Keep Pflugerville Affordable KPA

The ESD 2 Commissioner's Board just voted to increase the required reserve amount from the previous three month requirement to 6 months, while at the same time threatening to layoff firefighters.

The ESD 2 FY-24 budget listed the 3 month requirement at $10,763,063 (screen shot is from the 2024 year budget listed on their website). What they have in reserves, also listed on that same page... is $35,652,232.
Now why would they want to change to a 36 month requirement? well... under the three month requirement listed in their budget, they have 331.25% of the required amount they list as needed. By going to a six month requirement... that knocks that percentage down to only 165% - makes them look less greedy.

The real question is, while claiming they do not have enough money to provide ambulance transport services to Pflugerville...
while claiming they will have to lay off firefighters....
Why do they have a grossly bloated reserve fund?

The city of Pflugerville has 12 departments - Police, Parks and Rec, Public Works (roads, sanitation, city facilities) , Municipal Court, Animal Welfare, etc. - all which have to weather the same exact possible "emergencies" that the ESD 2 does.

The city's reserve fund is currently at 44% -26.65 Million dollars. But then, the city does have to cover 12 departments with that reserve... not one.
Meanwhile, the ESD2- by itself - at 35.65 Million dollars, has 331% of the required amount in reserves... almost 9 million than the entire city of Pflugerville has.

With that much money in reserves, and banking 10's of millions more each year, The ESD 2 HAS more than enough money to provide the Ambulance transport services that they QUIT providing over two years ago.
Their contract quote to the city to restore ambulance services, while quite a bit more than the private ambulance contract was, they claimed they "could" provide those services for 1.9 Million dollars a year.

According to their own budget, they have 24.889 Million dollar's in excess reserves. If that excess reserves were being used to provide ambulance services at the ESD 2's going rate, They would be able to provide over 13 years of ambulance transport services, if they never took in another tax dollar to go toward ambulance transport... and they would still have extra money above their self proclaimed required reserve amount.

Links to referenced Data:

The Pflugerville Firefighter PAC, Using third party companies like Texas Petition Strategies and Faux "Investigator" Dolcefino, a paid-for-hire media Consulting Firm, have run slanderous video ads that have no factual basis.

These ads make unsubstantiated claims of improprieties by PfRRT PAC members and their "Evil Developer" donors. One of the false claims made in these videos are that Council member David Rogers, and I - Terry Newsom, founder of the KPA group - are some how getting paid by the PAC and donors.

The "supporting data" used for these false claims are the PfRRT PACS filed campaign finance reports, that shows where Council member Rogers (who is also a member of the PfRRT PAC years before he was elected) and I were re-imbursed money. Somehow, it has been labeled as being unethical, to pay out of one's own pocket for PAC related needs like banners, signs, and hired help...and then be reimbursed by the PAC for the personal out-of-pocket expenses like David and I incurred.

Well, let's look at the Firefighter filed campaign finance reports (found on transparancyUSA.org). You will see that leaders of that group, including the ESD 2 Union president and the president of the Firefighter Association... were paid thousands/hundreds of dollars each.

Unlike the false claims levied against Rogers and me, I know that just like for us, those payments most likely were ALSO just simple re-imbursements of personal out-of-pocket expenses. Nothing nefarious, it's just the way most PACs work. One person has a check book, while many members may be out in the field- taking care of buying signs, working with hired help, etc... and to simplify things, PAC members take care of those immediate costs , knowing the person (treasurer) with the checkbook will reimburse them later.

It is notable though... the large payments the Firefighter PAC made to non-PAC members - campaign donations of thousands to the County Commissioners. These Commissioners are the ones that APPOINT the UN-ELECTED ESD 2 Commissioner's Board members.

Makes you wonder, what are THEY getting re-imbursed for?

PF Taj Mahal City Hall & absurd Rec Center costs

City Hall Cost $81.4 Million

Property Cost $9.2 Million

Infrastructure Cost $9 Million

Parking Cost $27 Million

Furnishings and Landscaping Costs NOT Defined.

Parking Cost

Voters approved a ridiculous 48.2 Million Dollars for a "Senior" Rec Center in 2020.

The City Council decided to increase that - without voter approval - to a whopping 78.5 Million dollars.

The HEB Center in Cedar Park, where the Ice Bats play Hockey, only cost $55 Million in 2009. Adjusted for inflation, in 2024 dollars, that amounts to 77.77 Million Dollars... A million less than what the Pflug

The above costs doesn't include the millions of dollars already spent to acquire the right-of-way property for the new main road extension (aka Jim's McDonalds private driveway). Or the many tens of Millions of Dollars that it will take to build that fancy road that Jim wants to provide a direct route to his bar's outdoor Booze Deck.

Jim has lobbied & strong-armed & voted for every aspect of that