you each eye the door, I would like to emphasize two things that I have been able to prove using the Public Information Act. First, in a 100 year flood - a rain of approximately 4.25 inch an hour - City Gym will be producing 1,574 gallons  of water a minute. That equals 94,482 gallons of water an hour. That’s stormwater that must enter our streets, cross my property, flood my neighbors’ property and ultimately reach City Park and the football stadium. And, this amount is only for the water coming from the roof.  There will be more caused by the sidewalks and parking lots.


Second, since the City has no building codes, the District was required to comply with TEA’s administrative rules regarding building inspections.  In fact, the District entirely failed to comply with a key provision that required that they have their own independent building inspector conduct inspections during the building process.  Therefore, neither the City or the District can verify that any of the buildings built from the 2019 bonds was built according to code. So, as the City looked away, the District cut corners on safety and conducted no inspections.


I will be posting my evidence of these points on my site,  Government In The Sun.  I intend the site to create a level of accountability of our government leaders that has not previously existed in our community.


So, as you each discuss the pros and cons of speed bumps tonight, know that I am thinking about two things.  First, who is really in charge of our streets?  And, second, I am thinking that this is yet another missed opportunity among our leaders to deal with stormwater flooding. 


Speed bumps are not the critical safety issue in our streets.  Stormwater flooding  and new municipal construction codes should be your higher priority.


Be good to your neighbor.


Thank you.

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