The Cross Timbers Gazette (Flower Mound, Tex.), Vol. 30, No. 10, Ed. 1, October 2004 Page: 7 of 20

                                
THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE
PAGE 7
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NOWHERE THIS ....WATCHDOG REPORTING FOR DUTY III
Fellow citizens everywhere hear this: Never ever take it for granted that the people whom you voted for and elected into office (mayor & council
members) will perform their duties as you were originally led to believe.
For instance, if anyone of them tells you, before being elected, that they will preserve and uphold the zoning as desired by a majority in your town, be
very, very careful. If they agreed with you that there should be a very minimal of commercial in your town and that the country atmosphere should and
will be upheld, be very, very cautious.
If anyone of them agrees that your town should remain a small “general law” (under 5,000) town and that your town does not need to employ a very expensive police force
with all the bells and whistles, be very, very cautious as “forked tongues” may well be activated.
If statements are made that a police force is necessary in order to enforce the town’s ordinances, be very, very suspicious, because it “ain’t necessarily so, folks.
Knowledgeable and licensed Code Enforcement Officers are hired for the purpose of enforcing ordinances; however, some towns unfortunately do not have such a person.
Now, how is a town going to pay for some of these ambitious undertakings?
The citizens are going to pay for it by having their taxes raised, naturally! Oh, yes, you might be told that currently your taxes have not been raised, and it probably is correct,
but watch out, if a town keeps spending and spending, what do you think will happen eventually? Your guess is as good as mine.
Be cautious of any mayor who offers his opinion as to what your town is suppose to look like and what he/she wants! Remember that you are the citizens of your town, you
are the majority.
It used to be that a small town recruited a willing and eager group of citizens to serve as a Planning and Zoning Commission.
P&Z normally meets once a month and for the most part these volunteers work very, very hard to assure that the rest of the citizens of the town will be protected from
outside influence, meaning developers, who love to “tear up” some nice looking pastures and clutter them up with as many homes and buildings as possible.
These volunteers worked to preserve your way of life because they live in the town, are your neighbors and have your interests at heart.
Now comes an administration, maybe, which feels that these previously very capable volunteer citizens, need help and guidance and so a professional person enters the
picture (City Planner) who does not live in the town, but comes armed with plans, computer generated blue prints, projected something or other and “bingo ’ the small country
town no longer looks the same.
Now, do the citizens of this town really want to know or pay a non-resident telling them what their town should look like ten years from now? Please, give us all a break.
True,’ a town should have a “Land Use Plan” and most of them do, however, such a Plan needs to always keep the wishes of the citizens in mind, and who else but the good
people of a Planning and Zoning Commission, citizens and property owners of its town, will know how to implement such a Plan.
Do the citizens of this town really want the town to spend money on this “outside” person telling you something that you do not want, have no way of knowing if indeed the
“projection” is going to come to pass, and do you want the town administration spending ybnr tax money on something which your volunteer citizen Planning and Zoning
Commission is perfectly capable of doing gratis to the town with heretofore gooplesults.
Now, why do you suppose some mayors and council get so “all fired” concerned about whaf oAer towns or cities near and around its small town are doing as far as growth
is concerned. Some get somewhat paranoid, even, about the growth and the impact it will have on our small town, so, security to the rescue, folks, because it is going to
cause problems, for sure. It is not exactly very explanatory, now is it?!
Good for those towns or cities who want to be big, big and bigger, but should we care? No, is there not such a thing as being and staying an “oasis?” You bet there is.
Further given that a town and its citizens have made it very clear time and time again, that they wish for their town to stay small, country, and even “pastoral with the
appropriate atmosphere, then, why would this town put a large two story business building on it’s web site logo? Is this odd or what? Yes, there are cows and the appropriate
oak tree on this web site, however, how can one get the impression that this is a “country” town with a business building looming on it?! Not the right impression, at a ,
especially since most citizens didn’t even wanted the businesses.
Citizens, when you attend a town council meeting and you are given the chance, as per the agenda to speak on non-agenda items for three (3) minutes. Do you believe that
this is meant for you to listen to yourselves talk? Or, do you feel that, even though, you won’t be able to enter into a back and forth conversation with the mayor or counci,
that, at the very least, you will be given the courtesy of having the administration look into the matter you have brought forth.
Administrations, in some instances, do not look forward to citizens speaking and bringing up matters, which may make them uncomfortable. So? Did we elect these people to
serve themselves or us, the citizens. Further, it would behoove each and everyone of the elected officials, to sit back and realize that maybe, just maybe, the citizen who is
speaking to them, more than likely has either been there, and might just know a little more then they do. Many councils, and yes, even mayors, are not necessarily long time
citizens of a town.
And further, if the mayor and/or council does not live in an area under discussion by a citizen s, meaning that
they are not walking in those citizen’s shoes, because, maybe, just maybe they do not reside adjacent to a
proposed commercial development, etc. Mayors and councils need to pull back and never ever try to force their
will or opinions onto others.
Anne marie Moore
Classic Quotes by Jack Anderson
(1922- ) US newspaper columnist
“You do not give up freedom. That’s what we
are talking about here. Freedom. Because
without the watchdog, your freedoms would
be stripped from you.”
___________
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