RSS Feed
|  |
|
|
|||||
|
COUNCIL MEMBERS FILE
"I thought about not running," Frederick said. "I felt that I didn't want to be the person who would stay beyond the time they needed to serve. "But after a lot of prayer and some hard thinking, I knew I still have more to give, and I have to see things through that the council has promised the taxpayers. "I don't want to leave things undone for others to complete." If re-elected, this would be Frederick's third term on the council. Frederick has parlayed her position to help the city acquire grant money and funding for O.L. Ferrell Park - including the tennis courts - that are about to be rehabilitated. When Frederick ran for a city council seat in 2002, part of her intention, she said, was to see what could be done about O.L. Ferrell Park. With the help of others, Frederick applied for and the city received a $100,000 grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife. TP&W gave $50,000, and the city has to - as specified by the grant - match those funds with cash or in-kind donations. Bullard City Manager Larry Morgan said - in an earlier interview - parks are necessary to a city. "Every growing city needs long-range planning for a park system," Morgan said. "Parks are essential elements of thriving cities. It is important to maximize all parks' potential to help create communities that enrich people's lives." As part of the council, she also chairs the city's Vision Committee. Frederick said she has a vision for a cohesive and enhanced downtown area and the committee persuaded business owners to partner with the city to create a beautiful and enticing downtown area. It's long-range and wide in scope, and if successful, Bullard could see a complete revitalization of the area spanning from Bullard High School to Brook Hill. Frederick is quick to say it's not her - it's the cohesiveness of the council that allows all the planning and changes for the future. "As a team, we have some important projects on the table," she said. "Our water well, overhead storage tower, and sewer plant improvements are finally becoming a reality. "Those projects have taken a lot of research and diligence by the entire council, and I want to see them through to completion." This is something councilman Rodger Johnson agrees with. Johnson is running for his second term on the council, and he said financial matters are an important component to the city's future. And financial skills are Johnson's specialty. He has a master's degree in finance and has been in the planning and investing industry for more than 25 years. For the first time in Bullard's history, the city has a line-by-line budget - worked on by all the council through a series of workshops and adopted in September. But when it came to the actual numbers, it was Johnson and the city's accountant Randy Gorham who teamed up on most of it. The goal was to prevent what happened in past years -- where the city has been forced to shift funds around to cover Interest and Sinking reserves - - which by state law must be held to a debt covering the city's indebtedness. "The worst mistake we could make is knowing things have been done wrong and not doing anything about it," said Johnson said during one workshop. Even before the city adopted the current budget, Johnson was helping the city in that regard. Mayor Pro-Tem and mayoral hopeful A.W. Hines appointed Johnson to head the city's financial committee. In an April 2006 council meeting, Hines asked Johnson to put together a team to come up with an immediate solution to Bullard's infrastructure shortcomings. A few days later, the committee was empanelled and held its first meeting. "We've researched city finances, and we've got a figure the city could afford to pay to improve our water and treatment facilities," Johnson said, following the meeting. "A vital part of the future growth of Bullard hinges on our capacity to provide affordable water and sewer services." The figure was in the $3M range, Johnson said. And Johnson knew he has the right people on the committee to get the job done quickly and right. "Everyone is a professional in some aspect of this," Johnson said. Committee members were: Johnson, Johnson Financial Group; Mayor Pro Tem A.W. Hines; area developer; Bob Gage, president of Austin Bank, Bullard, Steve Shaddox, a CPA with Henry & Peters; Stacy Thompson, now a Bullard council person; Brian Capps, Capco Engineering; and Bullard City Manager Larry Morgan. The city has since purchased certificates of obligation, and plans are under way for an elevated storage tank and a package sewer system. Bullard's current sewer treatment plan is under EPAmandate to bring up to code soon. But council members knew a patch on the current plant wasn't the answer to the city's needs. "We can't just keep patching things," Johnson said last year. "That benefits no one. "When we increase the ability to provide water and sewer and begin annexing more subdivisions, this brings in more property tax." There are also ancillary benefits to the improvements, he said. "By cause and effect we get betters roads, betters parks and better recreational facilities," Johnson said. "Which, of course, brings more, good, taxpaying citizens. "All these things we've begun - I want to see to completion," Johnson said. Both Frederick and Johnson are pleased with the change in government - from a mayor-council to a managercouncil system. "We all wanted stronger checks and balances in place," Frederick said. "We now have a high accountability, which is what we all - as taxpayers - should demand." Frederick and Johnson said they're both pleased with the direction the city is headed, and the inroads they've made. "We have a great working relationship with the school board and the chamber," Johnson said. "This is something we've never had before. We even have joint boardcouncil meetings - brainstorming and sharing the issues we each face." Filing for municipal and school board seats ends at 5 p.m. March 12. Early voting by personal appearance is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 30 through May 8 at Bullard City Hall.
Election day is May 12. |
for larger version   |
||||
)
