tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-125660632012-01-25T03:06:48.998-06:00Biting political ankles since 2004. This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share alike License.JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.comBlogger4191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-43107407400067441062012-01-24T21:46:00.002-06:002012-01-25T03:06:49.006-06:00

I'm disappointed on both sides: I find it ironic we have lightening and thunder during the speech. Repubs chose Daniels for the respondent for good reason, not bad but Mitch sounded like my accountant explaining my 1040, a little short of inspirational. OK There are folks after SC hoping Daniels will step up. I don't think he will, something short of 7 figures money just to start a Presidential

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-32620458897378047362012-01-15T13:40:00.003-06:002012-01-17T02:03:56.763-06:00

I meant to write this yesterday, but my aging vehicle had a front end problem and my aging house had a plumbing emergency, between them took up my Saturday. On the plumbing end, when I went out to cut off the water I had to dig out several inches of silt that had built up and totally covered the meter and cut-off. With a friend working top-side and me in the crawlspace all afternoon, I had plenty

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-55400031255699067672012-01-09T22:41:00.003-06:002012-01-10T00:43:00.660-06:00

First, and just for fun; a lesson I learned early "Never fry bacon nekkid"We had a gosanangelo poster comment on access, how easy it is: This I am glad to see. Our former Mayor, JW Lown finally took me for real one Sunday; Drizzling cold rain, he is driving by and I'm standing under a bumbershoot taking notes of the posted agenda for City Council outside the old City Hall. I couldn't for the life

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-4140584860804207972012-01-08T10:15:00.001-06:002012-01-08T10:44:19.531-06:00

We are surprised and concerned by some of the developments at last Tuesday's City Council meeting. An executive session item about possible economic development incentives to a “medical devices” corporation has frequently been on both Council and Development Corporation agendas for months. Last Tuesday we finally got a name: MedHab, and a presentation. Now that we have the name and have had

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-22096064059457557372012-01-01T11:47:00.002-06:002012-01-01T18:16:40.784-06:00

I'm going to wander all over the place today; forgive me, but 2011 has been too interesting to fit in a standard recap/prognosticate model. Besides, I seem to have lost that Karnak Turban, so I'm just winging it.Hope all of you have a good supply of 100 watt light bulbs, they just turned illegal. Nope, wasn't some socialist conspriracy, this act of Congress was signed by Bush. I'm of an age, I

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-88480967699655452202011-12-23T06:35:00.002-06:002011-12-23T08:38:20.531-06:00

My housemate has the hobby of cross-stitching and showed me her latest effort."Dare to Dream". I like to think I'm halfway bright, I get all political, but this bit of fabric really woke me up.Of course we must "Dare to Dream"; I'd just never put the thought in those words. Science, politics, medicine, the Boson particle or parking cars in the yard, we must "Dare".Left, right, progressive,

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-67280576736214466292011-11-22T16:35:00.004-06:002011-11-24T05:29:01.733-06:00

I must apologize to our readers for not writing more lately. Been busy drumming up part time work to make up for the weakness my bank account is feeling in this economy. Money is still tight, but we should be able to write more in the future. It's not that there haven't been plenty of issues out there. The most visible issue right now is probably rental properties. In August Craig Meyers of the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-43644056736529276232011-07-17T08:48:00.006-05:002011-07-17T09:10:12.299-05:00

I did a simple analysis of the proposed rate increases for residential users from the agenda packet currently online. I noticed something very disturbing. The percent increase on the usage rate for the lower water users is dramatically higher than on the larger water users. The usage rate at the bottom rung increases by 129.7%, while at the highest rate increases by only 37.3%. Back in 2007,

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-38123526141929182192011-05-30T15:57:00.003-05:002011-05-30T17:11:31.074-05:00

What's the song title, "Too Much Time on My Hands"? I get bored and have this compulsion to share my thoughts with anyone we can tease into reading the Blog. So random thoughts, it is. Folks, And BTW, I'm gonna run down a rabbit trail right now. Why do I use the term "folks" often as I do? In my day the general personal pronoun was he, him. English does not have a gender specific term.

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-7069244619230494992011-05-30T07:48:00.003-05:002011-05-30T10:33:32.458-05:00

I have shamelessly neglected this space since my last post, my apologies. Let's try to make today interesting. First, I checked on the final return of Shuttle Endeavour's final return flight. Great news for those of us who don't sleep much! It is scheduled for a "pre-dawn" return to Florida. Been done before, the actual landing is scheduled for 2:35 AM Wed. which will have it directly overhead

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-69401826515675428012011-04-23T15:57:00.003-05:002011-04-23T19:33:36.486-05:00

News Flash! April 22, 2011. AP news from Atlanta, Center for Disease Control: CDC hopefully announces it anticipates an effective 50 state ban on smoking in "public places" by 2020. Personal Log, Stardate 2022. I had not seen my friend Mike in 10 years, he has been working in Asia. Of course, he is visiting, he is welcome in my home. When we get home from the airport, I told him, "grab a

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-3677491090965185822011-04-16T12:47:00.003-05:002011-04-16T15:55:02.210-05:00

I made time this morning for my first tour of the new Library. Impressed is an understatement, it is beautiful! I saw 20 computer stations open, where the older library had had a waiting list. Lots of people using the terminals, but open ones too. The Law Library on 2nd floor has two Westlaw terminals! One carryover from the Ed Keyes Library; the new one still has the slowest elevators in

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-65208067467816528502011-03-06T06:36:00.003-06:002011-03-06T07:17:23.703-06:00

Today's Standard Times has an interesting article on the new mission statement for the city's comprehensive plan. It bothered me during the discussions the city council held, and today it finally hit me why. First, let's look at what the mission statement is: "By the year 2027, San Angelo will be measurably the most desirable mid-sized city in the state of Texas." First, the key word here is

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-66659131154758241562011-02-20T19:48:00.004-06:002011-02-21T04:48:48.653-06:00

It has been almost a year since Council agreed it would be a nifty idea to exercise some oversight as to the 20-plus advisory Boards/committees/commissions we have here. As I recall, we were going to start with Civic Events and move forward about one per month. The idea was that each Board would be reviewed at least once every two years or so (surprisingly co-incidental with Council terms) for:

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-72451136044510493392011-02-17T10:34:00.002-06:002011-02-17T10:35:41.559-06:00

During the City Council meeting this week, while they were discussing garage sales I came to an important realization. With the zoning restrictions we have in place, and the restrictions they want to place on garage sales, none of the top 3 computer companies in the world could start today in San Angelo. Apple, HP, and Dell all started by doing business out of a garage at home.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-77085291888293455922011-02-13T17:35:00.002-06:002011-02-13T21:38:49.490-06:00

My latest missive had to do with a Street Maintenence Tax. This year Valentine's Day coincides with another important date: Initial filing to run for City Council. Anyone running has to be doing it for love, it sure isn't the princely sum of $45 a monthAll the even numbered seats and Mayor are up for challenge. Four out of seven, there is potential for change here. I do not play the endorsement

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-91432509362620774572011-02-11T21:44:00.003-06:002011-02-12T06:51:19.379-06:00

This Thursday my article in favor of a Street Maintenence Tax was published in the Standard-Times. I won't reprint it here, it is available at www.gosanangelo.com I do want to expand on the topic and cover some issues that came up in comments at gosanangelo. I was promoting a diversion of one-eigth cent of the existing half-cent tax to streets. As is our current half cent tax, this is

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-84949124020520590372011-02-08T11:27:00.002-06:002011-02-08T11:30:10.190-06:00

The elections have been over for three months now and we will soon be seeing the impacts. In just a few days the smoking ban will go into effect, and we will finally see the impact this ban will have on local businesses. I hope the small neighborhood bars can weather this storm. We also had a hint of the impact the Hickory water project will have on the local economy. They finally admitted in the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-38582048452537051082011-02-06T13:04:00.004-06:002011-02-07T07:43:34.167-06:00

I typically write about local issues, but events in Egypt have distracted me (and the White House and the State Dept and anyone else not living in a cave). This morning's news shows ABC lead. Somehow Chritianna Amanpour got personal interviews with both President Mubarak and his new and controverial VP. Fox news gave up and did its entire show talking about the Superbowl, live from the stadium.

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-25175243076481525482011-01-16T20:44:00.003-06:002011-01-17T08:35:59.640-06:00

I left the last Council meeting with a strange feeling. The discussion on the garage sale ordinance and garage sales in general made me think that I had wandered into a board meeting of McDonalds. It made me think they were trying to create the next happy meal. There are a number of issues associated with garage sales. Parking, trash, outside storage, safety, etc.. The vast majority of these are

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-53045830319711592632011-01-01T11:08:00.003-06:002011-01-01T20:36:51.875-06:00

The Standard-Times poll for New Year's day asks whether 2011 will be better or worse. Among the omens and portents, gold closed the year over $1,400 and silver cracked $30. Same time, Germany is making rude noises about bailing out of the Euro. Merkel is hanging on by the fingernails and the productive populace of Germany is disgusted with picking up the tab for the profligate Greeks and Irishmen

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-25832190768431378492010-12-25T12:45:00.004-06:002010-12-25T15:36:30.581-06:00

Merry Christmas all. All told, it has been a good year. Personally, I count myself fortunate to be if anything, over-employed. It's been two weeks since I saw my house in daylight during the work week. While I had the misfortune to break my arm and lose 3 months work, I had the good fortune to find work as soon as I was able. Still paying off some of that "vacation", but at least I am able to do

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-40466375178111671832010-12-11T11:40:00.002-06:002010-12-11T11:43:13.036-06:00

There is an interesting item being brought back on next weeks City Council agenda. It's a letter of intent with Siemens to “design and implement a land fill gas project.” I'm a bit concerned this is an attempt to resurrect a project that was tabled indefinitely in 2007. In 2006, Siemens brought a proposal to build a waste to energy gasification plant at our landfill. There are similar projects

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-41249207690939927922010-12-05T07:36:00.006-06:002010-12-05T13:55:35.771-06:00

Lakeview has, again, gotten the fuzzy end of the lollipop on the Northside Park closing. Now, I understand, there are problems with the site that would make it good policy to relocate from the old caliche pit; my opinion, Council acted in haste and a replacement park should have been built or at least budgeted before closing Northside. There are vacant properties reasonably close to Northside.

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-90441156278600348942010-10-17T07:57:00.006-05:002010-10-18T12:45:44.373-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised Friday to find that once again, the city website has the agenda packet online and usable. Last meetings packet is also still up. Progress. Thanks Alicia and the staff that helped you get this done. It's appreciated.  A quick scan of the packet shows a couple of items that really interest me. They are revising the Animal Services Board ordinance, and they are

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-29730684858863632432010-10-06T12:42:00.005-05:002010-10-06T13:02:28.473-05:00

There was whole slew of rebuttals from city representatives and other interested parties, suggesting that I misrepresented the facts in regard to the Hickory project and WCID a few weeks ago, so I just want to clarify a few things. The Standard Times will not allow me to give a response, claiming they "don't get into back and forth rebuttals"… First of all, I never said that WCID used 25,000

allie devereauxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14802719628949694387noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-25120864111101361442010-09-28T17:44:00.000-05:002010-09-28T17:44:58.711-05:00

My last post was on the cities website and agenda packets. Time to do a followup. First, the city clerk is trying to work out a solution to this issue. Not all of this is under the city's control. They are using an outside service to host the website. What was a good, forward looking solution just a few years ago is now difficult to use and too limited for what the the city needs. One of the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-79061345793698470102010-09-20T10:58:00.000-05:002010-09-20T10:58:28.601-05:00

If you've been following us any time at all, you know we have been after the city government to put some additional information on their website. We have been very persistent about getting the agenda packets, which we consider an essential part of the agenda and minutes, online. They have recently been putting agenda packets up sometime the day before the council meeting recently, and taking the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-13603826933793627762010-09-19T07:35:00.007-05:002010-09-19T08:29:58.475-05:00

There is only one sales tax measure on the ballot in November but it encompasses several major issues and concerns for San Angelo. It is first and foremost a referendum on local tax policy. Does San Angelo really need one of the several optional sales taxes that are available in Texas? Should it be a 4B economic development tax or would a street maintenance sales tax be better, or maybe a sales

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-55564451996452638862010-09-18T11:30:00.002-05:002010-09-18T11:33:00.809-05:00

One of the two local measures on the November election is a re-authorization of the current 1/2 cent 4B sales tax for economic development. We plan on publishing a series of articles where we look at the issues surrounding this measure in depth and get some little known and critical facts before the public. We will try to fill in some of the missing numbers to help create context and clarify real

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-13384606848732420532010-09-06T21:18:00.003-05:002010-09-07T02:56:30.781-05:00

I have neglected this site recently; been a little busy catching up from a 3 month lay-off due to a broken right arm. Darn the luck, didn't even happen on job, no benefits there, pretty much drew my resources to the bottom of the well. As I told one of our Councilmembers, another two weeks, you'd have seen me on a promising intersection with a sign reading "Will write ordinance amendments or

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-84794643837817219712010-08-15T10:24:00.002-05:002010-08-15T10:33:46.377-05:00

Because of jury duty, it's unlikely that I will be able to be at Tuesday's City Council Meeting. If I'm not selected, I will be at the meeting but the selection starts at 9:00am. These are some of the issues I would like to address to council if I were there. First, during the public comments, I would like to know when the Board and Commission review process will start. The process was adopted

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-45842745674084102922010-08-13T17:57:00.001-05:002010-08-13T17:58:34.058-05:00

Next week starting on the 17th, I am scheduled for jury duty. I never look forward to it but don't try to avoid it either. It is something that must be done and done the best I can. The only real down side is that I won't be able to be at the city council meeting on Tuesday and probably not the Election office open house on Thursday. Will have more later. Practicing being fair and impartial.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-92001497540355607232010-07-27T21:55:00.004-05:002010-07-27T22:07:28.009-05:00

If you have been following me on FaceBook lately, you probably noticed that I don't favor the approach presented at the last council meeting for removing the end date on the ½ cent 4B economic development sales tax. I have even called it pandering pork barrel politics as usual. It's time for me to explain this in more detail. Some of you may remember I was part of the opposition to the 4B sales

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-77905078151034135612010-07-09T09:33:00.000-05:002010-07-09T09:33:27.841-05:00

It's final and official. The original language for the smoking ban is what will be on the ballot in November. They decided not to correct any of the faults of the original including addressing the petition to a non-existent City Commission. The opposition is getting organized and has formed an SPAC called Speak Out San Angelo. Speak Out Amarillo defeated basically the same petition in Amarillo

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-26596281804682610592010-07-08T18:12:00.003-05:002010-07-09T04:47:33.987-05:00

It came to me while I am severely under-employed due to a broken right arm, San Angelo needs to create a new position:rainmaker! Over the past week or so, all I've had to do is start a lawnmower and here comes the rain. Sometimes I only need to look at the mower hard! Obviouly by the Latin phrase "post hoc, ergo propter hoc", (really loose translation, That which happened first must have caused

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-15301940373454459452010-07-05T14:18:00.003-05:002010-07-05T15:52:01.566-05:00

I have written on this before, but Independence Day brings it up again. I spoke to the Tea Party group Saturday, following a lady who suggested going to Council or County Commissioners or SAISD meetings. As a "been there done that" person, I reminded the audience, ALL these bodies are open meetings. Anyone can address them in favor of or in opposition to whatever is on the agenda, in fact if

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-75197931139841186922010-06-18T20:20:00.003-05:002010-06-19T01:45:10.536-05:00

As a side issue to the smoking petition, I mentioned that the Council Agenda Packet had been posted before the Tuesday meeting. As a part of open government, this is HUGE! It means that everything a Council member has before them is also public record; me, thee, and the rest of the world can read it prior to meeting. OK, not a lot of people are going to read 297 pages of "stuff", but it's there

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-76869527409341983742010-05-31T13:26:00.004-05:002010-05-31T18:54:32.175-05:00

Among the things that come with summer, we have the start of the annual City budget process. At an overflow meeting of the Animal Services Board, City Manager Dominguez stated that we are looking at a $2.3 million shortfall this year. Unlike the feds, the city isn't allowed to "print" money. Some combination of new revenue and/or spending cuts will be required.This Blog began as a site in

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-42671441445544722632010-05-31T08:15:00.006-05:002010-05-31T09:09:04.481-05:00

When this blog started in 2005, I posted an article with a link to Why smart people defend bad ideas. We need to keep that in mind while we honor those who have served and sacrificed and continue to serve and sacrifice in defense of freedom and our country.We need to remember that the best and the brightest are not the only source of bad ideas. Sometimes these bad ideas are from a tyranny of the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-44317013262121020482010-05-24T22:16:00.003-05:002010-05-25T08:56:13.944-05:00

Now that we have overcome some technical details of the Smoke Free petition and are at least all arguing the same ordinance, it is evident there is some mis-understanding as to what it is we ARE arguing. To clarify at least our points here at Conchoinfo, we present the following as basic principles.1) We agree smoking is hazardous to one's health.2) Second hand smoke is a recognized health risk.

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-50785102694757439202010-05-20T19:51:00.003-05:002010-05-21T01:50:14.428-05:00

I need to apologize for my post of yesterday. I was hasty in ascribing motives to what was likely a mistake. I forgot an old adage, "Never assume a conspiracy when mere stupidity will suffice as a cause".By this afternoon cooler heads prevailed. The proposal one now finds on the City website is the correct, original petition. City issued a press release and the valid language will be published

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-8942404286689183592010-05-19T21:30:00.008-05:002010-05-21T08:54:03.887-05:00

Tuesday Council meeting was the Smoke-free Initiative and Referendum "no smoking" ordinance roll-out. The Smoke-free co-chair Lisa Burger opened, as expected. She promised not to be too long, "I know we have others wanting to speak. I don't know if we'll take comment from, uh the other side". Mayor New hastened to point out that we would hear from the public, even those of us so unenlightened as

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-20873069726771342182010-05-17T02:14:00.004-05:002010-05-17T13:45:52.763-05:00

Tuesday will see first presentation of the submitted-by-petition no-smoking ordinance. This will be interesting on two counts: we have two new members of Council; and it opens a possibility a lot of signators didn't know existed.The no-smoke crowd got a lot of attention when their run at the May 8 election failed to make it in time. The signatures got approved (honestly, should have), so now

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-58084307076284496852010-04-25T20:39:00.003-05:002010-04-26T12:27:19.929-05:00

I had a short spell of under-employment between a construction job and the new one. Always thought "little money better than no money", so I hired out with Labor Ready for day work until I got a "regular" job. Among other adventures, I went out three times riding the back of a Trashaway/Republic residential trash collection truck. A genuine eye-opener.Before I say anything else, kudos to the guys

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-1381835989788492752010-04-23T18:06:00.003-05:002010-04-24T05:25:42.283-05:00

I normally speak to local issues, that is our charter here. I've been out of work due to a broken arm and spend more time than usual 'crawling the web". I give you a selection of items I have found amusing. Warning: this is what can happen when you simply has too much time on your hands.No matter how stupid you may feel over some recent goof; there is someone dumber. Today in Norfolk Virginia 11

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-30918776241166548022010-04-17T12:13:00.003-05:002010-04-17T12:16:16.950-05:00

The city council has soil testing on the agenda next Tuesday. They will decide if soil testing will be the policy for all new subdivisions. This is a needed step in the right direction, but still doesn't completely address the failure at 3008 Clearview. There are still a lot of unanswered questions.First off, we already had a soil test that said this location had expansive soils which means

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-54152473550407256872010-04-12T18:20:00.005-05:002010-04-13T04:47:19.825-05:00

This is the rest of the discussion at last weeks council meeting. You might want to watch the video in the previous post first. There is additional information here on the Homeowners of Texas site. Bottom line, this home site required special handling because it has expansive soil. This type of soil is very sensitive to moisture content and will swell and shrink as the water content varies.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-26387145659608520122010-04-12T10:41:00.009-05:002010-04-13T04:09:06.802-05:00

At last weeks City Council meeting, there was a long discussion of the problems at 3008 Clearview and what the city. This is a house that didn't last a year from sale to condemnation. The Montgomeries, who had planned on making this their retirement home, have so far lost over $600,000 on this debacle. This is the city staff presentation and ends just before public comment. The rest of the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-22344698712771671652010-03-23T04:44:00.003-05:002010-03-23T07:42:02.221-05:00

I recently got my first water bill with the stormwater fee included. That was a surprise in itself, I was at a few of the public hearings held prior to passing the ordinances, and I recall hearing the fee would be assessed on property owners. As it was finally passed, that is true for commercial properties, but on the residential side, the fee goes to whomever has the water meter at the

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-42038603648799933352010-03-11T14:28:00.005-06:002010-03-11T14:33:16.789-06:00

Well the results of our small, less than scientific poll are in and they don't surprise me. 30% want no smoking in businesses. Another 30% would allow smoking if at least smoking businesses had signs at their entrances saying they allowed smoking. The rest would allow smoking if all businesses indicated whether they were smoking or non-smoking at the entrance.Seems to fit with what I expected.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-45292338594886902982010-02-28T20:19:00.003-06:002010-03-01T07:10:14.604-06:00

As I write, it is beginning to rain after a beautiful February full moon Saturday. I know it is virtually illegal to cuss rain in West Texas, but working construction, I'm on the verge of it. I suspect the folk tearing down the Carnival tonight would share my opinion, just cold enough to be miserable work in the wet. BTW, did I read it wrong or did a Grand Champion goat get a better bid than "

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-49867286734866235832010-02-22T07:39:00.004-06:002010-02-22T07:56:40.166-06:00

I was reading some of the anti-smoking stories from around the state and I kept coming across the same theme. It is captured in this quote I found in the Standard Times: "They can't say that the government is telling them what to do because they are telling them what to do, the voters themselves, its by the people. The people are the ones that are going to say whether it goes smoke free. Its the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-47387605209220741322010-02-16T19:10:00.009-06:002010-02-18T18:14:13.178-06:00

There has been, and continues to be, considerable confusion over the process and fate of the "No Smoking" petition. One thing is certain, it will not be on the May 8 ballot as supporters had hoped for. Another is nearly certain; the petition itself is not "dead", just delayed until the November election. Despite some confusion over controlling legal language, petitioners had sufficient case law

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-65020220832587156222010-02-15T07:18:00.006-06:002010-02-15T08:16:30.499-06:00

I read a column by Bonnie Erbe today on the school lunch program that really got me thinking. I wasn't surprised by her support of steps by the federal government to dictate the contents of school meals. It was pretty much what I expected. What got me thinking was her claim to be a government minimalist.She said "I am a government minimalist in the sense that I believe government should do only

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-22882567223847386712010-01-24T22:25:00.002-06:002010-01-25T00:49:11.287-06:00

San Angelo has a remarkably open government. We have 20 advisory committees, from Airport Advisory Board to Zoning Board of Adjustment. In between the alphabetic listing, we have everything from Ft Concho to a Fairmount Cemetary Board to a Senior Citizens Advisory Board.For comparison, I had a correspondent in Coleman a few years back who related to me that Coleman City meetings were held at a

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-21149767059610017062010-01-10T07:28:00.003-06:002010-01-10T14:56:02.376-06:00

The ten year census is upon us. With it come employment opportunities, always a plus. Also comes the decennial deluge of questions and misinformation.The Census has Constitutional roots in Article 1, Sec. 2. Crafted in a time with slavery, and exempting "untaxed Indians", the Constitutional language is hardly an exact guide. Its original purpose was to apportion the members of the House of

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-22465206404850630212009-12-26T15:43:00.002-06:002009-12-26T15:47:28.594-06:00

ConchoInfo has been up and operational for just over 5 years. At this time of year we seem to have too much time on our hands and attend too many festivities so we have a habit of firing up the crystal balls to see what we can see from the past and maybe the future.Five years ago, water rates and sources were definitely major concerns. Water rates were going up. No way to stop it. Luckily, the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-34989774116091820782009-12-26T05:44:00.003-06:002009-12-26T07:33:22.097-06:00

I hope you had a good Christmas. Myself, I got my best present early, Dec. 17th. Animal Services Board finally voted unanimously to forward to Council an amendment to ordinance limiting a city property to one mature rooster. Should Council agree, and I believe they will, my rude neighbor's fighting cock factory will have to be moved out of town. Or eaten, I really don't care, so long as I don't

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-49700087304284752912009-12-14T13:41:00.003-06:002009-12-14T14:03:36.343-06:00

Tomorrow is the runoff election that will decide who is our next mayor. We had a relatively strong turn out for the special election, and it looks like a good but much smaller turn out for the runoff. I would love to see an 80% to 95% turnout, but we will be lucky to get 15%. When the final tally is in, our next Mayor will have been elected by the minority of eligible voters that put out the

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-34565920883929925412009-11-15T09:24:00.006-06:002009-11-15T19:45:43.542-06:00

City, County and school taxes attract a lot of voter attention. City has managed to reduce its core ad valorem tax rate at least one cent a year five years running, County has held the line against costs and unfunded mandates, and SAISD had to try twice to get part of its bond proposal passed.A recurring complaint is that "tax rates be damned, my bill is (same/higher) those nasty Appraisers keep

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-15858016351810648012009-11-05T21:45:00.003-06:002009-11-06T05:28:35.643-06:00

It is that time of the year when my seasonal allergies ambush my body's immune system. For about two and a half months out of the year I live on benadryl and as my symptoms get severe, I have to add psuedophedrine to keep my nose from running like a faucet.Turns out, some clever lads have discovered ways to transform my perfectly legal, over-the-counter medicine into a crude form of

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-55059083295742775832009-10-18T03:57:00.006-05:002009-10-18T05:04:50.879-05:00

Texas State Representative Drew Darby on the proposed Constitutional Amendments from the Oct 14th forum. More information on the proposed amendments from the Texas Legislative Council can be found here.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-72924717509326328722009-10-08T10:13:00.005-05:002009-10-08T21:01:51.151-05:00

Fifth question from the 10-5-09 Mayor candidates forum. How can you increase revenue from the outside and living wage jobs.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-18165303271338628592009-10-07T21:35:00.003-05:002009-10-08T05:16:46.313-05:00

Thanks to Mr. Turner for the video of the Democrat Club sponsored Q&A from Monday. Despite going heads up against the highest rated Monday Night NFL game in history, an SRO audience attended. Tells me we have high interest in a very open special election to replace Mayor Lown.I am referring here to the "Un-Mayor" portion of the Nov. 3 election, the State Constitutional Amendments. I can tell you,

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-73869364175191774012009-10-06T16:09:00.004-05:002009-10-06T17:38:06.690-05:00

Fourth question from the 10-5-09 Mayor candidates forum. How important is it to be a full time Mayor and do you have the time?

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-58126350690609592502009-10-06T14:23:00.005-05:002009-10-06T15:27:05.631-05:00

Third question from the 10-5-09 Mayor candidates forum. Why run for Mayor instead of council?

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-5362876482315481192009-10-06T07:30:00.005-05:002009-10-06T08:04:59.408-05:00

Second question from the 10-5-09 Mayor candidates forum. Should the Mayor and council take diversity training like the rest of the city staff is required to do.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-92006904681034163152009-10-06T06:46:00.007-05:002009-10-06T07:07:35.585-05:00

First question from the 10-5-09 Mayor candidates forum. What can be done by the Mayor to help lower local electric rates?

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-19727773377720337542009-10-06T06:08:00.006-05:002009-10-06T06:44:09.059-05:00

Mayoral candidates introduce themselves at the Democrat Club Forum, 10/5/2009. Videos of the questions will follow soon.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-47517165859407416802009-09-28T22:58:00.003-05:002009-09-29T07:06:14.440-05:00

Just got through sweating out the Cowboy's Monday night debut; by sheer luck they covered a Dallas and under parlay. Newman got lucky or Big D fails to cover the spread. Dallas defense better step up, or it's repeat of last year in a tough division.I couldn't help but notice: the commentators mentioned several times the wonderful $1.3 Billion facility in Irving which has replaced the old Texas

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-16991259702113942422009-09-21T11:14:00.004-05:002009-09-21T18:47:18.869-05:00

In my last missive, I mentioned at the end my concern over raising fighting cocks in town. Unfortunately, for me this is not hypothetical. I live Eastside, just off Bell St, a neighboorhood of quarter-acre lots. Mostly blue-collar, good working folk, pay the bills, mow the grass, responsible folks doing our best to take care of business, a little older demographic than the "late-night party"

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-40548499290495105312009-09-07T09:44:00.004-05:002009-09-07T12:42:07.212-05:00

Labor Day has an interesting history. While New York City celebrated the day as early as 1882, It became a national holiday in 1894 under one of my favorite Presidents, Grover Cleveland. The Pullman Strike had just ended. This rather ugly event had seen a number of deaths of strikers at the hands of police and even military personel. Cleveland was anxious to ease the discord with a growing labor

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-78409806439607932062009-08-20T19:45:00.003-05:002009-08-21T08:54:19.926-05:00

Tuesday's Council meeting was a long day, much of it taken up with the storm water program rate structure. I have been following this as closely as I can since the public meetings last March. It ain't perfect, but I like what we have now a whole lot better than what I was looking at in March. I like it better than what was first presented Tuesday morning.First let me explain "tiers". The original

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-55904521530760636212009-08-20T14:29:00.006-05:002009-08-20T17:42:21.815-05:00

The City government is in the middle of its annual budget process and this one continues the tradition of a long, drawn out affair that is entertaining to some political junkies. It looks like the final tax rate will be down by about $.005 per hundred after all the smoke clears, which will still leave us with one of the highest tax rates in the state of Texas (Ft. Worth is still ahead of us, not

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-42537857611213477832009-07-12T12:35:00.003-05:002009-07-12T12:37:31.057-05:00

Water was on the city council agenda again last Tuesday. We have been covering the local water issues and made information available here since we started about 5 years ago. Water has been an issue for San Angelo and the surrounding area from the beginning. Fort Concho was built at its present location because of the junction of the various Concho River junctions. San Angelo became the county

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-46961263704529613622009-07-04T14:13:00.006-05:002009-07-04T19:00:51.344-05:00

Some thoughts on today's TEA Party: let me throw in some observastions and I will declare openly; I have been a Republican as long as I remember, but I have never been embarrassed to call my Party out when it errs.I will say, today's TEA Party was a huge difference from the last. It can actually be described as somewhat non-partisan, where the last was, honest, a thinly disguised Republican

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-81346589836624987512009-06-21T10:12:00.005-05:002009-07-08T16:45:45.956-05:00

My focus today will be a review of city accomplishments (and goofs), but first some Just-for-fun items.Happy Father's Day. In particular, kudos to my own Father for forbearing to justifiably kill me before I turned 21. Also, my thanks to those Fathers who are spending this day apart from their families halfway around the world in service to our country. With conscription off the board, you are

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-53099958490095759802009-05-30T19:31:00.004-05:002009-05-31T09:46:21.696-05:00

I risk going a bit astray from our local emphasis, but I think this matters locally.Three stories I caught over the last couple days: Rick Scott; Dave and Mary Jones; and Liberty University. The common thread to my ear is; is this what the First Amendment has come to?A little background on each. Liberty University is the Jerry Falwell founded institution of higher learning, privately owned and

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-14729242013348207962009-05-30T10:01:00.003-05:002009-05-30T12:04:52.045-05:00

{This posting was published in the San Angelo Standard-Times Thursday, May 28. It was written some time before, but the S-T has first publication rights.} Have you noticed that every hurricane/flood season sets new records for property damage? No, it is not due to global warming and stronger storms, nor are the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers rising higher than anticipated. The inevitable Law

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-2122548656592522552009-05-26T13:37:00.005-05:002009-05-27T07:56:16.965-05:00

The City Council held a special meeting today to discuss how to select a replacement for JW Lown who resigned unexpectedly last week. The city charter is clear and direct on the procedure we must go through to select his replacement. Add in the State constitution and election law, we are left with a two step process. First, the council is supposed to try to pick an replacement unanimously. If

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-41471675210695282872009-05-22T07:21:00.002-05:002009-05-22T07:24:26.502-05:00

This one of the most difficult stories I've ever written for ConchoInfo. In reality it is two stories. My friend J.W. Lown is at the center of both.One story is about successful young politician. His win in his first run for mayor was a surprise to many people, especially his opponents. He ran on a platform of being a "full time mayor" and was probably the most active mayor anyone can remember.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-83723106508603269602009-05-10T19:32:00.003-05:002009-05-11T05:19:06.895-05:00

Well, another long election day come and gone. On the SMD 4 race, congratulations really, to both candidates. Mr. Adams prevailed by 18 votes out of nearly 500. A close race, well conducted, no negatives or ad hominem employed. As I stated after my interview, Conchoinfo does not endorse, but in this case, I thought SMD 4 would be well represented by either candidate. I look forward to Mr. Adams'

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-34844591395287752042009-05-03T20:01:00.005-05:002009-05-04T00:01:07.304-05:00

First, let's all be grateful for the recent rains. It did force me to an additional lawn mowing today, but always be ready for serendipity. As I was working the alley behind my house, I actually scared up a Horned Toad! Fully mature, about 3 inches long by half that across, scooted a few feet and paused, giving me a clear look at it. I make a point of not poisoning red ant beds. I have always

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-57154152326264080602009-04-18T22:14:00.004-05:002009-04-19T07:31:45.233-05:00

It did not escape my attention that Emilio Jimenez-Perez's final offering is listed as Agenda item #22. Irony "rocks" as the younger set might say.Brief precis: he has proposed an ordinance which would preclude Council from re-examining an ordinance, passed or failed, within 6 months of last final action unless 4 of the 7 members agreed to place it on agenda. There are exceptions to allow for

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-71910682532224796982009-04-13T11:31:00.011-05:002009-04-13T13:43:56.038-05:00

Questions for the candidates for Mayor at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club meeting. There were 4 questions Question 1 Question 2 Questions 3 & 4

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-78361729974918744322009-04-13T10:00:00.006-05:002009-04-13T11:49:32.367-05:00

Video of JW Lown's introductory remarks at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club Meeting. He is running for the Mayor's seat on the council and is currently the Mayor.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-56803578366135931332009-04-13T09:51:00.005-05:002009-04-13T10:31:30.381-05:00

Video of Lars Nyberg's introductory remarks at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club Meeting. He is running for the Mayor's seat on the council.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-25329850340552122402009-04-13T09:43:00.005-05:002009-04-13T10:31:16.530-05:00

Video of William Bryan Jr.'s introductory remarks at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club Meeting. He is running for the Mayor's seat on the council.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-42680581838935662002009-04-13T04:47:00.005-05:002009-04-13T06:00:43.059-05:00

Questions and answers for the SMD 4 candidates, Fredd Adams and Richard Bart, at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club forum

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-62129791591173656572009-04-13T04:36:00.005-05:002009-04-13T09:42:57.118-05:00

Video of Richard Bart's introductory remarks at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club meeting. He is running for the single member distict 4 seat.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-20969489466721246492009-04-13T04:18:00.006-05:002009-04-13T09:41:51.664-05:00

Video of Fredd Adams' introductory remarks at the April 6th 2009 Democrat Club meeting. He is running for the single member district 4 seat.

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-30371969649166336132009-04-06T17:04:00.002-05:002009-04-06T17:14:41.914-05:00

Animal control in San Angelo is operating in failure mode. We have had 2 high profile puppy mill cases in the last 4 years, which took way to long to be resolved (if they are.) That is not even the tip of the iceberg.Our best estimates show that cats and dogs outnumber humans in San Angelo. With approximately 58,000 dogs and 68,000 cats, there are about 126,000 animals to maybe 88,000 people here

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-6406947516671405302009-03-23T20:21:00.005-05:002009-03-23T20:45:53.953-05:00

I hope our voters have recovered a bit from “voter fatigue” as we do have a city election coming up May 9. There will be no school board election, second time in a row, due to lack of opposition to the incumbents. In the city races, Council members Morrison and Farmer drew no opposition, they will be on ballot, but unopposed. The at-large race for Mayor drew two new candidates, Lars Nyberg and

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-19266196121890949582009-03-16T10:14:00.004-05:002009-03-16T11:18:31.058-05:00

I intended this as a comment to one of JWTs posts, but I think it worth a post.Last Council meeting, I took a day, ended up jumping up and down like the "Whack-a-Mole" in the kids game.True story here, to set the background. We have a terrier/jack russel mix female. Never intended to breed her, but we were advised it was better for the dog to wait until after first heat to spay the animal. I do

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-61965824296742746502009-03-13T04:17:00.003-05:002009-03-15T15:48:37.189-05:00

While we have been struggling with animal control issues here, a new legislative session has convened and numerous bills related to animals have been introduced. ( Check the Texas Legislature Online.) Some of them relate directly to our ongoing problems.HB 3180 and its companion SB 1910 cover commercial dog and cat breeders and dog and cat dealers. There are some good points to the bill, but

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-16657801379632508422009-03-11T09:18:00.005-05:002009-03-11T11:25:00.052-05:00

As I promised, I will make recommendations for animal control and related ordinances but first we need a quick review of some facts and problems.We have a large number of stray and abandoned animals. The number euthanized each year is heartbreaking. We don't want to make this problem worse.We probably have only 20% to 30% of the pets in town licensed and vaccinated. This leads to other problems,

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-13731293749599409372009-03-09T02:06:00.004-05:002009-03-09T17:07:25.046-05:00

It is time for me to cover the last animal control proposal: Breeder permits. This proposal has a host of problems.The original language requires a $100 breeders permit for anyone that "sells, trades, or gives away" the offspring of their unaltered dog or cat. This is problematic for a number of reasons. First, it penalizes a person whose pet gets pregnant before they can get it neutered. I have

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-34075426964860422532009-03-08T23:36:00.003-05:002009-03-08T23:47:44.092-05:00

The second animal control ordinance proposal presented deals with dog restraints and enclosures. There is one part of it that is needed. It prohibits the use of choke, pinch or prong collars unless the dog is under direct supervision and control of the owner. These collars should never be used to tie out a dog as they can cause serious injury or death to the dog. The rest of the proposal has some

JWT (ConchoInfo Blogger)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03413663900509725906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12566063.post-29398198712099379112009-03-08T08:19:00.003-05:002009-03-08T11:08:18.115-05:00

I have been busy this morning changing every appliance in the house to "spring forward". Thanks to our gov't nannies, I get to re-familiarize myself with all the household electronics twice a year. Right now, I'm trying to decide whether it is more cost-effective to continue my search for the manual on my new watch or just go buy another one. I guess that could chalk up to economic stimulus

Jim Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14402843445132289648noreply@blogger.com0