Stan’s Take on Prop. 1

My friend and fellow progressive, Stan Merriman of Pitchforks and Populists sent me his take on Proposition 1.  I highly respect Stan’s opinion, even when we disagree. So, here’s Stan’s take:

Stace, you did not do your usual very respected homework on this one. I’m going to convey key problems with Prop. 1 via bullet points:.

• You don’t do viable urban or strategic planning by putting out your budget and financing method before you present to voters your program and plan-cost justified. Cart before the horse. The tax (yes this is a tax, just by another name) is unfair and unprogressive-same rate for your square footage in River Oaks and Sunnyside.
• The “sell” on this claims it doesn’t impact flooding; in other forums Renew claims it does impact flooding. Most experts and studies on flooding in Houston have told usdue to our sea level status or below, very little impact can be attained with mitigation strategies.
• The city has exempted legions of development projects with their responsibility to provide drainage mitigation.example, Memorial City and 1,300 flooded post project. Now we’re going to the homeowner to fund drainage. The city does not require accepted environmentally sustainable technologies in its new approach of paying developers to deal with drainage-read the 50+ page Heights WalMart contract and you’ll find nothing there in. Yet we are taking hard earned taxpayer dollars and handing it to WalMart to do the city’s work on street/drainage “improvements”. Check it out.
• The city’s stated policy is to turn “improved” residential streets and roads into “ponds” (their language, not mine), thus denying residents, their guests and babysitters street parking during unannounced major gullywasher rains.
• Net Net- the city is hosing us homeowners to enrich the dozens of engineering companies who are funding 99% of the Renew Charter Amendment campaign and turning my street into a pond. See my blog above.
• Solution-Plan before the budget and funding-A progressive, fair funding program-Retention ponds and channels, not dig up old streets, drainage pipe and pour more concrete, which precipitated the flooding problem to begin with.