Did you know that Llano city government is on a spending binge?

     Local residents of modest means or fixed incomes should know that the big spenders at city hall will make it difficult for them to afford Llano. The smart meters will cost $1,188,000. City management claims they will “pay for themselves.” Those are code words meaning you will pay. The mayor has estimated the Riley Mountain well project will cost $4,000,000. Add $800,000 for financing. If radium is encountered, add another $1,000,000. That’s for water we’re unlikely to use for decades, if ever.

     The Parks Advisory Board has proposed millions in spending with no clue how to pay for it, and Public Works estimates $15,000,000 for streets. There’s $250,000 in the proposed budget to relocate the police station. Needed sewer improvements will cost at least $1,000,000 this year alone. We are paying good money to have sand dredged from City Lake that’s so valuable the initial contractor took more than he was obligated to remove. Various engineers, consultants, and attorneys have their fingers in the pie for at least another $200,000.

    You’re probably getting the picture. That’s $23,438,000 of spending, or $17,360 for each of Llano’s 1,350 households. The proposed immediate $120 a year increase in your utility bills is just the beginning. If approved, the Riley project alone would add $270 a year to your water bill. There could be a bond election next May, and your property taxes will start going up. Can you afford a big spending mayor and council majority?

     The sole item in the entire list that’s urgent and mission critical is the sewer plant work. We should take care of that first, and then reassess where we are in terms of needs and resources for next fiscal year.

John Gray
Llano, Texas

 

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