CS Voters say 'Enough'

College Station voters approached us with the idea of doing a recall of the city council. Logistically, it's a pretty difficult thing to accomplish. We could do together what we couldn't do alone. Power in numbers, our symbiotic relationship (CS people and Wellborn people) continues to blossom.

A maximum of five CS voters are allowed to collect signatures. Now cyphering can be a bit tricky, but even using the city's estimated population of 90,000, that means that only one in every 18,000 people can actually possess a petition. Reckon there are 40,000 registered voters, so that means that only one out of every 8000 voters can carry a petition. Wow. That maximum of five registered voters may have been adequate in 1963, but geeze, Louise, we are well into the 21st century folks. (Note to CS people-- another item to review on your city charter this coming spring.)

That being said, they asked for our help. Being neighborly-like we said sure. After being called names, we worked with the new City Secretary (wonderful woman, by the way) and SHE prepared the petitions, which is great cuz their attorney can't cry foul on those! A person donated the use of her parking lot for us to set up shop and we were in business.

Gosh. The outpouring of support and signatures from the good people in College Station was simply astounding. And it's not just one 'type' of person signing. We've seen all ages from 19 to 99!! That's right! One of the signers will celebrate the century mark in a few days! People stopping by on lunch break from an hourly wage job, professors, homemakers with kids in tow, people who've lived in College Station for 40 years and some who've been here for four months. All seemed intent and concerned about the direction of their city. Kinda like lots around the nation have been concerned over the direction the nation is heading. Well, that got moved in the right direction in the November election!

But see, turning tail and changing direction on a promise don't sit well with most folks in College Station. The expect folks to mean what they say and do while campaigning. I think this latest action just topped off their anger quota and they intend to make things right in their town.

So you can all help the citizens of College Station take back their town and grant Wellborn a few months reprieve. If you are a CS voter, you can sign the petitions (for all or just some of 'em) at Walton and Texas next to Military Depot on Monday and Tuesday, Dec 13-14, from 10 to 6. The weather's been nice, but we know that'll change around here! So we are going indoors starting Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, then from 10-7 on Thursday.

So, stop by our new base of operations (Heck, we'll come to you if you let us know). We'll be moving to the Northern corner suite in Park Plaza Shopping Center, next to Little Caesar's. (Lots of folks call it the Lacks Center, but sadly they are leaving). That way, we'll be inside out of the weather and the dark.

If you are not a CS voter and want to help, go to the website set up by the CS voters, SaveWellborn.org and send them a message. Course you can just stop in too. And money donations are gratefully accepted. You can also pick up your own Save Wellborn t-shirt for a $10 donation.

See you in town next week!

Doris Wellborn

New Gateway To College Station

Well, the CS council is on their way to changing our lives forever. I sincerely hope that cooler heads prevail. Wellborn could actually become a great 'blip' in the gateway to College Station. So what if we are just a spot in the road??

We are not vindictive in Wellborn, but there's no telling what might happen. Sometimes folks just get all anger-vated and they show out. Since CS can never, ever control Wellborn Special Utility District, that ole water tower in Wellborn will still be, well, Wellborn.















Hook 'em.

The Best Interests of All

The Incorporation of Wellborn has been talked about for over a decade and seriously pursued since 2007. Due to state law, the City of College Station decides whether residents in Wellborn can vote to incorporate or not. (More about outdated law some other time). Relations have grown testy between CS and Wellborn at times, mostly because both sides see things differently. Wellborigines don’t hate the people in CS, but do have serious qualms about some of their policies and ordinances if they were brought to Wellborn. Residents of CS elect a council, hire a city manager and city attorney to do what CS residents want. And you know what? That is their prerogative, their right, to do so. Power to ‘em. A lot of us out here believe land owners should decide what happens to the land, the real property, that they own.

CS Council members have said that they must do what is ‘in the best interests’ of CS. We’ve heard everything from maintaining the main Gateway to CS, to not being hemmed in by Wellborn, and more. They say they don’t want to change us, but by denying our right to vote on our own destiny, they do change us. They say we use their resources and don’t pay for them. I disagree with their conclusions on these fronts, but to no avail. So I thought I’d talk about reasons why it IS in the best interests of CS to let Wellborn be Wellborn:

Save CS Taxpayers Money
Improve the Gateway to CS more quickly
Improve the reputation of CS by doing what’s right
Improve ‘desirability’ of the overall community to prospective businesses
Increase community pride

Like Mattress Mac says, ‘Wellborn can S-a-v-e Y-o-u Money!’ Wellborn folks like what we have. We’re an independent bunch, but we are a community. If we need something, like the Community Center, or whatnot, we’ll find a way to make it happen. We are ‘pay as you go’ people. But, if CS annexes Wellborn, you can be certain that a vocal majority of us will demand our fair share of services, such as police, roads, garbage pickup, parks, and more. And did someone say sewer service west of the tracks? Yup, we can vote in a bond issue to build another sewage treatment facility west of the tracks. We would also influence CS municipal elections and charter resolutions. We do vote out here at a pretty good rate. So, if you think annexing Wellborn will bring in more property tax dollars than you spend, please rethink that thought. As for saving money…..

Wellborn folk live in Wellborn and we want it to look inviting, too! Right now, improvements are not happening because only the county has jurisdiction. Once we are allowed to have jurisdiction over ourselves (my, that sounds so odd!), I think our past record is a good predictor of our future behavior. Without having the benefits of municipal authority, we do a great job of keeping our churches, cemeteries (more than one BTW), and other community things nice. You know our ‘Welcome to Wellborn’ sign? That was recently repainted by a member of the Wellborn community, not by a government or HOA, or anything like that. If CS leaves Wellborn in limbo, without a rudder, the drive-by parts of our town might slowly deteriorate, might develop willy nilly. It is not a defensible position to leave us in limbo because CS wants to reserve the right at a future date to annex Wellborn. Give us the opportunity you already have to make our town great, too.

Now, the ‘moral’ card, which hasn’t been played much and I hate to do it. But sometimes CS forgets that those outside CS are people, too. State law does not ‘compel’ CS to deny Wellborn the vote. Please remember, just because something is legal and you can do it, doesn’t make it morally defensible. CS may not realize how outsiders often view them as arrogant, unfeeling, and overbearing. I’m not talking about council members or even the city staff, I’m talking about the ‘persona’ of CS. Now, staff in other cities and in municipal professional groups may ‘like’ what CS does, but I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about regular ole folks, people in Bryan, Navasota, and Snook, Wixon Valley and Kurten. Most of the time, folks won’t probably tell you to your face what they think, because that’s not polite and because most folk outside CS think CS can do what it wants inside the city boundaries of CS. Back to an earlier statement, they believe CS should grant the same to people outside CS. The citizens of CS have submitted a valid petition to you illustrating what they think about Wellborn. So decide:

Do you want CS seen as Big Bully, Big Brother, or Big Neighbor?

Now, attracting more businesses and people to CS seems to be what CS staff want. To that end, not everyone who moves to the area wants a planned community, and some do. Some want a little ‘wildness’, others want urban perks and parks. By allowing Wellborn to vote and possibly incorporate, CS ensures that the ‘other’ residential lifestyle remains a nearby option for potential employees of the new businesses locating in the Brazos Valley. Looking at where most folks in Brazos County, it’s obvious that most prefer the city. That does not mean that the countryside should be eliminated! For some new residents, what a great thing to live ‘in the country’ only ten miles from CS City Center where you are growing a business, an industry that keeps CS moving!

But CS consumes Wellborn, forcing it into urban mode, that country town option is gone, gone, gone. Forever. Wellborn is in the CSISD (at least for the last 50 years...we are already full partners in the school district) and we’re about the only country left in the school district. All the other parts have planned development coming. Sure, you have some large tract residential areas on the east side, but they have their own feel and flavor and they are not a town. We are. We have a town center and all the requisite accoutrement to be the little town we love.

People like to visit Wellborn because it’s Wellborn. Let Wellborn live and thrive! Once incorporated, Wellborn will be the fifth muni in the county. A little civic pride goes a long way in improving all of our lives. We will have two cities and three towns, providing options to those who live and work in Brazos County. When people ask me where I live, I say Wellborn. If there’s a blank look on their face, I know they are newbies and I invite them out to visit. If they know about Wellborn, they usually tell me they have a friend or relative in Wellborn, or how much they like a particular Wellborn thing. And if CS thinks crossing city boundaries is only one way, think again! For decades, many folk have traveled to Wellborn to get their hair done, grab a bite, or use the best Post Office in Brazos County. (Ooops, there’s my civic pride showing again).
We are not trying to live in the past, we are taking part in our future. We are different from CS, different from Bryan. A little diversity is a good thing for all of us.

See you at the Country Store,

Doris

Points of Clarification

Getting ready to have a good time with other Wellborigines at our meeting/music fest this evening. Thinking back on last Thursday's City of CS council meeting, I get a bit steamed. Some, not all, but some, of the council members are out of touch with your typical person. They seem hellbent on having it 'their' way. They also seem to think that the typical person is dimmer than a 3w CFL bulb. Read their points of clarification. Honestly. 

Incorrectly playing on the sympathies of CS residentsThe Citizens for Wellborn falsely claim their constitutional right to vote is being violated. Previous generations of state lawmakers deliberately preserved the rights of cities to manage their future growth.

 For this argument to be valid, you must believe that all laws passed by previous generations of lawmakers were good and just. Hmmm. Slavery, poll taxes, segregation, red light cameras...... It also seems to intimate that the "rights of cities" trump the rights of humans. Wow. I didn't even know that cities had rights!

Citizens for Wellborn are not including their own
A significant number of property owners falling within the Citizens for Wellborn plan will never have the ability to vote because they don’t live on those properties. Some of those property owners were never even asked if they wanted to be included in this endeavor.

To that comment I say: A significant number of property owners falling within the city limits of College Station can never vote for the city council because they don’t live in College Station.  None of these property owners were ever asked if they wanted to sell bonds to plant irrigated trees on the highway, or build a conference center, or wanted to take on the liability of a city-owned skate park.  


In fact, this statement holds true for nearly every governmental entity in our country, including our country!! Did the council realize that some landowners in the United States cannot vote for president of the United States because they are not citizens?

Do the members of the city council feel embarrassed by this remark?  If they don’t, I feel embarrassed that they cannot see the utter silliness and smugness of this claim. 

Residents of other cities know this is a bad ideaOver the past 50 years, 349 new cities have formed in Texas. Of those, only a very small percentage did so within another city’s ETJ. And many of those were opposed by the existing cities. Historic examples provided by Citizens for Wellborn do not reflect the same geographic scenario as College Station/Wellborn.

 Really? I call your bluff. Name 'em. This one reads like an LSAT question with extraneous information. Again, they are giving rights to cities. Notice they don't say that the small number of new cities incorporating within another city's ETJ were opposed by the citizens of the older city. Also, using the adjective 'historic' seems to imply that the examples of other cities incorporated within ETJs are from long ago. In fact, they are all 21st century! Volente, Taylor's Landing, Van Ormy...

Limited future optionsIf College Station can’t grow to the south — in this case, due to a city with the physical size of Hearne as our southern neighbor — it would mean less development, less tax revenue to pay for city services, and result in fewer choices and higher property taxes for College Station residents.

 Get those city staffers a map and compass!  You haven't annexed the land north of Wellborn yet! Go East and annex the land between Highway 30, Harvey Road and WD Fitch! What about over the river and through the woods towards Snook? And southeast towards Navasota? Heck, you just approved platting on an area the size of Hearne! Take that Hearne-sized chunk, not us. As for property taxes, you borrowed and spent the money without our input and we think you should pay for it without our input. 

 CS residents will pay Citizens for Wellborn say they’ll rely on county services if they become a city. But College Station (and Bryan) residents pay for more than half the budget of Brazos County Sheriff’s and Road & Bridge departments. So, if allowed to become a city, Wellborn would rely on these county services, and an increase in costs to provide those services could result in higher taxes for College Station residents. That money would never come back to College Station

Fiddlesticks. What a specious argument. Why hasn’t College Station complained about this before? Is that because College Station, in its own charter, Section 9,  states “The City shall have exclusive  domain, control and jurisdiction in and upon, and over and under the public streets, avenues, alleys, and highways of the City.” (Please note the use of the word ‘exclusive’)

I also bring it to the listener’s attention that this same scenario plays out in 253 other Texas counties. 

This also ignores the fact that the Wellborn Committee has spoken with the county officials, with the mayors of Wixon Valley and Kurten (forgot about them didn’t you?) and learned that Wellborn will be able to sign an interlocal agreement with the county to provide road maintenance and that Wellborn will pay for this service, it will not be gratis.  If the city staff looked at any of the Wellborn documents, such as those provided to the city council with the original request for the right to incorporate, they would know this. What conclusions can be drawn from this? Either the city staff and city council never looked at any of these documents, OR they are hoping that no one catches them out on this. Well, gotcha!

The irony is very thick and very deep. Isn’t College Station the city that annexes property and leaves out the roads as long as possible? Please check out the ‘annexation’ over the decades simulation on the College Station website. Notice how Highway 6 is annexed much, much later than  the surrounding neighborhoods? And Graham Road makes us laugh as we remember the city asking the county to improve Graham Road, despite it being virtually surrounded by the city of CS. I remember the county commissioner saying “Nuts.”

If the city staff and city council stand behind this statement, please ask the state representatives and the county commissioners to change the laws. At the same time, please try to get the federal laws changed so that I don’t have to pay for poor fiscal management in California and Detroit.

Finally, at the council meeting, Mary Ann talked about how they complain about our using city services like the library and roads. (BTW, all libraries in Brazos Co are for all residents of Brazos Co.). She correctly noted that if the CS residents want everyone within a 50 mile radius to stop shopping and dining in CS, they should put up a sign at the city limits saying 'Keep Out' or charge an entrance fee. Then we can and will go elsewhere. Is that what storeowners want? She also correctly noted that working for Texas A&M does not require you to live in CS. But, best of all, she said that if CS wants to keep outsiders outside, they should return to the 16th century and build a city wall. When I told a member of the fourth estate about this idea, he suggested that maybe CS should build a moat-way! 


C'mon, CS residents! Take back your city! OH! And come enjoy some great bluegrass music at our community center.

College Station SuesWellborn Residents over Theft of Service

By Doris Wellborn

(Houston)--- The city of College Station is fed up with providing essential services to people who do not live in College Station. The city is suing residents of Wellborn today because the Wellborigines are breathing oxygen produced by plants in College Station. The injunction was filed in federal court asking that humans in Wellborn stop breathing immediately.

College Station city staff contend that all of the trees planted in the city rights of way and bar ditches were planted for the exclusive use and enjoyment of citizens of College Station. Wellborn residents do not pay ad valorem taxes and therefore are not entitled to fresh air while on state property within College Station.

To prove their case, a city staffer filmed a middle-aged woman from Wellborn while she was driving on Texas Avenue. The close-up shots clearly show her taking deep breaths and expelling noxious carbon dioxide into the College Station atmosphere.

When asked what she thought she was doing, the woman said she was buying new living room furniture. She also said she didn’t realize that she was causing the citizens of College Station to pay additional taxes. City staff calculated that at most, her city sales taxes for a leather sofa and oak end tables would only be 25 or 30 dollars and that this amount was not nearly enough to pay for the additional trees necessary to extract the carbon dioxide she trailed behind her in a toxic cloud.

In their defense, residents of Wellborn noted that their community was less densely populated and was covered in forests and grasslands, creating sufficient oxygen to compensate for that used in College Station by Wellborn residents. They also noted that the Krebs cycle is an Act of God. College Station officials noted that winds generally blow towards the south and that Wellborn residents should consider suing Navasota and Washington on the Brazos for sucking the air out of Brazos County.

Throw the Tea in the Harbor

The city council in CS is out of touch. They implied we were giving half-truths, but please, their attorney says that the citizens of CS cannot do a petition intiative to let us vote? Is he serious and has he read the city charter and the laws of Texas?

The city council say they want to discuss the 'Wellborn Issue' and that we are making the situation too simple. Ben White feels that 'Big Brother' (his words not mine) is better able to determine what is going on.

The laws of ETJ and anenxation are available to everyone on the internet at http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/. Yes, state law gives CS the right to say yea or nay to our voting about our land. But that's not the end. That's the first volley, that's the polite way. CS council wants to play hardball. That's too bad because we wanted to be neighborly. That's why the petition initiative is starting, to give CS residents the opportunity to have their say.

What is their true motivation in all of this? Land? Tax Revenue? Empire building? Maybe it's the fact that Wellborn Special Utility District has water and they don't. Maybe they want to do away with us so they can take over the water district. After all, they tried to take it away and have been turned down by the courts and boards on at least four occasions. All the way to the Supreme Court of the State of Texas. They want somethin, for nothin'. Ain't happnin'.

Or does it all come down to throwing your weight around, being powerful, that gives some folks a natural high? They just like knowing that THEY are in charge, their vote on council matters, they decide the big issues. Give me a break. Some council members have said, boy, if I lived in Wellborn I would do the same thing.

And being a long-time residents of this county, I want to know who wants the city of CS to keep getting larger. Leon. That good time feeling you get when you live in CS, close to the mothership of Aggieland, will dissipate when the city gets bigger. Trust me. Ask the folks in Austin who were lovin' it there in the 1970s. Now it's an urban sprawl of cookie cutter houses and shopping malls.

All in all, this is an odd time (politically) for a small time politician to be acting so imperiously. The US Congress is trampling our rule of law and their own rules to do what a few want. This is making many Americans angry. It's not what they are doing, it's HOW they are doing it. Ditto CS council. Harrumph harrumph.

The antiquated annexation laws and rules need a good overhaul in Texas. In other states, property rights mean something. Let's make Texas a better place for property owners, a place where folks can just be left alone.

Come and Take It.

Doris

CS citizens, Unite! Tea party at city hall!

I've been predicting this for years... CS would escalate to a point as to be unsustainable in its current configuration. I don't know whether we will see full implosion, but it's pretty damn likely.

CS citizens, time to take back your city!! Now, before it's too late. The Red Light Camera debacle really started it all. The proletariat had forgotten that in fact THEY are the ones who are in charge, THEY are the ones who pay the bills, so THEY should decide what happens in THEIR city. Yes! A constitutional democracy gives you a voice and gives you the right to select your leaders.

Well, that's all the Wellborigines really want, a chance to vote.

I am thinking that most folks in this country are sick and tired of being pushed around by politicians who don't really give a fig about them, even though they always say, it's for the people, it's the right thing to do.... Sounds like a bunch of Pelosi to me...

So,  CS-- really--- wake up and smell the garbage. Open your mouth and make words come out. Direct them at your city council. Tell them what you want. Tell them that you expect them to do what you want. Keep on them. Funny how they act and the decisions they make, because I have never heard a CS resident come forth and say:

• I want to sue my neighbors. I want to sue Bryan, Wellborn, Brushy and more! I think this is a good use of my tax dollars, the court system, and other people's money too.
• Trees on University and Hwy 6 make so much sense. I'd rather have trees than a fire station.
• Wellborn Water should give us their water lines. We shouldn't have to pay. If it wasn't for CS, Wellborn wouldn't exist! Too bad they owe money on the construction of those lines, but they will have to suck it up.
• CS Utilities needs more exposure so that folks will realize they are a good value. Let's use revenue from the electric bills to sponsor concerts in the park! That way, more folks will use CS Utilities. 
• I am glad that CS never developed its own sources of water and electricity. It show how green we are. This way, no one can say we are polluting the planet by making electricity or depleting an aquifer! It costs our residents more, but we are happy to pay more so we can pretend we are green.
• A gazillion-dollar skate park sounds like a great idea, too. That way, it will be easier for teens and young adults to get some exercise in a safe environment where the mommies and daddies can be sure it's safe.
• We don't need more police. Sure the city got bigger, but it's a safe city. Plus, if they have time to write tickets, they obviously don't have any crime to fight!
• I'm glad all of our council members are selected at large. That way they are collectively responsible and the council members don't have to be selected from my neighborhood. The council also aren't directly responsible to a particular section of the city. This frees up their votes.
• I think a convention center is a great idea. We need one because, well, because!

But I digress. Some folks think the Wellborn folk have been too pushy, too demanding. Well, we have just been advocating for what is ours, for the land we paid for. WE are not trying to take away anything from our friends in CS, but I think the CS city council will be trying to take away OUR things. Remember, one of the stated reasons to quash the vote in Wellborn that they publicly stated is that if we vote to incorporate, it will prevent them from taxing us to pay for their mistakes! "Loss of future tax Revenue" is how they phrased it. Pretty bold, but I've blogged on that before.

Go outside and scream. Then go email or write your city council. Please.  It's not just Wellborn in danger any more, it's the good folks in CS as well.

Doris