Tag: Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

 

In 2017, the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce urged development of the flood plain swamp ground areas at Lake Crook as a state and/or national Wetlands and Wildlife Area. This, we said, would drastically reduce the costs of a new sewer treatment plant, now and in the future, and be a visitor’s and educational draw for Paris.

We even published a survey of new treatment facilities of varying sizes and their costs in cities across Texas, and a few in other states.

Using the development of a Wetland project, projections showed a greatly reduced overall cost for a new plant, the cost coming in at a low of $30 million to a high of $35 million.

We warned, based on what other cities were doing, that the process being engaged in by the City of Paris for a treatment plant, with its estimated cost of $40 to $70-million, would likely end in an exorbitant cost, as bids were not being solicited.

Neither the City of Paris, nor its taxpayers, listened or seemed interested.

The city, the PEDC and the Lamar County Chamber reportedly claimed the Paris Chamber didn’t know what it was talking about –

So, here in 2023, Paris is facing a new sewer treatment plant cost of $100-million-or more. (with the highest 2017 cost under-estimated by $30-million?)

The result for simply not looking at all possible options is that a newly-born baby in Paris will owe another estimated $4,000 dollars of the costs of this one item – as will every man, woman, and child inside the city limits – in addition to the $2600 each already owe in fees and taxes to cover the annual city budget.

While its true that worlds of knowledge exist that we personally know little-to-nothing about, we do know that wasteful spending and higher taxes is no way to run a railroad.

Or a city.

Those in charge of our local community and economic development shouldn’t be talking about anyone not knowing what to do when Paris has lost population for over a quarter of a century.

For decades, not a city council has looked after the taxpayer’s actual interest.

For instance, for over over 25-years Paris has known a new plant was needed. A period of time when city council after city council increased water, sewer and trash pickup fees; money which has generally disappeared into the general budget – and to pay for costly studies. How much of such funds were set aside to meet the future costs?

How were bids requested? Where? When?

City leaders have again contracted for another $300,000-plus study of the problem, which is more waste of money.

It’s worse than gambling: A Paris is always beaten by a flush . . .

return to The Paris Texas Chamber

Most of the things that we brag about in Paris Texas are amenities, not essentials.

The difference is important.

Most of the more recent things Paris brags about, such as the Eiffel Tower replica, the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial, the Maxey House, the Lamar County Historical Museum, The Valley of the Caddo Museum, and others, are the result of private efforts; started and carried out to completion by private individuals – while the city has wasted about 13-years and hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to restore the Grand Theater (which, if it ever gets fully restored, may be an amenity).

Even the Civic Center and both prized and re-purposed Depots are the results of large contributions from private funds.

All these things are amenities.

And, yes, they are worthwhile, and they contribute to the community.  Oh, sure, the city and other organizations in Paris supported the efforts (the city and the PEDC even giving, when they shouldn’t, tax dollars). But those efforts were started from scratch, led and supported by individuals who achieved the worthwhile results –

Of course, amenities are nice, but they’re not essential.

You can have a house full of amenities, modern or antique, but they are not part of the necessity for basic shelter.  Others may not like or appreciate your rooms of stuff, amenities, but you don’t expect or demand others to pay for them.

Local churches are considered community amenities, so if some of the local Baptists need a new church, should community tax dollars pay for it?

Government supposedly is to provide for what is essential, not for amenities.

We vote to impose taxes on ourselves because infrastructure is essential to a community. In return, this creates an obligation on, and a responsibility for, the community to provide those things that are essential, such as police and fire protection, maintaining streets and traffic flows, providing water and sewer, trash collection and disposal, etc., and developing ordinances and zoning to help provide for an orderly, cohesive community; those things which benefit all the citizens.

Amenities are not used by all citizens.  As an example, not everyone goes to a Baptist Church, despite us Baptists thinking everyone should…(that’s a gentle bit of humor for those of other denominations. You know, like “where you find four Baptists, you’ll find a fifth.”)  Anyway….

….volunteer organizations, such as chambers of commerce, came into being to develop amenities of the community (and to be an independent business voice for a community); not to be parasites sucking up non-voluntary tax dollars.

If a project is worthwhile people will voluntarily fund it; if it isn’t, they won’t.

This is why good and sound and varied leadership is important.  As long as folks voluntarily use their money to pay for what they want, it’s not a big deal, which is not true when forced to pay for someone else’s pride and joy. 

Subsidizing amenities – giving tax-dollars to a favored few – deliberately and knowingly picking and choosing winners and losers – are things a city (or any government) should not do.  There is no fair or equal way to spend tax dollars on amenities. The Goosey-Gander principle will not work because of personal opinions. Neither will robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Paris didn’t get behind the economic eight ball because city government did its job: Over the years, city government let things slide – from neglecting certain areas and aging streets and increased traffic flows to letting favored landlords neglect property to allowing zoning changes that drained away the downtown business district. Plus, the city started giveaway programs of everyone’s tax dollars to a special few. In short, most of what is currently wrong in Paris is because the city didn’t do its’ job –

Paris forgot that the basic job of government is to take care of the essentials.

IF a government can’t take care of what is the government’s business, how can it take care of what isn’t the government’s business?

Today, instead of doing those things – and only those things that are essential – that are their obligations and responsibilities, our local problems are compounded by the City of Paris acting as an “expert” in the development and the funding of community and economic amenities.

But when was the City of Paris endowed with Emperor status?

Since the New Frontier and the Great Society programs of the early 60’s, government advocates have promised that their economic programs would eliminate poverty. They’ve spent trillions of tax-dollars trying to do it. But according to the government’s own statistics, there are more poor people today and fewer equal opportunities for economic advancement.  All those dollars and all those efforts only succeeded in creating wealth for fewer and fewer folks.

Government not only has lost the war on poverty, but also the war on drugs; it can’t even protect our border. So, it should be evident that government isn’t always the answer.

Over the years, our trust in government has slowly eroded away.

To the Paris Chamber, it seems the city (like government everywhere) tries to do too many things which are not in their job description.  And as long as the city will do or fund those things which should be the responsibility of others, they will let the city do it.

And they’ll never fuss when the city does something wrong, especially if the city is also giving them other people’s tax money. Most importantly, how can the taxpayers trust the city, when the city is giving their tax dollars to a select few?

The question citizens need to ask:  If we can’t trust our local government, how can we trust our state and national legislative bodies?

We should remember that while common-sense is a hoped for amenity, it isn’t a qualifying essential to serve on a board or for holding public office or even to manage the affairs of an organization.

“In fact, if law were restricted to protecting all persons, all liberties, and all properties; if law were nothing more than the organized combination of the individual’s right to self-defense; if law were the obstacle, the check, the punisher of all oppression and plunder — is it likely that we citizens would then argue much about the extent of the franchise?” ― Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

                                                               return to     Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

The Paris, Texas ‘Comprehensive Plan’ is a little goofy.

Consider pages 13 & 14, SECTION 5: THE ROLE OF URBAN DESIGN IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

On page 14, dealing with Public Art, (Item 16) states: Public art is an urban design element, and opportunities should be evaluated to place public art in areas that will enhance the aesthetic quality and reinforce the unique identity of each community.

(The italics are inserted by the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce. Generally, it has been accepted by rational minds that privately donated art is usually art; publicly funded art is usually an eyesore or propaganda, as government acts as a censor of what “art” is or isn’t acceptable.)

The Section ends with: “The application of these urban design elements through the comprehensive planning program can aid the aesthetic quality of each community. Again, since the comprehensive plan is implemented over time, these design elements should be applied as part of individual zoning, subdivision, and site plan review approvals, as feasible.”

(Two “each community(s)” in one short section is likely a boiler-plate recommendation dreamed up by a committee of government planners. Otherwise, wouldn’t it just say, “Paris” or City of Paris – ?)

Government cookies, baked for the good of government, is not how policy that is good for Paris should be determined. Chowing down on such cookies may or may not be good or bad, but Paris is not the cook.

As the policy is not attributed to an outside source, it’s either carelessness or just being lazy, but moving on:

 

 

Page 17 – SECTION 7: DOWNTOWN PARIS

Item 1. Introduction. (States):

Paris has an important historic downtown, which continues to serve as a focal point for the citizens within the city and the region. The Paris downtown is filled with social, cultural, economic, and architectural amenities and potentials. Currently city staff, in conjunction with citizens and business input, Lamar County Historical Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, Main Street Advisory Board, Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council are strongly committed to the preservation, enhancement, and upgrading of the many variables and elements that comprise Paris’ downtown.

So encouraging historic preservation is a goal. If not, why include it?

Accuracy, however, is demanded of restoration in the historical districts, which includes the downtown area. But doesn’t apply to the downtown area.  (Don’t ask; we don’t understand it, either.)

Recently, valuable historically accurate art works, privately donated to citizens, were removed from display at the public library by the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and the Library Director, saying they were an “unsuitable history” of Paris; thereby, claiming that history does not exist – except the way they want it – regardless of existing policies demanding historical accuracy.

A little goofy goes a long way.  Sadly. –