Just curious what people think are the most important topics for local city elections in November. Interested to see the difference in what people say.
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Last: 6 mo ago by woodiewood
Scrap them all and start over?
Anything that can be done to drop property taxes.
More medians
Moving CS city hall to north gate
Buying the rest of the mall
Monorail
Paid residential parking
Moving CS city hall to north gate
Buying the rest of the mall
Monorail
Paid residential parking
Be fiscally responsible and put in a 10 year program of minimum expenditures to supply only essential services to citizens.
Set a policy that any excess receipts of CS Utilities to NOT be transferred to the General Fund but be either saved for future utiility capital expenditures or given back to users in terms of rebates to future bills. It is asinine to transfer about 12 to 16 million to the GF from utility receipts every year and then go to the citizens for 16 million for drilling three wells.
Set a policy to stay out of the real estate business.
Minimize the installation of medians
Allow voters to vote on capital projects over a certain level.
Set a policy to not charge for parking on the street in residential areas. The city already generates revenues from sales tax and HOT taxes from visitors. Homeowners and their visitors especially should have a right to park on the public street in front of there house or nearby without having to pay to park.
Set a policy that any excess receipts of CS Utilities to NOT be transferred to the General Fund but be either saved for future utiility capital expenditures or given back to users in terms of rebates to future bills. It is asinine to transfer about 12 to 16 million to the GF from utility receipts every year and then go to the citizens for 16 million for drilling three wells.
Set a policy to stay out of the real estate business.
Minimize the installation of medians
Allow voters to vote on capital projects over a certain level.
Set a policy to not charge for parking on the street in residential areas. The city already generates revenues from sales tax and HOT taxes from visitors. Homeowners and their visitors especially should have a right to park on the public street in front of there house or nearby without having to pay to park.
TyHolden said:
More medians
Moving CS city hall to north gate
Buying the rest of the mall
Monorail
Paid residential parking
Ohhhh. IDEA...
LET'S MOVE CITY HALL TO THE MALL. IT RHYMES SO IT MUST BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
Keep Bob Y. But I am with you on the rest. The problem is the voters not the politicians..Independence H-D said:
Scrap them all and start over?
If we hadn't built the new building, that would be a great idea.Independence H-D said:TyHolden said:
More medians
Moving CS city hall to north gate
Buying the rest of the mall
Monorail
Paid residential parking
Ohhhh. IDEA...
LET'S MOVE CITY HALL TO THE MALL. IT RHYMES SO IT MUST BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
Maybe we can drill one of the wells in the parking lot?
These aren't pressing issues at the moment, but I would like to start hearing discussion about:
Transformation of the Harvey Road district. (Including the mall.)
Plans for the apartment complexes of yesteryear. I realize and appreciate that they are privately owned, but the situation isn't going to get any better.
Creating a park and ride railway system, using the existing railway.
Transformation of the Harvey Road district. (Including the mall.)
Plans for the apartment complexes of yesteryear. I realize and appreciate that they are privately owned, but the situation isn't going to get any better.
Creating a park and ride railway system, using the existing railway.
Yes, some good ideas about long term issues.Buford T. Justice said:
These aren't pressing issues at the moment, but I would like to start hearing discussion about:
Transformation of the Harvey Road district. (Including the mall.)
Plans for the apartment complexes of yesteryear. I realize and appreciate that they are privately owned, but the situation isn't going to get any better.
Creating a park and ride railway system, using the existing railway.
Not sure how much city can do about #1 and #2. Unless the city starts buying vacant store fronts (heaven forbid) the mall will eventually dry up. What the city can do is promote the addition of addition restaurants around the perimeter of the mall property so that eventually maybe someone will demo the mall and build a nice residential complex of nice apartments, condos and townhomes. I think it would be attractive to some homeowners to have six or seven restaurant optionsl available to walk to? I think someone could build a street of nice townhomes in a semi-circle on the Pennys side of the property with a side entrance off of Holleman and they would be attractive to buyers.
The bottleneck of addressing any future issues with the mall is that there are seven or eight owners of different plats of the real property of the mall.
I think eventually the older apartment complexes will be remodeled replace with nicer apartments with modern amenities and features such as garages, exterior storage spaces, etc. Many of the new complexes have that. The city's role here would be to enfored the structureal and living codes that currently exist.
I think we are decades away from a transportation rail system due to the short distances. Also, the existing reailway is private property and I am not sure the railroad would go for anything. Now, they have two to four log trains an hour so there would be serious scheduling issues. During the baseball regional the train was stopped blocking George Bush crossing for almost an hour.
I like the idea of moving from a bus system to an Uber voucher system. The Kyle, Texas experience is interesting. To me the less government involvement, the better.
woodiewood said:
I think eventually the older apartment complexes will be remodeled replace with nicer apartments with modern amenities and features such as garages, exterior storage spaces, etc. Many of the new complexes have that. The city's role here would be to enfored the structureal and living codes that currently exist.
Lot of truth in this. Older properties get bought up and renovated all the time.
To the OP, since this is your first post welcome to the board. What office are you running for or thinking about running for? Most important thing to remember is that it is the peoples money not he governments. We work hard to make it and deserve to keep as much of it as possible. We are willing to pay for important things, just dont waste it.
A lot of things are in good shape. These are the most pressing issues from my perspective.
- Council needs address the death of Mark Hopkins. If there were failures, then accountability is required. If there were not failures, then policy changes are required.
- We need to achieve sustained minor growth. The higher the growth rate, the shorter the time to fund growth infrastructure, which means higher taxes (i.e. wells).
- Council needs to take control of the budget (from staff). Don't use CBOs to sidestep the citizens.
I like all of these ideas!woodiewood said:
Be fiscally responsible and put in a 10 year program of minimum expenditures to supply only essential services to citizens.
Set a policy that any excess receipts of CS Utilities to NOT be transferred to the General Fund but be either saved for future utiility capital expenditures or given back to users in terms of rebates to future bills. It is asinine to transfer about 12 to 16 million to the GF from utility receipts every year and then go to the citizens for 16 million for drilling three wells.
Set a policy to stay out of the real estate business.
Minimize the installation of medians
Allow voters to vote on capital projects over a certain level.
Set a policy to not charge for parking on the street in residential areas. The city already generates revenues from sales tax and HOT taxes from visitors. Homeowners and their visitors especially should have a right to park on the public street in front of there house or nearby without having to pay to park.
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This x1000.woodiewood said:
Set a policy that any excess receipts of CS Utilities to NOT be transferred to the General Fund but be either saved for future utiility capital expenditures or given back to users in terms of rebates to future bills. It is asinine to transfer about 12 to 16 million to the GF from utility receipts every year and then go to the citizens for 16 million for drilling three wells.
I think it would depend on which "local" election you are talking aboutValen said:
Just curious what people think are the most important topics for local city elections in November. Interested to see the difference in what people say.
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Red Pear Luke (BCS)
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I think one to factor into in relation to the budget is planning for CSISD growth? We are gonna need a new elementary school near/around Southern Pointe given how many houses are coming online and planned.
What is the growth of the ISD being forecasted? We just had to pay with a bond offering for A&M colsidated to have an athletic training upgrade - so in a few years we're gonna need even more to build these new schools to help accommodate the growth?
Also - this is a personal sticking point - Rock Prairie Rd from the hospital to lick creek park sucks. I know this because I drive it daily and I'm double reminded by my wife everytime I'm driving with her complaining about how much that road sucks.
What is the growth of the ISD being forecasted? We just had to pay with a bond offering for A&M colsidated to have an athletic training upgrade - so in a few years we're gonna need even more to build these new schools to help accommodate the growth?
Also - this is a personal sticking point - Rock Prairie Rd from the hospital to lick creek park sucks. I know this because I drive it daily and I'm double reminded by my wife everytime I'm driving with her complaining about how much that road sucks.
Isn't it being widened right now?
Looking at CSISD's demographic numbers and the recent comments from the superintendent, it doesn't sound like any new schools are on the horizon. It looks they are going to rezone the elementary schools to make up for shifting student populations.
It does seem like the city is gonna need do something soon about Rock Prairie with the population growth along that road, but they may have already started?
It does seem like the city is gonna need do something soon about Rock Prairie with the population growth along that road, but they may have already started?
George Costanza said:
Looking at CSISD's demographic numbers and the recent comments from the superintendent, it doesn't sound like any new schools are on the horizon. It looks they are going to rezone the elementary schools to make up for shifting student populations.
It does seem like the city is gonna need do something soon about Rock Prairie with the population growth along that road, but they may have already started?
Yep. Rezoning in near future. He said there's an imbalance in populations at different schools that needs to be addressed.
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It is not being widened past the turn off into Midtown from Rock Prairie. I am talking about all of Rock Prairie past that point up to Lick Creek which crosses WD40UhOhNoAgTag said:
Isn't it being widened right now?
Ah, ok. Thanks. I though it was going all the way to Fitch.
Just a heads up to everyone here and Taxpayers in COCS
All the way to Fitch is penciled in at $22.5m - not including interest on the debt that will be needed
I stress again (and again and again) the sheer size and scope of our infrastructure needs here in College Station is over $1,000,000,000
Couple that with the fire station and added firefighters for #7 - you are looking at a budget "cliff" next year that people need to start to prepare for now. And by people I mean COCS council and staff.
All that CANNOT be done with a tax raise to cover the cost.
We are currently sitting on a fund balance ~$40m in the GF and if we can spend $7m on a mall without blinking, I think we can do 1/4 or 1/2 of that for the above mentioned concern for #7.
All the way to Fitch is penciled in at $22.5m - not including interest on the debt that will be needed
I stress again (and again and again) the sheer size and scope of our infrastructure needs here in College Station is over $1,000,000,000
Couple that with the fire station and added firefighters for #7 - you are looking at a budget "cliff" next year that people need to start to prepare for now. And by people I mean COCS council and staff.
All that CANNOT be done with a tax raise to cover the cost.
We are currently sitting on a fund balance ~$40m in the GF and if we can spend $7m on a mall without blinking, I think we can do 1/4 or 1/2 of that for the above mentioned concern for #7.
Craig Regan 14 said:
Just a heads up to everyone here and Taxpayers in COCS
All the way to Fitch is penciled in at $22.5m - not including interest on the debt that will be needed
I stress again (and again and again) the sheer size and scope of our infrastructure needs here in College Station is over $1,000,000,000
Couple that with the fire station and added firefighters for #7 - you are looking at a budget "cliff" next year that people need to start to prepare for now. And by people I mean COCS council and staff.
All that CANNOT be done with a tax raise to cover the cost.
We are currently sitting on a fund balance ~$40m in the GF and if we can spend $7m on a mall without blinking, I think we can do 1/4 or 1/2 of that for the above mentioned concern for #7.
They certainly shouldn't need to raise taxes when they can simply sell the mall and put that money back in the GF.
In the economic environment we are currently in, I bet us taxpapers will take a bath on a sale of the Mall property. We taxpayers paid $7.3 million for it in 2022 and the current 2024 market value is $4,410,244. So it probably could be sold for maybe $3 million?techno-ag said:Craig Regan 14 said:
Just a heads up to everyone here and Taxpayers in COCS
All the way to Fitch is penciled in at $22.5m - not including interest on the debt that will be needed
I stress again (and again and again) the sheer size and scope of our infrastructure needs here in College Station is over $1,000,000,000
Couple that with the fire station and added firefighters for #7 - you are looking at a budget "cliff" next year that people need to start to prepare for now. And by people I mean COCS council and staff.
All that CANNOT be done with a tax raise to cover the cost.
We are currently sitting on a fund balance ~$40m in the GF and if we can spend $7m on a mall without blinking, I think we can do 1/4 or 1/2 of that for the above mentioned concern for #7.
They certainly shouldn't need to raise taxes when they can simply sell the mall and put that money back in the GF.
woodiewood said:In the economic environment we are currently in, I bet us taxpapers will take a bath on a sale of the Mall property. We taxpayers paid $7.3 million for it in 2022 and the current 2024 market value is $4,410,244. So it probably could be sold for maybe $3 million?techno-ag said:Craig Regan 14 said:
Just a heads up to everyone here and Taxpayers in COCS
All the way to Fitch is penciled in at $22.5m - not including interest on the debt that will be needed
I stress again (and again and again) the sheer size and scope of our infrastructure needs here in College Station is over $1,000,000,000
Couple that with the fire station and added firefighters for #7 - you are looking at a budget "cliff" next year that people need to start to prepare for now. And by people I mean COCS council and staff.
All that CANNOT be done with a tax raise to cover the cost.
We are currently sitting on a fund balance ~$40m in the GF and if we can spend $7m on a mall without blinking, I think we can do 1/4 or 1/2 of that for the above mentioned concern for #7.
They certainly shouldn't need to raise taxes when they can simply sell the mall and put that money back in the GF.
$3 million less in taxes needed.
It's a start.
Isn't this all going to be somewhat moot when Texas secedes or the country splits? /s.... Seriously though....taxes and traffic infrastructure. Realizing the state is somewhat in control, I worry about becoming Austin in the early 90's boom and it takes an hour to go from west side to east side. So maybe back to monorail?Valen said:
Just curious what people think are the most important topics for local city elections in November. Interested to see the difference in what people say.
Create more things like this!
https://wtaw.com/twin-oaks-landfill-update-presented-to-the-college-station-city-council/
https://wtaw.com/twin-oaks-landfill-update-presented-to-the-college-station-city-council/
this is correct
Those folks run the finest operation in the State
And it isnt even close.
Those folks run the finest operation in the State
And it isnt even close.
I just read another terrible news story that took place in the Harvey District. It needs addressing.
I am not sure what can be done other than addressing issues strongly as they occur. Any city of any size will have areas of crime and drugs. Not sure what can be legally done? You could place a police substation there and it wouldn't prevent crime and drugs. Prosecute strongly as much as possible.Buford T. Justice said:
I just read another terrible news story that took place in the Harvey District. It needs addressing.