TBTGWatchdogNews

                      Elected Official Pledge

                         courtesy of Watchdog Jason Moore

Ask your elected officials sign this and if they don't - let your fellow citizen know!

As an elected official of the _______________________________ I understand the
burden that taxpayers have carried and will continue to carry into the future.

I am aware that as an elected official I have a moral obligation to be transparent in my
role to the public.

I further recognize that it is the duty of elected officials to set the tax rate that will be
paid by all taxpayers. I also recognize that “taxation through valuation” is contrary to
our representative form of government and will not support an increase in property
taxes raised through this method.

Therefore, I pledge to the taxpayers of this community that I will proactively seek ways
to reduce the tax rate equivalent to the recent increase in property tax valuations.
Realizing that unfunded mandates are out of the control of our elected body, I will make
the increased burden (dollar amounts) of those mandates known to the public.
Therefore, the reduction in the tax rate will not be dollar for dollar as these mandates
have to be funded with new tax dollars.

_____________________________________
Signed as a friend of the taxpayer

Please fax signed pledge to 512-476-5906.

         Resolution For Taxing Entity

Below is a proposed resolution that we as taxpayers would like to see passed as a
testament to your taxing entity’s commitment to restricting the growth of government.

Whereas, current economic conditions have caused property to be valued higher and
subsequently property tax bills to be higher, and

Whereas, our representative form of government expects and relies on ELECTED
OFFICIALS to raise or lower taxes to satisfy the local needs of our communities as they
were elected to do, and

Whereas, an increase in property values does not automatically entitle taxing entities to
more taxpayer dollars or an automatic increase in government services,

Therefore, be it resolved that the ____________________________________does
hereby pledge to our local taxpayers, to endeavor to set our tax rate proportionately
lower, relative to the increased property valuations.

                                          Statement of Chris Cottrell
                                        Katy Citizen Watchdog Leader
                                      before School Trustees 8-29-05

ANNOUNCEMENT
KISD SCHOOL BOARD MEETING/AUGUST 29, 2005

Formal Notice of the formation of the Katy Citizen Watchdogs.

My name is Chris Cottrell and I am a resident and taxpayer of KISD. I am here tonight
to advise this Board and the Public of the formation of a new group called the “Katy
Citizen Watchdogs”. Who are the Katy Citizen Watchdogs? We are some of the
taxpayers of the Katy School District. We are ordinary, hardworking Americans from
various backgrounds and professions (including the education profession) that believe
that school districts should be accountable to the people that “pay the bills”. We are a
group that wants the very best education for our children. We believe that more of our
tax dollars should be spent in the classroom and less on administration and
extravagant construction. In other words, we believe that teachers should come first,
not administrators, building contractors or architects. After all it won’t be the
administrators or the lavish school properties that will secure our children’s college
admissions. It will be the teachers that accomplish that task.

I’ve told my girls over and over again that an education will be the only thing that I will
ever be able to give them that will ever be worth anything.

We also want to mention that our group has joined forces with the Austin based group
“Americans For Prosperity”. A group focused on education reform in our public
schools. AFP is also the “home of the watchdogs”. AFP brings us a wealth of
information, advice, counseling and legal assistance when necessary. What we have
formed is not a new concept. There are numerous other watchdog groups across this
state and in our area. There is, however, a common thread that binds all these groups
together and that is a desire for more accountability in our local school districts. I want
to thank both Peggy Venable of AFP, who is in attendance tonight, and Carol Jones,
who unfortunately had a previous engagement this evening, for their continued
support and mentoring. Peggy will be giving a short statement on behalf of AFP at
tonight’s meeting.

As a follow up to my comments of last Thursday evening, let me say, first, that as a
taxpayer of this community, I was very disappointed that three (3) of our school board
members were absent from the Work/Study session. In my opinion this budget meeting
was probably the most important meeting of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I
understand about having other commitments but as an elected “steward” of my tax
dollars I would have preferred seeing all of my elected officials at a budget meeting.

In addition, I would like to say that I was very disappointed that the Board did not
answer any of the questions, comments or statements that were expressed at last week’
s budget hearing. The democratic process should include healthy debate between
opposing viewpoints; not stoic silence on the opposing side. There were some very
valid points of concern and questions that were voiced at last week’s meeting that
simply should not be ignored. A “sound bite” the following morning by a KISD
spokesperson is not really what I had in mind.

I know that this Board probably doesn’t believe it, but the Watchdogs are not trying to
be confrontational. The Watchdogs really want to work with this Board in trying to
effect real change. I don’t think that what we are asking for is unreasonable. We
simply want fiscal responsibility coupled with accountability. I hate to sound like a
broken record but lets remember that the Taxpayer, not the Board or the
Superintendent, is the real “boss” in any school district.

Thank you.