Mr Abshire has referenced my blog on his blog referencing his article that I referenced here on my blog. This could go on for years! <--Clicky click Thanks, Mr Abshire!]
From Dallas Morning News August 24.
Six months after the city of Rockwall decided to annex a cluster of mostly neglected mobile homes and aging houses, some residents say life isn't much different yet. [My home built 1984, my other neighbors: late 1990's (x2) mid 80's (x2) and 2001 (x1). All houses are "aging".]
"Things haven't really changed that much, maybe because it just started," said Luis Guxman, a longtime resident of Lake Rockwall Estates. [Plan was in the works for 3 years prior to annexation, hardly "just started".]
The City Council voted 6-1 in February to annex the 335-acre subdivision, which has had problems for years with overgrown lots and substandard housing. [Mark Russo voted against.]
"It was deteriorating, and it would only be worse if we waited," council member David Sweet said. [Neighborhood has been improving on both sides foir at least 10 years I have lived here.]
The approximately 2,800 residents were already using the city's roads and schools, he said, so annexation made sense. [1. The schools are not the city's: schools belong to RISD which included LRE. 2. Every major road in Rockwall is a state road, which means everyone in LRE paid to use just like "real" citizen."]
Sweet defended the city's course of action since the annexation."It's a process," he said. "We do have a plan." [In that case, we feel better.]
The city is taking an educational rather than a punitive approach to code enforcement. [Lesson 1: do it or face a punitive action.]
"On the owner-occupied properties, they are getting it," he said, though absentee owners continue to be a problem. [If only we could lien on them, I mean lean on them.]
Jim Day, a resident for more than 30 years, said that in the past, absentee landlords had rented houses and trailers that were overcrowded. [If only the landlords had put in multi-family, those reduce overcrowding according to the city!]
"There were two little frame houses over there, and they had enough people in them to make two soccer teams," he said. "I know because my son used to play with them." [And now he has no one to play soccer with.]
Some in the neighborhood of lake houses and trailers suspected the annexation was a land grab by the city, but supporters hoped the area would be cleaned up. [The city would never force one private land owner to give up his property for another private citizen to develop and make money.]
After the council approved a three-year annexation plan for the 896-lot development in 2006, more than 200 overgrown lots were cleared and about 400 stray animals rounded up. Junk vehicles and abandoned structures also were removed. [Fyi, a 1954 Chevy truck in perfect condition, but not running is considered "junk"]
Residents also had hoped that water rates and problems with flooding would be improved. [95% of my neighbors were a bunch of suckers.]
"We were hoping that when they took over out here they would do something about the water," Guxman said. [Part of that 95%]
High water bills from the subdivision's private supplier are a common complaint. [The #1 complaint that all the residents who supported annexation believed would be solved quickly.]
Day said he pays from $150 to $175 a month, while friends who live across the road and get city water pay $40 on average. [$145-155 at my house.]
Sweet said the city does hope to take over the water system. [Hope? Where have I heard that before? (link)]
"We'd love to be in a position to control water services and rates," he said. [In other words: the city does not have the finances to do so, nor did the city prior to annexation. About $20,000,000 needed to take over the water.]
Annexation opponents had worried that the subdivision would become a financial drain. [No financial drain if nothing is done to address the major issues of water service, roads, and storm drainage. Win-win!!]
But Sweet pointed out that in the proposed budget for next year, there is no increase in tax rates and no cuts in services or personnel. [Nor increase for roads, storm drainage or water service?]
"We're not going to increase taxes," Sweet said. [Yipee.]
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