Citizen petition likely stops Stephenville City Council from issuing $22 million notice of debt to fund street repairs, new City Hall.
Citizens angered by what they call a lack of transparency of the Stephenville City Council’s plan to spend $22 million for street repairs and a new City Hall appear to have stopped it in its tracks.
Keri Wallace and former city councilman Nick Robinson started a petition to stop the council from moving forward on the measure after learning that it planned to issue $22 million in certificates of obligation - $18 million for street repairs and $3.5 million to construct a new City Hall.
Wallace and Robinson both say they understand that money needs to be spent on streets, but they want the issue taken to voters.
“I found myself in a pretty unique situation on this topic, as I fully support infrastructure, including streets. I view it to be one of the core priorities of city government,” Robinson told Beneath the Surface News.
“I ended up in this position due to how it was handled. Primarily this was done in the cover of darkness, in the training room, away from audio video, with a very vague agenda heading.
“Secondly, I've kept up with city politics for well over a decade and even served a term, I've never seen things done this way, because it's the wrong way. Borrowing a fixed dollar amount, before prioritizing a list of projects, reeks of financial mismanagement at best.”
Wallace began researching ways to stop the council from issuing the debt and learned from the secretary of state that it could be done by getting 5% of qualified voters in Stephenville (463) to sign a petition.
So, Wallace and Robinson recruited a team of volunteers, held three signing events and knocked on doors.
Less than three weeks later they had far more signatures than what was needed – 546.
The petition is now in the hands of Stephenville city secretary Sarah Lockenour.
In a letter to members of the city council, Wallace wrote:
“Certificates of Obligation are typically used for emergency situations. The projects (undetermined) did not fall into an emergency category.
“The only reason the council would proceed in this manner appears to be to bypass the voters and send us the bill - according to documents collected at the workshops, would be as much as a 25% increase on city property tax rate for homeowners and businesses.
“The citizens of Stephenville deserve better representation and stewardship of our money. If the council is going to borrow money for us to repay, we should be asked for approval prior to the issuance of COs in the form of a General Obligation Bond.
“If the list of projects is proven to be necessary, then the proposal should be presented in a transparent, well-planned and projected manner.
“You do not borrow $22 million on our behalf, expect us to pay, then back in the projects of your choosing until the money runs out.”
The city council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, at Stephenville City Hall.
Stay tuned.
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