How are the road repairs coming along in Lake Worth? Can anyone on the Bond Committee tell us? Anyone from City Hall want to be precise? How much have we spent so far? Are we on track? We haven't had a report in quite some time.
Yesterday, I noticed that Boutwell Road was closed again. How many years has it been now?
One thing that we do know, we voted on something for which we didn't know the true cost. Even the City Manager couldn't tell us. And it wasn't on the ballot language.
In Texas they are going to pass The Taxpayer's Right to Know Act that requires local entities to provide voters who go to the polls in bond elections with precise information on exactly how much the bond you are voting on will actually cost the local jurisdiction.
Dan Patrick, Lt. Governor of Texas said, "since taxpayers are the ones who will be paying for the bond, you have a right to know. Local entities are also required to let you know how much debt they are already carrying. Voters should always have this kind of transparency because they are footing the bill."
But for some reason, Lake Worth voters didn't demand this, didn't care. I asked and received the answer, "I don't know." All they knew was that the bond was for $40 million and the potholes would be fixed. If you were buying a car and financing it, you would never be so casual. Voters overwhelmingly passed the bond measure by 69%.
