|
Did you know that Councilwoman
Jeanne Puryear
scolded LlanoWatch during a
Council meeting – with facts?
We must have done something really egregious: The
Councilwoman interrupted the Council meeting; Mayor Reagor lets her
break his “not on the agenda” rule to do it; and Llano News had a
headline on page one, above the fold. Let’s see what we did:
-
“erroneous
ad”
The ad exposing Finley deGraffenried’s raise
was completely true. We showed the City’s budget reports,
highlighted the numbers, and showed the math. Additionally, we have
the
Personnel Action
that was signed by the mayor. We asked the City what the
error was and received the typical response: “the City does not have
a document responsive to that request”. Finley chronically confuses
the Texas Public Information Act for a Public Document Act.
-
“horrific … ad”
“horrific” is an adjective, typically reserved for disasters and
loss of life. Free speech and facts can be uncomfortable, not
horrific. The reactions we have heard regarding Finley’s 15% raise
and $87K salary include astonishment and anger. If anything is
horrific, it is the raise, not the ad. The Council members who voted
for the raise need to reflect on the facts and their judgment, not
attack citizens who question it.
The LlanoWatch ad sheds light on Llano City Government’s lack
of studied salary norms and on the overspending of the taxpayers’ money.
-
“salary
spreadsheets are always confidential”
This is absolutely not true. The Texas Open Records Statute Section
552.022(2) says so. There are some cities like Coleman, TX, that
post the salaries on their websites along with benefits. BTW, the
city manager for Coleman (population 2X Llano) makes $60,005.
-
“salary
… becoming public could trigger a source of discontent among
employees”
At most corporations, there is an unwritten rule regarding
promotions, raises, bonuses, and awards: nobody should be surprised.
Perhaps Council and the City want salaries secret because managers
and staff make, on average, 79% ($59K vs. $33K) more than the
skilled employees that keep the city running. Actually, only 49% of
the City budget goes toward mission critical activities like water,
electricity, and police. The City budget could be cut in half and
not many citizens would notice. Of course there is discontent among
employees - citizens too.
-
“the
facts regarding the salary of Mr. deGraffenried”
Council used a range created by the city manager, city secretary,
and finance director. They decided the range for city manager was
$63,813-$95,720. We at LlanoWatch did a survey of cities in Texas
with similar populations. The range for city managers without a
degree or some college was $45,000- $59,760. The range with a
bachelor’s degree was $60,000-$76,095. With a masters degree
$72,379.00 - $119,995 (Horseshoe Bay). In this light, our City
manager was overpaid even before the 15% raise.
Why are higher salaries given for employees with college and
advanced degrees? There are the basic reasons of proof of critical
thinking and reasoning skills, demonstrated discipline and
commitment to a goal, and proven above-average computational and
writing skills. Those that get a
Public
Administration degree have demonstrated a commitment to the
profession and get targeted education in leadership, management,
economics, budget and finance, contracts, public policy process,
information technology, ethics, and more. Think of the classes you
took in high school and compare that to the
Public
Administration degree. All the city managers in our survey who
are in Finley’s salary range have a Masters Degree in Public
Administration. If we are paying for one, shouldn’t we have one?
-
"These are the facts ... superior and timely actions ...
during the exceptional drought and water crisis
"
There are many in the City with dead trees and plants that
would say "not a fact at all". The fact that the drought contingency
plan had to be updated, this year, in favor of saving the trees is an indication that
"superior and timely" is a stretch. Surely not worthy of a 12%
raise. And even if one item in a performance plan was exceptional,
which is wasn't, all the other areas must be evaluated before such
an exceptional raise would be considered. For example, the golf
course lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and was run so poorly,
it had to be outsourced. J. R. Decker, in open Council said the
playgrounds were in such bad shape he wouldn't bring kids there.
Imagine what he said during a closed appraisal session. And then
there are the pot holes. Not to belabor, I think it is fair to say
that the citizens would not have given Finley a 12% raise.
-
“The
number of public information requests has been staggering”
-
It is our obligation as citizens to watch government. From
Thomas Jefferson to the State of Texas Code, many, many, many have
warned against not being vigilant.
-
Most of the requests are
for information that should be on the City website. Do you think it
is right that Council members have information at the dais that
citizens in the audience don’t have?
-
There is a huge
section of the Texas code that affirms the right of citizens to have
access to information. The State must think citizens having
information is important.
-
Over 50% of the City budget is
for
non-mission critical activities. Surely there is enough pad in that
budget to cover the mission critical (because it is required by
law) task of public information requests.
-
Check the
Coleman, TX website. They have a button on every page for an
information request. They encourage questions because they
understand their responsibilities in an open government.
Now, what I am tired
of is a mayor, city manager, and now a councilwoman ambushing me in open
council meetings. I always present my issues and data prior to meetings
and give plenty of time for rebuttal. I never secretly hide information
and deliver it in an open meeting with the intent to impugn. I see the
Llano Citizens' Bill of Rights as a
control on this behavior and others demonstrated on this website.
Councilwoman Jeanne Puryear' Statement
BACK
|
|