More developers grabbing more city dollars. Anyone shocked? You shouldn’t be. We already discussed how mansion owner Deorald Finney got HIS $72,000 gift from City taxpayers.
I’ve ranted about hypocrite “Greasy” Chris Harrison (former City council member) multiple times. HERE and HERE for instance.
Well, the City just cut old Greasy and S2M2 a $185,000 check last month. It sure pays to have friends (and former council buddies) on City council!
Link to City checks written on page 32 – lest some moron accuse me of “slander”
Just a quick reminder of what (massive hypocrite) Greasy Chris Harrison said back on 4/10/15 (page 11) when he was running for City council a second time:
“The council candidate [Harrison] said he opposes tax abatements and other financial incentives to prospective businesses. He also said he was against city officials’ economic-development trips to California and a subsequent incentive agreement for a company that moved from California to Lampasas. “To me, it’s not the government’s place to fund private business,” Harrison said.
“The candidate said he learned from a grant program the City Council offered briefly in 2011. Under the program, which Harrison initially supported but later voted to repeal, small businesses that opened in Lampasas after a specified date were eligible for a grant of $5,000 from the city. Harrison said council members had good intentions but learned quickly there were problems with offering taxpayer money to businesses“
So Greasy Chris Harrison was opposed to $5,000 grants but he and S2M2 gladly pilfer the taxpayer for $185,000. Lovely.
Here is a brief timeline of how the geniuses on City council went from DENYING S2M2 a $105,000 check as “too expensive” in May of 2019 to then handing over $185,000 last month – links to Dispatch articles are in brackets in case some moron accuses me of ‘slander’ again:
5/31/19 [page 5]: “The pond is estimated to cost $135,000, and McDonald said if he has it built, he will forego $75,000 he could have made had he turned the pond site into three residential lots. As a result, he asked the city to spend $105,000 on the pond – half of what he said it would cost S2M2 if the company sacrifices potential buildable space to create a drainage pond. Council members, however, said that cost is too high to justify for what they said would be minimal drainage improvements in the area. The council’s motion called for no city payment toward a detention pond.”
[McDonald failed to get the free stuff…so he sends in Greasy Chris three months later. Greasy used to sit on City council with the other Goldfish]
8/30/19 [page A4]: Lampasas company S2M2 Inc., represented at Monday’s meeting by Chris Harrison, is seeking city cost-sharing for the detention pond, which would occupy three lots the company otherwise could have used to build houses in its proposed Brodie Estates subdivision. S2M2 is asking the city to spend $125,000 toward the detention pond, Harrison said. That amount, he told city officials, is about half what the water detention structure will cost the company — when factoring in pond development expenses, the value of the three buildable lots the company will sacrifice and the profit that the sale of three houses could have generated. The pond is not required for Brodie Estates.
“The mayor said city officials need to think again about a detention pond“
[Now that former council buddy Harrison is asking, Mayor Talbert thinks they need to “think again”. Notice the cost has already jumped from $105,000 to $125,000. These wormy shits do this all the time.]
9/20/19 [page 4]: “the City committed to pay S2M2 a maximum of $150,000 for the company’s actual costs of surveying, engineering and building a rainwater detention pond in the subdivision. Council members have said the detention pond is not required to develop Brodie Estates.”
“Harrison said developers requested city cost sharing because adding the detention pond will cause S2M2 to sacrifice three lots it otherwise could have used to build houses. On another item, the amended development agreement specifies that the city will reimburse S2M2 a maximum of $40,000 for engineering, easement acquisition, construction and materials for a water line loop.”
Incredible!!
The Seven Goldfish went from “NO, we won’t spend $105,000” to “we should rethink this” at $125,000 to “here is $150,000 PLUS another $40,000 for some water line stuff”
Genius negotiating on the part of Mayor Talbert and the other Goldfish. I guess the taxpaying saps should be thankful that they only got clipped for $185,000 when the maximum possible reimbursement was $190,000.
Gee thanks, S2M2 and Greasy Chris Harrison for leaving a few crumbs! Maybe they can take that $5,000 they “saved” and give it out to Wool & Vine as one of those business grants that Councilman Harrison was opposed to back in 2015. It would be a final bit of irony!
Here is a video of local developers looting City coffers with help from the wizards on City council:
