Election Coverage 2018 County Commissioner Precinct 3

WV: If elected, what are your top priorities?

Shell: It is very important to continue the important work of protecting our water and natural resources, flood mitigation and restoration efforts, improving our emergency communications and disaster preparedness, and making infrastructure upgrades to meet the needs of a growing population while also protecting the unique character of this community. I have worked to focus on these critical priorities in a fiscally responsible way. Through good planning and management, we are protecting the day-to-day lives of our citizens and the quality of life of our community while also reducing our property tax rate to its lowest point in 20 years, paying off voter-approved bond debt ahead of schedule to save millions in tax dollars, increasing our bond rating and savings levels to historic highs, and instituting a 100% property tax freeze for all senior citizens.

WV: What are the biggest changes you think Hays County will face in the coming years and how would you address them?

Shell: One of our biggest challenges is protecting the character and quality of life of this community, as well as our strong fiscal position, while the county as a whole experiences population growth. As population grows, so too grows the demand on core services like law enforcement, fire and EMS, veteran’s services and infrastructure. These are core services that matter a great deal to the daily lives, safety, and wellbeing of our citizens. Whether children at school, families driving our roads, or citizens experiencing an emergency, I want to make sure this county provides a high level of service to those things that matter most. It takes good planning, management, and budgeting oversight to ensure this takes place in a fiscally responsible way that also protects the affordability of this community.

WV: Spending and debt is a perennial issue at commissioners court meetings. What is your strategy concerning spending and debt at the county level?

Shell: Hays County is in its strongest financial position in history. We have financed major infrastructure upgrades through voter-approved bonds in order to improve our road safety, parks and conservation efforts, and law enforcement and public safety needs. We are completing these bond projects on time and under budget. In fact, we are paying off bonds ahead of schedule to save millions in tax dollars. Added to this, we have increased our bond rating and savings accounts to their highest levels in history, and reduced the property tax rate to a 20-year low. We also instituted new homestead exemptions for disabled citizen, veterans, and seniors, and a 100% tax freeze on all county property taxes for senior citizens. We need to continue to make wise investments in the future, mange these projects well, and do everything in our power to save tax dollars and reduce the property tax burden on homeowners.

WV: Water is an issue for the entire county but with different concerns in each precinct. What would you do to help protect surface and groundwater in the Wimberley Valley while also dealing with the need for water for Hays County’s growing areas?

Shell: This represents the biggest difference between myself and my opponent. I pushed for a contested hearing to stop the Electro Purification deal from pumping millions of gallons from our local aquifer and having a potentially disastrous effect on our water supply and natural springs and streams. My opponent personally represented a permit request to pump 50 million gallons of groundwater from Hays County. My opponent was also manager of an investor owned water utility until state regulators at the Public Utility Commission removed him last month, shortly before water service was scheduled to be cut off to his customers for abandoning the utility’s operations. This is documented fact and easily searchable public record. When it comes to water, I am fighting to protect it and my opponent has a record of doing the opposite.

WV: The county and local municipalities have worked hard to add additional warning systems for flooding. Do you think enough has been done in the Wimberley Valley? What else would you propose to help deal with our local perennial floods?

Shell: Following the Memorial Day flood event of 2015, as Chief of Staff for the county, I worked alongside our former commissioner, local emergency service and law enforcement leaders, and state and federal agencies, to develop aggressive plans for recovery, flood mitigation, and flood warning protocols. I am extremely proud of our efforts on all these fronts, and believe we are far safer and better prepared for a flood event today. As a testimony to these efforts, our Hays County Emergency Management staff and law enforcement officers are currently assisting our flooded neighbors in Llano County and the wider Hill Country, sharing knowledge and experience that was forged in our own flood disaster and recovery. As commissioner, I have overseen improvements to our warning system and citizen alert protocols, and we are currently installing additional flood and weather monitoring systems. We now need to integrate these new systems across jurisdictions.