A Mix Bag

I've got to tell you with this having been first week of school and all time has just gotten away from me.  I'm not sure 48 hour days would allow me to catch up on all that needs to get done.  But one thing that does happen in my travels back and forth to customers is that I get time to think about all the things going on. 

I had originally decided I was going to talk about GCAM and what a great group of people they are over there and how they can always use our donations.  I know especially things like canned meats and fruit are always in short supply.  But there is just to much pressing to spend the time to do that right.

So back to the "what's going on....."

First the Lynn Theater.  GEDC basically told the City Council that this was their football, and while they might not be going home with it, they were going to sit on it till the city played nicely.  So in this lose/lose situation, we the citizens of Gonzales are now on the sidelines watching both sides do nothing because they can't play nicely together.  GEDC owns the note as it stands, but can't make any changes without the councils approval.  The council voted not to make changes, but have not bite with their bark.  So who looses?  We do!

If you'll remember I told you that this issue could take years and years to resolve if we don't give Mr. Colins a chance.  I personally think Mr. Colins made some poor business decisions in taking the original debt, not letting GEDC know when there were first problems, and not showing up to the city council meeting this month.  Very poor decisions on his part.

GEDC was at fault for loaning the amount they did on a property that wasn't worth that much, and that couldn't maintain the debt services that they were undertaking.  That's like a bank loaning me a quarter million dollars for my house worth $100,000.  Not good business practices. Also at fault for not demanding monthly or quarterly statements to be submitted as is standard practice.

It's times like this I wish we could put all 3 parties involved - Mr. Colins, GEDC, and the city council - in a locked room and tell them they aren't coming out till they come to an agreement.  We the people of Gonzales are going to miss out theater for a long time if they don't.

Second also involves GEDC and the city at JB Wells.  While I can't remember exactly when, I believe the June meeting the city council approved $16,000 for the 39 new RV slots.  I remember laughing at the time thinking no way in hell.  Well now at least part of the truth is coming out, those lots didn't cost us $16,000.  The city manager went over budget just a bit and asked for $40,000+ to be reimbursed by GEDC.  Now I want to point out a few problems with this $40k.

1) It's almost 3x the original estimate.  HOW CAN YOU BE THAT FAR OFF ON RV SLOTS??? This isn't a billion dollar high rise taking years to build, it's 39 slots of electric, water, and rock.

2) We still haven't gotten the $40,000 bill sitting at GVEC.  I'm not sure if I'm more upset as a shareholder at GVEC they are not giving the city the bill, or thankful as a taxpayer they aren't.  But don't think the $40,000 asked for this month was the real cost, we're at $80,000 now.

3) In Mr. Husemans presentation to GEDC he told them that the City of Gonzales and the County of Gonzales "donated" the labor.  Donated?  Really? You think that's the appropriate word for 'the taxpayers already paid that money in salaries to the individuals who worked out there'?  Donated? Now don't get me wrong, those employees deserved the money they earned working there! In some cases it was their job.  In others it was all hands on deck, so if you had two legs and two arms you were working down at JB Wells for over a week.  But what did the entire city payroll for that week run us? That's not donated, nor are they properly accounting for it on the books.  Every department in the city got charged their normal payroll even though they didn't receive the employee that went with it!  It's a way to legally cook the books and hide the cost from auditors and those wanting to know the truth.  So on top of the $80,000 we're up to, there is the payroll issue.  We're well over $100,000 (more like $150,000) at this point for the 39 slots.

4) The city (read Mr. Huseman) did not turn in any paperwork, or paper trail to backup the $40,000 request. This was more like a kid passing a note to another, "hey I forgot my lunch money, would you send me some?" No forms filled out. No documentation.  No anything except a memo requesting the money.  You nor I could get anything from GEDC that way.  There is proper protocol and procedures to follow, but I guess Mr. Huseman is above all that.

5) We have a case of putting the cart before the horse.  These spaces were built in May/June time frame and this is August by my calendar.  That means that unlike everyone else that has to ask permission to do something, the city just did it with the assumption that GEDC would give them the money.   We know what happens when you ASSUME! Right now it's the city running GEDC instead of GEDC members running it properly.  This is not the first case like this, I seem to recall a recent issue with the city manager having his name put on a contract 'on behalf of GEDC'. 

The third thing I want to bring up with GEDC and the city is this $4444 for work in industrial park.  This is for work the city should be paying for (infrastructure) leading up to a property, and for the part up to the needed location.  The city is responsible for work up to the property line. Period.  End of sentence.  That's what our tax dollars go for.  But we are NOT responsible for it after that.  Yet Mr. Huseman at the GEDC meeting when asked about it and if the city was responsible for it responded, and I quote, "sometimes".  SOMETIMES? What if you are liked by him, then yes?  If you're not then no? Sometimes? This isn't a gray area, this is a black and white area.  I'm not sure if I'm more upset at the 'sometimes' or the fact GEDC went ahead and approved the monies.

Last thing I want to bring up is the recent visit by the Army Corp of Engineers and TCEQ here in Gonzales.  Regardless of what Mr. Huseman tells the Corp or the newspapers, there are pictures of the concrete laying right where it is long before the flood came earlier this year.  It's laying right where he had it dumped, in the middle of the Guadalupe River.  Now I told you eventually this would have to come out, and after last weeks visit you and I the tax payer are going to have to pay for the removal of some of this, if not all of it.  It should of never been dumped in the first place!  There is NEVER an excuse to put pipes in the river like we did.  The Corp specifically forbids the dumping of concrete with rebar in the water.  And we've already misused our firemen and their equipment removing some of it. 

GBRA, myself and other concerned citizens filed formal complains because of this dumping, and to be clear the spot we are talking about has nothing to do with the new section that was recently built for the paddling trail.  This is where the city dumped the old St. George street and it's trash 2 weeks before the elections.

Mr. Huseman can claim he contacted the Corp for moving concrete all he wants, but he's just trying to cover his rear.  He's months to slow, and trying to take advantage of a natural disaster.  The problem is the pictures tell it all!

I'm going to put this as clear and simple as I can, Mr. Huseman is lying! He's lying to the Corp.  He's lying to you and I the taxpayers of this town that employ him.  And sadly enough it's not the first lie we've caught him in. 

So Gonzales that's all I've got time for today, but hopefully now with school in full swing I'll get back in a roll here.  So what's your role?  1) let others know what's going on, educated voters/taxpayers are what make the difference. 2) Comment here, there are plenty that read this blog, and your comments, on either side of the issues, will at least get debate going on, and who knows you might make the comment that changes someones mind or brings everyone together. 3) If you know something with the city that needs to be out there, let someone know!  You can email me at dennis@90asign.com or either of the newspapers in town.  Don't dig your head in the sand, make a difference!

God Bless,
Dennis Nesser