Sunday's Dallas Morning News carried an informative story on recent progress in Downtown Garland, accompanied by pictures and a map.
 
Numerous District 1 residents were quoted or mentioned, which both emphasized the strong commitment to Downtown from District 1 residents and the importance of a strong Downtown to all of Garland. I know some District 1 residents that are building and moving to Downtown and there may be some new tenants Downtown that also originated in District 1.
 
Seeing all the recent changes Downtown is extremely encouraging. Now if the Mr Smith mentioned in the story would get that new coffee shop open....
 

From the Dallas Morning News, Metro section, May 31, 2009:

5th Street Crossing project in downtown Garland fuels lofty goals

11:20 PM CDT on Saturday, May 30, 2009
By RAY LESZCYNSKI / The Dallas Morning News
rleszcynski@dallasnews.com
 
The argument that downtown Garland is ripe for reinvestment might be as old as the 19th century dates on the buildings along Main Street.
 
And while these may not be ideal times for an economic breakthrough, residents are moving into new addresses, and the first students are sidestepping finishing touches on a workforce training center, all across the street from a DART station.
 
Downtown's newest addition, 5th Street Crossing, marks the city's first mixed-use transit-oriented development. It offers 189 apartments and 13,500 square feet of combined retail, restaurant and office space.
 
Much is riding on 5th Street Crossing, the latest in a series of projects aimed at revitalizing downtown. Like other inner-ring Dallas suburbs, the years have taken a toll on Garland buildings and businesses. But city officials are learning the future lies in redevelopment.
 
The project "is being viewed as the bellwether for how successful Garland can be at changing its image," urban planner Bill Cunningham told the City Council last week.
 
Anchored by a Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail line, new projects have taken shape in recent years in an area just north of historic downtown. The apartments for lease at 5th Street are the latest piece of the puzzle. Businesses are hoping spending will follow.
 
"I'd like to see this really take off," said David Baker, who co-owns a furniture store nearby. "The more people who come down here, the more there are going to be for business."
 
A rail stop and a vision
 
Neil Montgomery, the city's top planning official, said that once DART arrived in late 2002 and city leaders toured the Mockingbird Station, Galatyn Park and downtown Plano developments, Garland had a vision and a location.
 
The block of real estate between Fifth and Sixth Streets was key, Montgomery said. As luck would have it, the city owned most of the land.
 
"Part of what makes it work is that we do still have a downtown, unlike many of the suburban communities," he said. "We already have the elements here. What we're doing now is enhancing those."
 
The city's investment includes the Arts Center atrium it opened in 2003, a Utility Services Building on the site of the former police and fire headquarters and a parking garage. The city also has redone some streets and sidewalks and completed utility work.
 
Across Walnut Street, some residents wanted a traditional academic campus. But city and Richland College officials said an emphasis on workforce development would be precisely the type of instruction that Garland's manufacturing-centered economy needs.
 
Paul Mayer, CEO of the Garland Chamber of Commerce, credits city leaders for the redevelopment, and voters for sticking with DART.
 
"All of the sudden, we were hearing, 'You already have government, arts, transit and the beginning of business. You're not just starting from ground zero. You're starting from a pretty advantageous position,' " he said.
 
Bad timing?
 
For 5th Street Crossing, economic timing will be key.
 
Another downtown revitalization effort, in Plano, recently hit a snag as Tennessee-based Southern Land Co. put off a large-scale apartment and retail project.
 
But Art Lomenick, President of High Street Residential, owner of 5th Street Crossing, believes his project will be different.
 
"When you're building a village, it's not as much of a victim of these market cycles as a standalone development would be," he said. "Somebody can get a lot more real estate for their dollar in downtown Garland then they'll ever get up and down [U.S. Highway] 75."
 
Central Expressway does provide a transit element unavailable to downtown Garland. The $140 million Brick Row residential and commercial project, with potential to be five times the size of 5th Street Crossing, is being built at the Spring Valley DART station in Richardson.
 
Lincoln Properties started leasing 5th Street Crossing in mid-March. About 7 percent to 8 percent of the units have been pre-leased, said on-site leasing consultant Grant Gummelt.
 
Neighbors watching
 
Nearby, Garland natives John and David Baker run Main Street Furniture on a family-owned site where furniture has been sold for 85 years. They stayed to recapture existing clientele and can cite to the unit how many apartments – potential customers – 5th Street Crossing offers.
 
Others also carry the momentum of redevelopment over to the historic district. Robert Smith has spent a year renovating a building on the square that had been vacant more than 15 years.
 
Around the corner on Wednesday, Garland resident Cheri Stigler opened doors on her Paw Paw's Sweet Shop and Cafe.
 
Still, time will tell how much of a boon 5th Street Crossing will be.
 
"The apartments are in. That's real. They're there," John Baker said. "I think something is going to happen, but I need to see more."
 

I've meant for quite some time to compile some thoughts about the myth that rail transit violates conservative principles. The general thread of the argument is that riders should pay the total cost of transit, that transit doesn't pay for itself, and so on. Such statements totally ignore the fact that almost all highway and road construction is done at taxpayer expense. For those roads that are tolled and the user does pay, many contend that such roads are just for the rich. The arguments run in a big circle.
 
Studies have shown that one line of transit can offset the need for two additional traffic lanes. Consider the cost of acquiring right of way and the construction of more and more traffic lanes and suddenly transit starts to make sense and look good. Taxes toward transit are taxes toward transportation. The real fiscal question becomes what methods are most economical when multiple factors are weighed. Those factors have to include the cost of right of way acquisition, construction, air quality, congestion, area development, the movement of all goods and services, and the list goes on.
 
Oddly, as you will note in the blog post below and at the links, it is more often the libertarians that challenge transit while conservatives from many quarters are very supportive.
 
I may still write that post but an article a few weeks ago in the Dallas Morning News addressed the issue very directly. It originated on the Dallas Morning News Transportation Blog and has the added depth of comments being attached. It has been updated since I first noticed it so I thought I'd bring renewed attention to this debate and capture the updates. [I will also note that I like Mr Jones blogging style: concise and lots of links to support his references.]
 

"Conservative myths" about rail transit

2:09 PM Wed, Apr 29, 2009 Rodger Jones/Editorial Writer

 
The most dedicated critics of North Texas' goal of expanding rail transit have been conservatives in Collin County, notably County Judge Keith Self and state Reps. Ken Paxton and Jodie Laubenberg. Self testified against proposed local option funding in both Senate and House committees, and he has posted his Senate testimony on his own website (scroll down to March 20). An excerpt:
 

And at the end of the day, transit estimates are that, compared to the number of cars on US 75 daily, only an infinitesimal number of people will ride transit between Plano and McKinney. (Update comment: Estimated 5440 daily transit riders versus approximately 200,000 cars.)

 
Hyperactive on a national scale in taking shots at transit is the free-market, libertarian group Reason Foundation, which dedicates a portion of its website to picking apart transit proposals and projects.
 
Closer to home, VP Justin Keener with the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation has been busy with attacks on the local-option funding legislation in Austin, which would let voters raise money for rail and roads.
 
You may be more interested, however, in the counter-intuitive — conservatives who have been even more active in promoting transit and active longer.
 
The late Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, is one. He wrote extensively on the merits of mass transit, specifically rail. He pointedly took on what he called "conservative myths" about rail transit.
 
Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation, which describes itself as "culturally conservative," has a running online journal that promotes rail transit.
 
More recently, a researcher with the Witherspoon Institute, David Schaengold, put out a column last week titled "Why Conservatives Should Care About Transit." An excerpt:
 

Pro-highway, anti-transit, anti-pedestrian policies work against the core beliefs of American conservatives in another and even more important way: they create social environments that are hostile to real community.

 
And this:
 

Car-dependency also requires the nuclear family to become a primary transportation resource. Parents must shuttle their children to school, soccer practice, and even their friends' houses until the children can shuttle themselves (at peril to their lives) in late adolescence. Not only does this overburden families themselves, it prevents the participation of community members in sharing the burdens of child-rearing.
 
Conservatives sometimes mock Hillary Clinton's infamous aphorism that "it takes a village to raise a child," but surely this is in fact what conservatives actually believe.

 
Note to Self (Keith) and others: Please know that some consequential people who share your core small-government, socially conservatives philosophy don't even begin to agree with you on rail transit.
 
UPDATE: I've heard from Justin Keener about my characterization of his position. He takes issue and has posted a response on the comments section below this post. Thanks, Justin.
 
SECOND UPDATE: Mr. Keener also asked that I give readers a chance to read a further analysis from his group. Here it is.
 

 
Last year, I posted on a similar vein: conservatives and the new urbanism, where Mr Weyrich and William S Lind express their support for (most) new urbanist principles.
 

On the heals of an SH-190 (President George Bush Turnpike) Eastern Extension update from the NTTA comes an article in the Saturday Metro Section of the Dallas Morning News giving additional details on progress. This report was written by Richard Abshire, who covered local Garland events and politics for many years. He has the Rowlett/Rockwall beat now.
 

The Dallas Morning News, online:

Bush Turnpike's eastern extension remains on schedule for 2011 completion

10:41 PM CDT on Friday, May 22, 2009
By RICHARD ABSHIRE / The Dallas Morning News
rabshire@dallasnews.com
 
The long-awaited eastern extension of Bush Turnpike, aka State Highway 190, is making good time on its way to Rowlett.
 
"We're on schedule," said Susan Slupecki, spokeswoman for the North Texas Tollway Authority. "The target opening date is the fourth quarter of 2011."
 
Construction began in October on the $1 billion project to connect parts of four cities.
 
It will extend the Bush Turnpike 9.9 miles from State Highway 78 near Firewheel Town Center in Garland through Sachse and Rowlett to link with Interstate 30 near Bass Pro Shops, crossing an arm of Lake Ray Hubbard in the process.

The Bush Turnpike Eastern Extension is planned to open in the fourth quarter of 2011.

 
"It's the best thing happening to Rowlett right now," city spokeswoman Donna Huerta said.
 
She said tollway contractors have kept the city posted on lane closures and helped with a traffic bottleneck near Rowlett High School by replacing a four-way stop with a traffic light and posting no left-turn signs applicable during high-traffic periods.
 
"So far, there have been no big problems," Huerta said.
 
NTTA has divided the project into five sections, numbered 28 through 32 from west to east. Work is under way throughout all five sections.
 
According to a progress report posted on the authority's Web site, the contractor in Section 28 is digging underneath Firewheel Parkway bridge and putting in drainage from there to Rowlett Creek. This section runs from Highway 78 to just west of Miles Road, linking Garland to Sachse.
 
In the more rural Section 29, grading is under way in Rowlett, and temporary two-lane traffic is in place on Miles Road as it crosses the project line just south of Sachse High School and Heritage Park. This section extends to north of Merritt Road.
 
The contractor in Section 30 is building a bridge over Liberty Grove Road and working on water, sewer and storm drain lines. Section 30 is in Rowlett and runs north-south to just beyond Main Street.
 
The contractor in Section 31 – also in Rowlett, from south of Main Street to the north shore of the lake – is wrapping up grade work and starting to install water mains.
 
Section 32, the part of the extension that will feature a bridge across Lake Ray Hubbard, which is owned by the city of Dallas, is being built by the Texas Department of Transportation.
 
Slupecki said that was because of how the cost-sharing agreement was structured, because that portion of the extension will connect the turnpike to the interstate, and because TxDOT has built two bridges over the lake – on State Highway 66 and I-30.
 
Paul Williams, TxDOT project engineer, said workers have installed some drill shafts and columns at the site where the new roadway will meet I-30.
 
"We are about to begin work on the shoreline, within two or three weeks," he said.
 
Within a month or two, crews should be working out on the lake.
 

We've anticipated and watched the construction of the new Hyatt Place hotel next to the GISD Special Events Center since the original ground breaking ceremony two years ago. It has now been open for about ten days.
 
Check out the photo tour!
 
The Garland News covers the opening in this week's edition; so grab a copy of this and other news.
 

From The Garland News, May 21, 2009:

A new place to stay: Hyatt Place opens in north Garland

Mayor Ronald Jones cutting the red ribbon for the grand opening of Hyatt Place in north Garland. Pictured from left: Paul Mayer, City Manager Bill Dollar, Mark King, chairman of the Garland Chamber of Commerce, Councilman Larry Jeffus, Councilman Doug Athas, Mayor Jones, Ted Pittman, Councilwoman Laura Cox, Councilman John Willis, former Deputy City Councilman Jackie Feagin, and Karina Oliveras, vice president of the Garland Chamber of Commerce. photo by Linda Jaresh

 
By LINDA JARESH, Staff Writer
linda@thegarlandnews.net
 
The wait for a hotel in Garland is over. Hyatt Place, located in north Garland, is open and accepting reservations.
 
Immediately after the ribbon cutting, Mayor Jones and his wife, Peggy, were among the first to make a reservation at the new hotel. "True to their word, Hyatt has provided a first class place for visitors to stay," Jones said. "The hotel is conveniently located near the Special Events Center, is only a short distance from downtown Garland, and will be easy to get to from other Metroplex cities. This is Garland’s first major convention hotel and is without a doubt a banner day for all of Garland."
 
Located at 5101 North George Bush Highway, the hotel is close to restaurants, retail shopping, and the Granville Arts Center.
 
The land was purchased in July of 2006, and the groundbreaking took place in April of 2007. The early groundbreaking took place to accommodate then Mayor Bob Day, who had worked diligently on bringing the hotel to Garland.
 
During his remarks at the official grand opening, Ted Pittman, partner, Second Century Investments, said that even though it seemed like construction had taken a long time to complete, it didn’t begin until quite some time after the ground breaking. Pittman added that the groundbreaking took place earlier than scheduled so that Mayor Day would still be in office when it occurred.
 
"Garland has a fabulous new hotel with gorgeous, state-of-the-art rooms that are perfect for visitors, friends and family," said Councilman Doug Athas, who represents District 1 where the hotel is located.
 
"The new meeting rooms, banquet and conference space are much-needed amenities for Garland. The hotel is also at the economic nexus of the Special Events Center, Firewheel Golf Park, Firewheel Town Center, Spring Creek Forest Preserve and the Atrium downtown.
 
"This one facility ties together many development initiatives and will be a catalyst for further growth for Garland. It will serve as a beacon for all businesses and homes in the area to new visitors attracted by the further expansion of the President George Bush Turnpike. Looking from the top floor, you feel like you’re on top of the world and able to see the future. It’s a nice view."
 
The hotel features 153 guest rooms, all of which feature a 42-inch HDTV. Also included in each guest room is either two queen size or one king size bed, a seating area with a couch that features a pull out bed, complimentary Wi-Fi, and complimentary continental breakfast for guests.
 
The hotel offers 17,000 feet of flexible conference and meeting space that includes a 9,200 foot ballroom, three boardrooms and five breakout areas, all with high-tech capabilities.
 
According to Pittman, the hotel has a joint marketing agreement with the Special Events Center. "We are especially grateful to the Garland Special Events Center for its enthusiasm for Hyatt Place."
 
As executive director of the Special Events Center, Tim Mabe said he and the management team from Hyatt Place have a good working relationship, one they began developing several years ago.
 
"The relationship we have developed will allow us to compete in venues that we were not able to pursue in the past," Mabe said.
 
"By having a convention quality hotel, we will now be able to be serious competitors for conventions, or large meetings that have never been held in Garland."
 

From North Texas Tollway Authority e-newsletter:

Dirt Keeps Flying on Bush Extension

As construction on the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) Eastern Extension progresses, one thing is for certain – crews will be up to their ears in dirt as they begin the “messy” task of moving more than one million cubic yards of dirt to make way for the eastern expansion of the PGBT.
 
The NTTA is building Sections 28-31 of the 9.9-mile extension, which will lengthen the PGBT southeast from State Highway 78, over Lake Ray Hubbard, to Interstate Highway 30. The Texas Department of Transportation is building the lake bridge (Section 32). Construction began in October 2008, and the road is expected to open to traffic in late 2011.
 
Along its length, the extension will have a variety of profiles – from well-below grade to ground level and back to well-above grade. Section 28, from the Firewheel Town Center in Garland to west of Miles Road in Sachse, is largely below grade, beginning its westward trek beneath the bridge at Crist Road and also passing underneath Firewheel Parkway.
 
As a result, crews must dig down as much as 30 feet in spots, displacing slightly more than 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt, rock and other ground materials in the process – about 480,000 loads for the average full-size pickup truck.
 
While some of this dirt will be used to build embankments within the project, large haulers are standing by to cart most of it away to various off-site locations.
 
Now, weather permitting, crews are stripping and stockpiling the topsoil for re-spreading when the major earthwork and construction are done. This involves removing about four inches from the entire length, except areas that will not be disturbed in the construction.
 
The majority of the built-up areas, or embankments, for this project are at the bridge abutments, which is considered a short haul accomplished with track hoes, large eject trucks and paddle scrapers. That material is excavated, hauled, spread and compacted without access to a public roadway.
 
The remaining excess material requires loading onto semi-tractor trailers and hauling over public roadways in legal loads of about 40,000 pounds of material per trailer. That equates to about 12.5 cubic yards per truck, or about 62,440 truckloads.
 
In coordination with the corridor cities of Garland, Sachse and Rowlett, contractors already have placed some of the dirt on an adjacent property for its future development. The City of Garland will receive 50,000 cubic yards, or 4,000 truckloads for future use in the C.M. Hinton Jr. Regional Landfill in Rowlett. PBGT EE Section 30 will require about 120,000 cubic yards, or 9,600 truckloads.
 
The remaining material will be sold and hauled to places yet to be determined.
 

 
One correction to the information above: the Hinton Landfill is in Garland and is, in fact, a part of District 1. Someone unfamiliar with the city boundaries could easily mistake it to be in Rowlett though.
 
Another note: the title to this post is tongue-in-cheek. When originally constructed, the bridges at Crist Rd and Firewheel Pkwy were built almost at grade. Someone not paying much attention would have no way of knowing they were bridges except they did have side rails. The plan was to dig under the bridges when the turnpike was extended, as we are now seeing happen.
 

Garland Power & Light News Release:

GP&L and City of Garland Receives Expanding Excellence Award

Garland, TX, May 21, 2009 – Garland Power & Light and the City of Garland have received an Expanding Excellence Award for the implementation of the customer information system (CIS) which is used to manage accounts and bill for city utility services.
 
The Expanding Excellence Award for Best CIS Implementation recognizes and salutes excellence in customer service, and is given to organizations which have implemented and verified an outstanding CIS project. Budget and schedule adherence, operational efficiencies after go-live, innovation, and improved service levels are among the criteria which Garland’s implementation demonstrated.
 
"Many employees worked long hours to ensure that the CIS accurately and reliably supports the needs of the city and utility customers," says Ray Schwertner, GP&L Electric Utility Director. "We are delighted that their dedicated efforts have resulted in this award."
 
This award is given by CS Week, a non-profit educational entity which is committed to expanding excellence in customer service, and by Electric Light & Power, a publication for the electric utility industry. GP&L received the award today at CS Week’s Conference 33 in Washington, DC, and will share project highlights in a presentation to other customer service professionals attending the conference.

At Monday's work session, the Council discussed whether to continue broadcasting Citizen Comments (Item 2e) that come at the end of the regular meetings, where citizens can say anything they want, up to three minutes. For the three years that I have been on the Council, those comments have been broadcast with the meeting and re-broadcast numerous times. Since the meetings are available anytime on the web, those comments are replayed many, many times.
 
It is good that citizens have an opportunity twice per month to address the Council on any topic. However, under Texas' Open Meetings law, the Council can only listen because we are only allowed to discuss items posted in the agenda. We cannot make any comments, ask any questions, discuss, curse, or correct anything said. Even when told of this restriction, some speakers don't quite get it. They usually expect some reaction; they don't expect a row of mute bodies. Those are the rules though.
 
There is an inequity. Citizens often say things that aren't true — not because they are lying but because they don't have enough information and there is no way of letting them know while they speak. (Some have lied, knowing they could not be challenged.) Regularly, some citizens offer complaints that have nothing to do with the city and with which the Council has no authority. Also, citizens will make accusations that are unfounded and verbally attack a city employee by name, someone that is not even present. All of these go unchallenged and because they do, there is sometimes the impression of a silent endorsement, which is very unfair to the viewing public and to the staff and Council.
 
It was suggested that some citizens that didn't want to be on camera might now be encouraged to comment. There are always at least two sides.
 
By a 5-4 vote, the Council decided to no longer broadcast Citizen Comments. Citizens are still welcome to offer comments but those statements won't be heard beyond the chamber walls.
 
I was on the losing side, arguing that a greater inequity could go unnoticed: a citizen with a valid criticism that needed to be heard by the general public would lose his connection and potential support with the greater viewing audience. (Not my exact words Monday but my intent.) Nothing moves government faster than angry citizens, or, more specifically, angry voters. I would have compromised by allowing the broadcast of the original comments and eliminating them from all the re-broadcasts, but ... that's not to be either.
 
We'll see how it goes. I guess anyone particularly disgruntled can start a blog.
 
But that doesn't always work out either:

 
CONNEAUT [Ohio] — City administrators have sent a letter to a local Website operator, ordering her to remove information related to municipal offices, City Council members learned at Monday's work session.
***
"I am tired of the dirt," [the city administrator] said. "I don't know what the hell is going on. These personal attacks are going to stop. I'm really tired of the personal attacks."
 

City of Garland Press Release

TAAF Honors Garland Employees

Garland, Texas — May 11, 2009 — The Dallas area region of the Texas Amateur Athletics Federation honored two Garland Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts employees at their 2009 awards luncheon on April 23 in Grand Prairie.
 
Retiring Athletics Coordinator Steve Finigan was recognized for being involved with TAAF for 27 years including serving as Regional Director, Regional Track Commissioner, and on various committees.
 
Athletics/Aquatics Manager George Deines received the “Professional of the Year” award for his outstanding work as Regional Swim Team Coordinator.
 

The Fifth Street Crossing project Downtown that I mentioned just a couple days ago has received the prestigious CLIDE Award.
 
This type of project represents one of my goals for running for the Council. As I said then, "If we successfully help Garland become the place we are proud of, others will come to share that excitement and will invest to be a part of it." I am excited to see that vision becoming reality.
 

Announcing the 2009 Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence (CLIDE) Award Winners

April 30, 2009 - Nine projects from across the North Texas region have been selected as recipients of the 2009 Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence (CLIDE) Awards. The winning projects and their categories are:

• 5th Street Station at Garland Crossing, Garland - New Development Category
• One Arts Plaza, Dallas – New Development Category
• 925 Main, Grapevine – Redevelopment Category
• Museum Place, Fort Worth – Redevelopment Category
• The Depot, Fort Worth – Redevelopment Category
• The Bridge, Dallas – Special Development Category
• Development and Implementation of the Dallas Green Building Ordinance, Dallas – Public Policy and Planning Category
• City of Richardson 2009 Comprehensive Plan, Richardson – Public Policy and Planning Category
• McKinney Town Center Study Initiative, McKinney – Public Policy and Planning Category

The nine winners were selected from a field of 35 applicants. The awards will be presented on June 12, 2009 at the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ General Assembly luncheon at the DFW Hyatt.
 
The biannual CLIDE Awards honor development and planning projects that exemplify the region’s Ten Principles of Development Excellence, which outline a vision for sustainable, livable communities in North Texas. They center on providing choices for how and where people choose to live and work, promoting walkable environments, transportation and resource-efficient growth, and mixed use and environmentally-responsible development—all in quality places that people will be proud to inhabit.
 
More information on the CLIDE Awards is available at www.developmentexcellence.com.
 

 
"The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), together with private and public partners, works to help create a Sustainable North Texas region that is recognized nationwide as a center of development excellence. Our goal is a region where residents, businesses, and visitors enjoy a built environment that creates a true sense of place; uses water, energy, and environmental resources effectively and efficiently; protects a diversity of habitats; reduces Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT); and supports public health and quality of life. To achieve these aims, regional leaders have adopted Ten Principles of Development Excellence and NCTCOG carries out various strategic initiatives, including support for Vision North Texas, the CLIDE Awards Program, a Regional Repository of Best Practices, Sustainable Development activities, and many others." [From North Central Texas Council of Governments website]
 

City of Garland Press Release:

City Benefits Manager Tapped for National Leadership Role

Garland, Texas — May 12, 2009 — Garland continues to gain national recognition for leadership. Rick French, Benefits Manager for the City of Garland, was elected National President for the State and Local Government Benefits Association (SALGBA) for 2009-2010.
 
Mr. French is a Certified Government Benefits Administrator (CGBA), holds a Masters degree in Business and Human Relations, and has been in the benefits profession for more than 30 years. In 2007, SALGBA recognized the City of Garland with its first ever "Exemplary Benefits Program" for the proprietary wellness initiative Mr. French developed collaborating with the City HR and Risk Management Departments as well outside vendors and the Garland Chamber of Commerce.
 
Priscilla Wilson, Senior Managing Director of Human Resources, says Mr. French’s election to the Board of the SALGBRA Organization is one of great distinction. "This is a role that we believe he will serve with diligence and integrity. Rick's commitment to the benefits profession is exemplified daily in his oversight of the City's comprehensive benefits program."
 
"I am very humbled by this honor; and I firmly believe it will provide the City with an opportunity to pinpoint benefit programs that are in the best interest of our employees, retirees, and the City," says Mr. French.
 
SALGBA is a national organization whose members consist of municipal, county, and state government employee benefits professionals. The Association membership includes 48 state entities and 144 local jurisdictions within its rank. Jurisdictional members cover more than 5 million public employees, and control gross health benefits expenditures of more than $14 billion each year. Members are in policy and decision making positions for their respective entities. Represented are Human Resource Managers, Risk Managers, and Employee Benefits Directors, as well as many other jurisdictional representatives in positions of responsibility. Saga’s purpose is to provide members with educational programs and networking opportunities to ensure best practices in the health care industry are communicated effectively in a national forum.
 
Mr. French will serve as SALGBA President through April 2010 and will preside over the 28th annual conference scheduled for Indianapolis, Indiana.
 

The total number of incidents for April reported are down slightly, the lowest in five months, but closer examination doesn't give much comfort. The number of violent crimes is actually a little higher than recent months. The robberies and aggravated assaults were in business areas, except one that was in a neighborhood.
 
Vehicle burglaries were the lowest for the last several months but several of the incidents were relatively close to one another and about the same time period, usually a strong indication it was the same perpetrators.
 
If not for the shoplifting and other thefts, the total would be quite low. Thefts were mostly in the commercial areas but there were a number of incidents in the neighborhoods.
 
Contact your Neighborhood Police Officer if you would like to have someone speak at a neighborhood meeting to learn more ways that you can protect yourself, your family, and your property.
 
If you want to review the areas that have reported incidents over the last month, download the complete report here for address-by-address information that includes your neighborhood.
 

 
UPDATE: NPO Duncan spoke to the Carriage House NA recently. I learned that a surprising large number of the vehicle burglaries were cars that had been left unlocked.
 
Also, many of the home burglaries are being committed by high school-aged youth, often in the day while skipping school. They knock on the front door, usually loudly, to see if anyone is home. Then they come back and kick in the back door. Many times they find there was someone at home that didn't want to answer the door. It's probably best to answer the door so they don't get the idea that the home is unprotected. You can use my brother's method: carry a baseball bat.
 
If you are burgled, the favorite items will often be things that have serial numbers — tv's, game consoles — so make sure you have those serial numbers available for police and your insurance company.
 

The north courtyard of the downtown Fifth Street Crossing features a pool and health club for residents.

 
Council and staff members were invited last week to preview some of the apartments at the Fifth Street Crossing complex that is being built near the Downtown DART station and across from the Performing Arts Center. Among those present was Mayor Bob Day, who was very instrumental bringing the development to Downtown while he served as mayor. One of my favorite quotes of Mayor Day is: "The only thing slower than government is two governments." The city and county had to swap parcels and build a new county facility before construction could start on the new building.
 
The apartments were well decorated and inviting. Closets and storage space were surprisingly ample. Apartments have easy access to reserved parking. The inner units will overlook one of two courtyards. All residents will have access to the health club, which was well stocked with machines and weights. Just outside the health club is the large pool shown above.
 
We were able to park in the new multilevel parking structure. Numerous apartments and business spaces have been leased. New tenants are expected to be moving in soon.
 
Speaking to some of the Downtown merchants recently, they can feel a new excitement. More changes are coming.
 
Downtown residents that want to use DART to commute will have the best of many worlds. Getting on the train is not a problem anytime, but within just a few stations the trains are sometimes full and waiting passengers cannot board. There are various entertainment venues year round. Some services are currently spartan but that is changing.
 
Downtown Garland is being rebuilt for Garland, but anyone can enjoy it.
 

Dallas Morning News online:

Murder-suicide suspected in death of 10-year-old and his dad

04:17 PM CDT on Friday, May 8, 2009
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
jtrahan@dallasnews.com

 
A 37-year-old Sachse man is suspected of killing his 10-year-old son in a Garland park before committing suicide, authorities said.
 
Someone walking a dog just after 7 a.m. found Matthew Jason Knapp and his son, Brody, dead near the 2100 block of East Brand Road in One Eleven Ranch Park, which is near the Firewheel Golf Course. A pistol was found nearby, said Officer Joe Harn, Garland police spokesman.
 
Police also found a sport utility vehicle nearby, he said. When they ran its registration, it came back to Knapp. That was also how investigators learned that the family had filed a missing persons report with Sachse police a few hours earlier, Harn said. Knapp and his son had apparently not returned home after church.
 
Knapp has no known criminal history, Harn said.
 
The Knapps live about four miles from where the bodies were found. Harn said it is a relatively remote location, and as yet, no one has reported hearing any shooting last night.
 
An autopsy will have to be performed to determine the official cause and manner of death, but Harn says investigators believe it was a murder suicide.
 

 
UPDATE: A subsequent news story in the Dallas Morning News adds some information.

UPDATE 2: Son's death ruled homicide. (Scroll to section for Garland.)

UPDATE 3: Medical Examiner rules murder/suicide.

 
UPDATE: Comments closed to block spam hits.
 

Some type of business always seems to be falling into political disfavor. Sometimes for good reason, such as sexually-oriented businesses. Other times it is something as minor and innocuous as nail salons and banks.
 
At the local, state, and federal levels, payday loan outlets are the latest to fall into disfavor.
 
An article in Sunday's Dallas Morning News, "City Regulation of payday loans explored," quotes North Texas city officials saying that such businesses charge too much for their service. A Sachse Council member called them loan sharks. Irving officials observed that Irving has three times the state average of payday loan businesses but less than the average number of banks. Irving's mayor said, "To me, it's very, very expensive liquidity for people that generally might not be as credit worthy."

Graphic Source: BusinessWeek

 
According to the article, industry officials say their fees and interest rates are short-term, that looking at an annualized rate as comparison is unfair. "When you look at the price of a small short-term loan vs. the average amount of a bounced check or average late charge or reconnection fee, the small short-term loan is a far better deal."
 
Which side is correct? Are customers getting a bad deal? Are they the poor with bad credit? Or is the industry correct that the loans are better than the alternatives?
 
A couple months ago, a proposal to regulate payday loan stores had worked its way onto our Council agenda. Many of the same claims, and more, were in the staff report supporting changes to our ordinances. Among the proposals were: requiring a Special Use Permit before any future store could open, requiring 1000 feet between future stores, and prohibiting such stores in our highway corridor overlays.
 
There are two such stores in north Garland. I have not observed any negative affects from the stores and we have had a number of banks open branches within yards of both stores. Council member Darren Lathen and I challenged the report, asking for some substantiation for the statements. No one could produce any. I argued that the spacing requirements and Special Use Permits gave the existing stores a monopoly to charge even higher rates. The Council ultimately passed an ordinance that required such stores obtain a Special Use Permit but the other limitations were removed. (Follow the link for a more detailed report on our ordinance.)
 
The Legislature is looking at restrictions and so is the federal government. I've not studied the bills before the Legislature so I can't offer an opinion on them, but the federal legislation has drawn the criticism of Robert DeYoung, a finance professor at the University of Kansas. In an article printed in the Wall Street Journal, he cites research that shoots down most of the latest-fad government regulations that are being proposed.
 
One, customers of such stores are often educated, have bank accounts and credit cards. Two, if credit is the short term concern, borrowing from a payday store is probably a much better financial decision than writing a hot check or all the fees charged if you don't pay a bill on time, such as your utilities. The "huge" percentage charged by a payday loan store is usually a fee based on the size of the loan. When calculated for the couple weeks of the loan, it does look large as an annual rate, yet at a bank the interest rate associated with overdraft charges at a bank can easily be twice as high.
 
The data for the article comes from research by the author and another professor (who is at Colorado State), and independent surveys performed at George Washington University.
 
The research "found that local markets with more payday stores tend to enjoy lower prices." However, the article warns: "[T]he benefits of competition were largely washed away when Colorado imposed a cap on finance charges. Over time, the longer a price cap remains in place the more borrowers get charged the legal maximum price. Price caps make these loans more expensive and less available."
 
To this subject and beyond, I'm left thinking several points about passing laws are important: (1) decisions should be made on the verifiable evidence, not conjecture and emotion, (2) don't stereotype, (3) even the best intentions to help may actually hurt, and (4) competition is good.
 
There is a (5) too: Caps almost never work the way intended. That lesson extends well beyond this particular debate and applies to tax appraisal caps. While caps can stop large jumps in fees or taxes, they almost always encourage or force businesses and governments to charge the maximum. For example, property appraisal caps will have taxing agencies raising the rates to the maximum to build a reserve because they don't know what emergency may arise next year that they could not address with a cap being in place. While that in itself may sound like prudent management, reserves almost always have a way of getting spent and then new reserves are needed.
 
Such caps can be inherently unfair. Expensive land and homes often raise in value faster than more modest investments, yet the appraisal of the expensive real estate is often less than its actual value because of caps. The modest home that doesn't quite meet the cap because it is in an area where prices aren't climbing as steeply will have its full value taxed. Tax caps will always favor the wealthy. It's simple math.
 
It is worth following the links to the articles and reading them. Laws should be blind and applied evenly and fairly. The DeYoung article may be about payday loan stores but it applies across a wide spectrum of businesses and laws.

As most already know, Garland is the home of red light cameras in Texas. The first city to install and use the cameras, they have been the subject of much controversy. Controversy in most cities would mean a fight over whether to even have them, much like what Duncanville is experiencing. That's not the highlight in Garland.
 
In the initial period after installation, a great deal of money was flowing to the city. That money was to be used for public safety expenditures. In 2005, a majority on that Council decided to use the excess funds to buy and maintain a police helicopter. While I acknowledged that I would love for our police department to have such a tool, a very capable and impressive tool, my concern was buying a long-term asset and dedicating one-time monies for the purchase and upkeep. Red light camera fines were not a stable source of financing. I argued that such collections should decline as people took note of the cameras and changed their behavior, exactly what we wanted the cameras to do. I argued that the many in the Legislature hated the cameras and would outlaw them or take much of the fine. Both predictions proved completely accurate.
 
After the voters overhauled the Council in 2006, the helicopter purchase was canceled. Fine collections rapidly dropped to the point that Garland makes no money off the cameras. Motorists have drastically reduced red light running, at the marked intersections and others nearby, a halo effect.
 
There have been several news articles on red light cameras in the last several weeks that compare Garland to other cities. The gist has generally been that cities that installed cameras after Garland are seeing their revenues fall. In most cases, faster than they predicted and faster than they budgeted.
 
Garland has recently moved three of its cameras, mostly to extend that halo of protection farther. The new locations are:
 

 
Why would we say where the cameras are located? The purpose of the cameras is to encourage safe driving practices at all red lights. Some of the worst crashes are caused by someone speeding to beat a red light and t-boning another car. We should want drivers to be aware and safe ... and we do.
 
Drive Safely.

 
UPDATE: Comments closed to block spam hits.
 

Election trends keep changing. One such trend has been the number of people deciding to early vote rather that fight election day crowds. In fact, the trend has grown so much that in an election with high voter turn-out, such as the last presidential election, lines at early voting locations (there is one in Garland) can be much longer than those on election day (when there are many more locations).

For the first six days of early voting, 170 to 209 voted each day. Fewer voted Sunday. The highest numbers were on the last two days, with 459 voted on the last day.

 
Early voting for Saturday's mayoral election closed yesterday. I predicted a low turnout election and I guess it's impossible to be wrong if only 4-5% of the eligible voters actually vote, but what I meant was that I expected fewer voters than the last mayoral election. By that measure, it looks like I might be wrong. The number of early voters in the 2007 mayoral race were just six more than this year (1,992 vs 1,984).
 
Just like this year, there were three mayoral candidates in 2007. However, there were two contested council races that time also. Presumably the council races would have brought extra voters to the polls. Also, the 2007 race had a special interest factor that isn't present this year: all three candidates were "new." There was no incumbent seeking re-election and none of the candidates had held public office. That's not the case this time.
 
The interest in early voting has been rising steadily for several years. In the 2000 mayoral election, 17% voted early. By 2007, that number was up to 30%. Last year, there was only one contested council race so most of the city didn't participate. In that race though, 43% voted early.
 
Of the early voters, about 16% were from District 1, although we comprise about 12% of the city's population. Of the precincts in District 1, the highest number of early voters were from 2102, the precinct around Firewheel Golf Park. In fact, 2102 voters turned out in greater numbers than any other precinct in Garland.
 
See, it's not even Election Day yet and it's already interesting!
 
UPDATE: Final numbers in the mayoral race indicate that almost 40% of those casting votes chose to do so early. There is definitely a strong trend toward early voting, which will change some of the dynamics in future races. Most campaign expectations are focused on election day. True, much effort is now directed to early voting but the day may soon come that almost all effort has to be directed to the early voter, which means earlier timelines and a different distribution of resources for the candidates.