Frisco, Texas—where the city council somehow can ask citizens to vote on an EDC Bond for millions of dollars for a sparkling new performing arts center but can’t allow citizens to vote on a bond for an animal shelter or scrape together a dime for a much-needed animal shelter. It’s almost like the Mayor and City Council think the arts deserve a standing ovation while our four-legged friends get a pathetic round of applause… from the overcrowded parking lot outside paid for by citizens’ tax dollars. After all, who needs a haven for abandoned animals when you can have a state-of-the-art performing arts center hosting countless performances, funded city breweries, and a kid’s theme park that no one will remember in 10 years? Priorities, right?
In 2019, Community Impact did a story about how local pet advocates called Frisco’s Pet Project were advocating for Frisco to construct its own animal shelter. The article highlighted Marla Fields, one of the original organizers of the Frisco Pet Project who is quoted saying, “She said she saw a need for a Frisco-based animal shelter while rescuing cats from local organizations. Good Ole King Cheney (Mayor of Frisco) said, “city staffers have considered allocating funding to build an animal shelter in the past but determined the benefits of partnering with the county outweighed the negatives. We have a partnership with Collin County along with other cities to collaborate as a region to try to provide the most cost-effective services for this need.” The article went on to say that building an animal shelter would likely be funded through bonds, but the city did not include a shelter among the projects in the 2019 bond election.
In 2023, the citizens bond committee presented a recommendation for an animal shelter to be voted on by the residents. A DMN article noted that Frisco animal advocates made one last push for City Council to include an animal shelter in the May 6 bond election, but they did not prevail. The article quoted Marla Fields, founder of Frisco’s Pet Project, “It just seems like the finish line just keeps moving on us. You told us to be patient … we’ve done everything that you’ve told us to do. We followed your leadership and your advice. You said, ‘Wait for the bond. You have to speak to each member of the city council. Come to the winter sessions. Show us the data. Show us the plans. Show that you can do this with a return on investment.’ We did all that.”
The City Council’s vote on the bond package was unanimous, with council members Laura Rummel and Brian Livingston requesting a note be added to the record they support an animal shelter. Two votes stand out from that night – Laura Rummel who claims to be the “PET ADVOCATE” and John Keating. Laura voted for obvious reasons as she ran her campaign on animals and supported a shelter. Why Cheating Keating? We have a copy of an email that Councilman Keating sent to a resident where he told the citizen he would allow for it to go before the citizens if it was recommended by the citizens bond committee. But he lied! Are we surprised? No, because he has lied to the Frisco Fire Association and his ex-wife.
What might be even more sad is how the city uses local publishers to sell the community on the same boring, old, tired and worn message in hopes residents will buy the bull they are selling. After getting hit with questions at the Feb 3rd town hall regarding an animal shelter, Community Impact miraculously writes an article on February 5 titled, “Frisco identifies animal shelter site no timeline for project.” The article stated that the City Manager, Wes Pierson, confirmed the city has been trying to find a private public partner to help bring an animal shelter inside the city limits. “We’ve been working with a partner to try and find a model that would allow the city to have a public-private partnership for the operation of an animal shelter,” Pierson said. “We are still in the process of trying to develop that partnership.”
For the first time the city released a potential site located in north Frisco near PGA Parkway and Preston Road on the southwest corner called Luminant Tract. Then the city offers “another excuse” saying the animal shelter would go there once they had a partner and after they developed the North Texas Municipal Water district transfer station and commercial recycling center. Pierson goes on to say only then can they discuss timing of the facility construction. The hidden message we believe he is saying is delay, delay, and more delay because we don’t want an animal shelter here.
The article also states King Mayor Cheney as saying the Frisco Center for the Arts and animal shelter are unrelated. Unrelated? To pet advocates, they are related because for years the city has used “funding” as an excuse, but we can fund the arts with a simple vote from the public for an EDC bond. The same could be said for an animal shelter, OH WAIT, you won’t let the public vote on that which is why you pulled it from the 2023 bond even after it was recommended by the citizens bond committee. King Cheney only wants you to vote on what he wants!
The best comment came from the “So-Called Pet Advocate” on council Laura Rummel. “There are things that city government is not good at or doesn’t have the expertise at,” she said. “We do not have the expertise to have an animal shelter of our own, which is why we have been searching for a partner.” Based on our research THAT IS A NEW EXCUS and in our opinion, that was the dumbest comment we have ever heard. Do you think the thousands of cities across America that have an animal shelter had “animal expertise” when they opened their city-run and funded shelters? Ms. Rummel, what expertise do we have in Health Clinics, Performing Arts, Code Enforcement, Engineering Services, and Parks and Rec? None!!! That is why you hire someone to run the department that “HAS THE EXPERTISE” just like you have done in all the other city departments.
The article goes on to talk about “In The Meantime” the city has a partnership with Collin County Animal Services and how the city supported the November 2023 bond for CCAS to expand the animal shelter’s capacity and services by constructing a one-story, 10,000 square-foot addition to the north side of the CCAS building. What happened after the bond was approved?
Ask Ben Brezina one of the Assistant City Managers who led a crusade to gather other cities like Prosper, Celina, and McKinney to question “the billings statements” and how the impact fees and cost allocations were being split among the different cities. In an email from Ben Brezina to Wes Pierson, Chief Shilson, Henry Hill, and Ryan Pitman dated October 3, 2023, Brezina stated “Regarding future payments, Collin County Administrator verbally committed to updating the cost allocation amongst the Members (population-based). So, it is unknown yet the future costs for Frisco or any other Member, Prosper and Celina have grown significantly, and they will need to pay their fair share, same as unincorporated Collin County. We will advocate for a usage-based fee.” Frisco doesn’t want to pay their fair share based on population even though it was laid out that way from the get-go! They want to change the name of the game. Does that sound supportive to you?
In our final Paw Patrol blog, we are going to share with you the emails sent to us from a recent PIR filed by a resident. They sent us everything and based on those emails it is clear Laura Rummel has not been actively involved in conversations with the city on the animal shelters so-called public-private partnership. Yet, she has continued to tell residents how involved she is. It will also be obvious where the city stands on an animal shelter. Lastly, it will show how dumb John Keating is that he cannot even answer a resident’s questions posed to him in an email without getting an exact word-for-word statement from city management because he is clueless.
In closing, as Laura said we are not experts in running an animal shelter. Advocates have heard over and over the annual operating expenses are just too high year over year for an animal shelter, so it doesn’t make sense. HOWEVER, based on the moves this week at city council, Rummel and the rest of the council (minus Livingston) believe WE ARE EXPERTS IN THE ARTS which is why they voted to put an EDC bond on the ballet in the upcoming election. It appears we can afford the annual operating expenses for a PAC which ranges from $5 to $6 million, and we can HIRE EXPERTS TO RUN IT! King Cheney when you say the Performing Arts Center and Animal Shelter are unrelated …. THEY ARE RELATED! It just comes down to what YOU WANT MIGHTY KING!
0 Comments