Money falls from sky in Montgomery Co.
by David Benzion · 07/31/2005 11:21 pmIn a display of Heavenly generosity unparalleled since the Israelites wandered Sinai subsisting only on manna, God Almighty himself has seen fit to open up the sky above Montgomery County Texas and pour nearly $10 million dollars into government coffers for local commissioners to spend on a bunch of new stuff that is completely FREE and costs taxpayers nothing and you have nothing to complain about at all!!!
[Hat-tip: Houston Chronicle, 7/30/05]
County commissioners have proposed a $131 million budget and a proposed tax rate of .4963 cents per $100 assessed value, the same as the current tax rate.
The proposal is about $10 million more than the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30. It includes money to staff a new jail wing and three new libraries and to fund county employee pay raises.
Gosh, you say, this almost sounds too good to be true… do I have to go down and vote or maybe express my opinion or exercise my rights as a citizen to get all this free stuff?
With the tax rate remaining the same, a public hearing will not be necessary.
Great! Gimmie my free stuff!
”I think we had a very tough budget but a very productive budget," said Judge Alan B. Sadler, who characterized the court as being frugal in its budgeting.
You bet its frugal… they don’t call him "Judge Alan B. ‘Scrooge’ Sadler" for nuttin!
Sadler said the court had to address several critical areas this budget session because of the county’s growth.
”Our biggest challenge was getting the new jail wing open without a tax increase," he said.
And yet he did it! A brand new jail wing for free, without an increase in your taxes!
Could the Miracle Man of Montgomery County possibly accomplish anything more with no new taxes?
Other hurdles included pay raises for elected officials and employees and fully staffing three new libraries with no new taxes, he said.
Color me impressed! I can’t imagine what a gigantic hurdle it must of been for Judge Alan B. "Scrooge" Sadler to vote himself a pay raise, but somehow he managed to summon the strength to overcome it.
They also added $70,000 to hire retired judges and magistrates to hold probable cause hearings twice a day to help reduce overcrowding at the jail. Probable cause hearings are now held once a day at 9 a.m., which means if a person is arrested at 11 a.m., he would have to wait until the next day for a hearing to set his bond or to be released on recognizance.
Oh the inhumanity! 22 hours in a Montgomery County jail before a probable cause hearing… DAMN YOU Alberto Gonzalez and your "torture memos"… SHAME on you John Ashcroft for your evil Patriot Act… BURN IN HELL Karl Rove, chief architect of the Gitmo-Abu-Ghraib-Montgomery Axis of Incarceration!
How blessed are the residents of Montgomery County? Surely a reward is deserved for such frugality?
The proposal also includes money for a 3 percent salary increase and a 25 percent car allowance increase for all elected officials, including county commissioners.
Sadler’s annual salary will go from $92,900 to $95,687, and the four commissioners’ annual salaries will go from $90,000 to $92,700.
The annual car allowance for all elected officials will go from $17,000 to $21,250.
County employees will get raises based on a new salary program the county initiated last year to make salaries competitive with other counties.
Competitive? Don’t worry about that… once folks in all those other counties learn about the free money falling from the sky in Montgomery, they’ll be busting down the door to come work in that place.
Oh, by the way:
The county has about 1,600 employees.
3% pay raises for 1,600 employees.. wow… just be glad taxpayers don’t have to pay for that!
If you want to personally thank Judge Alan B. "Scrooge" Sadler (pictured above), feel free to email him at bsadler@co.montgomery.tx.us or call (936) 539-7812.
Please remember to be polite to the people answering the phone.
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24 Responses to “Money falls from sky in Montgomery Co.”Search
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I think it’s time for a Civil War again, but this time it’s the people against our politicians! They only thing these people seem to care about is getting more money from taxpayers so they can give themselves more perks, bonuses and raises. Personally, I plan on voting for anybody who isn’t already in office regarding of whether they are Democratics or Republicans. Can’t do any worse than we’ve already elected into office. And no, I don’t believe a word any politician says, especially when trying to get elected into office. I hope the Lone Star Times.com people will give us a list of those they believe deserve to be kept in office or not!
Perhaps Dan should try and schedule a town meeting in (Conroe)Montgomery County similar to the one he held in Tomball to shed some light on this for county residents who don’t subscribe to the Chronicle (Boo-Hoo) and did not have a chance to see these LST comments or hear Edd Hendee this morning on KSEV! We need to fire the whole “blankety” bunch! 1600 employees with a $21,250 car allowance is obscene! Don’t we wish we all could vote ourselves that kind of raise!
I am outraged at what I have heard this morning and I will begin today to make it my mission to remove these self centered, greedy politicians from office. Starting tomorrow during National Night Out I will work to engage my neighbors to “Know Your Elected Officials”
I dont think my elected officials want people to know who they are.
I knew it would only be a few months before the County Government sponges would be exposed in Montgomery County, TX just like they were in Friendswood, TX The question is, canwe get as mad here in Montgomery County as they did in Friendswood. The answer is you betcha!! With the help of KSEV ( I know Dan has a personal stake in this), my bet is that we can jump on this and make ourselves be heard in a big way. The first thing I’m going to do is send this article to everyone I can think of that have personal stakes as do I. Second, I would expect that in a few days, talk will already begin about an ousting from office rally to be held in the county to uproot these sponges. Keep uop the work David, Edd, Dan, & Paul. You have my ear and support.
Rgds,
CJ
I want some…I am an a fixed income. Can I get my Social Security Raised? Can I get a car allowance, my gas cost at least 25% more.
Please put me in line….
Thank you Montgommery County Tax Payers.
I think this story blows the lid off of what is going on in Conroe with our illustrious leaders lack of fiscal responsibility. I pledge to vote against Judge Sadler and the rest of his crew in the next Republican primary.
Thanks to the Chornicle, Lone Star Times and KSEV for bringing this story to my attention and hopefully many Montgomery County tax paying residents!
Of course Scrooge Sadler is getting all that free dough from APPRAISAL CREEP!
And he pats hisself and his cronies on the back for NOT RAISING YOUR TAXES!
I spell this C-H-U-T-Z-P-A-H, a disorder originally found in NYC (see Chuckie Schumer), but spreading pandemically across the political classes nationwide…
I don’t get it, Dave. The county could have added $2 billion to the tax base since last year, couldn’t it? It could happen.
Uh, did it?
My appraisal on my home increased 10%. My message sent to Judge Sadler, Sen. Thompson simply stated that we will do our talking at the ballot box during next election. ditto for esteemed tax assessor and collector in Mont. County.
How nice. What are you thinking? Do you really believe that county employees will leave one county to work for another? ANd that is the reason you need to be competative? I think that is YOUR excuse for your actions but not very viable. The tax papers of Texas need to have accountability in the Apprasial Office. How about quit picking the tax payers pockets when our backs are turned.
The annual car allowance for all elected officials will go from $17,000 to $21,250, which is a 20% percent increase from the previous year. Just what kind of cars do these guys drive around???
The Federal mileage allowance is 37.5 cents per mile, which equates to about 56,000 miles per year at the $21,250 per year allowance. Or $1770 dollars per month.
I challenge any public official in Montgomery County to show documentation that they traveled on county business 56,000 miles each year in office or spent $1770 dollars a month maintaining their car.
Judge Sadler I have a deal for you, I will furnish all elected officials in Montgomery County for $1500 dollars a month for each car provided (Including maintenance, insurance and fuel). You will save the county taxpayers $3,240 a year and I can afford to pay my property taxes with the profits I make.
If Judge Sadler characterized this expense as being frugal, God help us all.
WOW!! I am just so stunned!!! No new taxes and all this free stuff!! God is so good. Of course that is always true. But wait. How can you increase your budget while at the same time not increasing taxes?? Oh yeah, I almost forgot (NOT). Taxation without representation always works. So exactly how much did your appraisal go up this year in Montgomery county?? 5, 10, 15, 20 or Gasp 30%. Sure don’t need to raise the rate when those old appraisals keep going up! And look how much more money we can collect and still claim “we didn’t raise your taxes”. We are NOT stupid and we are watching. We will call all politicians to account come election time. You can take that one to the bank.
$21,500 in annual auto allowance equals approximately 53,086 miles per year at the IRS rate of $0.405 per mile. That’s 4,423.87 miles per month or 1,106 miles per week or 221 miles per day based on a 5 day work week. This reimbursement/allowance is not supposed to include your commute to and from the office.
$21,500 - that’s a little more than 25% of these guys salaries INCOME and FICA TAX FREE. Where can anyone else get this kind of a deal? Nowhere except a government job.
Throw the leeches out of office!
Main point missed the chron cannot tell the difference between tax rate and taxes paid
Taxes are up 10% in Montgomery County.
And the Chron writer does not know the difference.
I sure feel sorry for all the elected officials in Montgomery County having to scrape by on a car allowance of only $1800 a month. Let’s see they could only get the freaking most expensive Lexus made. I’m sure glad the officials are so frugal. I would hate it if they were just throwing the money away!! I don’t live there and it makes me mad these guys get away with crap like this.
Please do not post my email address.
What are the skill set requirements for one to become a commissioner? Their salary alone is more than the combined income for my household. What a deal; great salary, extremely generous car allowance, and a government retirement plan. Of course the best part of the job must be spending other people’s money based on your own private agenda.
CAL
Aesop (ca. 620 BC)
“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero (ca. 106 BC)
“A bureaucrat is the most despicable of men, though he is needed as vultures are needed, but one hardly admires vultures whom bureaucrats strangely resemble. I have yet to meet a bureaucrat who was not petty, dull, almost witless, crafty or stupid, an oppressor or a thief, a holder of little authority in which he delights, as a boy delights in possessing a vicious dog. Who can trust such creatures?”
Sadly to say, for TAX PAYERS at least, this is just another way of getting a “back door” raise for the “struggling” county employees in Montgomery Co. Glad I don’t live there, but unfortunately similar deception goes on in all publicly funded fantasy lands.
Where do I find the info. regarding what to do to go to the appraisal board regarding my property taxes? I understood that you used to have a link to this info. Where do I find it? BENZION RESPONDS: Click on the "get active!" link in the upper left hand corner of the homepage.
Dear Rep. Brady
Kay Bailey H is pushing Amtrak, and is proud as she can be. That requires big tax payer support. Your website announces a couple of federal spending programs also. At the state level, we have “republicans” approving budget increases. I honestly can not remember the last time a republican said one word about smaller government and lower taxes, unless those words were spoken during a re-election campaign.
When you and your fellow politicians gather to work on the republican party platform, do everyone a big favor. Remove any mention of smaller government and lower taxes. Don’t bother showing up at little league parades or other neighborhood get-togethers and pretend to represent republican voters. In fact, I don’t intend to waste my time listening to anything incumbent “republicans” have to say unless the subject is reduced government spending. The scam has gone on long enough.
I will be voting in every primary and general election. I will not be voting for ANY incumbent “republican”. If the only alternative is to vote for a democrat, that is exactly what I will do. At least politicians on that side are honest about what their intentions are regarding budget matters. I live in a republican controlled county (Montgomery), the state has a republican majority in Austin, and we have had a republican president in recent years.
What are the results for republican voters?
Higher spending at the local level.
Higher spending at the state level.
A love affair for big spending on the federal level.
This “party” is finished.
Regards.
Richard
The Woodlands, TX
I wouldn’t vote for K Bailey if she were the only candidate for dog catcher. She needs to retire and go to her palacial home in Dallas and raise her daughter.
As for Ted, he seems to have a bad case of constipation of the brain and diarreha of the mouth.
You really brought out the truth about the goings on in Montgomery County. Like Ann said her property taxes have not gone up this year. If you start checking you will be find how many of the 1,600 County employees’ property taxes were raised. Add to that the City employees of Conroe, Judges and elected officials and you will have a very good idea of why the almost 10% property tax increase per year is neccessary. The elected officials may have car allowances but the number of city, county, state and federal vehicles traveling the road during morning and evening rush hour is startling. The number of low mileage pickups which carry nothing explains why the fuel cost are up. Add to this having propositions voting dates which are not convenient to the voting public but is convenient to public employees and you get the idea of how to manipulate an election. Three new libraries at a cost of $75,000 per month - that seems like a lot of pork.
Your major stumbling block question for all elected and county officials (and employees) is how can the taxpayers (not county officials and emplyees) continue to pay 10% plus tax increase per year when they are only getting a 2- 3% raise?
Please don’t stop asking your question for the good of all taxpayers.
Why is are they building new libraries? Who goes to the library anymore? Want to read a book or magazine go to Barnes and Nobles. Want to research something log on to your kids computer. The last time I went to a library all I saw was bums sleeping and moms letting their kids run around playing while they read magazines.
I see kids running amok in Malls, restaurants, grocery stores and just about any public place you visit. When you go to the zoo the animals behave better than the kids.
When I go to my favorite eatry that is exactly what I want to see and hear. Out of control kids screaming, running amok like it is a day care from hell and the parents just smile and say ‘Isn’t Junior/Juniorette cute!!