Friendship Alliance Poli-Blog

Dear Hays County Friends, Neighbors and Voters,
Tomorrow brings upon us the very important Primary step in our local 2006 Hays County electoral process. We have before us, for the first time in many years, a genuine opportunity to affect positive change for our county’s future. You can do this by voting for Rob Baxter in the Democratic Party Primary.
Or, with all the impending growth coming at us, we could choose to allow the status quo to remain intact. While this is certainly an option, we must all be aware of what the record already shows will be the likely consequences; Citing Heatherwood alone, we can look forward to community septic system variances fraught with convoluted justifications; Looking at Nutty Brown Road, expensive and contentious roadway improvements force-fed to neighborhoods by an unresponsive County Commissioner; Lack of support for Regional Planning as noted through the county’s funding exclusion of the Envision Central Texas planning process; Denial of support for DS recreational facilities, such as the Stone Mountain riding center. The list gets longer, but only more tedious.
Please compare these realities above with the realities below. Genuine successes that can generally be traced back in one manner or another, either wholly or partially, to the actions and involvement of an un-elected person in Rob Baxter. These are not merely ideas that were floated, but ideas that were transformed into actions that ultimately sailed. If these things could succeed through volunteer efforts and organizing, imagine what an on the job effort could accomplish.

1) Completely successful, amicable and mutually beneficial litigation settled versus Dripping Springs
2) Belterra dropping their counter-suit against the FA after Baxter leads a Saturday FA picket line at Belterra’s 290W entrance.
3) New DS Subdivision Ordnances (as requested in FA suit deliberations), authored with assistance of FA board member
4) New DS Ethics Ordnance (as requested in FA suit deliberations)
5) New DS City Attorney (formerly Goldenwood POA’s own attorney originally hired by Rob Baxter as POA Pres.)
6) Three FA members appointed to DS P&Z Commission
7) Rob Baxter appointed to Envision Central Texas Board (http://www.envisioncentraltexas.org/)
Rob Baxter appointed as only “non-elected” official to Regional Water Quality Protection Plan Consultant Selection Committee
9) Successful completion and acceptance of FA supported Regional Water Quality Protection Plan by Cities of Dripping Springs and Austin, Hays and Travis Counties and both local Groundwater Conservation Districts.
10) Rob Baxter appointed to Hill Country Alliance Board (now on HCA Advisory Board)
11) Two FA Board members, Doug Weirman and Andrew Backus, convincingly elected to (and literally saving from oblivion) the Hays-Trinity Groundwater Conservation District
12) Rob Baxter led the FA’s successful and precedent setting commercial pump permit protest filed in the Creedmoor-MAHA vs. BSEACD case (followed by Rob Baxter and Terry Tull co-writing w/City of Austin the legal opinion for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Conservation District.)
13) Rob Baxter personally finds and recommends the land to be used by DS for their wastewater irrigation fields while the City’s Howard tract sewage plant plan devolves.

There are many more action items that could be mentioned and listed, but they are simply too involved or involve too much minutiae to condense any further in this note. The record simply speaks for itself.
Now, so that I may speak for us, I ask for your vote and your neighbor’s vote this Tuesday.
Thank you.

Rob Baxter
Candidate
Hays County Commissioner, Pct. 4

Voteforbaxter.com

(note: This is a Baxter campaign-blog posted to the non-partisan Friendship Alliance’s Poli-Blog page, a Blog page which is open and available to all candidates in Hays County as well as available for commentary in reply to all.)

Big shopping center for Dripping Springs?
Developers want site that will include Home Depot and H-E-B, but city officials refuse to release zoning application.

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/realestate/03/2drippingsprings.html

By Kate Miller Morton, Shonda Novak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, March 02, 2006

Developers have applied for zoning for a major shopping center that would include a Home Depot and an H-E-B grocery store in Dripping Springs, but city officials are refusing to make the documents public.

The developers are applying under the city’s new planned district development ordinance, according to people knowledgeable about the project. They said the site is near the southeast quadrant of the intersection of U.S. 290 and RM 12.

The project would be the first big commercial development in Dripping Springs, a city of about 1,500 people 25 miles west of Austin.

It’s also the first to apply under the ordinance, which is designed for big, complex projects that don’t fit under other city zoning rules. The site does not have sewer service, and major road improvements likely would be required.

Developers submitted their filing on Feb. 17, and the Austin American-Statesman has filed two requests under the Texas Public Information Act to see them.

On Wednesday, the city issued a news release acknowledging that it had received a proposal for a shopping center, without naming any tenants.

But the city also said it planned to keep the filing secret “until an internal review had been completed.”

Zoning applications are clearly public information under Texas law, said Joe Larsen, a lawyer for the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation.

The city said it thinks the application should be kept secret under exceptions to the open records law involving “draft regulations, real estate transactions and economic development negotiations.”

However, the draft exception applies only to certain internal government memos, not zoning filings, and the real estate exception applies only to transactions by government entities, according to an open records guide from the Texas attorney general’s office.

Joe Volpe, a City Council member, said the council discussed the project behind closed doors Tuesday night, although he would not disclose details.

“When we’ve had a chance to review it and we’re ready to begin discussion, all discussion will be in public,” he said. “If you just wait two or three weeks or so, it will all be out in the open.”

The executive session agenda for that meeting made no mention of a zoning or economic development matter. The Texas Open Meetings law requires agendas to identify all topics to be discussed, including in executive session.

The city has been heading in a progressive direction on development, said lawyer Jim George.

“The city has been attempting to bring tax-generating commercial stuff,” he said. “I don’t think anybody felt it would be too long before there was a major grocery center.”

George sued the city several years ago over development agreements as a board member of Friendship Alliance, a neighborhood group. More recently, he has worked with the mayor to establish a subdivision ordinance that encourages clustered development.

“The last time the city negotiated development agreements in secret caused a lawsuit,” said Rob Baxter, former president of the Friendship Alliance and a Democratic candidate for the Hays County commissioner Precinct 4 seat. “I wouldn’t expect them to invite that again, which means I would expect them to do the right thing and release the information.”

Despite a new ethics policy, a new city attorney and an overhaul of its ordinances, Dripping Springs continues to be hard to deal with, said Charles O’Dell, who heads HaysCAN, a group that has tangled with the city over development standards.

The city drags its feet on information requests and prevents him from talking with its development coordinator, he said.

“They’re trying to cut me off entirely,” he said.

Home Depot spokesman Don Harrison said Dripping Springs doesn’t appear on his grand-opening calendar through mid-2007 and that the company doesn’t comment on projects that aren’t on the calendar. An H-E-B spokeswoman said she could not immediately reach anyone who could comment.

kmorton@statesman.com; 445,3641; snovak@statesman.com; 445-3648

Additional material by staff writer Asher Price

“Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind.”
© 1970, 2002 Five Man Electrical Band

Dear Hays Friends, Neighbors and Voters,
Many have asked me these past few weeks, “Where are your campaign signs?”
The answer is basic. I have not printed any…yet.
One, I do not believe they are needed right now.
Two, I do not believe they are wanted. I sure don’t want to see anymore unnecessary signs out there on the landscape nor do I wish to waste anyone’s money placing them there.
There are two simple reasons for this, neither likely expected.
I believe first, that this primary is more contingent on the voters’ familiarity with candidates’ actual records and experience than it is on the placement of signage.
Two; I also believe that to place them at this time, before going after the actual incumbent, Russ Molenaar, in the fall, would be a waste of resources. I prefer to keep our powder dry for the fall race. After the primary I will raise the funds many have already offered to date, rather than waste anyone’s money prior to the main effort in the fall. My prior professional commitments this January and February to clients ranging from IBM to the NBA would have made a concerted primary campaign impossible and seeking donations under these conditions would have been unethical, but such is not the case in the fall.

We have been working for five years now, myself in particular, on the vanguard of local planning initiatives and efforts. Within the local political, government and scholastic community, this is very well known. And, I believe that within the community of the more informed primary voters, that this involvement is also generally known. The breadth and depth of my and our work through the Friendship Alliance has been well documented for over four years in the media
(http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-09-21/pols_feature.h
tml). My appointments to the boards of the Goldenwood Property Owners Assoc., the Friendship Alliance, the Hill Country Alliance and the Envision Central Texas board also reflect this recognition (http://www.envisioncentraltexas.org/).

What is not known is my primary opponent, who is very much a newcomer on the scene showing up in only the last year. Very few know who she is, at least few who are outside Nutty Brown Road, the Austin environmental community or the Charles O’Dell HaysCAN group which recruited her. Even fewer are aware that my primary opponent’s most recent employer is a company named Enviro-Media. Fewer still perhaps know that she has received nearly $5,800 of her $6,100 reported campaign income from Travis County and Austin environmental donors, and little from Hays residents
(http://elections.co.hays.tx.us/finanialstat/CANDIDATES/KarenFord/3%20Fin
ance%20Report%20-%202-7-06.pdf).
Contrast this with Russ Molenaar, who has seen his major funding come from out of county builders, developers, engineers and contractors
(http://elections.co.hays.tx.us/finanialstat/Com4Molenaar/36%20Finance%20
Report%20-%201-12-06.pdf).
While her funding will frighten conservatives in the fall, Russ’s will frighten progressives…what we need is someone who will frighten neither and inspire both.
Frankly, in my belief structure, when contrasted with Russ Molenaar, these realities are all major pluses for my Democratic Primary opponent. However, when it comes time to elect a challenger in the fall versus a perceived conservative & Republican incumbent, these factors will not work as progressive pluses, but rather will become ball and chain minuses in the battle to defeat a true regressive named Russ. This is one battle none of us can afford to lose. Realize that the one and only local battle she has lead, was against the ongoing Nutty Brown Road improvements which, are…ongoing…forced down the NBR residents’ throats by Russ Molenaar; and this was a resounding bust and defeat for her and NBR residents. Within this defeat, the County offered her an arguably low-balled $5,000.00 deficient eminent domain settlement, for which she appealed to the County and lost, all of which is public record. Now…she seeks Russ’s seat.

In contrast to the above are numerous successes that the Friendship Alliance participated in while led by Rob Baxter;
1) Completely successful, amicable and mutually beneficial litigation settled versus Dripping Springs
2) Belterra dropping their counter-suit against the FA after Baxter leads a Saturday FA picket line at Belterra’s 290W entrance.
3) New DS Subdivision Ordnances (as requested in FA suit deliberations), authored with assistance of FA board member
4) New DS Ethics Ordnance (as requested in FA suit deliberations)
5) New DS City Attorney (formerly Goldenwood POA’s own attorney originally hired by Rob Baxter as POA Pres.)
6) Three FA members appointed to DS P&Z Commission
7) Rob Baxter appointed to Envision Central Texas Board (http://www.envisioncentraltexas.org/)
Rob Baxter appointed as only “non-elected” official to Regional Water Quality Protection Plan Consultant Selection Committee
9) Successful completion and acceptance of FA supported Regional Water Quality Protection Plan by Cities of Dripping Springs and Austin, Hays and Travis Counties and both local Groundwater Conservation Districts.
10) Rob Baxter appointed to Hill Country Alliance Board (now on HCA Advisory Board)
11) Two FA Board members, Doug Weirman and Andrew Backus, convincingly elected to (and literally saving from oblivion) the Hays-Trinity Groundwater Conservation District
12) Rob Baxter led the FA’s successful and precedent setting commercial pump permit protest filed in the Creedmoor-MAHA vs. BSEACD case (followed by Rob Baxter and Terry Tull co-writing w/City of Austin the legal opinion for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Conservation District.)
13) Rob Baxter personally finds and recommends the land to be used by DS for their wastewater irrigation fields while the City’s Howard tract sewage plant plan devolves.

There are many more action items that could be mentioned and listed, but they are simply too esoteric, involve too much minutiae or are too involved to condense in this blog.
Suffice it to say, that even though my primary opponent and I are of very similar opinions on many issues, we are not of similar actions and backgrounds.
The record speaks for itself.
I ask for your vote and your neighbor’s vote this Tuesday so that I may now speak for you.
Thank you.

Rob Baxter
Candidate
Hays County Commissioner, Pct. 4

Voteforbaxter.com

“Unplanned growth is destroying the beauty of Hays County.” So says Rob Baxter, a candidate for the Hays County Commissioner. Baxter, 47, one of his industry’s leaders in entertainment lighting technology, moved to Hays County 12 years ago, drawn by the beauty of the area. Since then, Rob has seen much of the fragile hill country re-shaped by both unplanned and undesired development.

“How can we ensure that our growth will remain a continued source of pride, vitality, diversity and opportunity, rather than a source of congestion, stagnation, division and inequality? Such is not the way it must be; we do have a choice. The answers of tomorrow will be determined by the choices of today.”

So, instead of simply mourning, Rob Baxter took action. In 2001, Rob joined the successful fight against unchecked government entities known as “Development Districts.” Sponsored by local politicians and designed to remove authority from the neighboring electorate, these districts would have resulted in de-facto governments by developer, with little to no local oversight. Next, Rob became president of his local property owners’ association; then, seeking middle ground, Rob engaged his neighbors and neighboring developers in unprecedented dialogues; Rob then incorporated a number of homeowners associations into the Friendship Alliance, to give voice to these residents who have no vote in Dripping Springs, yet live in the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction, subject to their rules. Seeking middle ground again, Rob successfully led the FA to an amicable and mutually beneficial settlement of their litigation with the city. Rob was also asked to join the Executive Committee to the board of Envision Central Texas as a Hays County representative and after this, joined the board of the Hill Country Alliance. Rob has also served on citizen panels for the LCRA and the Regional Water Quality Protection Plan. These many positive experiences, over the course of years, have garnered him respect and influence as an informed and engaged citizen in nearly every local government arena, from DS City Hall to the halls of the Capital.

Rob believes, that we, as a community, must join together in an open, honest discussion and decision-making process regarding the future of our area; and that we must also give greater voice to you, the existing neighborhoods and neighbors who already live in Northern and Central Hays County and in so doing, take care of your roads; enhance your safety; defend your water supplies and your wallets.
Mr. Baxter has been a Hays County property owner since 1993 and a Central Texas resident since 1979, for 20 of the past 26 years. He owns a niche national lighting sales business and is a production lighting consultant for clients ranging from Amex and IBM to the New York City Ballet and Opera, so none of his income is a source of local conflict. He attended both the University of Illinois and the University of Texas at Austin. In his opinion, his most important volunteer position is that of Asst. Scoutmaster for his son’s Boy Scout troop. He lives with his wife, Laurie and their two children, Weston and Sara.

We ‚Ķ”must now answer a call. Before it is too late. A call for our future, for our children’s future. A call to come together. Not as disparate individuals seeking their required end, but as a community seeking its desired end. An end that could also be defined as a new beginning, a beginning not simply brought by our leaders, but rather sought by our people.”

Please join me Sunday, February 26th from 2pm - 5pm at the VFW Hall in Wimberley.  There will be lots of good food, a great band and lot of fun folks.  I look forward to seeing you all there.  Attached is the invitation and a second page with directions. (Moderator: attachments may not be included due to blog tech difficulties- contact Liz at tesumter@msn.com.)

KUT, 90.5 FM, is compiling a report for broadcast later today on the Belterra sewer plant application.¬† Listen for it, and come to tonight’s 7-9 pm F/A meeting at Friendship Baptist Church to learn more and also hear from candidates running in the March 7 Primary.¬†

The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer District is also meeting tonight to initiate action to study the potential sewer plant impacts.

Brian Dudley

F/A President

FRIENDSHIP ALLIANCE CANDIDATE FORUM AND SEWER PLANT MEETING
Thursday, February 23, 2006   7:00-9:00 pm
 
The Friendship alliance will hold a special Meeting and Candidate Forum at 7:00-9:00 pm on Thursday, February 23 at the Friendship Baptist Church located on FM1826, just south of Nutty Brown Rd.  All members and the general public are invited to attend.

 
Two important activities will occur at this event:

 

• First, meet and hear the candidates running for County offices in the March 7, 2006 Democratic and Republican Primaries.¬† All candidates have been invited.¬† The format will be short statements from the candidates and then discussion and answers to your questions.

• Second, learn the latest about Belterra’s (WCID #1) application to enlarge its sewer plant by 5 times and discharge its effluent into Bear Creek that runs right next to Friendship Baptist Church.¬† No sewer plant has ever been allowed to discharge into local creeks due to concerns about effects on groundwater, recreation and wildlife. Creek-side residents, the two groundwater districts, water well owners and area scientists have begun to meet and voice concerns.¬† Beyond any immediate water quality impacts, this type of sewer plant would mean that apartments and any other type of development could now occur absolutely anywhere in northern Hays County.

 
We look forward to seeing you Thursday night.

 
Brian Dudley,

F/A President

During the next month, sign-on to www.friendshipalliance.org/poliblog and you’ll see messages from the candidates running in the Hays County Primary Elections.¬†¬†You can also post comments and questions for discussion on this blog.¬†

It works like this:

Anyone can go to the blog and read the discussions on the election. Candidates¬†are the only ones that will be posting messages on the blog, but anyone else who registers at the blog can write comments to the candidate’s posts.¬† The president of F/A will moderate the blog — which means he’ll look at each comment before it is published on the blog and make sure¬†all material is appropriate.¬† As a result,¬†there will be a delay of a few hours¬†before your comments are posted.

Let’s make this blog informative so that we may choose elected officials that will act to¬†address the needs of all of us in Northern Hays County.

Also,each new Post by candidates will¬†be sent separately to the F/A e-mail list (comments will not be sent).¬† We’ve set this up to be spam-proof.¬† We may make adjustments as we go along to make this blog relevant and responsive.¬†¬†

Brian Dudley, F/A President

Greetings from the Friendship Alliance.  February brings a need for your attention to two important events:

¬†1.¬† The Belterra Subdivision’s application for a much-enlarged, regional sewer plant with discharge directly into Bear Creek, and
 2.  The March 7, 2006 Hays County Primary Elections, complete with a planned F/A candidate forum meeting and blog page.

 First an introduction, I am Brian Dudley, the new F/A President.  I am a Civil Engineer, 12 year resident of Goldenwood and F/A board member since its inception.  Rob Baxter has stepped down to run as a Precinct 4 County Commissioner candidate in the Democratic Primary. 

 BELTERRA APPLIES TO TCEQ FOR A 533% LARGER SEWER PLANT AND THE FIRST EVER DISCHARGE INTO A LOCAL CREEK!
¬†Currently, Belterra (i.e. Hays Co.WCID #1) has a 150,000 gal/day sewer plant approved to drip irrigate its effluent on 35 acres of subdivision greenspace.¬†¬† TCEQ is now reviewing its application for a 800,000 gal/day plant that would serve Belterra, HighPointe (on Sawyer Ranch Rd), Stone Ledge (N of US290), 600 apartments and ¬? million sf of office and retail.¬† The WCID could even ask for more increases in the future.¬† The sewage plant effluent would be pumped into the creek in Belterra at 550 gal/min.¬† Never before has a stream discharge ever been approved in the Edwards Aquifer contributing area or the Highland Lakes. The effluent is supposed to pool along the creek at a couple of locations within Belterra with some water removed to irrigate roadside landscaping.¬† It will also run downstream and fill other landowner’s ponds and then run into the Edward’s Recharge Zone 8 miles downstream from the discharge pipe.

 The implications are that with a water pipeline, sewer plant discharge to the creek and little meaningful development regulation in the County, virtually any density can be developed.  With this precedent, additional sewer plants can be approved to dump into other creeks.  Problem algae, limitations on swimming and impacts to aquifer water quality could occur.

 TCEQ is accepting written comments and requests for a public meeting (which it will hold only if there is “significant public interest”).  It is important to ask for a public meeting so the project can be further explained and examined. You will also be placed on the TCEQ mailing list for this project.  A public meeting would likely occur in a couple of months after the staff has thoroughly reviewed the Application.  Any comments you send, however, will get to staff as they are conducting their review.  In your letter, refer to Hays County WCID #1 Permit WQ0014293001 and write to:

 Office of the Chief Clerk (MC 105)
TCEQ
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX  78711-3087

 You may also contact Rep. Patrick Rose at 463-0647 or Sen. Jeff Wentworth at 463-0125.  If they ask for a public meeting, TCEQ will hold one.

 A copy of the Application can be viewed at the Dripping Springs Public Library.  More details later.  Residents in the Nutty Brown Rd. area are beginning to organize with engineering and legal help.

MARCH 7, 2006 COUNTY PRIMARY ELECTIONS

 Some very good candidates that will take on the needs of developing Hays County are running for County offices in the March 7, 2006 Primaries.  F/A is planning a candidate forum for the major races.  A tentative date is Thursday, February 23.  Also, a blog page will be operational shortly where you can view and post commentary on the races, and see comments from the candidates. 

 Check on it at  www.friendshipalliance.org/poliblog  .   Candidates in major primary races include:

County Commissioner, Pct. 4

 Democrats: Rob Baxter, 47, small business owner; Karen Ford, 53, advertising business owner 

Republicans: (i) Russ Molenaar, 61, county commissioner; Johnnie Q. Ward II, 60, air conditioning technician

 County Judge

 Democrats: Elizabeth "Liz" Sumter, 46, business owner

 Republicans: Ernest Murry, 51, self-employed; (i) Jim Powers, 50, county judge

 428th District Court Judge

 Democrats: Anna Martinez Boling, 46, attorney; Michael 'Mike' Marcin, 46, attorney.

 Republicans: (i) Bill Henry, 43, attorney.

  Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4

 Democrats: James "Jim" Autrand, 59, field service engineer; Bill Hall, 69, attorney 

Republicans: (i) Rex Baker, 53, attorney; Terry Kyle, 55, master electrician

CONTACT US

If you have any immediate thoughts on these items, you may send comments to the F/A board via the “contact us” link at www.friendshipalliance.org .