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I Finally Got The New Budget. Here Are Some Highlights…

First some salary and benefits numbers:

Total City salaries for FY 2022: $6.012 million

Total City salaries for FY 2024: $7.384 million

Two-year increase in salaries: 23%

Total City benefits for FY 2022: $2.531 million

Total City benefits for FY 2024: $3.221 million

Two-year increase in benefits: 27%

Combined salary and benefits for current fiscal year: $10.605 million– first year EVER over $10 million. Assuming 116 employees, this works out to $91,422 on average for every single City employee. Obviously some people at the top (like Finley) get almost triple that figure.

Combined salary and benefits increase over two years: 24.1%

Tax revenues UP 8% from $4.865 million to $5.251 million (this could have been reduced by lowering the tax rate…but it wasn’t) – the City siphoning almost $400,000 more out of the citizens compared to last year.

Don’t forget – the Feds dropped almost TWO MILLION DOLLARS into the laps of City government over the last couple years with their “Covid Relief” bullshit, and they STILL need to soak you harder!

IT Department UP 8.4% over last year. IT “contract services” line item UP a massive 29% year-over-year from $40,000 to $51,684. Pretty sure this is where they pay other companies like TSM Consulting to do the work that Monica and Kristy should be doing but can’t/won’t.

More to come….

It Took Less Than 60 Days For Local Socialist Moron To Contradict Himself Once Again.

Local socialist Clayton Tucker (Chairman of the Lampasas Democratic Party SDEC-24 TX) is absolutely amazed by the things the free market creates. Things that ass-backwards socialist regimes like the USSR, North Korea and Cuba would never in a million years create….

As usual, Clayton Tucker is about 6 years behind the times. Back in 2018, AI was already reading film as well as a radiologist – and it’s about 10,000 times faster.

Then again, this idiot thinks WINDMILLS are the future of energy production, and they were invented about 1,500 years ago.

Theoretically, the price of medical care should plummet as stuff like this (and DaVinci the surgical robot) becomes more widespread. But don’t worry – fuckheads like Clayton Tucker who LOVE Big Government will be sure to push for laws and regulations that will kill that baby in the cradle.

[ROBOTIC ANESTHESIA REALLY IS COMING – article from almost 4 years ago!]

Not to mention we have had WebMD for over 20 years now. In the first quarter of 2020, WebMD received approximately 127 million unique users viewing over 229 million page views per month.

But we already knew that our local socialist had a child-like mind. After all, he believes in Santa Claus, only he calls it “free government stuff.”

What’s even more hilarious, is Clayton Tucker was vehemently OPPOSED to AI back on July 16th – when it hurts moron Hollywood liberals and union members:

Yes, we don’t want AI to take a job away from some low-IQ twat like Sean Penn or Ed Norton or Dan Rather. That would be unconscionable. Clayton Tucker’s suggestion is “not allowing” that to happen. Of course, it’s going to happen whether Clayton Tucker (the random 32-year-old guy who lives with his mom in a small town in Texas) wants it to or not.

Quite frankly, I very much look forward to a time when quasi-retarded clowns like Matt Damon and Cher are mopping floors at the local high school because computers can easily generate pretty faces for pennies and there is no longer demand for human pretty faces.

But Clayton Tucker is FINE with AI putting doctors out of work! This can only be because Hollywood liberals and journalists are about 93% libtards whereas highly skilled doctors probably tend to skew a lot more towards “conservative,” right comrade??

Of course, if/when AI replaces small town clown “doctors” like James Cain, I will applaud that as well.

Local Gardening Dunce Janet Yoder “Craizer” Crozier Shows Up At City Council Meeting To Demand More “Free” Stuff.

She never quits.

With a hat tip to the original Terminator movie from 1984….

That Gardinator is out there, she can’t be bargained with, she can’t be reasoned with, she doesn’t feel pity or remorse or fiscal sanity, she has an IQ of 75 and doesn’t understand the value of a dollar…and she absolutely will not stop… EVER, until you WASTE MORE TAX DOLLARS!

Janet “I never asked the City for anything” Yoder “Crazier” Crozier is back up there AGAIN demanding more money for her retarded “ADA compliant garden” project. Apparently she was promised that the City would build or “rework” an entirely new portion of sidewalk to be “ADA compliant” – which is going to cost well over $5,000.

[Don’t forget she actually had to go out and advertise for disabled people in order to have a reason to do this – a project she is wasting about TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on]

This dunce spends FAR more time dreaming up ways to waste money on ridiculous projects than she does ACTUALLY GARDENING! Somehow they are guzzling 8,000 gallons of water a month on a weed patch that makes the Business Park look like the gardens at Versailles:

Not content to have the city hand her a plot of land and put in irrigation pipes and bibbs at City expense. Not content to get 5,000 gallons per month handed to her for “FREE,” courtesy of the taxpayers. Not content to blow over FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS and counting on this garden hobby of hers…she has tried to scam another $10,000 from the City for water catch tanks (last year) and now she’s up there crying that the City isn’t being quick enough about wasting thousands of dollars to re-do the sidewalks to her liking for her insane ADA project.

Absolutely insane moron.

Germany’s Terrible Energy Choices Causing Their Implosion.

You gotta hand it to the Krauts. When they decide to do something, they go all in with ruthless efficiency. Whether it’s killing jews or destroying their own industrial base with moronic energy policies, they are second-to-none.

The solar industry in Germany now reports that a jaw-dropping 15% of German solar capacity is rapidly disintegrating.

On one hand, this represents the decay & destruction of many billions of euros of capital.

On the other hand it represents hardly any energy risk, because 10 gigwatts of solar capacity produces very little power, much less during peak demand period, in a dark cold country like Germany.

Fortunately for the grid, the power isn’t needed because Germany is just losing its industries instead of growing the clean energy supply. Further, this rotting solar, even when new, didn’t produce the sort of electricity supply that supports factories staying in the country.

Germany’s nuclear plants were getting more effective with age, with extraordinary uptime and reliability at low cost. Its solar equipment, on the other hand, gets worse with age. From here on, Germany is going to have to sprint just to keep its capacity numbers up, to say nothing of actual solar energy production.

Countries have demonstrably powered themselves at or above 50% nuclear in their power mix for decades [Texas is at a pathetic 10% or so], whereas solar and wind dependency is merely in the experimental stage and may actually not work. Only Denmark has broken 50% and its reward is excruciatingly high electricity prices and several times the carbon intensity of France.

We’ll see! The stakes are perilously high for countries attempting this grand experimental transition.

Comparing Salaries – Economic Director Edition.

We have looked at comparisons for City manager, ACM and police chief so far.

What is MOST hilarious to me about all this is that Ryan Ward’s “salary study” showed that HE was underpaid by 13% and the police chief was OVERPAID by 7.9% (this is before last year’s COLAs and raises were handed out). But from where I’m sitting, WARD looks to be overpaid far more (35%) than our police chief (maybe 15%).

Laughable!

Let’s move on to the next wildly-overpaid and underworked employee: Economic Development Director Stacey Ybarra.

If the 4% universal raise goes through, Ybarra will be pulling in $89,147. She has not even been with the City for a year and has no letters after her name. What she DOES have is a long history of non-private sector employment.

This comparison will be short, because to be honest – there aren’t many cities our size who even have a position for “Economic Development” on their payrolls!!

Burnet, TX: In 2020, they had a guy as “economic development director” who was pulling down $48,324. He either got canned or left. The NEW chick is making $61,534. Ybarra will be paid 45% more than her Burnet counterpart.

Liberty Hill, TX: $75,760 (population and growth rate FAR surpass Lampasas). Matt Powell was either canned or left last year and a NEW old fart has taken his place. She looks like a disaster waiting to happen – and a LOT of money will definitely be wasted in Liberty Hill. Ybarra will be paid 18% more than her Liberty Hill counterpart.

**Serial grifter has jumped from government tit to government tit. This is like giving Janet Yoder Crazier a job as City planner. It will not end well.**

The funny thing is, I’m pretty sure Ybarra actually LIVES in Liberty Hill! LOL. Either there or Cedar Park. I forget which. She lives closer to L.H. than to Lampasas.

Wait a sec…the Liberty Hill EDD looks EXACTLY like Jim Carey’s secretary in the movie Liar Liar!

Perryton, TX: $64,064 (population 8,150 – larger than Lampasas). Ybarra will be paid 39% more than her Perryton counterpart.

Now, some BIG cities (Austin, Dallas, Round Rock) have EDD positions and pay them ludicrous sums like $200,000 per year. We are not those cities. We are a small town of 7,500 which happens to sit at the intersection of three major highways. Every penny spent of “economic development” is a penny wasted. Just look at the still-empty Business Pork project.

National Health Insurance Premiums Rise 6% – But City Rates Went Up 13%!!

Besides the nice fat salary raises Ryan Ward is salivating over during radio interviews, the BENEFITS side (which Finley and Ryan NEVER mention) is skyrocketing: up 13% for City employee health insurance premiums.

Ouch. But don’t worry, the taxpayer picks up most of that as well.

Everywhere I looked, I saw estimates of a 6% to 6.5% increase in premiums for 2024….

Marketplace Insurers are Proposing a 6% Average Premium Hike for 2024 and Pointing to Inflation as a Key Driver of Costs

[Bidenomics! Weird – the dems keep telling us inflation is only 3%.]

Many City Hall Big Wigs have plans that cost the City $1,548 per month! But they only pay $438 of that! Person in real world = $560 per month. City Hall Big Wig = $1,548 per month and taxpayer pays $1,100 of that. Quite generous!!

So if 6% to 6.5% is the real number, why is the City of Lampasas getting creamed for a 13% hike? Good question.

Could it be that they are too lazy to shop around for a better deal? Kind of like the garbage contract??

They sure don’t want to lose their gold-plated Baylor Scott & White plans – those are basically the best (your) money can buy! Sitting down and doing the bitch work of contacting 5 or 6 different companies to find a better rate sounds like a task that belongs to Assistant City Manager Ryan Ward. Unfortunately, he is too busy dicking around with the new $40,000 payroll software to bother with that, I bet.

How did this all get so out of control? Well, some of it has to do with terrible decisions made back in 2013 and 2014 when moron City council members like Wanda Bierschwale decided the ~~City~~ taxpayers should help pick up the tabs of employee dependents AND RETIREES!

Yes, those retirees who ALREADY were paid highly for decades and had 2-1 matching for their retirement also STILL get a subsidy for their health care premiums. Think Sammy Bailey.

Here is the discussion from 2013 and 2014:

July 8, 2013 council packet – City personnel salaries – Proposing a three percent (3%) global increase which would be $117,000 budget impact. The new health premiums increased three percent (3%)and would like to budget $71,000 to assist employees with 25 percent (25%) of dependent premiums. [the CPI that year was about 1.5%]

July 25th, 2014 council packet – Initial budget assumptions call for a 4 percent increase in total salary expenses, although deGraffenried said that does not necessarily mean an across the-board 4 percent raise is suggested. In the budget approved last year, total salaries increased 3 percent. Mayor Pro Tem Wanda Bierschwale said she would like to see employees get “a goodly raise” and for the city to pay a portion of retiree health care costs. Mrs. Bierschwale also said she would like to increase the dependent cost share. White said he supports a 50 percent health care cost share for retireesand a 4 percent raise for all employees. Councilman Chuck Williamson also said he favors 4 percent raises. [CPI that year was about 1.6%]

Biershwale and White were certainly generous with taxpayer funds back in 2014! Those changes were forever – and it will bite them in the ass going forward, as it is this year.

But don’t worry! Finley has a big money tree behind City Hall. Nobody who pushes paper in their air-conditioned office will have to worry about paying full price for their $1,548-per-month health insurance!

Comparing Salaries – Police Chief Edition.

We already compared salaries for City manager and assistant to the City manager (ATCM) Ryan “Dwight Schrute” Ward. We find them to be overpaid by roughly 35%.

Now let’s look at police chief. If this “4% raise for everyone” goes through,his salary will be $107,374(up from $81,540 in 2019). Let’s take a look at some other cities close to our size and see what THEY pay their chiefs.

Burnet, TX: $73,544 (right down the street…similar population)

Gatesville, TX: $82,306 (population 16,000 – over 2x Lampasas)

Los Fresnos, TX: $71,124 (population 8,250 – comparable to Lampasas)

Hitchcock, TX: $71,524 (population 7,400 – comparable to Lampasas)

Keene, TX: $98,618 (population 6,500 – comparable to Lampasas)

Jasper, TX: $98,112 (population 7,500 – comparable to Lampasas)

Cuero, TX: $89,833 (population 8,150 – comparable to Lampasas)

River Oaks, TX: $89,774 (population 7,300 – comparable to Lampasas)

City Secretary Shirks Duties. Refuses To Answer Simple Question On Budget Vote. Why?

I have been asking some pointed questions to councilman Zac Morris and City secretary Becky Sims about the recent 4% raise that ACM Ryan “Dwight Schrute” Ward was crowing about on the radio the other day.

Specifically, I asked what the vote was when it came to this universal raise. Was it unanimous? Which council members voted for it? Did anyone vote against? I never saw this vote take place during the last council meeting.

Becky Sims didn’t like this. She has been quite snarky and uncooperative about the whole thing. I’m wondering why. Is she afraid I’ll blow up HER 4% raise? I mean, she DOES make over $95,000 in salary and benefits. Her 4% raise would mean another $2,700 per year. Is she denying me information out of pure self interest?

Let’s take a look at the exchange:

Lampasshole: “I see a 4% COLA was agreed to. What was the vote on council? Unanimous?”

Secretary Sims: “This is not a separate item, this is part of the budget. The first reading of the Ordinance to approve the budget will be at Monday’s Council Meeting.” (this is four days from now).

Lampasshole: “According to Ryan Ward today on the radio, employees are getting a 4% pay increase. Are you saying this is not true yet?“

[No answer for the entire day. I re-sent the question AGAIN today.]

Lampasshole: “According to Ryan Ward today on the radio, employees are getting a 4% pay increase. Are you saying this is not true yet?“

Secretary Sims: “No, I answered your question.”

Lampasshole: “Sounds to me like none of this is approved yet. Which would include the 4% raise. Is that correct??“

No answer AGAIN.

Lampassshole: “The question wasn’t really answered. Is the raise a done deal or not? Sounds like not. I’d like a copy of budget they are going to vote on.”

No answer AGAIN.

So, the City secretary, whose JOB it is to answer questions and push paper like this for over $95,000 per year cannot be bothered to answer.

Why?

My guess? She doesn’t want me rocking the apple cart and fucking up HER raise as well. My guess is that it ISN’T a done deal yet. If she admits that, I’ll redouble my efforts to influence City council and deny some of these overpaid clowns another $5,000 in their pocket. So she figures if she ignores me long enough, it’ll all go away.

Just to be clear: for the guys who work for the City and actually do manual labor and who FIX THINGS and keep the water and power running – I have no beef with raises and retaining talent. If you’re the poor sap who gets up at 2am in a rainstorm to restore power and you want a raise to make your pay competitive with other linemen in the area – hey, pay that man.

But this “four percent for everyone,” including people like Ryan Ward, Finley DeGraffenreid, Stacey Ybarra and Jody Cummings who are ALREADY overpaid to push paper? That is bullshit. If you’re making $225k or $175k or $150k in salary and benefits, you don’t need a “cost of living adjustment” implying you can barely afford groceries or gas. Screw all that.

[Oh, speaking of gas, Finley and Ward BOTH have car allowances. So gas prices don’t really affect them either]

So – here we are…it’s 8pm and City Hall has long since closed. And STILL no answer from Sims. That tells me all I need to know.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

ERCOT Asking For Conservation As Shitty Unreliable Solar and Wind Fail AGAIN

Funny how it always happens between 5pm and 9pm – when the sun is going down. Crazy, right? But to hear morons like Clayton Tucker tell it, we just need to “fix the damn grid.”

You’re right. We SHOULDN’T have to live like this – but you assholes have assured it with your pinwheels and solar panels!

Oh, what’s that now? Low wind and “declining solar generation” – which is fancy talk for “the sun is setting.” Which it has done every night for about 4.5 billion years.

Oh, but a bunch of pussylibs have the answer! Just look!

“We need to fix it!” Fix it how? The grid is perfectly fine. The problem is more demand than supply. YOU NEED MORE SUPPLY!!!!

“Work as a team” to do what, exactly? Go outside and blow on your pinwheels? Shine flashlights on your solar panels? You imbecile.

“Get it done!” – get what done? Put up more pinwheels in the windless night? Put more solar panels out in the darkness? You absolute MORONS. The most embarrassing part of those three quotes above is they are all made by “men.” I expect a stupid 18-year-old chick to say crap like this. Men know better than to spout useless idiotic cliches. Cliches don’t keep the AC on, you fucks. Nuclear and natural gas do.

If there is more demand than supply, we need to increase supply. Period. Forget about decreasing demand and living like a caveman in the dark with no AC – because this is America…not Haiti or Venezuela. Texas sits upon a SEA of gas and oil. If you pussylibs want to turn off everything in your house to “help out,” then be my guest. Not me.

How to increase supply, you might ask a libtard? Well, if the sun is down and the wind has died, you can add a MILLION pinwheels and a million acres of solar panels and still get ZERO power, you DUMB BASTARDS.

Texas needs to build another 6 to 10 nuke plants and add more nat gas turbines. Anyone who thinks pinwheels are the answer should be nailed to one and left to die in the 106-degree heat.

Lampasas Sales Tax Receipts CRATER!!! DOWN 9.13%. HOLY SHIT!!

Well, my long-predicted economic pain appears to be here at last.

While the state of Texas saw sales tax receipts UP 3.29% year-over-year, the City of Lampasas got dinged hard: DOWN 9.13%

[See row 585, as always]

Last year receipts were $249,953 and THIS year, they are $227,121

OUCH.

This not only the biggest pain I think I’ve ever seen for Lampasas, but it also marks FOUR MONTHS IN A ROW of declining receipts. For our year-to-date comparison, we are now only up 2.63% for the year to date compared to last year.

Now, since I am intellectually honest (unlike some City employees and hack lawyers), I will point out that although this is the August number, it is for receipts in July. What happened in July in Lampasas? We had a major water main break and quite a few businesses had to shut down for a day or two. That may account for a lot of this.

We can test this by looking at towns close to us who DIDN’T have a water main break.

Burnet: DOWN 2.62%

Hamilton: DOWN 1.0%

Marble Falls: DOWN 2.84%

I’d venture to guess our “real” number was more like down 2 or 3% and the rest is due to the water main break.

Other cities of interest:

Round Rock: DOWN 27.65% (!!)

Austin: DOWN 4.04%

Dallas: UP 1.9%