Equipment Needs List

The City is working on a wish list of items that will help us to better maintain our small town. These items do not come cheap and we have a plan to put money back so that we can afford them without having to dip into your pocket at this time. We will be applying collected money from delinquent taxes and water bills into an equipment fund. If we are able to collect enough, we will not have to raise utility bills and taxes for this purpose. We may still, however have to raise money to repair the streets!

I learned many years ago that being self-sufficient is a powerful position. To be self-sufficient, we must have the equipment, time, and money to maintain roads, streets, and insect control to name a few. I dislike depending on Hockley County for road and street maintenance. If we can take care of more of these needs, we can go to the County for help with more pressing issues when these issues present themselves.

We have a chipper shredder and will be chipping tree branches starting next week. Our backhoe is currently being diagnosed and we should be able to have it repaired much cheaper than the cost of purchasing a new one, at least for now.

Our equipment needs list is as follows:
1. Mosquito fogger. We should be able to purchase one from the Texas Boll Weevil Program this fall for pennies on the dollar rather than the $4,000 to $6,000 price tag. Having one this summer would be nice, but we do not have time to get someone licensed to operate the fogger until the season is almost over. Remember that if you have standing water, you probably have mosquitoes breeding there. Dump the water or find a way to drain it if it is standing in your yard or alley. If it is standing in the street, notify City Hall.

2. Small Maintainer. The County does not put a large priority on maintaining our streets and ditches. With maintainer, we could not only smooth our rough roads while there is moisture in the dirt, but we could work the ditches and keep them maintained and flowing water so that they are not breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease carrying rodents and insects. Having better drainage will also keep the asphalt from deteriorating where the water stands.

3. Backhoe. We are currently on the third transmission in our backhoe. Though we have rebuilt the engine and some of the hydraulics this piece of equipment has close to 6,500 hours on it and it is just tired and difficult to keep from breaking.

4. Security Cameras for City Barn. If we are to provide a place to dump large items such as couches and other items that will not fit in the dumpsters, we have to have positive control of the collection point. In just the past three weeks, we have had people dump items over the fence, pile items in front of the fence, and take large items in and place them in front of almost full dumpsters rather than communicating with the City to find out when they can dump. The City must have a way to maintain positive control on the collection point and have a way to prosecute those violate state dumping laws. In a perfect world, this would not be a problem, but.....

If you have ideas, I want to hear them. Getting our city in shape will take a team effort and I want everyone in the community on the team! Try to take care of yours and one more if possible.

Karl
mayor@cityofanton.org

Nepotism

A question arose today regarding nepotism which is basically the act of hiring relatives by elected officials of a public body such as the City Council. The following chapter of the Texas Municipal Code defines the term and sets out who can and cannot be hired based on their level of consanguinity or affinity. Click the link below and you will be directed to the statute. Right click and then select the link below and select one of the following: "open in new window" or "open in new tab" if you do not wish to leave this blog.
CHAPTER 573. DEGREES OF RELATIONSHIP; NEPOTISM PROHIBITIONS

I am posting this to ward off any potential issues arising about hiring policies at City hall relative to members of families of City employees for part-time summer work. Our City Manager has the authority as given by the City Council in approximately 1982 to hire and fire employees at his discretion. As long as the hiring decision is not required by law or statute to be made or approved by the Governing Body (mayor and council) there are no nepotism issues that arise.

If you have questions or concerns, please call me at 763-3010.
Karl

Replies

I have set the comments to moderated so that I can scan them for appropriateness before posting. I will approve all messages, positive and negative as long as they are not anonymous AND as long as they do not contain obscene or inappropriate language.
Karl

Rumors

After answering questions about runoffs, water meter charges, water rates, taxes and various and sundry other issues, I felt that I should address some of these concerns, so here goes.....

Q. When will we have the runoff election?
A. There is no reason to have a runoff election. Texas election law only requires a plurality (one vote more than any other candidate) unless another law states otherwise.
see Texas Election Code § 2.001

Q. I heard that the reason that there was not a recount was because the City shredded the ballots.
A. Following Texas election protocol, the ballots are locked in the ballot box by the election judge the night of the election. Once the recount window has passed, ballots remain in the ballot box where they will be kept until the next election, at which time they are destroyed.

Q. Why did XXXXX not have to pay the $250.00 tap charge to have their water meter installed?
A. Unfortunately, these types of rumors where "certain" people are not charged the same as the other citizens are part and parcel of small town living. As your Mayor, I have verified that everyone who gets new water service (new construction, no water meter on property, etc.) pays a $250.00 tap charge without exception.

Q. Someone said that water bills were going to go up to $60.00 per month!
A. Though the City will probably have to adjust water rates and there is the possibility that taxes will be raised, these changes will not be drastic or excessive. It's important that we all understand such increases are necessary in order for the City to be able to improve streets and roads and other maintenance and improvement projects that benefit the City and the surrounding area. Projects such as:

• Plans to have Santa Fe and Main Street to the City Hall hot topped. The cost of hot topping is approximately $15,000 per 20 foot wide section of street one mile long. We have approximately 8 miles of paved streets that need to be hot topped. The cost of that will be about $110,000 dollars to do it all at once. We must hot top in sections which will be a five to six year plan, depending on winters and damage to our main thoroughfares.
  
• The purchase of a small maintainer (used price $20,000 to $30,000) to allow the City to clean ditches and keep our dirt streets in decent shape. There will need to be culverts added to some properties allowing some people to access their driveways. Though the City is not obligated to purchase culverts, we will be glad to help install them. We are always on the look-out for used sections of culvert and will add you to the list if you will drop me an email.

Q. Why can the City not get a grocery store in Anton?
A. We have talked with several grocery chains and they all have the same concerns. There are not enough consumers in and around Anton to make a store a break-even venture, much less a profitable one.

• Once we start attracting people from Lubbock and outlying areas, our consumer base will grow. The revitalization process is a long, slow undertaking.
  
• We must first make the City an appealing place for people to chose as their home. Streets, pot holes, alleys, and yards are a great start but we must all look at other things such as trees and bushes blocking signs, hanging low over streets, junk cars, and other items that the City has little recourse but to cite, charge, and collect for, unfortunately.
  

As concerns and rumors pop up, I will answer the ones with mass appeal here and I will not mention names - only the basic situation. I am approachable, as most of you know - do not be afraid to ask me questions or send me questions via email.
Karl
mayor@cityofanton.org

Introduction and Thanks

Thanks to those who supported my bid for Mayor! Now that the election is behind us, I invite everyone in Anton and our extended community to join in the task of revitalizing our little town. The town that many of us grew up in and a place that we are proud to call home. Here, you will find updates, answers, and a forum to share your feelings about Anton. Where there are problems, there are solutions!

I know that there are issues that we must address to get things on track. , but I want to use this blog to provide information about successes and failures with the revitalization effort and to answer your questions. If you really feel the need to chew on me about something, please do so at mayor@cityofanton.org and I will respond to you as quickly as possible. I may not have the answers, but I will do my best to find the answers to your questions and provide honest answers and documentation when available.

I look forward to YOUR cares, concerns, and opinions!
Karl