Grapevine, not Fort Worth, says WTH??

Kudos to Grapevine for pushing for answers before committing to blow OUR money.  We can only hope they won’t be bought into selling us all out.

Questions all cities involved should be asking is WHERE does the money come from?

Keep in mind a federal grant is still YOUR money.  And we don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Feds are broke too.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports on Grapevine’s integrity vote.

A plan spearheaded by the North Central Texas Council of Governments to extend passenger rail service from southwest Fort Worth to Plano hit a snag in Grapevine this week.

The Grapevine City Council is not yet ready to support the plan -- or even to sign an agreement asking the council of governments to work on it, a requirement under state law if the project is to move forward.

The council balked for good reason. Council members decided that they did not have enough information, City Manager Bruno Rumbelow said in a Thursday interview.

The Grapevine-to-Plano segment depends on funding from a private entity, which would then take a share of revenue generated by development around stations along the line.

That last part stumped the Grapevine council, Rumbelow said. The council wants to know more about how the finance mechanism would work and to determine whether it might drain development revenue that otherwise would come to the city.

That's important information. The council was wise to withhold its support until it gets answers.

Read more here: Grapevine balks at rail project's lack of specifics

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In what universe?

Does the Fort Worth Star-Telegram write a column that calls out elected and appointed officials spending millions without anyone knowing what’s really going on?  It could have only been better if they were talking about TRV…if you read between the lines, it reads like they are.  There are so many things wrong with these projects, it would take days to point them all out.  YOU need to read this.  These secrets could cost YOU more than you know.

And no surprise, NCTCOG is right in the center, again.  WHO gave them the money they operate with?  WHO gave them any power?

Thanks to the FWST for joining the party.  Better late than never.

Be sure and read the comments… YOUR kids can’t afford for you not to. Here was one of our favorites -

"Government Gone Wild" is the only way to describe what the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is doing.

Read more here: Private rail initiative gets $100 million in public money

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All roads lead to …

Your pocket.  And your rights, or lack thereof.

Several interesting articles in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as of late.  Seems like they are finally starting to pay attention to what is going on with our roads.

First was the NTTA article by the FW Watchdog.

The NTTA is circulating a draft of its proposed bill for the 2013 Legislature. The Watchdog asked NTTA for a copy, but the authority declined. Instead, The Watchdog obtained a draft from another source.

I can exclusively report details of what may be seen by some as NTTA's leap above and beyond basic constitutional rights. Others, wanting violators to pay up, will see the proposed system as a way to offer violators a chance to tell their side of the story.

When I think of an NTTA-operated court, legendary Judge Roy Bean's courtroom in Langtry comes to mind: "Do you have anything to say before we find you guilty?"

The bill gives NTTA even more power than it already has. For instance, a guilty toll debtor must either pay the debt, fines and penalties or else satisfy "the authority in its sole discretion." That's pretty open-ended.

The Watchdog asks: Is the NTTA competent enough to create its own judiciary?

We all know the answer to that but Lieber gives you three examples.  Read them all, cause YOU could be next.

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Right on, Clyde

Clyde sent us a copy of his letter that he sent to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Too bad the big city folks don’t read…

Water is one of the most important issues having a bearing on our future. The Tarrant Regional Water District is on one hand engaged in obtaining water by court action and on the other maximizing gas drilling on TRWD property and using copious amounts of water. The second priority seems to be economic development.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments and member cities should lobby the Legislature to eliminate fiefdoms like TRWD and create a metropolitan water district serving north central Texas that is wholly engaged in providing an adequate water supply for the future.

The Fort Worth City Council is making a mockery of the code of ethics. Members are doing nothing less than writing themselves a free pass to avoid public censure. A major conflict of interest occurs when the city attorney, who is hired, fired and given pay raises by the council, is the one who rules on ethical conduct.

A code of ethics encompasses more than just conflict of interest, it addresses moral standards as well. If it doesn't look right to the public, it isn't right. Without impartial committee selection and adjudication of ethical conduct, the council is violating the public trust.

-- Clyde Picht, Fort Worth

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WHAT Senators?

A letter in the FW Star-Telegram makes a valid point.  Does Texas have Senators?

Texas senators

The recent letter by Herman Morris about Texas' U.S. senators was in error. 

Texas has no senators. We do have two people in Washington, but the man represents the Republican Party and the woman represents herself

-- Don Prager, Fort Worth

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God Bless CT

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Sold to the public...Fail

We were forwarded this note so we're not sure WHO wrote it, but we are sure they know what's up.  Too bad those river ruining, convention center building, public money spending folks don't.  Maybe they don't read...

"How many more cities are going to be duped by the convention center craze? I do not support any government owned businesses, but two facts make this a no brainer. One, convention business is declining, and two, construction of convention facilities has ballooned nationwide. More competition for a smaller pie. Yeah, let's jump right in.

The article even says that most convention centers lose money and require government subsidy (on top of the government building them). And their solution is to put $250 million into a new one? Plus they're already talking about the oh so critical convention center hotel. Where have I heard this story before?

Maybe they're thinking that Oklahoma City is such an amazing tourist destination that they will defy the national trend and all the fundamental laws of economics?

Oh, but it's worth building this loser because, "CSL claims that economic development from conventions would nearly triple with a new center." Every single city has been sold on these market studies that have proven to be bogus time and time again. Their self serving empty promises are just to give the illusion of legitimacy to the project. But in reality it is all about a tiny minority getting rich off of construction contracts and land deals. The development, if it comes at all, likewise has to be heavily subsidized due to nonexistent market demand, making it a triple loser for the taxpayers.

So that's my rant on this, but for a more academic approach, just Google Heywood Sanders. He's a professor of Public Administration at UT San Antonio who has been studying these things for years. They all follow the same pattern of how they're sold to the public and how they fail to meet expectations."

We usually only talk about Oklahoma when it comes to water and drillers.  This was too good to pass up.  Read more here. 

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