{"id":93,"date":"2014-07-17T23:43:11","date_gmt":"2014-07-18T04:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=93"},"modified":"2016-04-24T19:51:23","modified_gmt":"2016-04-25T00:51:23","slug":"archives-reports-on-important-addison-matters","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=93","title":{"rendered":"Archives: Reports on Important Addison Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"COLA\u2019s<\/a>Longtime Employees Penalized Twice \u2013 Losing COLA and Social Security<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nDecember 31, 2015<\/span>
\nThe Addison City Council\u2019s refusal to pay retirees a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in 2016 creates a \u201cdouble whammy\u201d to their pocketbooks, thanks to changes in Social Security benefit payments since the Town opted to join the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS).<\/p>\n

\"Who<\/a>Who Says Addison is Business Friendly?<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nDecember 21, 2015<\/span>
\nThe Planning & Zoning Commission didn\u2019t evidence much interest in being business friendly to the owners of Antonio\u2019s Restaurante at its Dec. 15 meeting.<\/p>\n

\"Addison<\/a>Addison Residents Oppose Sam\u2019s Club Redevelopment Plans<\/span><\/a><\/strong>
\nDecember 18, 2015<\/span>
\nNearly 100 Addison residents filled Town Hall to overflowing Tuesday night, Dec. 15, 2015, to register their opposition to the proposed redevelopment of the former Sam\u2019s Club property at 4150 Belt Line Road with the Addison Planning & Zoning Commission.<\/p>\n

\"Sam\u2019s<\/a>Sam\u2019s Site Plans Go to P&Z on Tuesday, December 15, 2015;<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\n Park, Wall and Beltway Traffic Affected<\/strong><\/a><\/span>
\nDecember 13, 2015<\/span>
\nATTENTION RESIDENTS who live in Midway Meadows, Towne Lake, Pecan Square, Walnut Square, Les Lacs, Park Place, Waterford Park, and Addison Grand as well as anyone who uses Beltway Drive (Athletic Club members) regularly!
\nMark your calendar to attend the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting this Tuesday, Dec. 15 at Town Hall at 6 pm to hear a discussion and VOTE on the Sam’s site. The plans call for removing the park wall on Beltway and opening a street through to the new development which will dramatically increase traffic on Beltway.<\/p>\n

\"Irresponsible<\/a>Irresponsible Budgeting Comes Home to Roost<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nDecember 9, 2015<\/span>
\nDuring the past five years, taxes paid by Addison residents have increased 20% or more.
\nAnd the Meier-led council overspent last year\u2019s budget by $915,000.<\/p>\n

\"COLA\u2019s<\/a>COLA\u2019s Impact on Employee Purchasing Power<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nDecember 9, 2015<\/span>
\nThe Addison\u2019s City Council\u2019s acted in the fall of 2015 to deny COLAs for retired Addison employees. A number of questions regarding this action have come to light and pose concerns discussed in this, the 1st article in a series on the matter.<\/p>\n

\"Unanticipated<\/a>About Council\u2019s \u201cUnanticipated Expenses\u201d: Is This How You Would Spend Addison\u2019s Tax Dollars?<\/strong>
\nSeptember 22, 2015<\/span>
\nThe Addison City Council spent almost $1 million of taxpayer money that was not included in Addison\u2019s budget last year. . . . Addison\u2019s savings account funded Meier\u2019s campaign issue. Is this how you would spend Addison\u2019s reserve account?<\/p>\n

\"Where<\/a>Where Oh Where Did My Tax Money Go?<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n September 8, 2015<\/span>
\nOnce again this year our taxes are increasing. That\u2019s actual taxes, i.e., the dollars you actually pay (rate x value = $$$$ we pay). Meier is fond of just talking about the rate, which now increases from 56.18 to 57.19. Sounds modest until you consider the second half of the equation . . . .<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/a>Former Addison Councilman\u2019s Message to Mayor & Councilmembers<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nJuly 22, 2015<\/span>
\n\u201cIn my view the single most important attribute for our City Manager is a willingness to withstand the pressures of a council determined to cross the line between policy makers and operation of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"exodus\"<\/a>The Exodus Has Begun<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMay 8, 2015<\/span>
\nIn Addison the past two years, we\u2019ve lost two city managers, the communications director, assistant police chief, police chief, special events director, city attorney and more than two dozen experienced, police officers and firefighters.<\/p>\n

\"Letter<\/a>Letter by Addison Resident to Todd Meier<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMay 1, 2015<\/span>
\n\u201cAnger is a signal, and one worth listening to.\u201d \u2013 Harriet Lerner, 1985<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>As election day nears, Addison residents voice concerns over City Council management<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nApril 16, 2015<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a>The Farce of Meier\u2019s \u201cRising Star\u201d Award<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nApril 12, 2015<\/span>
\nAddison is about to experience another Meier-orchestrated farce. This week, the Metrocrest Chamber of Commerce is expected to name David Heape as Addison\u2019s \u201cRising Star.\u201d Except that it wasn\u2019t the Metrocrest Chamber that chose Heape. It was Meier.<\/p>\n

\"Their<\/a>Their Way: \u201cOur Way or the Highway\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nApril 6, 2015<\/span>
\nThe secret is now out \u2013 \u201cThe Addison Way,\u201d which for decades has been the guidepost of our Town, has been redefined by the current Mayor and Council as \u201cOur way or the highway\u201d . . . .<\/p>\n

\"Questions,<\/a>Questions, We Have Questions<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nApril 4, 2015<\/span>
\nThe Mayor said her resignation was sent to the city attorney on March 20. The Council didn\u2019t know anything about it until their Executive Session on March 24 . . . . Why was the wording of the March 24 agenda item listed simply as a \u201cpersonnel\u201d issue?
\n(Answer: Since the Mayor approves the wording of each agenda item, maybe the real reason was to hide the planned Council\u2019s action from the voters. But, according to the Mayor, he didn\u2019t know of her resignation till the Council meeting that evening.)<\/p>\n

\"Please<\/a>Awaken Addison!<\/span><\/strong>
\nMarch 29, 2015<\/span>
\n\u201cAnother shameful example of Meier\u2019s editorial style is the weekly newsletter, where he chooses to spend more print space praising the faux and\/or inconsequential \u201caccomplishments\u201d of his councilmember allies than he does documenting the achievements and contributions of Ms. Dunn to the Town of Addison during her 18 years of service . . . . \u201c<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Fireworks erupt at Addison Town Hall meeting<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMarch 29, 2015<\/span>
\nDunn, a longtime Addison employee who was previously city manager in Bellaire, was named to her post in early 2014 to succeed Ron Whitehead, who retired after a 32-year tenure. Her resignation has drawn fire from some residents and former council members who say they are disappointed in what they believe to be a forced departure. \u201cI would call this similar to a scandal,\u201d said Joe Chow, who was mayor of Addison from 2005 to 2011.<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/a>A Dark Time for Addison: City Manager Lea Dunn Forced to Resig<\/span>n<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMarch 25, 2015<\/span>
\nAs noted by the City Attorney on the record at the meeting, Ms. Dunn had specifically requested that any evaluation of her occur in public. Nonetheless, the Council went immediately into executive session regarding the matter. When they came out of executive session, Mayor Todd Meier made a motion to accept Lea Dunn\u2019s offer to resign.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>The Continuing Deception of Campaign \u201cSound Bites\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMarch 1, 2015<\/span>
\nIn this feature-length article, former Addison Councilmember Susan M. Halpern discusses the misleading nature of Todd Meier\u2019s campaign materials regarding the property tax rate. Halpern discusses the fact that property taxes have actually I increased more than 21% since Todd Meier has been mayor.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Citizens Have a Need to Know<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMarch 23, 2015<\/span>
\nRe: \u201cLet\u2019s keep Texas government accountable \u2014 \u2018Sunshine\u2019 bills address technology changes that affect public\u2019s right to know, says Kelley Shannon,\u201d March 17 Viewpoints. The general public is blissfully unaware . . . .<\/p>\n

\"Measure<\/a>Measure Fails to Unify Addison Zip Code<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nMarch 23, 2015<\/span>
\nThe recent failure to accomplish a cohesive zip code is best viewed with an understanding of the related history.
\nBefore 1997, no one had an Addison zip code. Homes & businesses had zip codes of Farmers Branch, or Carrollton, or Dallas.<\/p>\n

\"Council<\/a>Addison Council To Set New Policy for Open Records Requests<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nFebruary 26, 2015<\/span>
\nThe Addison City Council is considering a new policy on open records requests after the City Secretary has received numerous requests for information.<\/p>\n

\"Addison<\/a>Addison Council Work Session February 16, 2015: A Suggestion for Leadership<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nFebruary 19, 2015<\/span>
\nI suppose we\u2019ve learned, again, that there is no leadership on this Council, just politicians playing \u201cGotcha last.\u201d Is that what you voted for?<\/p>\n

\"Addison<\/a>Addison Public Safety Exodus Continues; Situation Not Covered in Mayor\u2019s Newsletter<\/span><\/strong>
\nFebruary 16, 2015<\/span>
\nIn Finance Director Eric Cannon\u2019s quarterly financial report to Council Feb. 10 there was even more disconcerting news about the continuing loss of Addison fire and police personnel. During the Town\u2019s last quarter (October \u2013 December 2014) four more full time fire personnel left the Town as did five employees in the police department.<\/p>\n

\"CFO<\/a>Addison CFO To Speak on Financial Transparency<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nFebruary 16, 2015<\/span>
\nAddison has earned GFOA awards for both budget and financial reporting for 27 and 28 years, respectively. For three of the last four years, the Town has been awarded the highest designation possible from the Texas Comptroller for financial transparency efforts.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>\u201cWatchdog: Who is good at open government? Who is bad?\u201d<\/span><\/strong>
\nFebruary 13, 2015<\/span>
\nWhile our current Mayor\/Council have waved the “transparency” banner of government, the truth is to the contrary. How do you feel about $46,000 in tax dollars being spent to hide public records from the residents? \u201cMore than 100 area governments put to test in extraordinary project that checks open records compliance. A few fail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BetlineRoad\"<\/a>Understanding the Delayed Underground Utilities for Belt Line Road<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/strong>July 2, 2014
\nConstruction costs and competition for construction labor have increased<\/span> <\/span>since bonds were first approved in 2000.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>But Addison Mayor Meier has mistakenly attempted to blame city staff.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Longtime Employees Penalized Twice \u2013 Losing COLA and Social Security December 31, 2015 The Addison City Council\u2019s refusal to pay retirees a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in 2016 creates a \u201cdouble whammy\u201d to their pocketbooks, thanks to changes in … Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-93","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/93","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/93\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1225,"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/93\/revisions\/1225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}