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Aug 15, 2021Liked by Dan Koller

It is difficult to understand why Councilmembers Matthew and Jun would approve and vote in favor of a budget (how much to spend) and then minutes later, propose a much lower tax rate (requiring spending cuts of as much as $2.7 million) unless, like so many politicians these days, they lack the courage to identify specific spending cuts, and prefer only to engage in gross posturing (“look at me, I’m a fiscal hawk”).

They knew both items were on the agenda. They knew the vote on the spending would come first. They didn’t propose a single spending cut and approved the amount to be spent and the items to be paid for without comment. But they expect the voters to be fooled by their meaningless show of concern for the tax rate?

Both also campaigned on increasing the property tax exemption, but not once during this budget cycle (Matthew’s 4th and Jun’s 1st) did they propose such an increase or identify either the budget cuts, fee increases or tax rate increases that would allow for an increase in the property tax exemption while balancing the books. Just more hollow posturing from typical politicians.

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I reached out to Biju the next day after watching the CC meeting. It took an email, a text and voicemail to get a response to my questions about his reasoning and actual plan for his tax rate cut.

I did get an email back but no details as to any plan and was a repeat of his 'posturing' as you said earlier. Tremendously disappointed.

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founding

I favor scrubbing the budget and trying to keep the tax rate low, but empty gestures accomplish nothing.

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Aug 15, 2021Liked by Dan Koller

Parents playing Russian roulette with their children's lives. Very sad!

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Aug 15, 2021Liked by Dan Koller

Top Notch reporting, Dan! 🤩

I look forward to CC every Sunday!!

PS. (08/15 @ 4:45pm)

CISD Superintendent just sent out a message.

I’ll be reading it next!

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Aug 15, 2021Liked by Dan Koller

Appreciate the informative update. I do not understand how we approve expense and the budget before tax income. Seems silly. Of course a lower tax rate wouldn’t get approved.

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It’s the order in which the process works. The tax rate is determined by the budget, therefore you have to approve the budget first. Both council members know this; and as James mentioned above, neither offered any solutions during the nearly 6 month long process.

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Thank you for your informative update. I was wondering if Coppell had a map with all our neighborhood names imprinted on it. I’ve lived here for 41 years snd I knew all the names, but now I see many I don’t know. Also, we used to call neighborhoods by the builders’ names like Fox& Jacobs or Raldon

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Aug 15, 2021Liked by Dan Koller

Thanks so much for keeping me informed!

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Dan, first I really appreciate the way you present the local news to us with as little bias as possible. I do want to point out that the Dallas Morning News had an article covering the surge in Pediatric ICU cases, and I know Jenkins attributed it to Covid. The great thing about this article (if you made it all the way from page 1 to page 12 and then to page 13) is that it presented a graphic depiction of the number of Covid Ped. ICU beds vs. total beds, and total beds occupied at Children's Medical. 44 beds available, 4 with Covid, 40 with something else. RSV is surging this summer, because the isolation and masking virtually eliminated the normal winter season, and kids are catching it now. Article also noted that the hospitals planned to staff up in the fall for the normal winter flu and RSV wave, but didn't expect a wave to hit in the summer. I'm sure your article was written before this hit the wire, but it is one of those rare articles that gives use some context to see what is happening inside the hospital.

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