Development and growth are having a big impact on all of our property taxes. With so many people moving to the Hill Country, property values are on the rise. Many properties sell before they show up in a market listing. While rising property values are great if you are thinking about selling, it’s a big problem for people who have no interest in selling and especially for folks with lower or fixed income. It even effects renters as the landlords tend to pass on increases in property taxes. So, to address rising property taxes, as your County Commissioner, I will take a very close look at our tax rates and the county budget and make every effort to rein in ineffective or unnecessary spending to keep our taxes under control. Having been an executive working in the oil sector, I’m very good at prioritizing expenditures and I have made many difficult decisions to reduce costs, especially during the numerous rough times faced by the oil industry over the last 40 years.
I will also ensure we get the most value and benefit from the county’s procurement process by encouraging the use of international best practice with respect to front end loading, clear work scope definition, and strategic tendering and contracting. All too often, people get in a hurry and take short cuts to getting something done. However, this is always a big mistake as it leads to higher costs and project delays. Most areas of the private sector have learned this painful lesson, yet for some reason government entities are reluctant to put the effort into the front end of their procurement process to define exactly what they want from their contractors and suppliers. They should also make sure that their tenders and contracts have milestone payments and penalties (LDs) for late or substandard performance, as well as incentives for early completion if time is important. I have a wealth of experience to share in this regard, which will help reduce the county’s costs and allow us to get more done within our budget or better yet, reduce our taxes.