Here we come a-waffling. Or: Up yours, KTMPO!

The honorable thing to do?

Well, what a fine pickle we have here.

First, the city of Copperas Cove  has already spent the money on the Business 190 median design. Just telling y'all that upfront, in case you didn't know. How do I know this? Read, read, read this to the end.

Curmudgeon watched with interest both the Business 190 workshop brouhaha along with the Tuesday night Copperas Cove city council meeting.

Last spring, when the whole hullaballoo about the Cove Saddle Club was going on, Councilman Jay Heartburn Manning talked about doing the “honorable” thing by committing to selling the saddle club property because the council had already committed to doing so. There were offers on the table and to back out of the transaction would have been dishonorable.

Gentlemen, your waffling as a council on the Business 190 median project also has a picture of dishonor, or at the very least, waffling on a regional stage. It’s embarrassing.

Back in 2016, you, dear city council –

Dapper Dan Yancey,

Mute Morris (I’m a writer not a talker),

James I-was-for-it-before-I-was-against-it Pierce Jr.

and Kirby Lack

along with two others

ALL UNANIMOUSLY passed a Resolution – Resolution No. 2016-32.

(Sorry, snark leak.)

Gentlemen, I suggest you pull it out and read it, even the ones who were NOT on council when it was approved.

This resolution of support authorizes the CITY MANAGER as the city’s AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE to act in ALL MATTERS in connection with transportation projects as submitted as PRIORITY projects by the City of Copperas Cove to the Killeen-Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Let me refresh you, and hopefully enlighten my dear readers with the contents of that resolution and its PRIORITIES as APPROVED by the city council:

Per section 1, the following transportation projects as the City of Copperas Cove’s priority projects:

1. US 190 Bypass (W35-01)

2. FM 116 Railroad Underpass (C35-02)

3. FM 116 Railroad Underpass Bike Ped

4. Bus 190 Phase I (C30-03a) 

5. Bus 190 Phase II (C30-03b)

6. FM 116S & FM 3046 Sidewalk (C40-05)

7. The Narrows Phase I (NEW)

8. The Narrows Phase II (NEW)

9. The Narrows Phase III (NEW)

The resolution was PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED on the 6th day of September, 2016, “by a vote of ayes and nays, at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Copperas Cove, Texas which meeting was held in compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Tex. Gov’t Code, §551.001, et. seq., at which meeting a quorum was present and voting.”

Please note, the number-one priority project on that was the 190 bypass – this is the expansion to four lanes. But it was passed by. So were numbers 2 and 3 above.

For a moment, Curmudgeon saw a glimmer of reason on Monday at the meeting when the possible consequences of ultimately REFUSING FUNDING for A PROJECT TO WHICH THE COUNCIL HAD COMMITTED ITS SUPPORT NEARLY TWO YEARS AGO –

Good luck, Chuck, getting more funds for a while.

Then, long-timer Rodney Nauert told the council on Monday that back in the day, he had the assurances that the city would not be “blackballed” for future projects if they ever turned down funding.

Ummmmmm, can we please see that in writing????

Mr. Nauert even said the Representatives and Senators would take care of things.

Ummmmmm, I don’t think so. I call BS on that one. You think our state senators and reps would head over to KTMPO and slap them on the wrists if they decide not to prioritize a Copperas Cove project?

WHO MADE MR NAUERT THE AUTHORITY ON ALL THINGS POLICY RELATING TO FUNDING FOR STATE PROJECTS WHERE THE CITY OF COPPERAS COVE IS CONCERNED?

Can we say the council now has a failure to commit?

Essentially what the council is now trying to say by its apparent waffling and flip-flopping on the median project is that this RESOLUTION does not matter.

Why does it matter?

Can we count on a RESOLUTION to truly mean something?

No wonder the city only received applications from TWO recruiting firms for the city manager position.

As waffly as this council has become, who’d want that for a boss!!!???

Forget honor, when you can have waffles.

You can say, “We’re looking out for our funding and taxpayer money,” but in the end it’s what you want to commit to. Don’t forget the granite dais, boys!!!! Easy to spend $$ when you want to.

And, what about all the increased sales tax revenue coming into the general fund, more than last year?

And, did you know, dear readers, the city has already SPENT THE MONEY ON THE $1 MILLION FOR THE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN, AT LEAST 40% OF IT? So if you kill the project and turn down the money, THE CITY IS STILL OUT $1 MILLION!!!

YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT AND I AM TALKING VERY LOUDLY IN ALL CAPS, DELIBERATELY. 

Please see Resolution 2017-29. The city has already expended the money and was going to pay itself back with the debt issued in June 2018. Hellllurrrr, y'all!! Council, I'm pointing my fingers at YOU. 

The money's already been spent, dudes!!!!!

Don't believe me? Check it out: 

Here it is, I kid you not

Again, kid you not. The money has been SPENT.

Okie, dokie, y'all mull on that for a while. Curmudgeon is done for the night.

Peace, love, and bunnies y’all! It’s Rabbit Fest week!!!