Quick Recap re COSB Commission Mtg. 13July11

Here is the noteworthy stuff that transpired (the rest of the stuff was boring: 
1) Accepted a lawsuit settlement agreement with Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, Texas municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool and Brush Country. The total settlement is $975,000. Conveniently, the attorney representing the City did not have the actual amount going to the law firm. He did estimate that the amount for the city would be in the $550,000 range.
2) Ordinance 2385-B Mobile Vendors and Mobile Food Vendors...Nothing happened because Commissioners have plenty of legal questions and unfortunately, the City Attorney was not able to attend. I did read the Ordinance and it makes no sense at all to me, but it's just me. It addresses mostly the mobile food vendors and not the other vendors (i.e. Raspas). It doesn't

address the customer parking issues, health issues when food handling is involved. Imaging buying tacos or hot dogs from a vendor when they have no hot or cold water. There are no penalties for violators of the ordinance. This ordinance needs lots of work!
3) Presentation, discussion, and possible action to authorize Estrada Hinojosa & Company and Fullbright & Jaworski, LLP to jproceed with the issuance of GO's and CO'S....this item took over an hour of discussion.
   The end result is the Commission agreed to cap the Certificate of Obligations at $11,500,00 and General Obligations at $1,520,000
   The commission approved the firm to proceed with the standard legal requirement to publish on the local newspaper the City's intend to issue the bonds. Bear in mind, this is not a commitment to sell the bonds, that decision will occur about mid August after some more presentations as to what the financial impact will be on the taxpayers.
   Kudos to Commissioners Bill Elliott and Celeste Sanchez who asked some very intelligent, pertinent, and very relevant questions. They asked some of the questions that were running thru my head. Kudos also to the Finance Director who was prepared to answer the commissioner's questions.
   My personal feeling on this topic is that I was led to believe that these bond issues were to address only the sewer drainage problems that were addressed by the City Engineer at Monday nights presentation. I was disappointed to discover that the commission is including projects that should be covered by the General Fund and funded thru property taxes. I believe I know the strategy behind this route but I will hold comment on that for now.