Llano Citizens’ Elective Dictatorship

Preamble
Llano Government is the master of the people and owner of all property.
We the citizens of Llano have lost the following minimum rights:

I. respectful Treatment
Citizens are selectively treated with contempt and abuse. Intimidation and threats of $2000/day fines while others don’t have to follow laws. Erroneous violation letters. Extremely abusive, embarrassing, with false information written in newspapers by mayors, council members, and city attorney. Citizens are scolded and intimidated in council meetings when they disagree with mayors or council members. Inequitable utility bills and employee salaries.

II. TRUTHFUL ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
Citizens do not get straightforward and honest information. City council and city management knowingly provide false information and knowingly omit significant facts and data. Practically every major project is replete with misinformation – e.g. sewer plant, fountains, water meters, secondary water source, illegal taxes, new police station, zoning changes, city website, budget, and dredging. The city council member oath of office doesn’t even say they have to obey the law – just try to defend it.

III. TIMELY & SUFFICIENT NOTICE
Agendas, contracts, and ordinance changes are announced on Friday night for a Monday vote. Zoning changes, which take 2 hearings, are rushed into 3 days. Final contracts and ordinances are never shown but are left to the mayor, city manager, and city attorney to complete and execute without final approval by council. Notification laws are broken and false reasons are given with expensive legal cover-ups. Misleading agenda descriptions without proper detail hide larger issues.

IV. RIGHT TO BE HEARD
No workshops to discuss significant projects or budget. Citizens are humiliated when trying to present their personal expertise and research. Insufficient time to prepare rebuttals to major expenditures.  Citizens must submit a written request to speak before the start of a meeting, and then are only allowed to speak before hearing from council and city manager, and then only for 3 minutes. Some are even denied time to present opposing arguments or are intimidated and interrupted when given some scrap of time. Even council members are silenced by the mayor’s absolute control of agenda. More onerous restrictions on speaking and video were hidden in a council resolution on another subject.

V. RIGHT TO INFORMATION
No real or accurate business cases to assess total costs; no city manager report at council meetings, no citizen questions in budget meetings, water workshop presentation with titles only and predetermined outcome, and council members’ questions to city attorney are now restricted after city attorney confirmed an illegal tax.

VI. INCLUSIVE AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS
Secret deals to give water and sewer to an RV park outside the city, secret deals for dredging, secret land purchases, rezoning, sweetheart deals, and water meter deals demonstrate that you are not told about how your money is spent until after it is spent.

VII. RESPECT PROPERTY RIGHTS
Citizens do not really own their property given high property taxes, City sanctioned trespassing in ordinances, numerous zoning law violations, liens on your property to pay for an unneeded police station, and a mindset that the City will determine the best use and appearance of  your property.

VIII. REMEDIES FOR VIOLATIONS
The judicial system has failed to protect these rights. On zoning violations, Open Meetings violations, contract violations, and process violations, the legal system has failed to uphold the law and, in some cases, violated the law to protect the city.