What’s the bottom line for the sewer?
What would redress their decision needed I appreciate everyone who has shared his or her point of view. It’s a gift to hear someone’s thinking. When a situation is complex, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and check out entirely. Or to become lost in details about the budget, options, and who’s responsible for the inevitable complications in a process that involves local and state government, diverse lenders, private corporations, landowners and community members.
For me, the interplay between power, ethics and transparency is an important consideration.
Power: Under the current plan, power stays in the hands of the city of Wimberley to protect the environment and contain costs for its citizens. If the city contracts with Aqua Texas, power over quality and pricing shifts to Aqua Texas.
look like? Citizens would have to appeal to City Council to convince the Council to take Aqua Texas to court. The city doesn’t have AT’s deep pockets and it would take years even if the case was successful. It might be too late for the health of Cypress Creek.
Ethics: Under the current plan, the mayor and City Council answer to its citizens. As public officials, they are, by definition, elected to serve the common good. That’s the North Star for government. Under the AT option, the North Star becomes Wall Street and making a profit. In other words, where resources could be spent on Wimberley’s needs, resources will flow to investors.
Transparency: Under the current plan, city officials have an obligation to share contracts and illuminate
making process. Under the AT option, this element goes dark. How long did it take for the American public to discover that tobacco companies knew about the dangers of smoking?
Going back to complexity and what that looks like. As a strategic planner, I once worked with the Boeing Company on internal communication strategies. They shared an amazing success story. The Boeing 747 was the first plane they ever built that ‘fit together’ on the very first try. Hard to imagine. How did that happen? For the first time, they had software that allowed anyone working on the design to connect with others working on the design – directly. So you could look up a specific section of the plane and find out who was working on it and contact them directly about what your area . Negotiations happened real-time to figure out the balance between size, weight, material, etc. What may we learn from this?
When a building project is complex, there is no way to anticipate everything that will arise before you start. The key to success is a shared vision and an intention to learn as you go.
In Linda Allen’s inspiring book, Wimberley . . . a Way of Life, she shared an observation about pioneers in the mid 1800s, “they were people who had a hard life and a strong dream.” In many ways, our lives are easier. I wonder how strong our dreams are for the Wimberley Valley? Will our choices be worthy of their sacrifices? Will our actions protect our children’s future?
Stephanie Nestlerode