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Editorials Land Use |
Editorial Entitled
"The Fallacy of "V.S.M.I."... In a recent guest column, Kerr County Judge Bill Stacy took the opportunity to criticize that which he perceived as the city's lack of cooperation with the county. I give credit to the judge for his steadfast devotion to duty; he was elected to represent the county and preside, as per our state constitution, as the chief elected officer of this county. My friend the judge never forgot "who brung him to the dance," and for four years he never missed a chance to promote the county while often roasting the City of Kerrville verbally or in print. But the judge's perception of reality often times was only that--a perception. I reluctantly conclude that he suffers from a common political ailment, irrespective of political experience or chronological age, which simply can be called "V.S.M.I." or "very selective memory interpretation." In his editorial the judge claimed that EMS decisions were made by the city and that the county learned about changes "after the fact." Commissioner Glenn Holekamp participated, as did I, in every one of the painfully lengthy meetings which terminated the city-county relationship with AMCARE and created the current city EMS service. The county consistently was represented in the E.M.S. matter. "V.S.M.I.?" The judge neglected to note that the Loop 534, city owned jail site had to be abandoned when nearby residents questioned whether endangered birds inhabited the site. A six months delay to conduct on-site, state required nesting studies was unacceptable to the county, given the state jail commission's concerns about overcrowding in the county jail. "V.S.M.I.?" On the city's withdrawal from the proposed joint city-county jail facility, the judge's editorial opinions again revealed only a mere glimpse of the whole picture. The city withdrew when County Attorney David Motley greatly increased the city's obligation in the project to approximately two million dollars, including building costs, utilities, and twenty years of financial support for 9-1-1 funding. Inferring in his editorial that he still does not understand the city's motives, the judge chose not to note that he called me after the council had acted and that I personally explained in detail what Mr. Motley had done and why the city could no longer participate. He admitted in the course of our telephone conversation, and only recently recanted the fact to me, that he did not know that the county attorney had "raised the ante" on the city. "V.S.M.I.?" By the way, Mr. Motley should not be viewed as the villain in the jail decision since the very afternoon of his council presentation he was told by the state attorney general's office that a governmental entity can not receive preferential treatment from another such entity. That is, the city had to pay in full if it desired to participate in the city-county project. The reality is that the county subsequently made it prohibitively expensive and difficult for the city to participate. On a square foot cost basis, the city could build its own facility at far less expense to the taxpayers. To add insult to injury, council was told that it needed to act immediately since the wording and monetary amount for the proposed bond issue had to be quickly submitted to the printer. My friend the judge selectively refuses to acknowledge the real facts of this event. "V.S.M.I.?" The judge is right that the city again expressed interest in a joint facility after the successful bond issue. These inquiries came as a direct result of renewed citizen interest in such a project. Yet details over design modifications and the press of time due to the state mandate on overcrowding doomed the effort. The judge laments not having emergency 9-1-1 capability jointly shared, but in initial meetings--in which I was present--county officials were asked by 9-1-1's Frank Phelps for 5000 square feet in the proposed jail. In the initial blueprint of the facility 9-1-1 was allocated 3500 square feet by the county. When that number eventually declined to 800 square feet, the 9-1-1 board of directors voted to pull out of the proposed county jail facility and remain in the city police building. The judge neglects the factual reality of such issues. "V.S.M.I.?" The Planning and Zoning Commission (P & Z) also took unwarranted shots in Judge Stacy's editorial. He neglected to note that the site plans for the proposed McFarland Street juvenile detention center had to be altered because the building, as envisioned by the county's architect, would have been constructed on top of another, pre-existing county building! "V.S.M.I.?" The "possible hazard" the judge downplayed in his editorial prove to be gasoline storage tanks located too close to the site of the proposed juvenile facility. Yes, the hazard had been there 40 or 50 years. No, the county was not wise to consider building there without first checking with Austin for possible violations of state requirements. "V.S.M.I.?" The judge has often selectively reconstructed events to enhance the county's, and thus his own, reputation at the expense of the City of Kerrville. But the fallacy of "V.S.M.I." is that voters rarely forget the truth. That is a fundamental lesson for all of us in public office, and I do sincerely wish my friend the judge the very best in life. Right or wrong, Bill Stacy never forgot "who brung him" into public service, and for those of us in the arena with him the judge's propensity for "V.S.M.I." most assuredly has made life consistently interesting. John D. Huddleston
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