A question for All candidates.

My top three priorities are Responsible Growth, Responsible Spending, and Public Safety. Responsible Growth begins with water and infrastructure. Before approving development that places additional demands on our community, Council needs reliable information about the condition and capacity of our water, wastewater, roads, and drainage systems. I would support a prioritized infrastructure maintenance and capital improvement plan, regular public progress reports, and requiring developers to pay their lawful fair share of the infrastructure costs associated with growth. Development decisions should account for longterm impacts on existing residents, protect established neighborhoods, and preserve the natural beauty and quality of life that make Lago Vista special. Responsible Spending means looking beyond the initial price tag. Every major decision should consider future maintenance, staffing, debt, legal obligations, and the potential impact on taxes and utility rates. I would encourage greater financial transparency, ask questions before committing public funds, and expect measurable results from major expenditures. Residents should understand not only what the City is spending, but why it is necessary, what alternatives were considered, and what longterm value they can expect. Public Safety means supporting our police officers and first responders while making sure the City is prepared for emergencies before they happen. I would prioritize reviewing emergency response and evacuation plans, improving coordination among public safety agencies, and strengthening communication with residents. Public education is also important, particularly when changes in traffic laws, roadway conditions, or other safety concerns affect families and neighborhoods. These priorities are connected. Responsible growth protects our infrastructure, responsible spending protects our financial future, and public safety planning protects our residents. All three require careful planning, transparency, and accountability.

Written by the candidate

My three priorities really come back to one thing: getting Lago Vista on solid footing today while preparing for what's coming around the corner. And I don't want to just talk about what we need to do. I want to talk about how we get there. 1. Get our infrastructure on a reliable, affordable path. We've got aging water and wastewater infrastructure that needs attention now, and some very expensive projects ahead of us. Our master plans give us a starting point, but I don't believe we should simply take every project on that list and figure out how to send the bill to residents. My next steps are to verify what truly needs to be done, prioritize repairs and replacements, look at newer technologies and opportunities to get more out of the systems we already own, and build a realistic funding plan. My active participation with the Infrastructure Planning Advisory Subcommittee has given me a good foundation and understanding of the work before us. I've advocated looking 20 years ahead so we can understand our future debt and cash flow before those bills arrive. I also want a dependable annual maintenance and replacement plan, so we're not continually reacting to the next emergency. And we need to aggressively pursue grants, lowinterest financing and other funding opportunities. Every dollar we can save matters. 2. Finish modernizing our finances and give residents information they can actually use. This one may not sound exciting, but it affects nearly everything the City does. I've spent considerable time this year working with the finance subcommittee on the nuts and bolts of our financial systems, including reorganizing our chart of accounts and preparing for modern budgeting and reporting tools. Now we need to finish that work. I want residents to be able to look at an understandable financial dashboard and see where we stand, what we're spending, what projects are coming, what they'll cost and how we expect to pay for them. I also want us to look closely at the time and money lost because of outdated technology and manual processes. Our employees should have tools that make their jobs easier, not harder. Good financial information helps Council make better decisions, but it also gives our residents the opportunity to ask better questions and bring ideas to the table. 3. Build a stable City organization and a stronger Lago Vista economy. We've experienced a lot of change in City leadership and staffing. I want us to build an organization that can withstand those changes without losing momentum, knowledge or direction. That means investing in staff training, strengthening processes, keeping good records and having clear priorities that carry forward from one Council or City Manager to the next. It also means putting together a real economicdevelopment and tourism strategy. We now have an EDC, a Chamber with strong connections to our local businesses, and community organizations full of people with ideas and talent. I want us to bring those strengths together, define what we're trying to accomplish, and identify the right partners and funding sources to help make it happen. I'd love to see more of our homegrown businesses succeed, more thoughtful investment along Dawn Drive and Bronco Lane, and greater use of our airport, lake, arts and recreation opportunities to support our local economy. But growth should strengthen Lago Vista, not erase what makes it special. And throughout all three priorities, we cannot lose sight of the everyday things our residents count on: public safety, streets, parks, our library and the community connections that make this such a special place to live. I've said this in another answer, and it remains central to how I approach this job: People will change. Good information, sound processes, institutional knowledge and a credible longrange plan should remain. I want us to deal with what's in front of us, look far enough ahead to avoid repeating today's problems, and leave Lago Vista with more choices for the future. That's what I want to keep working toward.