Keith Self's Blog

Citizens,

1. Farmersville celebrated the 84th anniversary of Audie Murphy's birth on Saturday, June 21. Audie Murphy, a Medal of Honor recipient, was the most decorated soldier of WWII and one of the most famous soldiers in American history. Along with Audie Murphy's memory, the city also honored veterans from every era during a parade around the town square and a ceremony held in the historic Onion Shed. It was a moving experience to watch veterans wipe tears from their eyes during patriotic songs, and then swell with pride as their individual branch of the Armed Services was recognized. It was a genuine celebration of freedom honoring the cost borne by our veterans to defend our freedom.

As we approach the 4th of July, Independence Day, our annual celebration, we will hear "freedom" frequently over the next few weeks.

Our freedom focus today tends to our concerns over the threat (and rise) of radical Islam, but we also need to keep close watch on the domestic issues addressed in our U.S. Constitution. Freedom can be lost not only by foreign threat, but also by concentrating too much power and money in our government. The Constitution is a wonderful document written by men who had first-hand experience with a too-powerful government. The Constitution is all about limited government.

As you consider your freedom over the next weeks, consider what Frederic Bastiat wrote in a period when France was turning to socialism, "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." This great fiction is NOT what our veterans fought and died for.

Freedom flies in your heart like an eagle.
Let it soar with the winds high above
Among the spirits of soldiers now sleeping,
Guard it with care and with love.
- Audie Murphy

Guard your freedom with care and love.

2. The Commissioners Court voted 3-2 today to institute a 5% homestead exemption with a $5,000 minimum during the next fiscal year that starts in October. This homestead exemption means that your county tax burden in real dollars should decrease, depending on your individual property appraisal. That is good news. One of my longtime primary goals has been to give you tax relief.

However, I preferred a more broad based tax relief through a tax rate decrease. A broad based tax rate decrease would give not only you, the homeowner, tax relief, but it would also give tax relief to the business that employs you. In this troubled time, we need to be encouraging all the employment that we can. I will continue to work through the budget process to include a tax rate decrease that will include tax relief for our businesses.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

Transportation continues to be the highest priority and most time-consuming issue in the county. I meet monthly with TXDot and our Regional Transportation Council member, Commissioner Jaynes, in order to stay abreast of the issues and the progress of projects in Collin County.

There is also a great deal of work left to do to protect the SH 121 concession fee dedicated to Collin County, approximately $800 million, in order to fund transportation projects important to our county. We are working hard on these details.

Now that some time has passed since two unanimous votes in the Commissioners Court, I want to tell you how pleased I was with those two votes.

The first was the unanimous vote to realign the northern-most section of Dallas North Tollway (DNT) in Collin County. The DNT is a strong economic engine and it only makes sense to continue its path north through the rapid population growth area of Collin County.

The second was the unanimous vote to educate ourselves on the legal and practical aspects of a County Toll Road Authority (CTRA.) Tomorrow, June 10, TXDot will present the first educational briefing to the court. This education process does NOT mean that Collin County will establish a CTRA, but if it becomes necessary, we will understand what is entailed.

These two initiatives demonstrate a vision for Collin County that includes taking care of ourselves should it become necessary to do so because of the uncertainty of future transportation funding in Texas.

You may have read about discussions in court regarding the relative merits of a tax rate decrease versus a homestead exemption. This discussion will continue on June 10. If the court decides to establish a homestead exemption, it must be done by the end of June, long before the budget is developed, discussed, and approved. You may review the information that will be used for the June 10 discussion starting on page 439 at http://public1.co.collin.tx.us/public_notices/Lists/Public%20Meetings/Attachments/404/Court%20Packet%2006-10-08.pdf Be patient; the package is huge and takes a while to open. Do not attempt unless you have a broadband connection.

Ronald Reagan said once, "You can't be for big government, big taxes, and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy." The discussions on the court regarding tax relief demonstrate that we are listening to the current economic news and are committed to giving you tax relief this year. Stay tuned as we work out the details.

While the naysayers will claim that county tax relief could amount to a small amount, I believe that every bit of tax relief helps, especially when the estimate for a typical family of four suggests that their federal tax bill will increase by $2000 if the Democrats win in November. That represents a 40% increase over their current tax bill. You may read the study for yourself at http://www.atr.org/content/pdf/2008/june/060208pr-face1famfour.pdf

It continues to be an honor to serve you,
Keith

Citizens,

Memorial Day is Monday.

A day of remembrance of those who died in military service to our nation, Memorial Day has been observed for 138 years.

Memorial Day is always fresh because our freedom requires sacrifice from every generation. Most of you reading this letter personally know an American who served or is serving in our Armed Forces, many in harm's way today. Celina's remembrance, for example, will honor Peter Burks, a hometown son who died in Iraq last year. This is not only history, this is also now.

I encourage you to include one of the many Collin County Memorial Day programs in your weekend plans. I, for one, will be participating in the McKinney Memorial Day program at the Pecan Grove Cemetery at 10:00 AM.

If you want to hear patriotic music and moving tributes to our fallen military by Congressmen Sam Johnson and Ralph Hall, see a flyover by an open cockpit WWII aircraft, and eat Texas barbeque, then you want to be at the Pecan Grove Cemetery on Monday, May 26 at 10:00 AM. Congressmen Johnson and Hall know a thing or two about serving our country in the Armed Forces during combat, and they remember - as we need to do.

Pecan Grove's historic headstones reflect the presence of 203 veterans from conflicts of the 1800s - 1 from the Texas Revolution; 7 from the Mexican War and 195 from the Civil War (193 Confederate and 2 Union.) A Twentieth Century Flying Ace lies in this famous cemetery, General Royal Baker, who fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam.

Plan to attend one of the Collin County remembrance programs on Monday. Check out your own hometown. Honor the Americans who died for us.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

The constant drumbeat for higher taxes continues. Many regional and local government and quasi-government organizations are developing detailed plans to lobby the state legislature for higher taxes in several different areas: a new transit tax, higher sales tax, higher gas tax, higher property tax, and even a new hospital taxing district that I will discuss at the end of the blog. Even with the current state surplus, there seems to be no end to the appetite for higher taxes. This is not some far-away effort in Austin, it is right here in North Texas. As you watch media reports, you can see the outlines of the efforts to come next year during the legislative session.

I want to address a flawed idea that we see again and again as the tax-and-spend crowd tries to convince you that they need more of your hard-earned dollars. Time and time again, we read and hear the argument that all our new citizens who are moving to Collin County require greater services and therefore citizens who currently live here need to contribute more tax dollars to fund those greater services that our new citizens require. The tax-and-spend crowd never heard of Phil Gramm's Dickie Flatt test.

What this argument does not bother to mention is that all our new citizens are paying property tax on the houses they buy, they are paying sales tax on the goods they buy, and they are paying fees for registering and inspecting their cars. They are paying their taxes, just as you are. More citizens are shouldering the tax load, so your tax burden should be able to stay steady, or even decrease. This is the beauty of a fast-growing area - we have more people to help us continue to provide you with the infrastructure that contributes to our excellent county in which to live and work.

We have the preliminary figures for the growth of our tax base this year. When the final figures come in, our tax base should grow by a healthy percentage - not the blowout 10.9% of last year, but still a healthy number.

If we can control the growth of government this year, we should be able to give you tax relief. Remember that slowing the growth of county government DOES NOT mean that we will have to CUT services. Even if county government grows more slowly, there will still be dollars available to fund the most pressing increases, such as in the cost of construction materials. And when you see the small amount of savings for you that the tax-and-spend crowd suggest when they discuss tax relief, remember what someone said once, "Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?"

I am also very concerned about a renewed effort to include Collin County in a new hospital district with Dallas County. This will do no more than force you, the Collin County taxpayer, to support Parkland Hospital with a new property tax. Dallas County citizens already pay a HIGHER TAX RATE JUST FOR PARKLAND HOSPITAL than you pay for your Collin County taxes. Let me say that in a different way. You pay 24.5 cents per hundred dollars in appraisal to Collin County. Dallas County citizens pay 25.4 cents per hundred dollars in appraisal just to support Parkland Hospital. Their county taxes are over and above that Parkland tax.

Let me assure you, Collin County pays for treatment for our indigent citizens who receive treatment at Parkland, despite media reports to the contrary. I send a letter every month to the Dallas County Commissioners Court members detailing our payments.

Notwithstanding the uncertain national political scene, within the next year you may face a new hospital district tax, a new transit tax, higher gas tax, higher sales tax, and higher property tax.

And this is one reason why tax relief at county level is important.

This is why your vote matters. The people you elect are making these decisions.

Sincerely,
Keith

One other note on the 2009 legislative session. State Representative Ken Paxton, who represents McKinney, Frisco, Allen, and Prosper, has been named the Vice Chairman of the House Select Committee on Property Tax Relief and Appraisal Reform. This committee will directly study possible tax relief. Ken Paxton is a friend of taxpayers and I encourage you to watch as this committee's work unfolds.

Citizens,

I have just read a wonderful book, "The Law," by Frederic Bastiat, a French economist, who penned the short work in 1850.

"The Law" could be describing our 21st century nation, rather than 19th century France.

"The Law" lays out in simple, understandable terms the underlying concept of individual liberty as the foundational concept for a just and enduring society.

Given his regard for liberty, Bastiat could have been an author of our own Declaration of Independence. In "The Law" Bastiat states, "Life, faculties, production - in other words individuality, liberty, property - that is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it."

On the last page, Bastiat ends with, "Try liberty."

Our Founding Fathers gave us a republic based on liberty - not a perfect republic, but a republic nonetheless. I pray that we will not stray any further from the foundation for a just society. That's right - first and foremost a just society. Let's continue to "Try liberty."

Bastiat was an economist and the work was translated by the Foundation for Economic Education, demonstrating that individual liberty is tied to economic freedom and private property. I know that at least two organizations are distributing "The Law;" The Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Foundation for Economic Education. I encourage you to read it carefully - it is only 85 pages. You may read it on-line at http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/The_Law.pdf or you may purchase a copy at http://www.fee.org/store/detail.asp?id=387

As the county enters another budget cycle, I see more desire to provide property tax relief and I eagerly look forward to the budget discussions as we examine the best way to do that.

I am scheduled to discuss the county budget on the Debbie Davis Show on KVCE AM 1160 this morning, Monday, May 5, at 9:30 AM. Listen in if you get the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens, there is an exciting year ahead of us.

The budget cycle.

We are starting the yearly budget process. The last Commissioners Court session included a serious discussion about a tax rate decrease compared to a homestead exemption. No decision was reached, but the court asked for more options to be brought before the court on April 29. I look forward to continuing this dialogue on how best to provide property tax relief to our citizens.

The court is also addressing how to set elected officials' salaries. I do not favor delegating that responsibility to a committee. There are discussions during the last two court sessions available for you to familiarize yourself with the issue at the link to the webcast of Commissioners Court sessions on March 26 and April 15 at http://collin.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

Collin County adds a new District Court on January 1, 2009, which will ease the backlogs on the felony courts. Collin County will fund a major portion of this new court’s costs.

Legislative session.

We are preparing to participate in the 2009 legislative session in order to advocate for Collin County interests. We are following the progress of various Interim Study Charges in both the Texas House and Senate where our interests are being discussed prior to the start of the legislative session. Transportation funding process looks to be a priority issue for the next session.

Transportation.

Transportation funding continues to generate lively debate at the regional and state levels. The Collin County transportation funding available from the SH 121 agreement is very much involved in the regional discussions and the Commissioners Court will discuss a draft resolution on April 29 that encourages the region to abide by that agreement with respect to SH 121 funds distribution.

I will attend the Transportation Forum in Austin this week in order to better understand the future of Texas transportation funding.

There are challenges ahead this year, but that is what makes life interesting. Let's all embrace meeting the challenges as a way to make a difference in Collin County. Be involved; educate yourself using the webcast of Commissioners Court meetings, and we will all be able to better provide core county government functions to our citizens.

It continues to be a great honor to serve as your County Judge.

Sincerely,
Keith

1. The Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Todd Staples, hosted the 33rd Annual Family Land Heritage Ceremony in Austin on Friday. The Family Farm Heritage program pays tribute to Texas farmers and ranchers who have maintained ownership and agricultural production in the same family for a century or more.

I attended because three Collin County farms were recognized; the Collinsbrook Farm for 150 years and the Gantt-McMahan Farm and the McDonald Farm for 100 years. Forwarding the Family Farm Heritage applications to the Department of Agriculture is one of my most fun duties. I love to meet the owners and to ask about their experiences. They remind me of the section of land that my family homesteaded in 1907 in the panhandle.

During his remarks, the Governor Perry graciously recognized Jackie McMahan, who was representing the Gantt-McMahan Farm.

2. The budget cycle will begin soon. I am pleased at the amount of discussion about cutting spending in government - from the earmarks discussion in the U.S. Congress - to the efforts starting in the Texas Legislature to buy down more property taxes - to the plentiful campaign discussions about lowering taxes and cutting spending in the county budget. It is about time that this discussion had a full day in court. Stay tuned as the budget cycle unfolds. I will continue to work to honor my commitment to you to lower your taxes and control spending.

There is a direct link between low taxes/limited government and increased freedom. As I report the progress of the budget cycle, I will put that direct relationship between the size and scope of the government and your freedom into perspective. This is not simply an argument between competing political views, it bears directly on your freedom to live your life as you choose and spend your money as you choose.

3. I continue to get good feedback on the webcasting of the commissioners court meetings. You can find it right now at http://collin.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 and watch the session of your choice.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

Job growth and continued economic development are crucial to the future of Collin County. Our continued population growth and the challenges with future transportation funding mean that we must grow our employment base by almost 100% over the next 22 years, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Collin County has some tremendous assets that are very attractive to major employers. I hesitate to name any assets because I cannot list them all. However, in order to give you just a small sample, consider the Natural Science and Engineering Laboratory at UTD, a world-class research lab located in Collin County; the excellent sports venues in several cities; the Collin County Regional Airport; and the Forbes magazine article of July, 2007, that rated Collin County schools as a whole as the second best "bang for the buck" in the nation. This very short and partial listing demonstrates the wide range of assets within Collin County that will attract employers.

I have asked the county staff responsible for our county web site to add a major section to our site that consolidates all the assets of the county in one place. This will cost almost nothing, yet will provide a single location for prospective major employers to discover the wide range of quality of life assets that are located in every city and across the county. This addition to our web site will complement the excellent marketing tools developed by our individual cities and their economic development organizations.

Sincerely,

Keith

Citizens, I want to follow up on one of my comments in my last blog about weak state law for awarding contracts.

The county has now received the professional qualifications for the companies that want to receive county contracts for architectural and engineering services for the projects that you approved in the bond election last November. There is a wide range of company sizes, from small, local firms to national and even international firms represented. I'm sure that all are outstanding companies that bring a wealth of architectural and engineering excellence to the table. My comments below and in court yesterday, February 19, in no way reflect on these companies - they are operating within the environment in which they find themselves.

As I reviewed the qualification packets submitted by the companies, it became obvious that many contributed money that was used to buy the print media, radio, and signage that advocated passage of the bond initiatives last November. As far as I can tell, approximately $19,000 was contributed by the companies that are now standing in line to receive the contracts for bond projects.

My comments in court yesterday concerned the integrity of the county process to determine which companies are awarded contracts. It is a very simple concept that when a company gives money to support bond initiatives, and then submits qualifications in hope of winning the bond projects, it gives the perception of buying influence in the county. Or perhaps the companies consider their contribution just the price of admission to win county contracts. Either way, it brings the integrity of the process into question. This is not complex - there is a perception that companies give money in hope of winning contracts.

This brings us to state law. The law does not authorize direct price competition for architectural and engineering services, even when choosing among many obviously well-qualified companies. The sole use of price competition for engineering and architectural services is illegal. Amazingly, the last paragraph of the applicable law states, "This section does not prohibit competitive bidding in the private sector." Thank goodness for that, but for the life of me, I do not understand why state law does not allow competitive bidding in order to reduce costs to taxpayers.

In our case, the county develops a subjective scoring system; a county committee then scores the companies' qualifications, and negotiates a price with the highest scoring company. This system is full of danger and far too subjective; particularly in light of the money contributed by the companies to support passage of bond funds in the first place.

My comments in court yesterday should be available on the webcasting link shortly at http://collin.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

I encourage you to go to the webcasting site and "jump to" agenda item #4 on the workshop agenda in order to listen to the discussion.

Sincerely,
Keith

Citizens,

After thirteen months in office, I want to make some observations on what I see as your county judge and as a member of the Executive Board of the North Central Texas Council of Governments. I will not address individual issues in depth, but will instead cite examples as I reiterate my foundational beliefs in individual freedom and limited government. These observations represent, in my mind, the single most important trend in local and regional government today. I am not addressing federal level issues; only local and north Texas regional issues.

We are sliding toward socialism.

Many in government today agree with the statement, "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need." And of course, government decides who gets what. Some of you will recognize these words popularized by Karl Marx in his writings on communism, and they apply directly to the softer socialism that is growing in America today. However, these words do NOT describe America down through its history.

But today, most in government advocate unfettered yearly increases in your property appraisals; not in order to reflect market conditions, but to ensure constantly increasing tax dollars for government use. Most advocate a new transit tax. Most advocate an increase in the gas tax. All of these taxes are meant to feed the growth industry of government in north Texas. Even our county government was scheduled to grow at 13% each year for six years from 2006.

Another example includes the very close call that the Collin County Commissioners Court had this past year when a proposal to fund a $15 million building with public funds for use by private organizations was pulled from voting at the last minute. I fully expect this proposal to reappear in the future.

Even our bond programs are built on socialism. The county is responsible to build very few of the roads contained in the recent transportation bond election. The majority of the funds approved by the voters will be collected by the county from one set of taxpayers and distributed to a different set of taxpayers for spending.

Competition in government contracting for certain services is weak. For example, it is illegal to have direct competition for public contracts for architect and engineering services. Illegal! Lack of competition in public contracting leads to higher costs for services and cozy relationships between companies and government officials.

Some of our governments are building businesses that directly compete with local commercial businesses. Why would government compete with successful local businesses? It not only costs tax dollars, but reduces the commercial tax base.

However, there is no general discussion about reprioritizing expenditures in order to fund the most important core functions with the taxes already collected from you, the taxpayer. Prevailing thought is that every new "need" requires a new tax.

Central planning was a key precept in the former Soviet Union. And it was a colossal failure. Yet central planning is also a key function of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG.) What started with the federal mandate that every urban region have a Metropolitan Planning Organization has grown to encompass many other areas of planning on a regional scale.

For example, many tens of millions of dollars pass through the NCTCOG in grants each year to regional governments, primarily federal tax dollars that you, the taxpayer sent to the federal government. Our estimates, which we are working to verify, suggest that Collin County receives approximately 4% of the grant funds distributed, although Collin County represents approximately 11% of the regional population. That is a direct application of the mantra by Karl Marx, "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need." This also brings to mind another great historic quote, "Government is the great fiction by which everyone attempts to live at the expense of everyone else." Working within the established NCTCOG system, I recently nominated six Collin County representatives to one of the NCTCOG committees that decides one area of grant funding, but only one Collin County representative was chosen. I will continue to press the issue of adequate Collin County representation with the NCTCOG.

Government should not be a growth industry. Government should stick to core functions and encroach as little as possible on the freedom for its citizens. Ronald Reagan once said, "We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around." The Constitution's core function is to preserve individual freedom and to limit government; and authority flows from the people to the government, not the other way around. Freedom is the first responsibility of government, including national defense, but includes much more just national defense. Freedom. Freedom is not the government coordination of every aspect of life. Nothing is better than freedom. Nothing is more productive than freedom. Nothing is more protective of our citizens than their individual liberties.

Socialism is a pessimistic outlook to government; an approach that assumes that individual citizens are not capable of managing their own lives. Freedom, on the other hand, recognizes that individuals are innovative, independent and resilient. The American Dream is not dependency on government, but is instead reaping the rewards of individual effort and achievement.

There are ways to stem the tide of socialism. Be involved. Educate yourself on the actions and activities of your government. Take responsibility for maintaining your own freedom by carefully watching government actions that limit your freedom to control your dollars and your life. For example, the Collin County web site provides webcasts of Commissioners Court meetings. Watch them at your convenience in your own home. Hold your elected officials responsible for the taxes that they put on you. Hold us accountable for spending your tax dollars wisely.

Sincerely,
Keith