The Lampasas Economic Development Corp (LEDC) is STILL working on their CARES ACT grant for their ‘Business Park’ debacle, apparently. I remember back when it was going to be completed by July 31, 2020! Only six months late, guys!
What’s the hold up? Who knows. My guess is that Mike Cour and Eco-Strong are a MUCH weaker prospect than they let on. They likely needed Impact DataSource to conjure up some bullshit studies to make them look better – and that takes time.
Of course, Mayor Transparency REFUSES to let me see the study, which was completed last month. My lawyer and City attorney JC Brown are currently sparring over that.
Rest assured, I shall prevail.
Anyways, I recently downloaded a database which lists EVERY SINGLE PPP LOAN handed out in Lampasas by business name. The big ones (over $150,000) are easy to find. The smaller ones are much harder….but I have them all.
You wonder why the City had an extra $250,000 in sales tax fall in their laps this year?? I sure did. Now I know why. Let me list all the ways that Lampasas was “economically injured” by Covid:
Individual stimulus checks: I estimate this to be roughly $6 million dollars pumped into the local economy ($1200 times 3500 adults and $500 times 3000 kids). This is literally a “money” flood that was conjured out of thin air by the Treasury and Federal Reserve and handed out to everyone.
Large PPP Loans (over $150,000): I estimate this to be roughly $2.5 million dollars.
Small PPP Loans (under $150,000): I did an AutoSum of all the totals on my spreadsheet and it totaled $5.7 million. MANY of these will never have to be paid back.
CARES ACT to City and other: This includes, for instance, the $100,000 that Mandy Clause handed out to undeserving businesses like Wool & Vine and was THEN reimbursed by the Feds. The City, through Rickie Roy, is also applying for reimbursement in the amount of roughly $400,000, if I am not mistaken. That’s for shit like hand sanitizer, Plexiglas, expensive equipment they might possibly get away with calling “covid relief”,etc. That is another $500,000 right there.
Latest ‘stimulus’ bullshit check of $600: I don’t know the criteria on this and haven’t looked at it closely but call that another $3 million.
So we are looking at EIGHTEEN MILLION DOLLARS pumped into Lampasas. That’s $18,000,000.00
That ALSO doesn’t take into account the boat loads of money paid out in unemployment claims AND the work-ethic-killing $600 per week piled on top of that. I have no idea how to calculate that, but I have no doubt it runs into the millions.
So – we likely have in the neighborhood of TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS sloshing into our City from the Feds…..yet Mandy Walsh has the BALLS to then go begging to the Feds FOR MORE for the LEDC’s failed ‘business park’!! She actually has the NERVE to apply for a grant by claiming that Lampasas was “economically injured” by Covid!
Christ, lady. Covid has been a total GIFT to this town, financially speaking. We have come out WAY AHEAD and our unemployment rate is lower than that of Texas AND the United States. Yet you have your hand out for more! Worse yet, every single City council member unanimously agreed to this attempted pilfering.
Absolutely disgusting. You’re worse than the slimiest politicians in Chicago and New York with that kind of bullshit money grab. For shame.