| Elizabeth Elleson for Place Three |
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Friends and Supporters, My fellow candidates and I didn't win the race for Anderson Mill MUD board, but we achieved one goal: to create awareness of the Limited District on which you will vote in May 2009. As I ran this race, I worked to be open-minded about the limited district. In the end, I have reluctantly concluded that a limited district will not work, that paying an extra tax for it will be a waste of money for each of us, and that we will miss an outstanding opportunity to create something grander for the whole of Anderson Mill. I say this for several reasons: 1) The City of Austin has agreed to provide us the same level of services we’re getting now, park mowing and heated pools year round. With this in place, it makes no sense to pay double taxes (to the City and to the Limited District) for the same benefit. 2) Our area would increase in value, and in turn our homes, if more neighborhood amenities were available: a branch library, a recreation center, a police substation, etc. The $10 million surplus fund could be used for these projects. 3) You could be paying up to six times over for the parks and pools: a city property tax, a limited district property tax, city sales tax and Austin Energy payments (with tax and revenue going to the city general fund including the city parks budget, but not to Anderson Mill), annual swim tags and the extra MUD property tax you and I have been paying for the last ten years (now the surplus fund). 4) The surplus fund is not large enough to cover limited district expenses for ten years. A limited district tax will increase. It’s not a question of “if” but “when”. 5) Because a limited district will be unaffordable after ten years, in the end, the city will take over the parks and pools anyway and our $10 million was used up paying for trash. I urge you to stay informed. Our website will remain online providing progress reports, facts and analyses on the limited district and other issues impacting you and Anderson Mill. We plan to setup a blog for community interaction on issues. Alert! RRISD is proposing a $350 MILLION bond which may increase your tax by an additional $.06/$100. You will be voting on this in November. To close, THANK YOU for your vote. I truly appreciated your support. Moving Anderson Mill into the future, Elizabeth Elleson |