[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:09]
EVERYONE. I WILL CALL OUR LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP TO ORDER. IT IS OCTOBER 26TH, 2026 AT 9 A.M. WE ARE AT THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE, THE PUBLIC FORUM. IT'S THE PUBLIC'S OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE COUNTY REGARDING ANY COUNTY
[2.A) Discussion of County legislative agenda items and priorities, and all related issues;]
MATTERS. NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP. NO ONE IS HERE. SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO.DISCUSSION ITEMS. AGENDA ITEM TWO A DISCUSSION OF COUNTY LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ITEMS AND PRIORITIES AND ALL RELATED ISSUES. JUST KIND OF AN OVERARCHING. FIRST OF ALL, OUR STANDARD WORKSHOP RULES ARE IN PLACE, WHICH IS ROLLING, TUMBLING. LET'S JUST KIND OF WRESTLE IT TO THE GROUND AND FIGURE IT OUT. AND THEN NO, NO CERTAIN ORDERS. MY HOPE IS AT THE END OF TODAY, WE HAVE AN IDEA OF, OF WHAT WE WANT TO HOLD NOT ONLY OUR LEGISLATORS, BUT THE ENTIRE STATE LEGISLATIVE BODY ACCOUNTABLE FOR, FOR WHAT WE'RE GOING TO ASK FOR AND WHAT WE EXPECT. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I THINK I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO BOBBIE GALLINA, WHO CALLED THIS WORKSHOP. THANK YOU SIR. TAKE IT AWAY. SOUNDS GOOD. I JUST WANT TO KIND OF SET I'LL SET THE STAGE A LITTLE BIT FOR ANYBODY WHO MAY BE LISTENING AND FOR THE REST OF THE COURT, THE WE'RE OBVIOUSLY PREPARING TO TRY TO BE ON OFFENSE A LITTLE MORE IN THE 90TH LEDGE SESSION. I HOPE THE 89TH. WE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB OF BEING ON DEFENSE. AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WE PREVENTED A LOT OF REALLY TERRIBLE THINGS FROM HAPPENING. BUT I'D LIKE TO GO ON OFFENSE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THIS SESSION AND TRY TO GET SOME GOOD THINGS DONE. THE SESSION OPENS NOVEMBER 9TH. JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, FOR BILL FILING. AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DATE BECAUSE LEDGER REVIEW, WE'RE ALL BILLS HAVE TO GO THROUGH FIRST WILL FILL UP QUICKLY, AND YOU WILL START TO SEE LONG TURNAROUND TIMES ON ANY LEGISLATION. IF WE DON'T GET IN SOON WITH SOMETHING THAT WE MAY WANT TO ADDRESS. THE SESSION CONVENES JANUARY 12TH. BILL FILING DEADLINE WILL BE MARCH 12TH AND THE SESSION ENDS.
THE REGULAR SESSION ENDS MAY 31ST. THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO ADDRESS FROM MY SIDE, I'VE GOT FOUR SORT OF PRIORITIES IN MIND FOR FOR ME. AND OF COURSE, WE'LL I'M SURE WE'LL ADD SOME TO THESE AND AND WRESTLE WITH THEM AS THE JUDGE SAID, AND DECIDE WHAT COMES OUT OF THIS MEETING. BUT FOR ME, IT'S EXPOSE AND REDUCE UNFUNDED MANDATES. THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. MANAGE GROWTH IN OUR UNINCORPORATED AREA, FUND THE ROADS THAT ARE GROWTH AND PAST GROWTH DEMANDS, AND KEEP OUR DECISIONS LOCAL. SO THAT KIND OF ENCAPSULATES WHAT I'M LOOKING AT FOR THIS SESSION. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE US GOING ON OFFENSE AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS LIKE THE LAST THING, IT'S US GOING ON, GOING ON A LITTLE BIT. YOU GO OVER THAT LIST AGAIN. SURE. EXPOSE AND REDUCE UNFUNDED MANDATES. TWO IS MANAGE GROWTH IN OUR UNINCORPORATED AREA. THREE FUND ROADS THAT OUR GROWTH DEMANDS. AND OUR PAST GROWTH IS OF COURSE ALREADY DEMANDED. AND I'M SURE COMMISSIONER STACY WILL TALK SOME ABOUT FM ROAD. SO I'M GOING TO I'M GOING TO LEAVE THAT WHOLLY FOR HIM. KEEP DECISIONS LOCAL. OBVIOUSLY, WE FOUGHT THAT LAST SESSION WHEN I LOOKED AT UNFUNDED MANDATES, AND I'LL JUST GIVE A QUICK LITTLE BRIEF SYNOPSIS. WHEN I LOOKED AT THEM IN OUR BUDGET FOR LAST YEAR, OBVIOUSLY OUR LAST FULLY EXECUTED BUDGET, WE WERE ALMOST TO 60% OF OUR BUDGET IN UNFUNDED STATE MANDATES IS LIKE 57.89% IS WHAT OUR UNFUNDED MANDATE BUDGET WAS.
AND SO AS WE GO TO BATTLE THE LEGISLATURE ON THIS, AND THEY CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY AND THAT THEY DO NOT TAX AND THEY DON'T TAX, AND THAT THAT IS A STANDARD REFRAIN THAT'S GOING ACROSS THE STATE. WE DO NOT HAVE PROPERTY TAX. YEAH. AND THEY DO. THEY TAX BY SENDING UNFUNDED MANDATES TO THE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO HANDLE FOR THE COUNTY. AND IT IS MORE THAN HALF OUR BUDGET. AND IT'S NOT THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S A LOT OF JUSTICE THINGS INDIGENT HEALTH. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. JUVENILE PROBATION, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US, THAT WE'RE NOT JUST GOING TO SAY WE'RE NOT GOING TO HANDLE, BUT I WISH THE STATE WOULD BE MORE GENUINE IN HOW THEY DESCRIBE THEIR ABILITY TO TAX, BECAUSE THEY DO TAX THROUGH US AND FORCE US TO DO
[00:05:02]
THAT WORK, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO IT TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY WITH THE LEAST IMPACT ON THE TAXPAYER. BUT I'D LIKE THE STATE. I'D BE FINE IF OUR BUDGET SHRANK IN THE STATE, DID THEIR PART AND PAID FOR THESE THINGS, AND WE JUST PAID FOR WHAT WE ARE DOING AND NOT WHAT THE STATE MANDATES. NOW, IF WE EVER GET THERE IS A IS ANOTHER STORY, BUT PROBABLY NEVER. BUT I WOULD LIKE I WOULD LIKE THERE TO BE SOME MECHANISM IN, YOU KNOW, ON WHEN THE STATE PASSES SOMETHING THAT'S GOT IMPACT LOCALLY, THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO FUND THE FISCAL NOTES THEY PUT OUT FOR THOSE THINGS ARE TERRIBLE. AND YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF THE FISCAL IMPACT AHEAD OF WHEN IT GOES INTO PLACE. AND I WANT THAT. THAT'S WHAT I'M AFTER IN THE UNFUNDED MANDATES IS CLEANING UP THOSE NOTES. DO YOU HAVE A LIST? SO I'M NOT INTERRUPTING YOU. I DO HAVE A. I JUST WANT TO JUST FOR THE COHESIVENESS OF THE ARGUMENT THEY HAVE LEARNED AND THEY IS WHATEVER AUSTIN, TEXAS IS. AND I'M NOT POINTING TO OUR REPS, I'M NOT POINTING TO ANYBODY THAT IF THEY CAN GET A ZERO FISCAL NOTE, THEY CAN GET A BILL PASSED. AND SO, SO, SO WHAT COMMISSIONER GALANTE IS TALKING ABOUT, I THINK IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALLY DIVE INTO. I'VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT IN THAT WAY. BUT WHEN WHEN THEY WHEN THEY GET A REPORT BACK FROM THE LEDGE, IF YOU'LL NOTICE, LIKE IF YOU GO TO TEXAS LEDGE ONLINE, THE FISCAL NOTE IS THE THIRD COLUMN OVER. AND IF THAT FISCAL NOTE HAS $1, THAT BILL DIES. YEAH.SO THEY'RE FINDING A WAY. AND AGAIN, THEY AS THE SYSTEM IN AUSTIN, THE PROVERBIAL MAN DOWN THERE OF, OF CREATING THESE BILLS WITH ZERO IMPACT. BUT THEN WHEN THEY GET PASSED, THEY COME DOWN TO US AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PASS THEM BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ZERO IMPACT, THEY HAVE ZERO IMPACT ON THEIR BUDGET. SO IF THERE'S A WAY THAT WE COULD CREATE SOME SORT OF FORECASTING ON WHAT THE RAMIFICATIONS COULD BE TO COUNTIES OR STATEWIDE, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT WE AT LEAST NEED TO PUT INTO THE CONVERSATION, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY LIVE AND DIE BY IS WHATEVER THAT FISCAL NOTE SAYS. WHO WOULD BE THE ENTITY TO DO THAT? I MEAN, WE CERTAINLY COULD FINANCE THE HOUSE FINANCE AND SENATE FINANCE. WELL, I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU. YOU YOU'VE IDENTIFIED A GREAT AREA WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING OUR PART. THIS HAS ZERO BUDGET IMPACT. WELL, BUT IT COMES DOWN HERE AND IT COULD HAVE TREMENDOUS BUDGET IMPACT. AND WE'RE FULLY CAPABLE. I'M CAPABLE OF SAYING, HERE IS THE IMPACT THIS BILL WILL HAVE ON ROCKWALL COUNTY, BUT THAT DOESN'T EXTRAPOLATE IT OUT TO THE REST OF THE STATE. RIGHT. THIS IS A THIS IS A YOU KNOW, THIS IS A FIGHT THAT I THINK WILL START THIS SESSION FROM NOT ONLY US, BUT I THINK SOME THERE'S SOME OTHER COUNTIES LOOKING AT THIS. WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS COMMISSIONER STACEY IS CORRECT. IF IT HAS A DOLLAR OF BUDGET IMPACT AND THEY MEAN TO THE STATE BUDGET, OF COURSE, THEN THOSE BILLS HAVE A HARD TIME. BUT WHEN IT'S A $0 IMPACT THEIR BUDGET, THOSE BILLS CAN GET THROUGH. BUT THE IMPACT TO A LOCAL BUDGET IS NOT LISTED ON THE FISCAL IMPACT. AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE IT'S ALL TAXPAYER DOLLARS, AND WE COULD BE DOING SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE IMPACTS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR US TO START FLAGGING SOME OF THESE BILLS AND TALKING ABOUT IT. RIGHT. IT WOULD HELP US FLAG THE BILL AND THEN AND THEN HAVE OUR, YOU KNOW, AUDITOR OR WHOEVER WE WANT, TRY TO DIVE IN AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE IMPACT COULD BE, AND THEN RELAY THAT IMPACT TO OUR REP AND SENATOR, AND THEN GO TESTIFY WITH SOME ACTUAL DOLLARS RATHER THAN THE CATCHING IT AFTER IT HAPPENS OR IT'S TOO LATE AND IT'S ALREADY GONE THROUGH COMMITTEE AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S WAYS THAT WE NEED TO GET AFTER THESE THINGS QUICKER AND EXPOSE THEIR IMPACT TO OUR LOCAL TAXPAYERS FASTER, BECAUSE THEN WE CAN GET THEM INVOLVED AND WE CAN GET INVOLVED WITH OUR REP, SENATOR AND OTHERS. I AGREE, I DO THINK THAT THERE IS A LOT TO BE SAID WITH. THERE'S A LOT OF FORCE WITH NUMBERS, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE TOP TWO ITEMS THAT THAT THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES HAS PUT OUT IN THEIR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM THE 90TH OR FROM THE MEETING THEY HAD BACK IN AUGUST. AND THEY PUT THAT OUT. SO TO ME, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING WE'RE SAYING FOR US, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE PROBABLY A GOOD CONSORTIUM FOR, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, OF OTHER OF OTHER COUNTIES, AND NOT ONLY, BUT OF THEIR COURTS, NOT ONLY THE, THE, THE INDIVIDUALS AT PTAC OR AT COOK. THEY NEED TO WE NEED TO HAVE A CORE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING DOWN THERE. AND I MEAN, IT'S GREAT THAT ROCKWALL DOES, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO REALLY HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF COUNTIES THAT ARE ALL IMPACTED BY THIS. YEAH, MY ONE OF MY AND WE'LL HASH THIS OUT TOO. I JUST WANT TO PUT IT OUT THERE AND THEN WE CAN DISCUSS HOW IT LOOKS. BUT ONE OF MY PLANS IS ALSO TO TRY TO PUT TOGETHER A VERY SMALL LEGISLATIVE GROUP, OF COURSE, WITH WHOEVER WANTS TO JOIN ME FROM THE COURT, BUT I WANT A SMALL ACTION ORIENTED LEGISLATIVE GROUP. THAT IS THAT IS OKAY, GOING DOWN TO AUSTIN WITH SOME OF US AND THEN FORMING SOME OF THOSE ALLIANCES THROUGH OTHER COUNTIES, THROUGH TAC. YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO
[00:10:03]
DO SOME OF THAT AS WELL. AND I KNOW THAT, BUT BUT WE'RE BUSY, AND I'M LOOKING FOR PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE A LOT MORE FREE TIME AND THAT ARE REALLY PASSIONATE AND SMART AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THIS STUFF TO HELP US. AND THEN THEY WILL REPORT, ALSO REPORT TO THE COURT, WHICH THEY CAN REPORT TO THE ENTIRE COURT. SO WE CAN THEN HAVE DISCUSSIONS AS WE PUT THIS ON OUR AGENDA EVERY TIME GOING FORWARD. NOW THAT'S MY AND WE'LL KICK THAT AROUND AND SEE WHAT YOU ALL THINK ABOUT IT. THAT'S ANOTHER JUST KIND OF HIGH LEVEL, SOME OTHER HIGH LEVEL THINGS TO BE THINKING ABOUT WHILE WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS IS THAT WE KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE ANOTHER RUN AT A 2.5% CAP. ON SPENDING. SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A LARGER COUNTIES MAY GET THREE AND A HALF, WE MAY GET THE TWO AND A HALF. THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF TALK GOING AROUND ABOUT THAT. SO JUST HAVE THAT IN MIND. THE GOVERNOR'S PROPERTY TAX PLAN SAYS IT'S GOING TO CAP LOCAL SPENDING GROWTH AT THE LESSER OF 3.5% OR POPULATION. PLUS INFLATION WILL REQUIRE TWO THIRDS VOTER APPROVAL FOR ANY TAX INCREASE AND ALLOW PETITION TRIGGERED ROLLBACK ELECTIONS OF TAXES. SO OKAY, SO THINK ABOUT THAT. THERE'S ALREADY A BUNCH OF INTERIM COMMITTEES THAT ARE STUDYING THIS STUFF. AND SO IT IS GOING TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING ON THE 9TH OF NOVEMBER. SO SO WE GOT TO START LOOKING THEN AND NOT WAITING UNTIL THE SESSION STARTS. HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS IS EXAMINING SPENDING, DEBT AND CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION DURING THE INTERIM. THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT THE WHOLE TIME. HOUSE, LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT'S BEEN STUDYING MUD CREATION AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FEES. AND AND IT'S BEEN QUIET, WHICH IS NOT GREAT BECAUSE THEY ARE WAITING ON THE DEVELOPERS TO SIGNAL WHAT THEY WILL ACCEPT.THERE IS NO DOUBT. AND THAT'S WHY IT'S QUIET. AND THEN HOUSE TRANSPORTATION IS REVIEWING WHETHER TO CONTINUE THE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE FUND. SO, I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT WHAT IS IT? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS? I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT TO US. THE ISSUE IS THAT IS THE STATE IS LOOKING AT. REDUCING OUR ABILITY TO REACT TO INFLATION OR, OR OUR ABILITY TO REACT TO GROWTH OR ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO GET DONE FROM A LARGE FISCAL PERSPECTIVE, WITH THEIR CUT BACK ON BONDING AND WITH THEIR TWO THIRDS APPROVAL OF BOND VOTES, THEY'RE REALLY TIGHTENING THE BELT ON EVERYTHING, AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE GRANTS THAT THEY GIVE TO COUNTIES AND TIGHTENING THE BELT ON THAT STUFF, TIGHTENING THE BELT ON INFRASTRUCTURE THINGS, TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER 10% REDUCTION IN TEX-DOT FUNDING. AND SO WE HAVE A WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE HAVE A LARGE BATTLE ON OUR HANDS HERE BECAUSE WE NEED ALL OF THOSE THINGS. WE CAN'T HAVE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE FUND REDUCED.
TXDOT NEEDS MORE FUNDING. WE NEED WE NEED A WAY TO GET OUR ROADS BUILT IN THIS COUNTY. AND THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG ON INFRASTRUCTURE. BEFORE YOU START TALKING ABOUT WATER AND ELECTRICITY AND OTHER THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED LONG TERM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE. SO I IT SEEMS, COMMISSIONER, ALL OF THIS IS THE CONTINUED BATTLE. I MEAN, EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS CORRECT AND ACCURATE, BUT IT'S ALL IS THE BATTLE OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE VERSUS THE BIG URBAN COUNTIES. YEAH, IT THE BATTLE CONTINUES. THE REST OF US ARE GETTING CAUGHT IN THE NET. BUT IT IS A BATTLE AGAINST TRAVIS DALLAS BEYER HARRIS COUNTIES. IT IS. AND REALIZE TOO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE OBVIOUSLY WE ALL KNOW WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A OF A HEATED ELECTION BATTLE. AND WHILE LOCALLY WE WE MAY BE CONFIDENT OF THE OUTCOME STATEWIDE, LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE NOT. AND THIS PLAYING FIELD COULD CHANGE DRASTICALLY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. WE COULD BE PREPARING FOR ONE THING AND END UP BATTLING A WHOLLY DIFFERENT THING. THE FEAR IS PALPABLE. IT IS. AND SO WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL WITH THAT.
BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE AS IF THINGS ARE GOING TO STAY THE SAME, BECAUSE IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THEY WILL. AND WE WE HAVE A HUGE BATTLE. WE REMEMBER THAT THERE'S THINGS TO TACKLE IN THE UNFUNDED MANDATES TOO, LIKE, YOU KNOW, OUR OUR JAIL, THE COST INSIDE THE JAIL ARE INCREASING AT A RAPID PACE, MAINLY BECAUSE OF INMATE HEALTH CARE. AND IT'S NEVER BEEN ADDRESSED AT THE STATE LEVEL. NOT TO MENTION THAT WE ARE STILL HOLDING PEOPLE FOR 30 TO 45 DAYS BEFORE THE STATE STARTS PAYING. IF THEY'RE GOING, YOU KNOW, TO THE PRISONS, TO THE STATE SYSTEM, AND WE'RE PAYING FOR THE COST DURING THAT TIME OF HOLDING THEM, WHICH IS
[00:15:06]
INSANE FOR OUR LOCAL TAXPAYERS TO HAVE TO DO. AND SO WE I PLAN TO TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT AS WELL DURING THE SESSION WITH OUR WITH OUR REP WHO SEEMS TO ALSO HAVE THE SAME FEELING THAT I DO IN TERMS OF THAT. SO I'LL KICK IT OFF TO, TO YOU GUYS TO CARRY FROM, FROM HERE. AND WE'LL DO THE ROLLING AND TUMBLING AND, AND DISCUSSING. BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE FRAMEWORK THAT I WANTED TO START OFF WITH TO DISCUSS. I LIKE THAT COMMISSIONER MATLOCK.OKAY. PRETTY MUCH HE, HE HIT ON ALL THE KEY POINTS THAT I HAD, WHICH OBVIOUSLY STATE DECISION VERSUS LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING. I THINK THAT THAT'S WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT.
I'M NOT GOING TO GO OVER THAT UNFUNDED MANDATES. THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT THAT I HAD, AND IT'S JUST SOMETHING I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE IN THE BACK. WE PROBABLY NEED TO ADOPT SOME TYPE OF A A POSITION IN REGARDS TO DATA CENTERS. OKAY, THEY'RE NOT HERE YET, BUT THEY'RE COMING. OKAY. THEY CAN COME HERE. AND I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF A POSITION ON THAT AND BE PREPARED TO, TO DISCUSS THAT. AND THEN LET'S SEE, WHAT ELSE DID I HAVE? I WANTED TO ASK YOU, BOBBY, IF I COULD, IN REGARDS TO THE THE COUNTY AUDITOR'S, THE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL BUDGET. THERE'S SOME OF THESE THAT JUST JUMP OUT AND THEY'LL BE VERY TRANSPARENT FOR US TO USE. BUT COULD WE DO YOU DO YOU THINK WOULD IT BE ALL RIGHT IF I TALKED TO HER? YOU CAN EITHER ONE OF US AND WE TRY TO GET LIKE A 3 OR 4 YEAR, YOU KNOW, HISTORY SO THAT WE REALLY IT'S REALLY SELLS OUR STORY A LOT STRONGER ON SOME OF THESE, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE JAIL AND, YOU KNOW, AND THE INDIGENT CARE AND THAT OBVIOUSLY JUDICIAL COURT SYSTEM. WE GOT A BAD HIT THIS LAST YEAR, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GOING TO GO AWAY. NO, THE THING ABOUT SOME OF THESE EXPENSES IS THAT THESE ARE SOME OF OUR FASTEST GROWING ONES THAT ARE IN HERE IN THE UNFUNDED PART. SO WHILE WE'RE WHILE WE'RE BEING YELLED AT TO CONTROL CONTROL COSTS, THE ONES THAT THE STATE HAS HANDED DOWN TO US FOR US TO HANDLE ARE, ARE SOME OF THE FASTEST GROWING AREAS. THERE'S MORE THAN THIS. I BELIEVE IN THE UNFUNDED AND UNDERFUNDED, BUT THERE'S SOME THAT ARE UNDERFUNDED MANDATES TO THERE'S MORE THAN THIS. BUT THIS IS WHAT WE COULD KIND OF AGREE ON. SO THERE'S THERE'S SOMETHING THERE'S MORE THAT WE CAN ADD TO THIS. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. IT'S NOT HERE. AND SO IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN THIS REALLY. RIGHT. BUT YEAH, I AGREE WITH YOU. WE, WE CAN GET A THREE YEAR ROLL OF WHERE THIS WAS AND A, AND A TRENDING GROWTH OF THOSE COSTS TO PROBABLY TO, TO USE WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT UNFUNDED MANDATES, CAN WE, CAN WE LOOK AT A WAY OF REPACKAGING THAT MESSAGE, THAT MESSAGE OF MAYBE STATE PARTNERSHIPS? YEAH. NO, I SOFTEN IT WHEN WE GO DOWN THERE OR UNACCOUNTED TAX INCREASE AND AN AUSTIN. YOUR EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION THAT I WAS GOING. ALL RIGHT. CARRY ON. COMMISSIONER STACY'S TRYING TO SOFTEN THE LANGUAGE AND YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT MORE ABRASIVE. I, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF AND I'VE HEARD THIS AND AND AGAIN, I'M JUST TRYING TO BE EXTRA CAREFUL BECAUSE WE'RE BEING RECORDED AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT OUR REPS. I'M TALKING ABOUT AUSTIN AS A MACHINE. I'VE HEARD DISCUSSIONS OF, WELL, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WHAT WE TELL YOU TO DO. THAT'S WHAT COUNTIES ARE HERE TO DO. WE'RE AUSTIN AND WE'RE DIRECTING YOU THROUGH LAWS TO DO THAT. SO WHY ARE YOU COMING BACK AND TELLING US? AND I THINK THAT BECAUSE WE ARE BASICALLY LIKE A GOVERNOR OF THE STATE. THE STATE TELLS US WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO. AND WE WORK IN KIND OF A IN. I THINK THAT IF WE WERE TO DISCUSS THE PARTNERSHIP, WE'RE TRYING TO PARTNER WITH YOU TO RUN CRIMINAL JUSTICE OR TRYING TO PARTNER WITH YOU TO RUN THESE JAILS. AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU IS, IS THAT WHEN YOU WHEN YOU INCREASE THE BURDEN UPON THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO WORK WITH US, WHETHER THAT BE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT DOES COST MONEY, OR WHETHER WE CAN FACTOR THAT INTO THE 2.5% THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SHACKLE US WITH. BUT BUT WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE'RE ADMINISTERING YOUR COURT SYSTEM AT THE DISTRICT COURT OR THE COUNTY COURT LEVEL AND THE AND THE JAILS, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE WHEN THOSE COSTS GO UP? 5%, BUT WE CAN ONLY RAISE TAXES 2.5%.
WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? I THINK IF WE START TALKING ABOUT THIS AS WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH YOU AND WORK WITHIN WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO REACT AND MANAGE WHAT YOU WANT US TO MANAGE? IF YOU WILL NEVER EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE ANY OF THE COSTS OF THE SYSTEMS WERE PUT IN CHARGE OF? I THINK IF WE START TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO DISCUSS IT THAT WAY, I THINK WE COULD GET FURTHER. I THINK UNFUNDED MANDATES HAS BEATEN AS AS KIND OF BEATEN ITSELF, AND THEY DON'T EVEN HEAR THAT WORD ANYMORE. IF YOU WALK INTO A REP'S OFFICE, SAY, WE'RE TIRED OF UNFUNDED MANDATES, THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY. AND THEN AND THEN
[00:20:01]
WE WALK OUT THE DOOR. BUT IF WE BUT IF WE APPROACH IT TO SENATE FINANCE AND WAYS AND MEANS AND OUR OWN REPS SAYING WE ARE TRYING TO RUN THE BEST JAIL AND THE BEST COURT SYSTEM UNDER YOUR GUYS AND LEADERSHIP, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE COSTS EXCEED WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO? IS THERE ANY HOW HOW DO WE HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO MANAGE THAT? AND I THINK THAT THAT KIND OF CAN, CAN CHANGE THE CONVERSATION. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO DO THAT. BUT YOU TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 60% OF IT BEING UNFUNDED MANDATES. WHAT WHAT IF WE WERE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SAY 60% OF WHAT WE DO IS ELECTIONS, COURTS AND JAILS? SO IF 60% OF OUR BUDGET IS BEING CONTROLLED BY WHAT WE WANT TO DO, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE COSTS ARE OUT OF LINE WITH THE CONSTRAINTS YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT ON US FROM A LOCAL SPENDING AUTHORITY? AND, AND HOW DO WE WORK THAT? AND YOU'RE JUST DOING THE COURT SYSTEM. THERE'S A LOT MORE.YEAH. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. YEAH. AND, AND, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN INCLUDING THE CLERK'S OFFICES AND THE DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICES AND, AND, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TO, TO RUN THESE THINGS, I DON'T KNOW, I JUST FEEL LIKE REPACKAGING THAT FROM A ROCKWALL. MAYBE WE CAN TAKE THE LEAD ON GOING DOWN TO AUSTIN AND SAYING WHAT WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT IS MANAGING A GOOD QUALITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT IS OVER 60% OF OUR BUDGET, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT THESE SPENDING CONSTRAINTS ON US. HOW DO WE HOW DO WE WORK THROUGH THAT? DO YOU WANT US TO START CUTTING COSTS IN OUR JAIL? DO YOU WANT US TO START CUTTING COSTS IN OUR COURT SYSTEM? I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT US TO DO. I THINK THAT MIGHT MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE A WAY THAT WE COULD WORK INTO OUR LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION. THAT'S A GOOD PROFESSIONAL, POLICY DRIVEN WAY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. BUT I WANT YOU TO KIND OF JUST STEP BACK AND PUT YOURSELF IN OUR STATE STATE ELECTEDS POSITION FOR A MINUTE. WELL, LET ME START BY TELLING YOU, WHEN I GO TO THE TRAINING FOR THE THE JUDGES AND SIT IN A ROOM FULL OF COUNTY JUDGES ALL ACROSS THE STATE, MAN, IT IS A DIFFERENT WORLD THERE. THERE ARE THE NUMBER WISE, THE MAJORITY OF COUNTIES ARE RURAL COUNTIES WHO DO NOT HAVE THE ISSUES. WE HAVE AND ARE UNINTERESTED IN FIGHTING FOR THE ISSUES THAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR, OUR VERY SURVIVAL FOR. TAKE THAT IN. WHAT WE SAID EARLIER, THE BIG URBAN COUNTIES, IT'S A DIFFERENT BEAST ALTOGETHER. YOU HAVE THEM ON ONE HAND, THE RURAL COUNTIES, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE'RE WHAT I WOULD LUMP INTO A GROUP OF FAST GROWING COUNTIES AROUND A BIG URBAN COUNTY. YOU GET LOST IN THE CHATTER OF TRYING TO HAVE THAT HIGH LEVEL CONVERSATION. IT REALLY IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU HAVE TO BOIL IT DOWN TO THAT TOGGLE SWITCH. IT'S A BINARY CHOICE. GOOD OR BAD. THE NUANCE. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THIS AS GOOD. GOING BY THE RULES YOU GAVE US, I THINK THAT'S AN APPROPRIATE THING TO DO, BUT I, I FEAR IT JUST GETS LOST. IT GETS LOST BECAUSE THAT PERSON IS GOING TO HEAR FROM 30 OTHER COUNTIES WHO ARE GOING TO SAY, WELL, I DON'T CARE ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. JUST, YOU KNOW, DON'T, DON'T TAX MY, MY FARMERS.
AND THIS GROUP IS GOING TO SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 72 PEOPLE THAT ARE ON STAFF THAT LOBBY FOR US. SO OUR NEEDS ARE GETTING MET UP OTHER WAYS. AND IT'S. IT'S HARD TO FIND COMMON DENOMINATORS AT THE COUNTY. YOU REALLY HAVE TO STRUGGLE. BUT JUDGE, IT COMES DOWN. I MEAN, I KIND OF THINK OF IT COMES DOWN TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND I'M NOT JUST SPEAKING TO THE TWO THAT THAT ARE OVERSEE FOR ROCKWALL, BUT IT'S ABOUT THEIR CONNECTIONS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OTHER, THE OTHER. AND THEY HAVE TO THEN LOBBY ON BEHALF OF THEIR OF THEIR CITIZENS. AND, AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S HOW THE GAME'S BEEN PLAYED FOR A LONG TIME. AND WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT OUR MESSAGE IS STRONG. AND NOT ONLY ARE OUR LOCAL, OUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES ADVOCATING FOR US, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THEM BEING ADVOCATING AMONG THEIR PEERS ON THE LEGISLATURE. WE DO. BUT AGAIN, THE PROBLEM. SO COMMISSIONER GALANOS SECOND, MANAGED THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS. I MEAN, THAT'S BIG FOR US. YOU GO EAST OF HERE, THEY COULD CARE LESS. AND OUR REPS AND THEIR REPS WHEN THEY CALL THEM AND OR THEIR REPS, CALL THE JUDGE AND SAY, HEY, DO YOU NEED HELP MANAGING UNINCORPORATED AREA? NO, NO WE DON'T. WE NEED A GRANT FOR OUR CONSTABLES. WE NEED EXCEPT DATA CENTERS. YEAH, EXCEPT DATA CENTERS. AND ONE OTHER THING.
YEAH. AND THAT IS A BIG, BIG EXCEPTION THAT IS CREATING RURAL EAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL TEXAS TOGETHER ON WHAT DO WE DO WITH UNINCORPORATED COUNTY THAT THAT IS A UNIFYING. BUT YOU'RE
[00:25:07]
CORRECT. BUT MY MY POINT IS, IS WELL TAKEN THAT IT'S HARD WHEN THEY GET ON THE PHONE AND START ASKING OTHER COUNTY JUDGES. AND IT'S TRUE THAT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US MAY NOT BE IMPORTANT TO THEM. SO WE HAVE TO. AND I THINK COMMISSIONER GALLINA ALLUDED TO IT, GO ON OFFENSE.WE'RE IMPORTANT TO THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS. WE ARE A KNOWN QUANTITY. WE ARE WE ARE A COUNTERBALANCE TO THE BIG URBAN AREAS, AT LEAST IN A KNOWN. WE CAN'T COMPLETELY COUNTER. BUT WE'RE A KNOWN QUANTITY. IT'S TIME FOR US TO SAY WE KNOW WE'RE A KNOWN QUANTITY. HERE'S WHAT WE NEED. AND I THINK THAT TO. TO DANA'S POINT THAT SHE THAT SHE BROUGHT UP, I THINK THE PROBLEM IS FINDING WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, A PEER GROUP. I DON'T EVEN CALL IT A PEER GROUP. FINDING PEOPLE LIKE US. I THINK IT'S HARD FOR, FOR FOLKS OUT THERE TO REALIZE UNTIL YOU GO TO THESE COUNTY TRAININGS AND YOU GO AND SEE WHAT THE STATE OF TEXAS LOOKS LIKE, WE ARE THE SMALLEST REPRESENTATION. WE'RE THE SMALLEST BLOCK OF COUNTIES. THE URBAN COUNTIES ARE BIG IN THE SENSE THAT THEY HAVE STAFF AND THEY HAVE MONEY. AND WHAT WE NEED TO FIND IS EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN COUNTY THAT'S ADJACENT TO A MAJOR COUNTY AND SEE IF WE CAN GET THEM ON BOARD WITH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. WE KNOW THAT IT'S ROCKWALL, COLLIN AND DENTON HERE. IT'S PROBABLY NOT EVEN PARKER, TO BE HONEST. BUT WE NEED TO WE WE NEED TO START FIGURING OUT WHO CAN WE GET TOGETHER TO THAT CAN ACTUALLY TRY TO TRY TO SAY WHO'S WHO'S IN YOUR ROLODEX? WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO, WHO IS FRIENDLY WITH YOU? AND HOW CAN WE GET ANY ANYTHING IF ONE OF THESE THINGS OR TWO OF THESE THINGS DONE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO DOWN AND LOOK AT HAYS COUNTY OR WILLIAMSON COUNTY, I MEAN, THOSE ARE DEMOCRAT COUNTIES. SO THEY'RE IN A LOT OF OUR SITUATIONS, BUT THEY'RE NOT IN OUR SAME POLITICAL SITUATION. WE NEED TO FIND GOOD, STRONG REPUBLICAN COUNTIES THAT ARE COUNTERACTING THESE URBAN CENTERS AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE DO? MONTGOMERY COUNTY IS IN THE EXACT SAME SITUATION WE'RE IN AND OUTSIDE OF HARRIS COUNTY, AND THOSE SENATORS AND THOSE REPS ARE IN OUR SAME POSITION OF WHAT WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THESE FAST GROWING COUNTIES, AND HOW CAN WE HELP SO WE CAN FIND. FINALLY, WE HAVE A DATA CENTER ISSUE THAT IS GALVANIZING COUNTIES ALL OVER TEXAS OF POINTING OUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO POINT OUT SINCE WE TOOK OFFICE, WHICH IS THE GROWTH IN THE UNINCORPORATED IS THE WILD WEST, AND NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON. AND, AND NO ONE EVEN KNOWS WHAT THE LAWS EVEN MEAN.
I, BOBBY AND I WERE IN A MEETING WHERE A STATE REP LOOKED AT US AND SAID THE LAWS WERE NEVER INTENDED FOR THE SITUATION WE'RE IN TODAY. WHICH IS TRUE. IT'S NOT. THEY WERE NEVER INTENDED FOR WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE REWRITTEN. SO NOW WE'RE WALKING INTO A SESSION WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO REWRITE THE LAWS OF THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTY TO WHAT NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA. AND DOES THE SENATE HAVE AN IDEA THAT IS SEPARATE FROM THE HOUSE? AND AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DON'T LAND ONE? WE HAVE TO HAVE A VOICE, THOUGH.
WE DEFINITELY HAVE TO HAVE A VOICE. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS, IF Y'ALL ARE OKAY WITH THIS, I WILL REACH OUT TO THE QC BECAUSE THAT THAT ORGANIZATION DOES HAVE THE SEVERAL COUNTIES THAT ARE THAT ARE LIKE US. WE'RE NOT REALLY URBAN, BUT WE BUT UP TO URBAN COUNTIES. AND SO THEY ARE A PART OF THE QC. NOW, I KNOW WE HAVE OUR OWN LOBBYISTS WITH QC, BUT FOR US TO FORM THIS CONSORTIUM OF SORTS. YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT JOHN. THAT WOULD BE. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD FIRST STEP FOR US TO DO, BECAUSE I THINK MOST OF THEM ARE ALSO WORKING ON THEIR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. BUT I DO WANT US TO ALWAYS KIND OF KEEP IN CONTEXT, AND I DON'T KNOW, IS THAT HOW DO WE INCORPORATE THE THE QUALITY OF LIFE MESSAGE WITH SOME OF THESE, THESE, THESE ISSUES, WHETHER IT'S AN UNFUNDED MANDATE, WHETHER WE'RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH FUNDING FROM TXDOT TO BUILD OUR ROADS, ALL OF THAT SOMEHOW. THAT'S A THAT'S A THAT'S A STRONG MESSAGE. I KNOW IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A, A FEEL GOOD MESSAGE SOMETIMES. BUT BUT IT'S REALLY NOT A FEEL GOOD MESSAGE WHEN YOU SIT IN TRAFFIC FOR 30, YOU KNOW, FOR 30 MINUTES EVERY DAY TO JUST GET FIVE MILES, YOU KNOW, SIX MILES, TEN MILES DOWN THE ROAD. OKAY. SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, TO, TO CRAFT THAT, THAT CONVERSATION TO. ALL RIGHT. WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE ON YOUR LIST? I HAVE WELL, I WANTED TO GO BACK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU PROBABLY ALL RECEIVED A COPY OF IS THE THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR ROCKWALL. THEY ALWAYS PUT OUT A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T, I'LL MAKE SURE I GET YOU GUYS A COPY OF ONE. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DID HAVE IN THERE THAT IT DOES AFFECT OUR, OUR ABILITY TO FROM, YOU KNOW, HAVING MORE TAX TAXABLE MONEY IS THEY ARE REALLY WANTING TO SUPPORT BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC IN THEIR PLACE AND THEIR ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS. BUT, BUT BUSINESS IN GENERAL. SO I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO SOME, FOR
[00:30:01]
US TO SOMEHOW HAVE HAVE A SUPPORTING POSITION ON THAT TOPIC AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT IS A WAY TO HELP WITH OUR, OUR, OUR TAXING AND OUR, AND OUR ABILITY TO FUND IF WE, IF WE ARE ABLE IN, IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS TO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO THAT WAS ONE THAT I WANTED TO PUT IN THERE. AND, AND THEY'VE DONE A REAL GOOD JOB AND I, I WILL CRAFT SOMETHING AND SEND IT TO YOU GUYS AS WELL. BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT TOO, BECAUSE THAT DOES HELP OUR TAX LIABILITY. IT DOES. AS LONG AS THEY DON'T CAP US, YOU KNOW, CAP US, THEN WE CAN DO ALL THAT WE WANT. AND, AND, AND THAT'S ONE THING I HAVE IN OUR KEEP DECISIONS LOCAL. WHAT I'M AFTER IS WE HAVE A VERY PRO BUSINESS GROWTH LEADERSHIP AT THE STATE RIGHT NOW. AND I'M PRO BUSINESS GROWTH AS WELL. BUT AT WHAT POINT DO COUNTIES STOP GOING AFTER THAT BUSINESS GROWTH IF WE'RE CAPPED AND IT REALLY HAS NO BENEFIT? WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE GO AFTER IT OR NOT.THE GOVERNOR IS OUT SELLING TEXAS. YES. AND IT'S IT'S A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATING TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY, COME HERE, EVERYBODY COME HERE. WELL, THAT HAS INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS, CORRECT. THAT HAVE TAX IMPLICATIONS. AND YOU'VE TIED OUR HANDS BEHIND OUR BACK. YEAH.
AND WHICH FURTHER GIVES FUEL TO THE FIRE WHERE THEY CAN STAND AND SAY THE LOCALS ARE DOING IT WRONG. LOOK AT THIS. THEY CAN'T KEEP UP. BUT IF THEY, THEY CAP OUR ABILITY OR THEY CAP OUR ABILITY TO GROW OUR BUDGET, WHEN WE HAVE THOSE, WHEN WE HAVE TAKEN IN THE BUSINESS AND NOW WE NEED TO GO AND FUND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT THAT FORMULA JUST DOESN'T WORK OVER TIME. IT'S WHAT WE'RE RUNNING INTO NOW IS THAT FORMULA OVER TIME JUST DOESN'T WORK AT SOME POINT. AND WE'VE KIND OF REACHED THAT POINT. AND SO IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO BE A STATE THAT IS HIGH BUSINESS GROWTH SUPPORT AND EVER INCREASING TAX REVENUE FROM BUSINESSES, THAN WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FUND THE INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH SEEMS TO BE FALLING MORE AND MORE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT. RIGHT. AND THEIR POSITION, JUST SO YOU KNOW, JUDGE, IS THAT THEY WANT TO MAINTAIN A STABLE AND PREDICTABLE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE STATE AGENCIES, AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY PRESERVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE TOOLS THAT ENCOURAGE PRIVATE INVESTMENT, IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND THE PREDICTABILITY OF STATE PERMITTING PROCESSES, STRENGTHEN THE AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE CONSISTENCY IN REGULATORY INTERPRETATION, AND THEN RECOGNIZE THAT THE DISTRICT POLICY NEEDS OF FAST GROWING SUBURBAN COUNTIES. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THEY HAVE IN THEIRS. AND I THINK WE COULD WE COULD PARLAY OFF OF THAT. ALL RIGHT. WHAT ELSE DOES THAT GET YOU THROUGH THE THROUGH YOUR LIST. I'VE TOLD YOU WHAT? OH, SORRY. I'M SORRY. I'M JUST LOOKING TO MAKE SURE. YEAH. I THINK I HAD PUT STATE AND DEVELOPER FUNDING OF FARM TO MARKET ROADS AND FAST GROWING COUNTIES. SO JOHN I KNOW YOU'VE GOT THAT. AND COUNTY LAND USE AUTHORITY ALONG PROPOSED NEW HIGHWAY CORRIDORS. SO THOSE ARE THOSE ARE TWO THAT WILL TIE IN WITH YOUR YOUR FARM MARKET. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I THINK THAT'S IT. WE'LL SEE. ANY MORE. I'LL POP BACK UP. ALL RIGHT. COMMISSIONER LICHTY. THANKS, JUDGE. I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S INPUT ON THIS AND APPRECIATE YOU GUYS THAT ARE A LOT MORE INVOLVED IN THIS AND SPENDING THE TIME TO DO IT. BOBBY. I THINK WITH ONE EXCEPTION, EVERYTHING THAT YOU LISTED IS CONSISTENT WITH THE THINGS THAT WERE LISTED IN THAT RESOLUTION THAT WE DIDN'T TAKE ACTION ON OCTOBER 13TH. AND THOSE FOUR THINGS WERE, AND I THINK THIS ALL CAME FROM YOU, COMMISSIONER STACY. LIMITED EXPANSION OF COUNTY PLANNING AUTHORITY, THE STATE FUNDING FOR FARM TO MARKET ROADS AND FAST GROWING COUNTIES, DEVELOPER APPORTIONMENT, FUNDING FOR FARM TO MARKET ROADS AND FAST GROWING COUNTIES, AND SPECIAL ZONING AUTHORITY AROUND PROPOSED OUTER LOOP CONSTRUCTION. THE ONLY ONE THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT DIDN'T REALLY FIT WITHIN THOSE WAS THE UNFUNDED MANDATE THING, AND I CERTAINLY WOULD AGREE WITH YOU THAT THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ATTACK THAT.
YOU PROBABLY WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN I WOULD, BUT I'D SURE SUPPORT YOU IF YOU WANTED TO.
BUT I THINK IT'S. REAL IMPORTANT THAT WE DECIDE WHAT WE DO TO GO BEYOND A GENERAL DISCUSSION. AND I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT, BOBBY, IN YOUR PRESENTATION, IT'S REAL IMPORTANT WE DECIDE WHAT WE DO TO GO BEYOND GENERAL DISCUSSION, OR WE'LL JUST HAVE GENERAL
[00:35:05]
DISCUSSION. AND WHAT ACTIONS DO WE TAKE? DO WE. IDENTIFY THIS? ONE THING WITH SPECIFICITY ISSUES? I KNOW, DANA, YOU MENTIONED THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S PROPOSAL, AND I READ THROUGH THAT OVER THE WEEKEND. AND THERE'S ONLY, I THINK, ONE THING THAT I JUST ABSOLUTELY DISAGREE WITH HIM ON, BUT THERE'S NO POINT IN MENTIONING IT. BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH INFORMATION AND SO MANY BULLET POINTS THAT I THINK WHAT YOU RELEGATE YOURSELF TO DOING WHEN YOU GO THIS WAY IS JUST SAYING, WELL, IF THERE ARE BILLS THAT WE GENERALLY DISAGREE WITH, THEN WE WILL ATTACK. WE WILL TRY TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THEM. BUT THERE'S SO MUCH THAT IT'S IT'S TOO MUCH. SO HOW DO WE FOCUS ON AND IDENTIFY THOSE SPECIFIC ISSUES? AND HOW DO WE DO WE HAVE A SENATOR OR A REPRESENTATIVE THAT WILL GET BEHIND THOSE ISSUES? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S OTHER COUNTIES AND I KNOW THERE'S PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTIES LIKE US, WHICH YOU'VE ALLUDED TO, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. BUT IF OUR SENATOR AND OUR REPRESENTATIVE AREN'T WILLING TO PUSH THE BILLS THAT WE'RE PUSHING, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT MORE OF A STRUGGLE.JUST THAT'S JUST THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS. WE ALL KNOW THAT. SO HOW DO WE GET THINGS THERE? ONE LITTLE CAUTION HERE. YOU MENTIONED THAT THE DATA CENTERS ARE CREATING A COALITION ACROSS THE COUNTY. LET'S BE REALLY, REALLY CAREFUL HERE THAT WE DON'T LET SOME GENERAL LEGISLATION ON DATA CENTERS BE BRANDED WITH. LOOK, WE TOOK CARE OF DEVELOPMENT AND UNINCORPORATED COUNTIES. YOU ARE 100% CORRECT. I HAVE THAT FEAR BECAUSE THAT'S REAL EASY TO DO THAT IT'S REAL EASY TO SAY THINGS LIKE JUST, YOU KNOW, AN EXAMPLE WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN.
YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE YOUR ELECTIONS IN THE MUD DISTRICT. THAT'S MUD REFORM. NO, IT'S NOT, IT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT'S REARRANGING THE DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC AND SOME GENERAL BILL THAT SAYS DATA CENTERS HAVE TO PROVE THEY HAVE WATER. WE'VE DEALT WITH DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTIES. NO YOU HAVEN'T. NO YOU HAVEN'T. YEAH. SO SO THAT'S WHAT I MEAN.
LET'S NOT FALL INTO THAT DATA CENTER TRAP OF JUMPING ON THAT BANDWAGON AND LETTING THE STATE LEGISLATURE GET AWAY WITH SAYING, WELL, WE DID WHAT YOU WANTED. WE CONTROLLED DEVELOPMENT IN THE IN THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTIES. WELL, THAT WOULDN'T DO IT. THAT WOULD JUST TAKE CARE OF ONE SMALL ISSUE. NOT SMALL, BUT ONE ISSUE. I'M NOT TRYING TO MINIMIZE IT.
SO I, I, I LIKE THE PROPOSALS THAT ARE COMING UP. I REALLY LIKE, ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH WHAT COMMISSIONER STACY WANTED TO DO LAST TIME, I LIKED HIS PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. AND TO ME, THOSE ARE GREAT THINGS TO FOCUS ON. AND THEN IF I'M GOING TO TAKE LISTEN TO MY OWN ADVICE AND SAY, WELL, HOW DO WE NARROW IT DOWN INTO SPECIFIC ACTIONS? I DON'T KNOW OF ANY. ACTION THAT I THINK WE HAVE A CHANCE OF PASSING, AND I'M NOT EVEN SURE HOW GOOD OF A CHANCE, BUT WE HAVE A PASSIVE CHANCE, A CHANCE OF PASSING THAT WOULD HAVE MORE IMPACT THAN A DEVELOPMENT ZONE ALONG THE OUTER LOOP AND OUR RIGHT TO ZONE FOR IT. IN THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTIES, BOTH ARE, YOU KNOW, AS YOU WE'VE WE'VE MET WITH OUR REP AND SENATOR, THEY HAVE ALREADY AGREED THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD HELP US WITH THAT. THEY WOULD THEY HAVE. RIGHT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING.
IT'S CONSISTENT WITH ALL THIS. AND, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD SAY WE WANT TO ZONE ONE MILE EITHER SIDE OF THE PROPOSED OUTER LOOP AND GET THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT, THAT WOULD HAVE A HUGE IMPACT UPON THE DEVELOPMENT. AND THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTIES OF ROCKWALL COUNTY, UNINCORPORATED PORTIONS OF ROCKWALL COUNTY. AND THAT'S ONE WHERE I THINK WE COULD, AS YOU SAID, BOBBY, OFFER A BILL. IT'S NOT THAT HARD. I MEAN, WE GO TO CHAPTER 231. I THINK IT IS OF THE. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE AND JUST SAY, OH, ADD SUBPARAGRAPH W FOR ROCKWALL
[00:40:10]
COUNTY. AND WE WRITE IT. SO AS WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING, LET'S TRY AND COME UP WITH SOME SPECIFIC IDEAS. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE ALL KIND OF SAYING THE SAME THING. I LIKE YOUR IDEAS, JOHN, VERY MUCH TWO WEEKS AGO AND BOBBY, I LIKE YOURS AGAIN, THE UNFUNDED MANDATES, I THINK IS TO ME, THAT'S KIND OF LIKE A HUGE ISSUE. HOW DO WE DEAL WITH IT? BUT IT DRAWS ATTENTION TO THOSE SPENDING CAPS WHICH WILL KILL US AND WHICH WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO MANAGE OUR BUSINESS AS A COUNTY IF THOSE ARE PUT IN PLACE. SO THOSE ARE MY INITIAL THOUGHTS. THANK YOU.COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER STACEY, I, I LIKE THE SPECIFICITY, SPECIFICITY THAT YOU'RE THAT YOU'RE POINTING TO. I THINK THAT. THERE'S A LOT OF WHITE NOISE. I MEAN, I REMEMBER I WAS AT THE STATE CAPITOL ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO AND, AND I WAS STANDING IN THE SENATE BUILDING LOOKING AT SOMETHING, THE SENATE ROOM LOOKING AT SOMETHING, AND A TOUR CAME THROUGH AND THEY SAID, THERE ARE 7000 BILLS PASSED IN SIX MONTHS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? AND I LOOKED AT TOUR GROUP AND SAID, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S AN ABSOLUTE AWFUL THING, AND NO ONE HAS ANY IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND THE TOUR GUIDE GOES AND ON TO THE NEXT ROOM, BECAUSE I WAS JUST A RANDOM GUY STANDING IN THE STATE SENATE ROOM, I WAS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHO THIS PERSON IS, BUT I DON'T WANT HIM TO BE INCLUDED IN THE TOUR. BUT HE DIDN'T ASK THAT QUESTION AGAIN TO SOMEBODY. SO I JUST THINK THAT SO MUCH HAPPENS SO FAST THAT IF WE'RE NOT SPECIFIC ON WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ASKING FOR, WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE. SO WHEN YOU WERE TALKING, I WAS THINKING, WHAT IF WE TRIED AS A BODY TO HAVE A RESOLUTION, ENDORSE WHITE PAPERS? WE'VE NEVER DONE THAT. WE'VE NEVER HAD THIS COURT PASS A WHITE PAPER THAT SAYS ALL FIVE OF US ACTUALLY AGREE ON THIS WHITE PAPER THAT SAYS THIS IS A SPECIFIC PIECE OF LEGISLATION WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE DONE. THESE BOOKS ARE GREAT, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY THAT THEY DO A LOT WHEN IT COMES TO ASKS. THEY DO A LOT WHEN IT COMES TO DEFENSE OR WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK ABOUT THIS? BUT WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO ASK FOR SOMETHING, AND I'M PART OF A GROUP THAT'S WORKING WITH THE RTC, THE DRMC, THE DALLAS CHAMBER, THE COALITION COUNCIL, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC ASKS OF ALL OF THOSE GROUPS. IT MIGHT JUST BE ONE. IT MIGHT BE TWO. SO NOT TRYING TO SAY, WHAT SHOULD THE RTC BE ASKING FOR? WHAT SHOULD THE DALLAS CHAMBER BE ASKING FOR? BUT WHAT DOES NORTH TEXAS GOING TO SAY WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION? THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE FOR TRANSPORTATION, AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO FOR THIS, AND TRY TO LIMIT THAT TO 1 OR 2 ITEMS. SO I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY, I LIKE GOING EVEN AS FAR AS ACTUALLY HAVING US SAY, THIS IS A WHITE PAPER. WE WANT TO ENDORSE. THE ZONING OF THE OUTER LOOP, I THINK IS A GREAT EXAMPLE. THAT TO ME IS SOMEWHAT EASY. WE WRITE A VERY SIMPLE WHITE PAPER THAT SAYS ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT IS ASKING THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE TO DO A ONE MILE ON EACH DIRECTION ZONING UNDER SUBCHAPTER, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE. AND THEN WE PASS THAT BY RESOLUTION, NOT NOT A WHEREAS RESOLUTION, BUT WE SAY THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO. LET'S GET MORE SPECIFIC THAN THAT, THOUGH, BECAUSE WHAT COMMISSIONER LICHTY HAD SAID IS OUR WRAPS, AND COMMISSIONER GLENN ALLUDED TO IT AS WELL. OUR REPS AGREED TO HELP. WELL, WE CAN'T WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET ANYTHING PASSED. WE CAN GO SWARM THE CAPITOL AND CALL EVERYBODY IN OUR ROLODEX. SO WHAT WE NEED TO BE VERY SPECIFIC HERE IS A PIECE OF LEGISLATION. THE COMMISSIONERS COURT OF ROCKWALL COUNTY AGREES ON OUR EXPECTATIONS. ARE YOU GET THIS PASSED IN THE 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, RIGHT, THAT BY NOVEMBER 9TH? ABSOLUTELY. WE COULD WRITE THAT BY TOMORROW. WE COULD MAKE IT OKAY. AND I ACCOUNTABLE THAT.
THAT'S RIGHT. IF WE'RE GOING TO BE SPECIFIC, LET'S BE SPECIFIC. THAT'S THAT'S MY POINT. AND I LOVE HOW YOU YOU GUYS ARE DOING SO MUCH BETTER JOB THAN ME IN COLLABORATING WITH ALL THESE BIG GROUPS. I'M PART OF A GROUP THAT'S TRYING TO PREVENT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF ROCKWALL COUNTY. YES YOU ARE. AND AND I CAN SEE WHERE LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO ZONE ONE MILE EITHER SIDE OF THE OUTER LOOP WOULD HAVE A HUGE EFFECT ON THAT. AND IT IS EASY. JOHN, YOU AND I COULD WRITE THAT TOMORROW AND WE COULD SUBMIT IT. AND I LOVE YOUR IDEA OF A WHITE PAPER. IT'S I LOVE WHEN WE ALL GET TOGETHER AS A COMMISSIONERS COURT AND SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE ALL AGREE ON. HERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US.
I LOVE THAT IDEA. IT SENDS A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO TAC TO SEE, YOU SEE TO OUR OWN LEGISLATURES
[00:45:03]
OF NOT SAYING THE ROCKWALL COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WANT MORE POWER IN ZONING AND PLANNING.OKAY, THAT DOESN'T REALLY SEND A MESSAGE. AS OPPOSED TO THIS IS AN ACTUAL PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT ALL FIVE OF US 100% AGREE ON AND ARE WILLING TO PASS. AND IN FACT, JOHN, LOOK, I'M NOT TRYING TO, TO, TO DIVERT THIS DISCUSSION, WHICH I THINK YOU'RE ABOUT TO SET AN APPOINTMENT TO WRITE A PIECE OF LEGISLATION. I'M ABOUT TO I'M ABOUT TO DRAW THE ATTENTION TO IT BECAUSE I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT IF I CAN FIND IT HERE WITH OUR STATE SENATORS, LEGISLATIVE GUY IN EARLY NOVEMBER, I THINK BEFORE THE NINTH, TO DISCUSS THESE PRIORITIES, I SENT YOU ALL INCLUDED IN THIS PACKAGE FOR OUR DISCUSSION TODAY. AN EMAIL I SENT, WHICH I TOOK COMMISSIONER STACY'S IDEAS AND ELABORATED THEM IN RESPONSE TO AN EMAIL WE GOT FROM OUR STATE SENATOR'S OFFICE, WHICH TO ME LED US RIGHT INTO THE DATA CENTER TRAP. OKAY. AND YOU'RE CORRECT IN IDENTIFYING THAT AS A TRAP BECAUSE IT IT IS AN EASY FIX. YEP. THAT THEY CAN PAT US ON OUR HEAD AND SEND US ON OUR WAY. AND EVERYBODY IN THE STATE IS GOING TO SAY, LOOK WHAT WE DID. WE'RE SO PROUD OF OURSELVES. OKAY. BUT YOU DIDN'T REALLY ADDRESS THE REAL ISSUE, RIGHT? AND THIS IS ONE WHERE, I MEAN, IT'S HARD FOR US TO WRITE A BILL ON EXPANDING COUNTY PLANNING AUTHORITY, EVEN THOUGH WE ALL WANT IT. IT'S HARD FOR US TO WRITE THAT BILL. IT'S REAL EASY FOR US TO WRITE THIS BILL. I AGREE, AND IT DOESN'T PREVENT US FROM PUSHING THE OTHER OBJECTIVES THAT WE HAVE. THAT DOESN'T PREVENT US FROM TALKING ABOUT UNFUNDED MANDATE. IT DOESN'T PREVENT US FROM TALKING ABOUT EXPANDING OUR BUSINESS CLIMATE. IT DOESN'T EXPAND US, PREVENT US FROM TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPER APPORTIONMENT OR STATE FUNDING OF FM ROADS. BUT IT'S ONE THING WE CAN IDENTIFY AND SAY, LET'S TRY AND GET THIS DONE, BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE A HUGE POSITIVE IMPACT. I AGREE WITH THAT, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO CONTINUE WITH A VERY SPECIFIC ASK. SO ACROSS ALL OF OUR OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ARE TO FUND THE ROADS, TO FUND THE ROADS, TO FUND THE ROADS. I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ROAD WE WANT, FUNDED THE DOLLAR AMOUNT, AND THEN HAVE A SPECIFIC ASK FOR IT, WHETHER IT'S TWO, 76, 66. AND HERE'S AND I THINK I KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING. AND IT'S SOMEPLACE WHERE I WENT TWO SESSIONS AGO AND I DID IT WRONG. NOT THAT YOU WOULD DO IT WRONG, YOU PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DONE IT DIFFERENT. SO THE QUESTION BECOMES, DO WE HAVE A SPECIFIC ROAD ASK, WHICH IS MY INSTINCT OF SAYING WE WANT 276 DONE. IT'S GOING TO COST $212 MILLION. HERE'S WHAT WE WANT APPROPRIATED IN THE 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION. OR DO WE BACK UP AND SAY, ALL RIGHT, NORTH TEXAS IS UNFUNDED TO THE TUNE OF $5 BILLION. WE'RE ALL CONNECTED. WE NEED $5 BILLION SPENT ON NORTH TEXAS. AND SO A COUPLE SESSIONS AGO, WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH REPRESENTATIVE HOLLAND AT THAT POINT TO GET SOME MUD REFORM DONE, I HAD THE OPTION OF DOING IT IN CONCERT WITH SOME OTHER COUNTIES OR DOING IT ON MY OWN. AND I CHOSE ON MY OWN BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE STOOD A GREATER CHANCE OF THEM LETTING LITTLE ROCKWALL COUNTY GET THROUGH. WHEREAS IF WE BUILT THE BROADER COALITION, THERE WOULD BE PUSHBACK. BUT WHAT I NOW KNOW IS EITHER WAY, IT WAS DEAD ON ARRIVAL. BUT WE HAVE A SIMILAR QUANDARY BEFORE US NOW THAT WE HAVE TO ANSWER. DO WE WANT TO ASK SPECIFICALLY FOR ROCKWALL COUNTY WHEN IT COMES TO ROADS, OR DO WE WANT TO BACK UP AND HAVE A NORTH TEXAS CONTINGENT THAT SAYS WE'RE ALL GROWING? AND HERE'S THE MONEY WE NEED? WHY CAN'T WE DO BOTH? YEAH, WE COULD WHEN WE HAVE A NORTH TEXAS CONTINGENT. NOW, THE PROBLEM IS WHEN THAT MONEY IS FUNNELED TO THAT SPECIFIC NORTH TEXAS CONTINGENT, IT SEEMS TO NOT COME HERE AS OFTEN AS IT SHOULD, BECAUSE WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT RAILS AND DART BUSSES AND OTHER RIDICULOUS THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE HERE IN OUR COUNTY. AND THEN OUR RESIDENTS GO AND ESSENTIALLY SOME OF THEIR TAX MONEY THAT GOES TO THE STATE AND GETS FUNNELED BACK TO THAT ORGANIZATION GOES TO PAY FOR DART. THEY DON'T WANT DART. SO I WANT I WANT A MECHANISM AND I UNDERSTAND ABOUT SPECIFIC ASK FOR ROADS. BUT THEY COULD THAT. AND WHILE WE NEED THAT TOO, THAT CAN LEAD TO THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENS WITH DATA CENTERS. IF WE DON'T PUT A MECHANISM IN PLACE TO CONTINUE TO FUND THESE THINGS AS DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS, THEN THEY'LL JUST SAY, WELL, HERE'S YOUR 276. NOW GO BE
[00:50:01]
QUIET AND SIT OVER THERE IN THE CORNER. AND AND I WANT A MECHANISM TO FUND THESE ROADS.AND THAT A LOT OF THAT I THINK JOHN WILL TALK ABOUT WILL GO WILL COME FROM APPORTIONMENT.
THE ONLY OTHER AVENUES WE HAVE ARE CREATING OTHER TAXES WHICH WE'RE TRYING WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE TO AVOID. WE ARE TRYING TO GET THE STATE TO COME TO THE TABLE AND DEVELOPERS TO COME TO THE TABLE AND PAY FOR THEIR IMPACT. SO I KNOW YOU'LL TALK ABOUT IT, SO I'M GOING TO LET YOU DO IT. YEAH. AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, JUDGE, IN THE SENSE THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE AND TO ARGUE FOR FORMULAIC TXDOT FUNDING BECAUSE WE ARE GROWING SO BIG IN NORTH TEXAS, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO ARGUE FOR OUR PEERS. THE PROBLEM IS, IS AS TECH STOCK DIRECTOR WILLIAMS HAS STATED PUBLICLY ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, HE IS NOT BUILDING FM ROADS. EVEN TXDOT PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN ROCKWALL COUNTY HAVE TOLD ME WE'RE NOT BUILDING TXDOT ROADS. SEASON HAS TOLD ME WE'RE NOT BUILDING FM ROADS. FM ROADS ARE NOT GETTING BUILT. IF WE DON'T SOUND THE ALARM THAT YOU'RE ALLOWING ALL OF THESE COUNTIES TO GROW ON THE FM GRID, AND YOU'RE NOT FUNDING THE FM GRID, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. WE HAVE TO BE THE PROVERBIAL CANARY IN THE IN THE COAL MINE OF SAYING, YOU CAN'T CONTINUE DOWN THIS ROAD OF ONLY FUNDING REGIONALLY SIGNIFICANT TEXDOT ROADS BECAUSE PEOPLE LIVE ON THE FM ROADS AND THESE HOUSING DIVISIONS AND EVERYTHING IS GETTING BUILT ON THIS FM STRUCTURE. AND THERE IS ZERO ZERO FUNDING OF FM ROADS GOING ON STATEWIDE IN URBAN COUNTIES. WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO SOUND THAT WARNING THAT THAT HAS AN OUTCOME THAT WE WANT IT? CAN WE PRODUCE AN OUTCOME THAT WE WANT? OKAY, WELL, I'LL GIVE YOU THE THE STANDARD ANSWER IS NO, WE CAN'T WE CAN'T PREDICT THAT. WHAT I THINK THAT WE DO IS WE SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT FM FUNDING OF ROADS. WE DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN BUILDING 548. BUILD ME 552 BUILD ME. 551 SO DO WE DO THAT IN THE FAST GROWING COUNTIES THAT ARE SURROUNDING THE URBAN COUNTIES? I BELIEVE WE DO. AND THE REASON THAT I THINK THAT THAT IS AN ARGUMENT THAT WE CAN HAVE IS, NUMBER ONE, IT BECOMES TEMPORARY. WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO DO IS REMEDY A CURRENT SITUATION. SO WE'RE NOT ASKING THEM TO CHANGE TXDOT FUNDING. WE'RE NOT ASKING THEM TO REEVALUATE HOW THEY DO TRANSPORTATION FUNDING. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THERE IS A CURRENT PROBLEM THAT YOU CAN THROW MONEY AT THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED. AND DENTON COUNTY, COLLIN COUNTY, ROCKWALL COUNTY, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. WE WE TRY TO BUILD THAT AND ASK FOR IT. AND THE REASON THAT I THINK IT COULD BE DONE IS THAT IT SEEMED LIKE SENATE FINANCE WAS VERY OPEN TO THAT. THIS BILL WOULD COME FROM SENATE FINANCE, WHO SITS ON SENATE FINANCE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, ROCKWALL COUNTY, COLLIN COUNTY. WE HAVE AN AVENUE THERE THAT THAT IS A POTENTIAL. AND IF WE KEEP THE ASK TO IT, WE KEEP THE PROBLEM FRONT AND CENTER. IF YOU GO DOWN, IF YOU LOOK AT WHO'S SITTING ON THE TRANSPORTATION IN THE SENATE, IT'S TAM PARKER WHO IS IN DENTON COUNTY. THAT TRANSPORTATION IN THE SENATE ISN'T EVER GOING TO PASS A BILL ABOUT HOW TO FUND TRANSPORTATION. THAT'S NOT WHAT TRANSPORTATION IN THE SENATE DOES. SO WE HAVE TO TAKE IT TO SENATE FINANCE. BUT THEN WHEN THEY GO ASK THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, HE'S GOING TO SAY, WELL, YEAH, IF YOU CAN GET, YOU KNOW, FM ROADS IN DENTON COUNTY ARE A PROBLEM AND IT IS A PROBLEM. AND WE HAVE STATE REPS THAT SEE THIS AS A PROBLEM. BUT THEN WHEN YOU GO TO EAST TEXAS, THEY DON'T WANT ANY OF THEIR FM ROADS BUILT UNLESS THERE'S INDUSTRY ON THEM. WELL, AND DON'T WANT THEIR CITIZENS, YOU KNOW, JUST AS COMMISSIONER GALANTI ALLUDED TO, OUR CITIZENS DON'T WANT TO PAY A TAX TO FUND DART, AND THEY ABSOLUTELY DO NOT. EAST TEXAS, WHEN THEIR REPS PICK UP THE PHONE AND SAY, HEY, HOW ARE YOUR FM ROADS? OH, WE'RE FINE, WE'RE FINE. I DON'T WANT MY PEOPLE BEING TAXED BECAUSE ROCKWALL CAN'T GET A CONTROL OF THEIR GROWTH. RIGHT. JOHN. IT'S REALLY NOT ROCKWALL. I MEAN, IT'S COMING FROM THE STATE THAT'S GOING TO BE. JOHN. WHAT DO YOU WHAT DO YOU THINK THE WORD TEMPORARY MEANS WHEN YOU USE THAT? WHAT TIMELINE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WELL, WHAT I MEAN IS, IS THAT WHEN YOU WHEN WE ASK FOR FORMULAIC FUNDING, WE'RE ASKING THEM TO CHANGE HOW THEY'RE FUNDING TXDOT. I'M NOT SAYING WE ARE, BUT I'M SAYING WHEN YOU GO DOWN THERE AND SAY, WE WANT YOU TO KEEP A FORMULAIC FUNDING OF TXDOT, YOU'RE ASKING FOR HUGE INFRASTRUCTURE THINGS. OUR ASK IS GO TO FAST GROWING COUNTIES AND HELP THEM WITH THEIR FM ROADS. THIS ISN'T THIS ISN'T AS HARD AS AS WE'RE LET'S NOT MAKE IT MORE COMPLICATED.
LET'S NOT MAKE IT THIS BIG THING THAT HAS TO BE DONE. YOU JUST SIT THERE AND GO LOOK AT THESE FAST GROWING COUNTIES. YOU HAVE A STATE GRID AND YOU'RE NOT FUNDING YOUR STATE GRID. GO AND FUND THOSE. AND THAT BECOMES AN ASK OF YOU'RE JUST NOT GIVING US WHAT WE NEED TO BUILD THIS INFRASTRUCTURE. OKAY? RATHER THAN WE NEED YOU TO FIND OUT HOW TO SEND MORE
[00:55:07]
MONEY INTO NORTH TEXAS AREA SO THAT WE CAN BUILD MORE ROADS. OF COURSE WE NEED THAT. BUT THAT'S ALSO WHAT ALL THESE OTHER AREAS ARE GOING TO BE SAYING. IS THIS NOT ENOUGH ROADS? AND THEY'RE TRYING TO CUT OUT SPENDING BY 10%. AND THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRUST WITH TXDOT IN GENERAL. SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS DON'T WORRY ABOUT TXDOT. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THE PEOPLE ARE LIVING ON THESE FM ROADS AND THEY'RE BECOMING UNSAFE, AND WE NEED A MECHANISM TO FUND IT. SO WE DON'T CARE AS ROCKWALL, WE DON'T CARE IF THAT'S WHERE WE BUILD THEM. AND THEN YOU GIVE US THE MONEY BACK. WE WE'RE NOT GREEDY IN THE SOLUTION SET. WE'RE POINTING OUT. THE PROBLEM IS YOU'RE NOT BUILDING FM ROADS AND FAST GROWING COUNTIES, AND WE NEED HELP. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. AND I AGREE WITH THAT. I JUST DON'T I THINK TEMPORARY THE WORD TEMPORARY SCARED ME BECAUSE OF, OF HOW HOW LONG THIS PROCESS COULD BE. WE REALLY COULD BE TALKING 20 PLUS YEARS. I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT TEMPORARY. I MEAN, IN THE SENSE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? WELL, HOW MANY ROADS COULD BE BUILT IN ROCKWALL COUNTY FOR $100 MILLION TOMORROW? YEAH, WELL, THAT'S HUNDRED MILLION. I'M JUST SAYING, IT'S JUST NOT CORRECT. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. YEAH. WE WE WERE AFTER I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE COMMISSIONER STACY IS GOING IS THAT WE'RE WE DON'T HAVE AN UNENDING PROBLEM. WE HAVE A PROBLEM THAT HAS A DOLLAR FIGURE ON IT. AND IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET SOME OF THESE DOLLARS, THEN WE SOLVE OUR GRID FOR A LONG, LONG, LONG, LONG TIME. AND THE LEGISLATURE WILL MOVE QUICKER WITH THINGS LIKE THIS THAT MAY BE ONE OFFS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE STATE. THEY DON'T WANT TO MAKE SOME CRAZY CHANGE THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE WHOLE STATE, AND HAVE EVERY DEVELOPER AND EVERY OTHER LOBBYIST IN THEIR OFFICE, THEY WANT TO SAY, HOW CAN I GET ROCKWALL COUNTY IN THESE FAST GROWING COUNTIES FIXED? AND THIS ARGUMENT AND MOVE ON DOWN THE ROAD. AND THEN IF YOU CALL IT SOMETHING TEMPORARY, THEN THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO DO IT. ALL RIGHT, LET'S TAKE A QUICK FIVE MINUTE BREAK. IT IS 957. WE'LL BE BACK IN FIVE MINUTES.ALL RIGHT. 1001 WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE INTO OUR LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP. AND COMMISSIONER STACEY HAD THE FLOOR, AND I WILL STALL FOR FIVE MORE SECONDS WHILE HE REFILLS HIS COFFEE. TAKE IT AWAY. WE WERE DISCUSSING FM ROADS AND FAST GROWING COUNTIES. YEAH. SO I THINK THAT IT'S IT SEEMS LIKE A SMALL THING, BUT IT'S A VERY, VERY HARD TASK ON. IT'S A BIG NUMBER BECAUSE IT IS A HUGE NUMBER. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE RTC OR THE COG, I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE. THEY PUT OUT A STUDY THAT BASICALLY SAYS BY 2050, IF THEY BUILD EVERY PLANNED ROAD IN COLLIN COUNTY, 90% OF THE TIME THAT YOU'RE DRIVING IN COLLIN COUNTY, YOU'RE STUCK IN TRAFFIC. WOW. THAT'S 2050. THAT'S SIGNIFICANT. AND ROCKWALL, IT GETS TO ABOUT 60 SOMETHING PERCENT OF YOUR TIME ON THE ROAD. YOU'RE LEGITIMATELY JUST STUCK IN TRAFFIC. AND THAT IS THE FM GRID THAT'S FAILING SPECIFICALLY REGARDING THE FM GRID, RIGHT? NO, IT'S JUST ALL TRAFFIC. WELL, I'M SAYING IT'S NOT JUST THAT. NOT THAT I DISPUTE THE FINDING, BUT A LOT OF THAT CAN BE USED TO VALIDATE THE NEED FOR DART OF, WELL, YOU'RE STUCK IN TRAFFIC NOW. WE GOT TO GET MASS TRANSIT IN THERE. NO, NO, NO, I SEE I SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THAT. BUT MY MY POINT IS THAT'S ASSUMING THEY BUILD WHAT THEY'RE PLANNING ON BUILDING. THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT. THERE ARE A LOT OF ROADS IN TRIP 21 FOR ROCKWALL COUNTY THAT ISN'T IN THE MTP THAT THEY ARE NOT PLANNING ON BUILDING.
SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT IF YOU BUILD THE MTP, THAT 60% OF THE TIME YOU'RE DRIVING IN ROCKWALL COUNTY, YOU'RE GOING TO BE STUCK IN TRAFFIC WHEN 551 ISN'T IN THE MTP RIGHT? WHEN THERE'S AREAS OF 548 THAT AREN'T IN THE MTP, I MEAN, THAT NUMBER IS JUST GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT EVEN GOING TO BUILD THOSE ROADS. AND SO IF WE IF WE LOOK AT TRYING TO GET SOME OF THOSE ROADS BUILT AND WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE, I THINK THAT THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT. SO WRITING A WHITE PAPER THAT WOULD SAY SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF. US FINDING A WAY TO BUILD FM ROADS IN FAST GROWING COUNTIES ACROSS TEXAS, TO WANT TO NAME THE COUNTIES WE COULD TRY. AND THEN ALSO A MECHANISM FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO RECEIVE APPORTIONMENT, TO
[01:00:01]
BUILD AND DESIGN STATE ROADS. I THINK THOSE TWO POINTS ARE IMPORTANT AND CAN BE IN THE SAME WHITE PAPER ON FARM TO MARKET ROADS, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T FIND A WAY. THAT SOUNDS SIMPLE, RIGHT? THE APPORTIONMENT SOUNDS SIMPLE. ON A STATE ROAD, WE SPEND MONEY ON A STATE ROAD. WE SPEND ALL KINDS OF MONEY ON STATE ROADS. SO ASKING, SO SAYING THAT THAT THE COUNTY CAN CAN TAKE MONEY FOR APPORTIONMENT. I THINK WE'RE EVERY RIGHT TO DO SO. I MEAN, 40 TO 50% OF TRIP 21 IS JUST BEING SPENT ON THE STATE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE. SO WE SPEND TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON ROADS THE TAXPAYERS SHOULD ALREADY BE PAYING FOR THROUGH THE STATE GOVERNMENT. SO THAT'S FAIR. WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS THAT FINDING A MECHANISM TO GET THEM BUILT IS WHAT WE NEED TO TELL THE STATE, BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO TAKE THE NEXT TEN YEARS OF OUR LIVES TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT. BUT THE POINT IS, WHEN A MUD OR A HUGE DEVELOPMENT COMES IN NEXT TO A COUNTY ROAD, THEY CAN JUST BUILD IT BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING WITH US. WE CAN SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE GOING TO CONSTRUCT THE COUNTY ROAD. THIS IS THE SPECIFICITY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD IT. A CITY ROAD IS THE SAME WAY. BUILD HALF THE ROAD AND THEN COME BACK WITH IMPACT FEES AND WE CAN BUILD THE OTHER HALF THE ROAD. MOST OF US HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN CITY GOVERNMENT, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE DONE THAT BEFORE. WITH DEVELOPERS. YOU'RE EITHER GOING TO PAY FOR THIS PORTION OF THE ROAD, OR YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD HALF THE ROAD, AND THEN THE CITY WILL COME BACK AT A LATER TIME AND BUILD THE OTHER HALF THE ROAD. NONE OF THAT CAN WORK ON AN FM ROAD, NONE OF THAT MECHANISM THAT MAKES ANY LOGICAL SENSE CAN HAPPEN ON A STATE THOROUGHFARE. WE CAN TAKE MONEY AND PUT IT IN DESIGN. WE CAN TAKE MONEY AND GET RIGHT AWAY. WE CAN TAKE A RIGHT OF WAY GIFT FROM THE DEVELOPERS. WHAT WE CAN'T DO IS BUILD THE ACTUAL ROAD, AND THAT IS A CITY OR A COUNTY. AND SO, SO CALLING THAT INTO FOCUS TO OUR LEGISLATURES AND TO AUSTIN AND SAY, WE'RE NOT SAYING IF YOU LISTEN TO THIS BILL, AND IT ISN'T THAT NONE OF US DON'T BELIEVE THIS. WE'RE NOT SAYING NO DEVELOPMENT. WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS YOU'RE ALLOWING ALL OF THIS DEVELOPMENT TO COME THROUGH WITH NO MECHANISM TO WIDEN THE ROAD THAT'S GOING TO HELP YOU AND US. THAT TAKES THE BURDEN OFF THE STATE AND THE BURDEN OFF THE LOCALS. LIKE, WHY ISN'T THAT AN EASY WIN FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE? OF COURSE IT'S NOT. WE KNOW WHY, AND I'LL LET I'LL STOP YOU. I WON'T SAY IT THEN. YEAH, BUT BUT BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACT THAT IF WE'RE CALLING INTO FOCUS, WE NEED FM ROAD FUNDING AND THAT THE FM ROAD IS IS DYING AND THAT THE CHAIRMAN OF TXDOT SAYS HE'S NOT EVEN INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT IT. I WAS IN THE ROOM, HE SAID, I'M NOT EVEN INTERESTED. LIKE THAT'S THE 30% OF THE GRID WE DON'T EVEN WORRY ABOUT. AND THAT'S THOSE WERE HIS WORDS. WE ONLY WORRY ABOUT THE 70% OF THE GRID, NOT THE 30% OF THE GRID. AND IN 90% OF THE COUNTIES, HE WOULD BE PROPER NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. AND SO WHAT I TOLD SENATE FINANCE IS A 30% OF THE GRID IS WHERE YOUR PEOPLE LIVE. THE GRID YOU'RE IGNORING IS HOW THEY GET HOME. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY HOW THEY CONDUCT BUSINESS, BUT IT'S HOW THEY GET HOME EVERY DAY AND IT'S BECOMING UNSAFE. SO BUT TO PUT BUT TO THAT END, IF YOU PUT BOTH OF THOSE TOGETHER, THEN MAYBE WE CAN START REALLY DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE FACT OF WE MIGHT BE SMALL IN THE SENSE THAT THERE'S NOT AS MANY OF US. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THAT'S APPETIZING TO THESE LEGISLATORS TO SAY THERE MIGHT ONLY BE 12 COUNTIES, THERE MIGHT ONLY BE TEN COUNTIES, MIGHT ONLY BE FIVE COUNTIES. BUT BUT GOING THROUGH AND SAYING, HERE ARE THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES BY SOME METRIC, PUTTING THAT IN A WHITE PAPER, IDENTIFYING THE COUNTIES AND SAYING, WE NEED FM ROAD FUNDING AND WE NEED APPORTIONMENT FEES TO BUILD STATE ROADS, NOT JUST TO TAKE THEM FOR DESIGN. AND RIGHT AWAY WE NEED A MECHANISM WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY BUILD THAT ROAD OR HAVE THE DEVELOPER, THE MUD, THE PIT, WHOEVER BUILD THEIR APPORTIONMENT OF THAT ROAD. AND RIGHT NOW THERE'S JUST NOT A MECHANISM TO DO THAT. LIKE I SAID, I, WE DO HAVE THE RIGHT UNDER, UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE TO GET THE TO GET THE MONEY BECAUSE WE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON STATE ROADS. BUT WHAT WE CAN'T DO IS BUILD IT. SO OUR ASK GOING DOWN THAT THAT AVENUE FOR THE 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION WOULD BE, DO WE JUST WANT THEM TO BE AWARE OF IT, OR DO WE WANT THEM TO SOMEHOW CODIFY OR GIVE US A WINK AND A NOD AND SAY, YES, YOUR APPORTIONMENT IS ALLOWED AND AND TXDOT WILL ALLOW YOU TO BUILD THE ROAD.WHAT, WHAT, WHAT SPECIFICALLY DO WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH? FIRST STEP. AND I'M NOT GOING TO SPEAK FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH MORE. BUT I MEAN, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WERE RAISED IN THE THE FOUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME. AND AS I MENTIONED IN THE EMAIL TO OUR SENATOR, IT TALKS ABOUT APPORTIONMENT FUNDING, WHICH IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE THAT TO ME THAT UNDER 2321 TEN A WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO REQUIRE THE DEVELOPER TO PAY THEIR PORTION OF COUNTY MONEY. THAT'S GOING TO GO INTO FIXING THE FARM TO MARKET ROADS. BUT AS SOON AS WE DID THAT, WE GOT SUED. SO A CLARIFICATION THAT SAYS, YES,
[01:05:06]
FARM TO MARKET ROADS CAN BE PART OF THAT APPORTIONMENT WOULD BE A BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I THINK YOU WANT TO GO FURTHER THAN THAT WHICH GO FOR IT. SO I WOULD SAY SO FAR ON THE SPECIFICS, ZONING ON THE OUTER LOOP, LAUREN AND I ARE GOING TO TAKE THAT ON, AND WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO THE COURT VERY SOON WITH SOMETHING THAT SAYS, THIS IS OUR SPECIFIC ASK ON ZONING OF THE OUTER LOOP. SO NOW I'M TRYING TO GET SPECIFIC ON FM ROADS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE THE COURT TO CONSIDER IS LET'S DO DOUBLE DIGIT YEAR OVER YEAR COUNTIES.WE'LL FIND THEM. IT'S NOT HARD. SO WHICH COUNTIES HAVE GROWN WITH DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, YEAR OVER YEAR. PUT THEM IN A WHITE PAPER AND SAY, THESE ARE THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THEIR FM ROADS ARE NOT GOING TO BE FUNDED AT THE LEVEL THAT THE POPULATION IS DEMANDING OF THEM. WE WANT YOU TO FIND A WAY TO FUND THE FM ROADS IN THOSE COUNTIES, AND THEN ADD THE APPORTIONMENT ASPECTS OF THE FM ROADS IN ONE CONSISTENT. I MEAN THAT THAT IS LIKE A FOUR BULLET POINT WHITE PAPER THAT WE CAN GET BEHIND.
SO THAT AND THAT IS A SPECIFIC ASK, WHO ARE WE ASKING THAT OF? WHO ARE WE? WHO ARE WE SAYING? HERE'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS THAT OUR LOCAL REPS IS THAT THAT'S WHERE WE START. OKAY, SO WE PUT THAT, LIKE I SAID, BACK ON THEM, HERE'S WHAT WE WANT. I JUST SAY THAT AND TELL US HOW TO HELP YOU. NOT NOT THAT WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAND IT TO YOU AND SAY, ALL RIGHT, GET IN THERE AND GET AFTER IT. LET US KNOW WHERE, WHERE, WHERE IT'S GETTING STUCK, WHERE WE NEED TO WORK. I THINK, BOBBY, YOU ALLUDED TO THIS WHEN YOU KIND OF STARTED US OFF TALKING. HE'S HE'S LOOKING AT PUTTING TOGETHER A SMALL GROUP OF ROCKWALL CITIZENS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP WITH SOME OF THESE, THESE, THESE POSITIONS IN THE WORDING ON IT. BUT I THINK THAT SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS MAY HAVE GOOD EXPERIENCES OF GOING DOWN AND AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING IN FRONT OF THE LEGISLATURE, INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNICATING THE ASKS, BUT YOU CAN'T EVER GO WRONG WITH. IF YOU GET A GOOD GROUP OF CITIZENS THAT ARE, ARE PASSIONATE BECAUSE IT'S THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AND IT'S THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR FRUSTRATIONS.
AND SOMETIMES I THINK THAT THE LEGISLATURES, LEGISLATIVE INDIVIDUALS, THEY LISTEN REALLY CLOSELY AS OPPOSED TO OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS. WHEN WE GO IN, I'M GOING TO CHALLENGE THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT. YOU CAN GO WRONG. SO I SEATED A LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE IN THE LAST SESSION. I HAD A COUPLE PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO SHANGHAI IT AND TAKE IT OUT AND USE IT AS A TOOL FOR THEIR BENEFIT AND NOT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COUNTY AND A GROUP. THE WHEELS FLEW OFF AND I HAD TO DISBAND THE COMMITTEE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. SO YOU DO HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. WELL, BUT I LIKE DANA'S POINT. LET'S FIND IT.
LET'S PAY FOR TWO BUSSES FULL OF CITIZENS THAT WANT A SPECIFIC MEETING WITH OUR SENATOR AND OUR REPRESENTATIVE, AND TO TALK ABOUT FIXING ROADS IN OUR COUNTY. DO YOU HAVE THAT MANY PEOPLE? THEY PAY ATTENTION. OKAY. AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. AND THAT'S AND THEN WE, WE, WE MAY GO AND KNOCK ON A LOT OF OTHER DOORS, A COUPLE BUSSES AND TAKE WHAT YOU GET IN THE BUS. 50 PEOPLE. YEAH. OKAY, SO LET'S PUT ABOUT 70 IN A BUS. OKAY. IT'S PROBABLY NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SAID OUT LOUD. LET'S BRING LET'S BRING A HUNDRED PEOPLE DOWN THERE. AND I BET YOU WE COULD FIND A HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT WOULD SIGN UP FOR A SPECIFIC MEETING TO GO TALK ABOUT A SPECIFIC SUBJECT. AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING SPECIFICITY. YEP. AND IF THAT'S FIXING FM 548 OR FM 552 OR JUST JOHN'S IDEA OF WE NEED MONEY TO FIX OUR ROADS AND LET THEM VOICE THEIR OPINION, THAT WILL GET PEOPLE'S ATTENTION. I AGREE WITH YOU. I AGREE, AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE HAD PEOPLE SAY, HEY, IF YOU NEED ME TO GO DOWN THERE, IF YOU NEED ME TO GO DOWN THERE, AND I ALWAYS SAY THANK YOU. YES, I VERY LIKELY WILL, BUT JUST KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE LAST MINUTE. I'M GOING TO CALL YOU MONDAY AT THREE AND SAY AT 10 A.M. TOMORROW THERE'S A COMMITTEE MEETING THAT I NEED YOU TO GO DOWN AND SIGN UP, AND YOU MAY WELL SIT THERE ALL DAY TO TRY TO GET IN AND SPEAK TO THIS COMMITTEE. IF WE GET 1 OR 2 FMS, THAT HELPS A WHOLE LOT FOR OUR POSITION. WE MAY NOT WIN IT ALL, BUT. BUT JOHN, YOU'RE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MORE OF A GENERAL. HELP US SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WHITE PAPER ON THIS ONE, ON THIS PARTICULAR ONE. THIS PARTICULAR ONE. YOU'RE NOT SAYING, HERE'S HOW WE'RE DOING IT. WE'RE SAYING
[01:10:02]
IT'S URGENT. IT'S AN EMERGENCY. HELP US CORRECT THAT. THIS THIS IS A CANARY IN THE COAL MINE TYPE OF APPROACH. YEAH. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO IT THAT WAY BECAUSE IT'S REALLY EASY TO JUST BEAT DOWN THE IDEA. SAY, I WANT A BLOCK GRANT FOR FM ROADS. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT.I WANT I WANT YOU TO TO ADD A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO ADD, WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. YOU KNOW, THIS JUST SAYS, LISTEN, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS, BUT WHAT I'M TELLING YOU IS THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM IN THESE AREAS. AND SURELY SOMEONE IN ONE OF THESE AREAS WILL TAKE THIS SERIOUS ENOUGH AND GO FIGHT FOR IT, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. AND I, AND I THINK THAT THAT WHILE THE ZONING ON THE OUTER LOOP IS A VERY SPECIFIC ASK, TO ME, THIS ONE ISN'T BECAUSE I THINK IF WE SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM FOR THEM, AND WHETHER IT'S A GOOD SOLUTION OR A BAD SOLUTION, I THINK IT'S REALLY EASY TO DISCOUNT IT. OR YOU'RE JUST, YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS, AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO CALL OUT THE PROBLEM. I AGREE, I AGREE WITH EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID. PLUS IF WE TRY TO SOLVE IT FOR THEM, WE TAKEN THEY'VE GOT SO MUCH BIGGER PICTURE DOWN THERE. YES, EXACTLY. YOU WERE TRYING TO USURP THAT BIG PICTURE AUTHORITY THEY HAVE AND WE'RE NOT LET THEM DO IT. WE'RE JUST SAYING CORRECT. YOU FIX IT. AND SO WE WOULD JUST POINT OUT THOSE 3 OR 4 THINGS. HERE ARE THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES.
HERE'S THE FM ROAD ISSUES. HERE'S THE APPORTIONMENT. AND HERE'S WHAT 232110 SAYS ABOUT APPORTIONMENT. WE NEED HELP WITH THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. AND IF YOU CAN COME UP WITH A LIST OF THOSE COUNTIES OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS THAT HAVE HAD DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH AND THEY MAY, YOU KNOW, WELL HAVE A DEMOCRAT JUDGE, MAY HAVE A REPUBLICAN JUDGE, WHATEVER. BUT I THINK WE CAN BUILD SOME BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO THAT'S IMPORTANT. THE KEY PIECE OF WHAT IS WHAT YOU JUST SAID, JUDGE, IS THAT YOU'VE GOT TO GO BACK IN TIME AND LOOK AND EVALUATE. DON'T. WE CANNOT LET THEM SAY FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD, GROWTH AT THIS PERCENTAGE BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT THAT'S ALREADY OCCURRED. SO WE HAVE TO GO BACK IN TIME, TEN YEARS BEHIND. YEAH. ONE OTHER THING TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR FM FUNDING THAT I WAS LOOKING INTO REALLY LATE LAST NIGHT, COMMISSIONER STACY, SO WE WANT TO HASH THIS OUT TOO, IS THAT THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME WAY THAT WE CAN DO SOME TEX DOT PASS THROUGH FINANCING, FINANCING, PARTNERSHIP, SOMETHING OF THAT WHERE WHEN WE IF WE LOOK BECAUSE OF THEIR INABILITY TO BUILD ITS SCOPE RIGHT NOW, IF IF WE SPEND OUR BOND DOLLARS, WE PASS A BOND, WE SPEND BOND DOLLARS AND WE START BUILDING FM ROADS, THEN HOW CAN WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM WHERE THEY REIMBURSE US OVER TIME IS THAT DEBT COMES DUE AND THEY TOOK THAT OUT.
THEY USED TO DO THAT. I KNOW, AND THEY UNDID THAT. YES. AND SO AGAIN, I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH THIS BECAUSE THERE'S ABOUT FIVE SOLUTIONS I THINK WOULD BE GREAT. THAT WOULD HELP A LOT.
DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR MATCHING PASS THROUGH FUNDING, 380 AGREEMENTS. THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS WE COULD DO. AND I THINK THAT WHAT WE SHOULD ADD IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FACT OF WORKING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON THE FINANCING OF STATE ROADS, BECAUSE IF IT'S THEY DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TODAY, THEN OR DO THEY HAVE THE MONEY OVER TIME? THAT'S RIGHT. CAN THEY CAN WE GET YOU ALONE FOR FIVE YEARS? AND THEN SO IT REALLY DOESN'T IMPACT OUR LOCAL TAXPAYERS.
YEAH. IT REALLY DOESN'T IMPACT OUR LOCAL TAXPAYERS. THEY'RE REALLY GOING TO FOOT THE BILL FOR THAT ADDED DEBT OVER TIME. SO MAYBE. YEAH, NO, I'M WITH YOU. YEAH. BUT THEY TOOK ALL THAT AWAY. WE USED TO DO ALL KINDS OF PASS THROUGH FUNDING. IF YOU IF YOU RECALL, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO SOUND LIKE A HYPOCRITE, BUT YOU KNOW, THOSE THOSE BRIDGES THAT THEY BUILT THAT, THAT I GOT MAD ABOUT, SOME OF THOSE WERE PASSED THROUGH TXDOT WHERE WE SPENT THE MONEY. AND THEN WE GOT THE MONEY BACK FROM TXDOT, NOT FROM SOME CRAZY RTC AGREEMENT TO BE PAID OUT IN SOME. NO, THEY WE SPENT THAT $32 MILLION IN TEXAS GAVE US $32 MILLION BACK. WE DID TWO OF THOSE OVERPASSES. THAT WAY, IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECT. AND THEN THAT PROGRAM JUST WENT AWAY. THEY JUST. AND I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW WHY, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME CHANGEOVERS IN THE SENATE, IN THE HOUSE. SO SOME OF THAT OLD HISTORY MIGHT BE GONE AND WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TO TALK ABOUT THAT. I DO KNOW THAT WHEN YOU TALK TO TXDOT, THEY WANT TO BE IN CONTROL OF IT ALL. AND I DON'T BLAME THEM. SO WE'RE THE ONES THAT KNOW WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND WHERE THE MONEY NEEDS TO BE SPENT AND WHAT THE ROADS ARE. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M, I THINK THAT WE JUST NEED TO GO TO THE LEGISLATURE AND SAY, THIS IS WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE 70%, THE REGIONALLY SIGNIFICANT ROADS, IF YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE. IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY SIGNIFICANT WHAT YOU'RE IGNORING OF THE OF THE STATE GRID. IT IS NOT INSIGNIFICANT. IT'S A HUGE THING. I WAS DRIVING DOWN TO 76.
LAUREN AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR YEARS TO GET THOSE LIGHTS PUT IN AT ROCHELLE. AND 551 IT
[01:15:02]
SAYS SIGNAL WORK. THE BOXES ARE COMING IN, BUT THAT ROAD IS GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE SAYING IT'S UNSAFE IS IS NOT A STRETCH. SO IF YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE THE FM ROADS, PEOPLE CAN'T DRIVE ON THEM. THEY CAN'T TURN OUT ON THEM. YOU'RE CREATING A SITUATION, QUALITY OF LIFE, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, THOSE THOSE STOP BEING BUZZWORDS. 276 IS A DANGEROUS ROAD. IT MIGHT NOT BE UNSAFE BY ANY METRIC, BUT IT IS A DANGEROUS ROAD, AND TURNING LEFT ONTO 276 IS DANGEROUS. AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY, REALLY BAD SEVERE WRECKS IN THE ROCHELLE 551 AREA THAT HAPPENED CONSISTENTLY. AT SOME POINT THIS STOPS BECOMING AN ASK AND STARTS BECOMING A DEMAND. YOU HAVE TO FIX THE FM ROADS IN SUBURBAN COUNTIES. YEAH, I TOTALLY AGREE. AND I GOT A A COROLLARY TO THAT IS WHEN WE FIX ROADS, WE GOT TO FIX THEM.RIGHT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE ALL TALKED LAST WEEK ABOUT OR TWO WEEKS AGO ABOUT THE CURB CUTS, MEDIAN BREAKS ON 205. BUT WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM RIGHT NOW WHERE 549 IS BEING REPAIRED, WHERE IT INTERSECTS WITH 1139, IT'S VERY DANGEROUS INTERSECTION. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, IT'LL BE BETTER, BUT IT WON'T BE SAFE ENOUGH. AND I GOT A VIDEO THIS SUNDAY AT CHURCH FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS DRIVING PAST THERE, AND THERE HAD BEEN A BIG ACCIDENT RIGHT THERE, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT INTERSECTS. 1139 AND 549 IT'S HORRIBLE INTERSECTION. AND TEX-DOT TOLD US WHEN WE TALKED TO HIM ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO THAT THEY THEY COULDN'T PUT IN, AGREED TO PUT IN A LIGHT THERE. YET WHEN THE ROADS FINISHED, BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THE TRAFFIC WILL WARRANT ONE, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, I MEAN, COME ON, WE CAN'T CHECK THAT BOX UNTIL WE DO THAT. EXACTLY. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID. WELL, UNTIL WE'RE FINISHED. SO BUT OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A LIGHT. EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT. THEY KNOW THAT. BUT TO YOUR POINT, JOHN, IS THE SAFETY IS BECOMING A HUGE, HUGE PROBLEM. AND IF THEY'RE REPAIRING ROADS OR REBUILDING ROADS AND MAKING NOT MAKING THEM AS SAFE AS THEY COULD BE, THEN THEY'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT REALLY FINISHING THE JOB. WELL, YOU'RE CORRECT. AND REX, ON FM ROADS ARE NOT LITTLE FENDER BENDERS. I MEAN, THEY'RE THEY'RE THEY'RE SERIOUS WRECKS.
SO SO FAR WE'RE FOCUSED ON DOING TWO WHITE PAPERS. ONE IS ZONING FOR THE OUTER LOOP. AND THEN FM ROADS FUNDING APPORTIONMENT FOR THE FAST GROWING COUNTIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO IDENTIFY AND ATTEMPT TO GET ALL THOSE COUNTIES ON BOARD AND GET THEIR COMMISSIONERS COURT TO PASS A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE WHITE PAPER AS WELL. AND JOHN, IN THAT LAST ONE THAT THE JUDGE JUST TALKED ABOUT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE APPORTIONMENT APPLYING TO IT ALSO, RIGHT? YEAH. I HAVE A NOTE TO MAKE A NOTE ABOUT 232110 AS WELL TO MAKE ONE CONCISE LITTLE WHITE PAPER. AND IN REGARDS TO THE ZONING ON THE OUTER LOOP, I'M FINE WITH YOU TWO WORKING ON IT TOGETHER, BUT THAT IS PART OF ONE OF THE INITIATIVES OF STRATEGIC PLAN NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS MAKING SURE WE DO HAVE THAT IDENTIFIED FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO I JUST I MAY DROP YOU A COUPLE OF THINGS, JUST THAT I HAD IN MIND FOR THAT. PLEASE DO. AND THAT'S THAT'S AGAIN, ONE WHERE EVERYBODY SAYS, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, INCLUDING IN OUR MOU, WE DID ON THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE OUTER LOOP WHERE THE RTC SAID, WE'LL SUPPORT THAT LEGISLATION. SO EVERYBODY IS SAYING THE RIGHT THINGS. SO LET'S JUMP ON THE WAVE AND GET IT DONE. AND THEN LIMITED PLATTING FOR COUNTIES IS IS THE LAST THING THAT I'M GOING TO EXPAND UPON. SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANYTHING I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT MORE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS THAN PLATTING AUTHORITY AND COUNTIES. AND I KNOW THAT SOUNDS SILLY, BUT I'M TELLING YOU, I THINK ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY. I SPENT EIGHT YEARS ON PLANNING AND ZONING FOR THE CITY OF FAYETTE. SO BEING INVOLVED IN THESE SORTS OF DECISIONS I'VE HAD, IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I'VE DONE A LOT OF. I THINK THAT IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US AS A COURT TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR ROCKWALL COUNTY, BECAUSE I THINK THAT IF WE JUST IF WE DON'T WEIGH IN TO THE ARGUMENT, THEN WE'RE GOING TO GET WHATEVER WE GET, WHICH IS FINE. I MEAN, IT'LL BE WHAT IT IS. I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT GO ON WHEN WE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PLANNING PLATTING OUTSIDE OF A COUNTY, YOU HAVE FARMERS, YOU HAVE INDUSTRY, AND YOU HAVE HOUSING
[01:20:02]
SUBDIVISIONS. AND I THINK THAT IF WE WERE TO EVEN AS SIMPLY AS A COMMISSIONERS COURT, SAY WE EXPECT THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO ACCOUNT FOR FARMERS SUBDIVISIONS AND HEAVY INDUSTRIAL USE WHEN THEY LOOK AT PLATTING AND OUTSIDE AUTHORITY. THAT MIGHT BE SIMPLE ENOUGH BECAUSE TO ME, IF THEY DO SOMETHING THAT SAYS WHAT LAUREN SAID EARLIER, HEY, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE DATA CENTERS HAVE WATER AND ELECTRICITY. THAT'S FINE, BUT YOU'RE NOT ADDRESSING HUGE SUBDIVISIONS THAT GET BUILT OFF ROADS. AND IF THEY SAY, WELL, WE WANT TO EXPAND A LITTLE BIT FOR HOUSING SUBDIVISIONS, WELL, YOU'RE NOT ACCOUNTING FOR THESE HUGE DATA CENTERS THAT ARE COMING IN WITHIN THE COUNTY. AND THEN IF THEY SAY, WE'RE JUST GOING TO GIVE COUNTIES MORE POWER, WELL, NOW YOU'RE NOT ACCOUNTING FOR THE FARMER THAT DOESN'T NEED GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN HIS FARM. SO I THINK THAT IF WE EVEN WERE TO GO AS SIMPLE AS SAYING, WE WANT YOU TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL THREE FACTORS INSIDE COUNTIES, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT I WOULD WANT TO GO WITH, BUT I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO HASH OUT. WHAT ARE WE ASKING FOR AND WHAT WOULD WE SEE AS A WIN AND A NECESSITY FOR PLATTING OR WHATEVER WE'RE ASKING FOR IN THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTY? WELL, I INTERESTING, INTERESTING COMMENT. I NEVER LOOKED AT IT THAT WAY. IT'S AN INTERESTING COMMENT, BUT GO BACK TO WHAT WE ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH AND WHAT WE'RE LIVING WITH. AND WE OUGHT TO BE, I KNOW, VERY CAREFUL WHAT WE SAY RIGHT NOW, BUT THE THE LITIGATION WE'RE IN, WE WE DISAPPROVED OF PLAT BASED UPON THREE THINGS ESSENTIALLY THERE. I THINK THERE WAS FOUR BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER IT RIGHT NOW. SO DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. BUT I'VE GOT A WHOLE LIST.BUT GO AHEAD. BUT WE SPECIFIED THESE THREE THINGS FOR SURE. I KNOW, I DO REMEMBER AND THAT WAS ADEQUATE WATER. OKAY. THEY DIDN'T HAVE WATER CONTRACT AT THE TIME. FIRE PREVENTION. THEY DIDN'T HAVE FIRE SAFETY AND OPEN SPACES. THEY DIDN'T WANT TO COMPLY WITH OUR OPEN SPACE REQUIREMENTS. EVERY ONE OF THOSE TIES TO THE MAGIC WORDS HEALTH, SAFETY, MORALS, AND WELFARE OF THE COUNTY. OKAY. EVERY ONE OF THEM. SO WHEN WE'RE GOING DOWN THIS DIRECTION, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE IDENTIFY THE IMPORTANCE OF SAYING, LOOK, IF, IF WE JUST WOULD HAVE HAD A STATUTE THAT ALLOWS US TO SAY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD A SUBDIVISION THAT DOESN'T HAVE THAT ISN'T IN THE CITY, YOU'VE GOT TO PROVE THAT YOU WILL PAY FOR AND HAVE FIRE PROTECTION FOR IT. IF THAT'S ALL WE HAD WAS A STATUTE THAT SAID THAT, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HUGE POSITIVE TO THE SUBDIVISION THAT WAS PROPOSED, BECAUSE THEN WE WOULD KNOW THAT AT LEAST THERE WOULD BE WATER AND FIRE TO FIGHT FIRES. AND IF PEOPLE LIVE THERE, THAT'S NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK. SO I LIKE YOUR IDEA, WHICH WAS MORE GENERAL, BUT LET'S NOT AGAIN FORGET THE SPECIFICS OF SIMPLE THINGS LIKE SAYING, HEY, YOU HAVE TO PROVE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FIRE PROTECTION. IF YOU'RE PUTTING IN A SUBDIVISION, YOU GOT TO PROVE IT. AND THAT MEANS IF YOU GOT TO GO TO A CITY TO GET IT, OR IF YOU GOT TO SET UP A FIRE DISTRICT, I DON'T CARE, BUT PROVE YOU GOT IT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO A SUBDIVISION, SHOW THAT YOU'VE GOT ADEQUATE WATER FOR IT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO A SUBDIVISION, MAKE PEOPLE THAT MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO TRAILS AND PARKS AND THINGS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS, AND EVERY STATE SENATOR AND STATE REP WOULD SAY, YEAH, WE KNOW PEOPLE WANT THAT. SO AGAIN, IT HEALTH, SAFETY, MORALS AND WELFARE, MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE IN THIS THOSE SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT WE CAN GO TO AND SAY, GUYS, WE GOT STATUTORY AUTHORITY. MAKE SURE YOU'RE COVERED HERE. AND THE FIRE PART IS AN INTERESTING ARGUMENT BECAUSE THE OTHER SOLUTION THAT MANY COUNTIES LIKE OURS IN RURAL, MORE RURAL AREAS ARE GOING TO ARE ESDS. AND I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS BECAUSE I AM I AM TRYING TO GET OUR UNINCORPORATED AREA OF THE COUNTY FIRE SERVICE KIND OF DIALED IN FROM THIS GAME THAT WE'RE PLAYING RIGHT NOW WITH ALL THE CITIES. I'M WORKING HARD ON THAT, BUT EVERYWHERE I TURN, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ESDS. AND WHY ARE THEY GOING TO ESDS? BECAUSE IT'S ANOTHER IT'S ANOTHER WAY TO RAISE MONEY FOR THIS STUFF. WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. WE DON'T YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED TO AVOID ESDS HERE BECAUSE THERE'S ANOTHER SUB GOVERNMENT ENTITY AND IT'S A TAXING AUTHORITY, AND IT'S ANOTHER COST TO OUR TAXPAYERS.
[01:25:01]
BUT IF THEY DON'T ALLOW DEVELOPERS TO PAY THEIR SHARE, AGAIN, OF IMPACT, WHICH IS FIRE, WHICH IS POLICING, WHICH IS ROADS, THEY DON'T ALLOW IT. THEN THERE THE STATE IS PUTTING US IN A POSITION TO BE THE BAD GUY AGAIN, BECAUSE THE COST OF FIRE SERVICE IS EXPLODING SUBSTANTIALLY ACROSS THE STATE, SUBSTANTIALLY EXPLODING, NOT ONLY PUTTING US IN A POSITION TO BE A BAD GUY, BUT PUTTING US IN A POSITION THAT'S HARD TO DEFEND AND RESULTS IN LITIGATION, RIGHT? BECAUSE IF IT SAID VERY CLEARLY, YOU'VE GOT TO PROVE YOU'VE GOT FIRE PROTECTION, THAT'S A SIMPLE STATUTE TO WRITE, AND YOU GOT TO PROVE IT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO A DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS, WELL, THEN WE WOULDN'T BE IN A LAWSUIT OVER THAT RIGHT NOW. RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG THREE. WE SAID, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, YOU CAN'T DO IT BECAUSE OF THIS. SO AGAIN, THAT SPECIFICITY. I AGREE WITH YOU, BOBBY. I, I WOULD PREFER NOT TO DO ANY SD I'D PREFER NOT TO DO ANOTHER TAXING AUTHORITY.NOBODY WANTS TO RAISE TAXES. RIGHT. SO. RIGHT. WELL, SOMETHING YOU SAID THAT I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR A COUPLE SESSIONS NOW WHEN I GO DOWN AND TALK TO THE STATE IS WE'RE NOT ASKING TOO MUCH WHAT WE WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS NOT ASKING TOO MUCH. I JUST PLEADED WHY WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A DEVELOPER BUILD A SAFE DEVELOPMENT. WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR TOO MUCH. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE A TYRANT IN ROCKWALL COUNTY. I JUST WANT SAFE DEVELOPMENT. THE TOUGH THING ABOUT THAT IS THAT THE DEFINITION OF WHAT'S A SAFE DEVELOPMENT IS BASED ON SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT IN DALLAS COUNTY, THAT'S SAFE DEVELOPMENT COULD BE SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT IN ROCKWALL COUNTY BECAUSE OF OUR LACKING ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S SOMETHING WHOLLY DIFFERENT HERE. IT'S JUST IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU ARE. ONE LAST THING BEFORE YOU GET ROLLING. JUDGE THAT UNDER MONTGOMERY COUNTY, LIKE COMMISSIONER STACEY SAID EARLIER, IS FACING SOME OF THESE VERY SAME, VERY SIMILAR KIND OF WHAT WE'RE FACING, OBVIOUSLY IN A BIGGER GEOGRAPHIC AREA. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE AFTER ARE THEY THEY'RE TRYING TO AND THEY'LL HAVE A BILL THEY'RE GOING TO PROPOSE THAT'S GOING TO LET COUNTIES ABOVE A GROWTH THRESHOLD ADOPT BASIC DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS LIKE LOT ACCESS AND DENSITY AND DENSITY NEAR COUNTY ROADS. THERE, THEY WILL HAVE A BILL THAT THEY'RE GOING TO PROPOSE FOR THAT. DO THEY SAY WHAT THAT THRESHOLD MIGHT BE? I'LL FIND OUT. I DON'T. THE INTERESTING PART IS THE DENSITY NEAR COUNTY ROADS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, DENSITY NEAR IN AND ADD FM ROADS TO THIS COUNTY ROADS IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, A GENERIC TERM I THINK THEY MIGHT BE USING TO ENCAPSULATE FM ROADS TOO. BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE NO ABILITY TO BUILD THOSE RIGHT NOW, THEN THAT IS WHERE OUR DENSITY CONCERNS REALLY LIE. OKAY. WELL, IF THEY'RE GOING TO INTRODUCE A BILL LIKE THAT, ISN'T THAT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD GET ON BOARD WITH AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE? ROCKWALL COUNTY SUPPORTS IT, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE BILL SAYS, RIGHT? OBVIOUSLY WE GOT TO LOOK AT IT. YEAH. YEP.
THAT'S GOOD. SO RIGHT NOW WE GOT A COUPLE WHITE PAPERS COMING. YOU AND COMMISSIONER STACEY ARE GOING TO WORK ON THE ZONING OF THE OUTER LOOP. COMMISSIONER STACEY IS GOING TO WORK ON THE FM ROADS, AND THE APPORTIONMENT COMMISSIONER IS GOING TO SEAT A LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AND FULLY ENTRUST YOU TO. YEAH, YEAH, FULLY AND TRUST YOU TO GET THAT GROUP THAT THAT THAT YOU TRUST. I DO WANT TO SAY THIS. I SHARE YOUR CONCERN. SO AS I SEE THE 90TH SHAPING UP, I, I JUST SENSED THE SAME AS YOU THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET, HEY, LOOK, WE STOPPED DATA CENTERS FROM COMING IN AND TAKING ALL YOUR WATER AND WE DID IT. WE DID IT. AND THE SAME THING WITH MUDS. YOU KNOW, I FOUGHT FOR TWO SESSIONS FOR MUD REFORM, MUD REFORM, MUD REFORM.
WELL, I SUSPECT WE'RE GOING TO GET SOME LEVEL OF MUD REFORM IN THIS SESSION IN THE 90TH. WE'RE GOING TO GET SOME LEVEL OF MUD REFORM JUST BECAUSE EVERYBODY, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPERS, KNOW SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. SO WE'RE THE PUSH AND PULL IS THE DEVELOPERS ARE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO DO SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T REALLY IMPACT THE WAY THEY'RE DOING BUSINESS. AND THAT'S NOT ME SAYING GOOD BAD. THAT JUST MEANS THAT'S THE WAY THE WORLD IS. THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT WORKS. SO IN THE END, I HAVE THE SAME FEAR FOR MUD REFORM, WHICH IS ONE REASON YOU WON'T HEAR ME. AND IT JUST GOES AGAINST MY ENTIRE BEING. BUT YOU WON'T HEAR ME DOWN YELLING FOR MUD REFORM, BECAUSE I'M AFRAID WE WILL GET SOME SORT OF ANEMIC REFORM IN LIEU OF SOME
[01:30:05]
THINGS THAT WE LISTED HERE, LIKE ZONING ON THE OUTER LOOP AND FM ROAD FUNDING THAT WE WILL GET. YES, YOU WANTED MUD REFORM. HERE IT IS, AND I DO. I DESPERATELY THINK WE NEED BUT WE NEED SUBSTANTIVE REFORM. AND I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE I'M A LITTLE TAINTED WITH WITH THE WHOLE THE WHOLE MECHANISM AND HOW IT WORKS. BUT I DO BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO GET SOME REFORM.AND AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE TOLD OUR ELECTEDS, JUST TELL ME WHEN YOU NEED ME. I'LL BE HAPPY TO COME DOWN AND TESTIFY. HAPPY TO DO IT. BUT I'M NOT GOING TO GRAB THE FLAG AND RUN WITH IT, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO DISTRACT FROM WHAT THIS BODY HAS DECIDED IS OUR LEGISLATIVE GOALS. THE OTHER THING IS I WAS JUST THINKING IS WHAT IF WE LIKE WHEN WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE, WE'VE PUT THIS AS LIKE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE 90TH SESSION. WHAT IF WE ACTUALLY MADE THIS AT THE VERY END OF COURT FOR THE NEXT FEW COURTS? NOT OBVIOUSLY NOT TOMORROW, BUT FOR THE NEXT FEW COURTS FOR US TO TRY TO FINE TUNE SOME OF THESE WHITE PAPERS AND FINE TUNE THIS AS A GROUP THAT WE GO THROUGH COURT, WE GO THROUGH OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION, AND THEN WE COME BACK AND THEN WE TALK ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE SO MUCH.
A LOT OF THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN DONE, AND WE CAN KIND OF TRY TO GO, HERE'S ONE WHITE PAPER. ARE WE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT WE CAN GET THIS TO A VOTE? OR THERE'S SOME, BECAUSE THIS IS ALMOST ATTACHING A WORKSHOP TO THE JUST FOR THE NEXT FEW TO SEE IF WE CAN GET ANY OF THIS OVER, OVER THE LINE AND ANY OF THESE ACTUALLY PASSED. I JUST WANT SOMETHING DONE. I COULD KIND OF GET BEHIND IT. BUT I REALLY DO THINK THAT THE GROUP THAT BOBBY'S WANTING TO PUT TOGETHER ALSO IS GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR MESSAGE AS WELL, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO NEED THEM AS WELL. SO I THINK THEY NEED TO HAVE BE WEIGHING IN TO, TO SOME DEGREE. I DON'T THINK THAT'S INCONSISTENT WITH WHAT JOHN'S SAYING AT ALL. AND I LOVE THE IDEA THAT YOU ARE MOVING TOWARD A WORKSHOP MODEL. I TRY TO LISTEN, I TRIED IT WOULD BE IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THESE. WHAT I WOULD CAUTION US IS TO AVOID DOING A SWEEPING REFERENDUM OR A SWEEPING, YOU KNOW, STANCE ON OUR ON OUR WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR PRIORITIES. I WOULD WANT EACH ONE TO BE ITS STANDING SEPARATE ENTITY THAT WE CAN HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE TO. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO PASS RESOLUTIONS, I WOULD SAY THAT WE PASS RESOLUTIONS FOR EACH SPECIFIC ASK THAT WE HAVE. YES.
THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHY. THAT'S WHY I THINK WORKSHOPPING IT MAKES THE MOST SENSE. BECAUSE WHEN WE COME OUT FOR THE ZONING OF THE OUTER LOOP, IT'S GOING TO BE SO SPECIFIC THAT IF YOU DON'T LIKE A COUPLE OF WORDS OR WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? LIKE WHEN WE GET TO THIS, THIS TYPE OF STUFF, IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY, VERY DIRECT ASK. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK THE ONE THAT GETS COMPLICATED IS THE PLATTING. I THINK THAT THE FM ROADS WERE KIND OF ALL ON THE SAME PAGE. WE NEED MONEY, WE NEED STUFF WE COULD ASK FOR ROADS. I THINK THE ZONING OF THE OUTER LOOP MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. UNFUNDED MANDATES. WE COULD POTENTIALLY WRITE SOMETHING THAT WE AGREE ON, WHETHER WE READ, REDO THE LANGUAGE OR NOT. I THINK I THINK THE PLATTING IS HARD, BUT I THINK, LAUREN, YOU WERE TALKIS GOING BACK TO THE CORE OF THE PASS THINGS THAT ARE CONSISTENT. STOP SAYING LOCAL DECISION MAKING. START TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY. START TALKING ABOUT WHAT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
BUILD SAFE DEVELOPMENTS, BUILD THINGS THAT ARE IN THAT THAT GO ALONG WITH, WITH WHAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO. I'M GOING TO REALLY TRY HARD TO WRITE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I MEAN, I THINK I THINK SAYING, GOING BACK TO THE LEGISLATURE AND SAYING, WE WANT TO PARTNER WITH YOU ON PLATTING, THAT MAKES SENSE IN THESE REGARDS, THAT THEY'RE SAFE, THAT WE HAVE THE PROPER INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT WE YOU KNOW, THE BUZZWORDS ARE OBVIOUSLY THE SHARIA, THE BUZZWORDS ARE THE DATA CENTERS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THOSE THREE ARE THE REAL BUZZWORDS. AND I THINK THAT IF WE IF WE MAKE IT MORE ABOUT WE'RE TRYING TO PARTNER WITH YOU IN, IN OUR COMMUNITIES TO BUILD THINGS THAT WORK FOR EVERYBODY. I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH THAT. NO, YOU ARE SO RIGHT. AND FRANK, YOU'RE SO RIGHT BECAUSE WHEN YOU SAY ALL, I'M NOT ASKING TOO MUCH, RIGHT? YOU COULD ASK, WHAT DO WE GOT 150 STATE REPS. WHAT, AND 34 SENATORS? IS THAT IT? YOU COULD ASK 32. WHATEVER. ANYWAY, YOU COULD ASK ANY ONE OF THEM. SHOULD A NEW SUBDIVISION HAVE TO HAVE FIRE PROTECTION, YOU'D GET 100%. OF COURSE THEY DO. YEP. AND IF WE FRAME IT IN WAYS LIKE THAT, VERY SPECIFIC, WELL,
[01:35:03]
LOOK, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THEY'RE BUILDING X NUMBER OF HOMES, THOSE HOMES HAVE FIRE PROTECTION. AND JUST LIKE DATA CENTERS HAVE TO HAVE WATER, THE SUBDIVISION HAS TO HAVE WATER. IT'S NOT THAT HARD. IT'S NOT THAT HARD. AND IT'S ALL CONSISTENT WITH STATE GOALS OF HEALTH, SAFETY, MORALS AND WELFARE. AND WE CAN USE THE EXAMPLE WE HAD IN OUR COUNTY OF WE TRIED TO SAY THIS AND WE GOT SUED. SO HELP US MAKE SURE THAT ON SOMETHING WE ALL AGREE WE NEED THAT WE CAN REQUIRE IT WITHOUT WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND EACH EACH COUNTY HAVING TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF TAXPAYER MONEY ON LITIGATION, WHICH WE DON'T WANT.WE WANT TO BE COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS, ALL THOSE THINGS, BUT HELP US SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GET IN THIS TRAP ON THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY AGREES ON. AGREED. WHAT ELSE? COMMISSIONER STACY, I'M GOING TO GET A LITTLE GRUMPY FOR A MINUTE. ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO. SO. PTAC, THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES PUBLICLY SUPPORTED 24 PIECES OF LEGISLATION LAST SESSION. THEY SAID THESE ARE THE LEGISLATIONS WE SUPPORT. SEVEN OF THOSE BILLS BECAME LAW.
12 OF THOSE BILLS NEVER LEFT COMMITTEE, AND 14 NEVER GOT A VOTE IN EITHER CHAMBER. SO NOW ONE OF THE. SO THEN IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK, ONE OF THE BILLS THEY SUPPORTED WAS WAS FILED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF BOTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAMBERS. THAT'S PAUL BETTENCOURT THAT FILED A BILL ON SOME HOUSING FINANCE. SOME OF THESE BILLS WERE TO INCREASE THE COUNTY ADOPT A HIGHWAY PROGRAMS. ANY BILL OF SUBSTANCE WAS DEAD ON ARRIVAL FOR ANY LOCAL GOVERNANCE. THEY PUBLICLY OPPOSED A SET OF BILLS, AND ONLY ONE BILL GOT VOTED INTO LAW THAT THEY PUBLICLY OPPOSED. SO PLAYING OFFENSE WAS BASICALLY NONEXISTENT. PLAYING DEFENSE DID OKAY. TWO BILLS THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT IN ANY THING EVER WAS SENATE BILL 1994 AND HOUSE BILL 4404, WHICH WAS WRITTEN BY ROCKWALL COUNTY THAT SAID, PUBLIC SAFETY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN BE LOOKING AT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOUSING SUBDIVISIONS. IT WASN'T ON TAX BILL, AND THE REASON THAT PTAC NEVER BROUGHT IT UP IS BECAUSE THE SECOND THOSE BILLS WERE FILED, THEY WERE DEAD. THEY NEVER HIT THE RADAR. THEY WERE FILED IN BOTH HOUSES. THEY BOTH GOT COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS. THEY NEVER GOT A HEARING. THEY NEVER GOT DISCUSSED. AND ALL IT SAID WAS, WE WANT TO BUILD A SAFE SUBDIVISION. SO WHAT THOSE BILLS SAID PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT'S IT. IT DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT DENSITY. IT DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT APPORTIONMENT. IT JUST SAID COUNTIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON PUBLIC SAFETY. AND TAC DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT IT BECAUSE IT NEVER SHOWED UP ON THEIR RADAR BECAUSE THEY WERE DEAD. IF YOU LOOK AT THE BILLS THEY SUPPORT, THEY SUPPORTED INCREASED PACE TO PEACE OFFICERS, INCREASED PAY TO JUDGES, INCREASED PAY TO HIGHWAY PROGRAMS, EXEMPT COUNTIES FROM FROM TAXES. RURAL AMBULANCE GRANT, RURAL AMBULANCE GRANTS, AND ALLOWING POSTING AND DIGITAL NEWSPAPERS. THAT'S WHAT THEY GOT PASSED. WE ARE WE ARE JUST KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF TAX EFFECTIVENESS AND COST EFFECTIVENESS FOR US, WHICH IS ALMOST NON-EXISTENT. CORRECT. BECAUSE AND THEY'RE BOTH DANCING AROUND TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYING BAN, WHICH IS GOING TO COME BACK UP AGAIN THIS SESSION. AND SO THEIR EFFECTIVENESS TO ME, TAX EFFECTIVENESS, I DON'T MIND SAYING IT ON THE RECORD. TAX EFFECTIVENESS LAST TIME WAS TERRIBLE. DURING THE SESSION. THEY THEY COULD NOT CARRY THE WATER FOR WHAT WAS IMPORTANT FOR COUNTIES LIKE OURS, FAST GROWING COUNTIES. THE ONLY THING THEY CARRIED ANY WATER FOR, IN MY OPINION, WERE VERY RURAL COUNTIES. AND THEN COOKE SEEMS TO BE STUCK ON DALLAS AND HARRIS AND THOSE COUNTIES, AND THEY'RE PUSHING FOR THINGS THAT DON'T ALIGN WITH WHAT WE PUSH FOR SOMETIMES HERE IN ROCKWALL COUNTY. SO WE'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF HAVING TO BE VERY SPECIFIC ON OUR ASKS AND CARRY THIS ON OUR OWN. AGREED? AGREED.
ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONER STACEY, DOES THAT SUMMARIZE GRUMPY GRUMPINESS? GOT YOUR GRUMPY OUT.
ALL RIGHT. SO I, I THINK WE ALL KIND OF HAVE SOMETHING THAT THAT HAVE OUR HOMEWORK OR TO DO LIST AND I WILL MEREDITH YOU'LL START PUTTING LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FOR THE 90TH SESSION.
THE VERY LAST THING ON THE COURT. I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. COMMISSIONER GALLINA, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE YOUR COMMITTEE AND AND, AND AND THE REST OF US WILL GET OUR WALKING
[01:40:03]
SHOES AND OUR, OUR CARS POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND SEE IF WE CAN'T ADVOCATE ON BEHALF[3) COMMISSIONERS COURT REPORTS:]
OF ROCKWALL COUNTY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SAY? ANY SUMMARIES? HEARING NONE AT TEN. ONE THING I WAS GOING TO SAY NO, NO NO NO NO NO. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LEGISLATIVE. IF NOBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, WE'LL BE DONE FOR THE DAY. ALL I WANT TO SAY IS THIS IS MY 24TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. WE ARE ABOUT TO CLOSE THE COURT. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY LOVELY AND WONDERFUL BRIDE, AMY, WHO HAS PUT UP WITH ME FOR THE LAST 24 YEARS. AMEN. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, AMY STACY AT 1045. WE'RE ADJOURNED.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.