I have no opinion either way on the hiring of an EDC Director except the one I have always held: we don’t need one and it’s a massive waste of money. But one thing that IS certain is that Potato Head has been wrong about EVERYTHING she has opined upon for the last 10 years or so. We have covered that extensively on these very pages. From the severity of Covid to masking to vaccinations to Ivermectin, she has been 100%, unwaveringly WRONG about them all. The only thing Potato Head MIGHT be good for on any board is to do the opposite of what she ‘thinks.’
I have zero doubt she will weasel her way onto one of these boards eventually. She has nothing else to do.
Another gem from the minutes is the fact that even though they budgeted $30,200 for Business Pork signage almost a YEAR ago, they STILL managed to go over budget by 23%! Actually, by LEDC standards, 23% over budget is a HUGE savings compared to the last 20 years of bungling and money wasting.
There was a tiny nugget of info in the latest LEDC packet on page 5 (item IX) and buried in the minutes from the February 21st meeting. Naturally, it was discussed in super secret “executive session” so the plebes couldn’t hear what was going on.
According to the packet:
“Discussion and possible action regarding Workspace business concept at the Lampasas Business Park and terms of engagement with the company.”
So it’s clearly a typo by the secretary. Or she doesn’t understand proper nouns. Most likely the latter.
I can also find nothing on any company called “Workspace” except for this one located in the UK.
What this kinda sounds like to me is yet ANOTHER level of scammers trying to insert themselves between the taxpayer, the LEDC and the end user.
For instance: perhaps it is a (as-yet secret and unnamed) company that specializes in the “shared office space” business model. A model that is rife with grifter scumbags and morons like WeWork’sAdam Neumann. A model that is doomed to huge failure especially now, as office space across the U.S. sits unused in the wake of the Covid scamdemic.
I can see the LEDC falling for something this stupid. They would give this “workspace” company a bunch of free stuff and land so they can build some office space there that will likely sit empty forever. Think of that Twisted Oak building right down the street…then multiply by 20.
If the office space never gets filled, the “workspace” company walks away with very little lost.
If it by some miracle makes a ton of money, the workspace company cleans up and LEDC gets nothing.
Speaking of retarded deals and the LEDC, it looks like Eco-Turd is maybe packing up and vacating that building over there by Lampasas Beer Market. They look to be disassembling that awful, shitty demo fence that has been there for a year or two now. The fences that were marketed at almost $100 per linear foot…
“Five foot nine? I didn’t know they stacked shit that high!”
I drive by there all the time and it NEVER looked like anyone was “manufacturing” jack shit, to me. Either way, there are literally ZERO cars out front now and some new signs on both doors that say “Authorized Personnel Only” as if maybe, just maybe, Mike Cour got the boot and is not welcome back.
If any birdies want to sing about Eco-Strong leaving town or moving into new digs – you can reach me at lampasshole@protonmail.com
Related: did you know the LEDC has a Twitter page? Yep. Hasn’t been updated in 2.5 years, however. Such a hard-working group. Thank goodness we have them in charge.
I mean, there isn’t much going on anyways. It’s not like they just saw City sales tax receipts drop 5% YoY, watched Eve’s Restaurant close down after 29 years, are staring at an empty $7.3 million business park with ZERO tenants anywhere in sight, just saw the Industrial Park agreement blow up and cost the City $45,000, saw Brodie Estates violate an agreement they spent $185,000 on or have a total solar eclipse coming in less than three weeks.
Maybe Ybarra finally got a tap on the shoulder from the City’s hack attorney JC Brown telling her to lay off all the bullshit and lies because it was making it harder and harder to keep denying me information.
Here is the OLD “economic matrix” – complete with the horseshit about “20 – to 35 jobs created” and “project wins”and “announced capital investments”
Here is the NEW “economic matrix” from this week’s LEDC packet (page 27) – all that garbage has been erased. In its place is a “rah rah” cheering section about the new businesses that have opened recently:
Of course, if they were intellectually honest, they would ALSO include the businesses that have CLOSED this year: Wool & Vine, Baby J’s, The Dog House, Rolling Pin and Gillen’s Candies.
I suspect that Bidenomics will claim at least another business or two before the year is over, unfortunately.
This will be Stacey Ybarra’s first go-around when it comes to an annual budget for the City of Lampasas. She was hired just this year at an $85,000 salary – which is $10,000 MORE (13%) than they were paying Mandy Walsh (who was in the position for over FIVE years).
But she sure isn’t being shy about grabbing as much cash as she can for the next fiscal year (which begins October 1st). Especially when it comes to her own benefits, self-enrichment and creature comforts [see pages 17 and 18]:
First up? Three grand for “lunches and site visits.” La de dah! luncheons and gallivanting around!
These are where she traipses around town to already-established businesses (like Oil States) and takes photos with them to show us how hard she is working.
I’m pretty sure a kick-ass company like Oil States does not need a city government bureaucrat to tell them how to run their operations or “discuss their industry needs.” I’m guessing a kick-ass company like Oil States just wants the government to stay out of their hair and leave them alone, thanks very much.
Photo of two people who work their asses off and create value.
Hold a clipboard, put on some safety goggles, snap a photo…exhausting! Then it’s off to a well-deserved lunch on the taxpayer’s dime! La de da!
Fun fact: Oil States is one of the top three private-sector employers in the City. But the Chairman of the Lampasas Democratic Party (Clayton Tucker SDEC-24 TX) wants to put those 135 people out of a job because he says we need to get rid of fossil fuels entirely. There is nothing I’d love to see more than that noddle-armed retarded midget walk into a machine shop filled with burly oil guys and explain to them that they need to learn how to work on pinwheel gear boxes instead – because Bernie Sanders says so.
Next on the budget goody grab-bag? Ten thousand dollars for “travel and training.”
The first half ($5,200) is for “conferences and site selection trips.” These are the Nerf vacations I have railed against for a long time. Most recently, Ybarra travelled to Dallas to learn (for a price!) a bunch of common sense stuff I have been spewing on these pages (for free) for over 5 years now:
These have been going on FOREVER – Kathi Masonheimer wasted piles of time and money on them when SHE was in Ybarra’s position (2014 through 2017). Shit like Space.com conventions – NONE of which ever panned out:
Five grand here…five grand there…all free! Wheeeeeee!
Monroe STILL on the LEDC board voting for stupid shit in 2023 – just as she did in 2015.
This has happened over and over and over and over for 20 years! Zero results. But that won’t stop the new girl from doing all the same shit. Nor will it stop the LEDC idiots from paying for all the same shit – with the same results.
I believe the “site selection trips” are where she gallivants around to other states to try and drum up businesses to move into our still-empty Business Pork/Corpse Repository/Goat Pasture on south highway 183.
Back during the very profligate Toups administration, they pulled this shit a few times. Kathi Masonheimer and others got to take “business trips” to California to fuck around and “drum up interest” in the Business Pork. That was 8 years ago, and NOBODY has shown an interest yet. So you can see how well it works.
The SECOND part (OU EDI for $4,800) is Oklahoma University “economic development” classes. This is so Ybarra can get more letters after her name. As a reminder though, Mandy Walsh had WAY MORE letters after her name than Ybarra, yet Ybarra was hired (with no ED experience) at a 15% HIGHER salary than Mandy was!
THAT is Finley math! Then Ybarra can leverage those letters after her name into a NEW higher-paying job someday with an even more clueless City manager somewhere.
Last on the list is the literal “FREE MONEY” (‘grants’) that Ybarra gets to hand out like Santa Claus to worthy businesses. It is called “life safety” because it is supposed to offset the ridiculous expenses for “saftey equipment” the City of Lampasas Code Ordinances place on anyone trying to start something up.
As in, one department of the City says “hey, that’s an awful nice venue you have going there. Sorry to say, you need to install $40,000 worth of sprinklers or you can’t open your doors.”
Then Ybarra comes along from ANOTHER City department and says “hey, here is $20,000 in taxpayer dollars to help you out. Oh, don’t worry…we have plenty more! It grows on a tree at Finley’s house!” which I’m SURE the existing businesses (and competitors) really love.
They actually gave a $20,000 “grant” (free money) to James Mercer for his Heritage Funeral Home two years ago. That would be the same James Mercer who (1) just had a few businesses go tits-up recently because (2) the state shut down his adoption place because of some kind of shenanigans (I don’t know what shenanigans because he refused to talk to the Dispatch when they called him for comment) and who (3) hobnobs with Hollywood douchebags and drives fancy cars.
You know – a guy who really needs it and can be trusted not to fuck it all up. Don’t worry, though. That $20k of your taxes was greatly appreciated!
I know they also gave a few grand to The Doghouse (now defunct!) for fire extinguishers, a knox box and emergency signage and lights.
So, money well spent all around town. No doubt the NEXT $25,000 she wants will be spent just as wisely.
Another day, another refusal to answer a simple question:
What is the name of the company the LEDC has been crowing about creating “20 to 35” jobs and a $700,000 capital investment?
The LEDC (Misti Talbert) and Economic Development Director (Stacy Ybarra – salary and benefits of over $115,000 per year) were telling us PUBLICLY in May that $700,000 in capital investment and 20-35 jobs were announced.
Announced where? I sure never heard about it. That’s a lot of jobs. You’d think they’d be proud of that. Why hide the name of the company? Are they lying???
A MONTH LATER, in June, the City’s hack attorney JC Brown was busy telling the Texas AG that the City can’t give me any info on the Business Park prospects because THERE ARE NO AGREEMENTS OR CONTRACTS with any companies!!
So is JC Brown, the hack attorney lying to the AG? That would sure be a big no-no, wouldn’t it? As big of a hack as she is, I’d think she’d be smart enough not to blatantly lie to the Attorney General of the state of Texas. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe she IS that stupid.
I am right about one thing though: somebody is a humongous public liar. I can’t wait to find out who it is. I’ll make sure to repeat it here over and over until the end of time.
I made an Open Records Request for a copy of the impact study that the City paid for as part of their Business Pork vetting process. The idea is that this study will “prove” mathematically ALL the many, many benefits that this secret prospect will bring. That in turn will allow the LEDC to hand them a big chunk of money or free stuff and tell us how we are all coming out ahead on the deal.
It only seems fair to me that we taxpaying peons be allowed to see the claims of benefits being made by the LEDC if they are going through with the handouts.
Keep in mind, the LEDC is desperate to get a deal done and get someone, ANYONE, in there to justify the last 20 years and over $7 million tax dollars being wasted.
That would be the same Heritage Funeral Home that (1) was to be a direct competitor with an established funeral home in town who DIDN’T get $20,000 handed to them by the City and (2) is owned by a guy who hobnobs with Hollywood douchebags and drives around in a Bentley. In other words, a guy who sure as shit doesn’t need $20,000 in taxpayer funds.
“I feel like (City) staff and Council oughta be tasked with being accountable to answer on the spot…and..uh…I would be comfortable doing that….that’s transparency at its finest…is…you know…we don’t put off a question, we answer it on the spot”
Yeah. That was all a lie. It was a lie when she was mayor and it’s a lie now that she is in charge of the Keystone Kop organization known as the LEDC. The same LEDC that has squandered over $7 million tax dollars on a “Business Park” that has sat empty for nearly twenty years.
Austin attorney JC Brown has decided to waste another month by refusing my request and sending it all to the Texas AG to see what he says about it. Last time they played this idiot game, I was vindicated. This is just a big stalling tactic.
Among JC’s more ridiculous arguments:
“The City notes that the Requestor does not request or identify and [sic] document or material he desires the City to produce. Thus, the City has no material or document to provide in response to the Requestor’s ORR”
Ho ho ho. Get it? I didn’t request a SPECIFIC document. I just asked for a name. Of course, I CAN’T request a specific document because it is all secret and hidden away in “executive session.” See how that works? So clever. A nice Catch-22 for me.
Then she goes on to argue that releasing the name of the prospect would cause a “bidding war” with other cities, as they also tried to lure the prospect to THEIR business parks.
I’ve got news for you. Any “prospect” worth their salt is going to look at Burnet (and other nearby cities) and THEIR big, empty business porks as well – and play you against each other. There are big empty business porks all over the place – because most City governments are populated by morons at the top.
Also, our EDD Stacy Ybarra told us back in a January 25th radio interview that all the cities “work together” and tell each other about business prospects – and that some cities will “let other cities know, hey this business wants to expand.” She said [9:40 mark] “if we all grow, we all benefit…so it’s about…building those relationships in the central Texas region“
Huh. So you’re telling me it’s NOT all one big happy family and that if we all grow, we all benefit? Sounds like you are jealously hoarding your possible prospects and fucking over those “other cities” you claim to have relationships with. No? So who is the liar? Ybarra or JC Brown?
Oh well. While we wait weeks and weeks for this nonsense, it may be time to be a dick right back to them. Maybe it’s time to really dig into the members of the LEDC and make sure none of them have any personal bankruptcies or things of that nature in their past.
After all, if you are in charge of millions of tax dollars, I think the taxpayers have a right to know if you can’t even handle your own personal finances. Bankruptcy records are deemed public records by federal law and, thus, accessible to any member of the public who makes a request to the clerk’s officeor through PACER.
Or maybe it’s time to get my lawyer involved again by requesting the emails of certain newer (and maybe less intelligent) City employees who don’t realize that everything they have been emailing on the government servers for the last four months is fair game for me and my lawyer. Perhaps a few keyword searches like “Business Park” or “prospect” or something like that would turn up some tasty nuggets!
I am also placing a $300 bounty on information about the Business Pork prospect – prospect name, industry, incentives, etc. I know that at least three dozen people in the City must know who it is. Probably a lot more, given this is a small town and people talk. Email me at lampasshole@protonmail.com. Your anonymity is assured. Feel free to make a burner account if you wish. I’ll figure out a way to get you your $300.
Let’s be frank. Everyone on the LEDC knows the name of this secret business pork prospect. The City attorney knows the name. Likely, everyone on City council and more than a few City employees also know the name. At least three dozen people know who it is.
Yet City attorney J.C. Brown is silent and refuses to respond to my requests to name this prospect. Why? Is there a law against it? No. Is it because the prospect is such a joke, you cannot bear to let me know because I will ridicule it and poke a dozen holes in the entire idea? If that is true, you should be ashamed of yourselves for such a shitty prospect.
Is it Eco-Turd?? Please, God, let it be Eco-Turd.
Well, we will know in a day or two or I’ll be hiring my own lawyer again and also going after the City for my attorney’s fees. We have already been through this multiple times. You don’t have a leg to stand on, JC Brown. RELEASE THE NAMES!!!
If any of you naughty employees wants to leak it to me in total anonymity, feel free to drop me a line at lampasshole@protonmail.com
Here is a recent example of a city handing out free money to a company in exchange for “creating jobs” in that city. I am bringing this up because it is very clear that our own LEDC and City council is now in the midst of “secret negotiations” to “evaluate financial information from a business.”
20 years of failure.
The bottom line for the Irving deal with Kelly-Moore paint is they get $75,000 in “incentives” in exchange for promising to create 30 jobs with a $100,000 salary. In other words – $3 million of salaries for a $75,000 donation.
As much as I detest governments handing out “incentives,” you have to admire the ratio: 40-1 in favor of the citizen ($3 million divided by $75,000).
I am posting this now so that we can later compare any “deals” that the geniuses like Misti Talbert and TJ Monroe make with any Business Pork prospects. I GUARANTEE you they will be far shittier than this. Remember: the LEDC has ALREADY spent over SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS on that goat pasture. They better bring in some hella good jobs to justify that waste.
Something tells me it will be more like 10 jobs at $42,000 per year and a ridiculous promise for hundreds more “in the future”.
Goat pasture has been “shovel ready” for 7.5 years….still sits empty.
