League of Women Voters

Of Hays County

VOTERS GUIDE
Election November 3, 2015
This Voters Guide lists candidates for City of San Marcos Council Member races, and includes
responses to a questionnaire sent to four candidates in two contested races. Candidates were
asked to limit responses to each question to 100 words in length. Candidates are listed in the order
they will appear on the ballot. This Voters Guide also includes information about two City of San
Marcos propositions, with arguments for and against, summarized from comments submitted by
the public to the League.
The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or any
candidate. The League does promote informed participation of all citizens in their
government by providing factual information to help prepare citizens to cast an
informed vote. The League does take action on selected governmental issues that it has
thoroughly studied, and on which its members have reached consensus. You may bring
this Voters Guide into the voting booth.

The November 3, 2015 ballot also lists several other elections in some precincts of Hays County.
Listed on page 8, these elections are not covered by this Voters Guide. A Wimberley Voters
Guide was also prepared, and will be inserted in the Wimberley View for the Woodcreek elections
and Wimberley Independent School District elections, and distributed in Wimberley.
The LWV of Hays County prepares and places this local Voters Guide in City Hall, the Public
Library and many other locations in San Marcos, along with a state LWV Texas Voters Guide.
The local Voters Guide is also inserted in the San Marcos Daily Record, and is available online at
http://lwvtexas.org/local/hays/. The state LWV Voters Guide, which includes the seven
constitutional amendments on the November 3 ballot, is on the home page of the same website.
For more information on elections, the phone number for the Hays County Elections Office is
512-393-7310, and their website is http://www.co.hays.tx.us/elections.aspx.
Index:
CandidatesPages 2 - 5
City Propositions 1 & 2, Arguments For and Against.....Page 6 and 7
List of other elections on November 3 in Hays County...Page 7
Early voting locations...Page 8
November 3rd Election Day polling locations Page 8

City of San Marcos City Council, Place 5

List your experience, education and training that qualify
you for this position.

Considering the recent floods in our area, what can the City
Council do to help prevent wide spread future damage and
help mitigate current damages?

Frank Arredondo
For over forty years I have been extensively involved in
our community serving as Mayor and city council-man,
officer on PTAs, booster clubs, civic groups, church
organizations and city-appointed commissions and
boards. Throughout my career, I served and worked in
various branches of government including city, state and
federal government. US Marine Corps Viet Nam
Veteran. BBA Southwest Texas State University.
Governor Dolph Briscoes Administration. City
Councilman San Marcos. Mayor San Marcos.
Executive Director Community Action Inc.
Community Builder Fellowship, President Clinton
Administration, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban
Development. Executive Management Training
Harvard University

As a policy directive the City Council can have the city

manager direct the City Planning Department to collaborate
more closely, to identify areas prone to flooding; design major
drainage projects which will alleviate extensive damage to
neighborhoods; permitting and inspections departments can
also play a part in assisting to mitigate possible loss by
guiding homeowners and conducting FEMA approved home
restoration workshops. Additionally, the council should work
with federal and state legislators along with authorities to seek
resources for building dams or bypass channels for flood
mitigation.

Stephen Herrera

Mr. Herrera withdrew as a candidate. However, the deadline

for changing the ballot had passed, so his name remains on the
ballot.

Scott Gregson

As the first person in my family to graduate from

college, I earned a degree in Finance from Texas A&M
and an MBA from Harvard. Since 1982, I have had a
successful business career in the private sector. For the
past 20 years I have owned a small business in San
Marcos and a resident for the past 15 years. I have
served on 15 public and civic boards and commissions
and have two grown married children and soon to be a
grandfather. I have the skills, background and
experience to lead our city into the future on City
Council.

First, we must not approve projects on or near our rivers. We

must not perpetuate the decisions of the past that will only
result in even larger disaster areas in the future. We should
take seriously the potential catastrophic outcomes that living
in a river city poses. We owe it to those flooded on Memorial
Day to help them re-establish their neighborhoods and to
provide and find assistance to raise those impacted homes
above future flood levels. Lastly, we should work in
conjunction with the Army Corp of Engineers to divert
floodwaters around the city to prevent future flood events.

Additional questions and responses, Council Member, Place 5

What kind of tax incentives are you
in favor of to encourage future
economic growth?

How can the city meet the

transportation and traffic needs of our
fast growing city?

How would you, as a city council

member, ensure that the Comprehensive
Master Plan is implemented?

Frank Arredondo
Property tax rebates and sales tax
rebates (if any). These incentives
are performance based on # of jobs,
wages and investments. We need
to remember these are rebates of
what the company pays in taxes.
Another key to these rebates is that
the Greater San Marcos Partnership
performs an economic impact
analysis on every incentive request.
Only projects that are cash positive
to the city are presented for
consideration.

Code SMTX, which is in its formative

stage, currently is addressing future
transportation needs of our community.
In addition to bike trails and beautifying
our streets there are suggestions on how
to improve traffic flow throughout San
Marcos. There is ample opportunity for
more input into the transportation code
part of Code SMTX for more
community involvement; it is
encouraged so that our ideas are fully
reviewed and addressed. Continue
collaborating with state and federal
transportation agencies to improve
traffic flow and resolve congestion
issues.

After a thorough review by our

citizens and staff, the governing body
will adopt a comprehensive plan
which reflects the majority view of
our community. However, in the
meantime, we need to continue
working to create a comprehensive
Master Plan which not only focuses
on our growth but also works towards
establishing a precedent for
determining how we expand our
public safety services by a certain
percentage based on growth.

While implementing the

Comprehensive Master Plan we are also
updating our Transportation Master
Plan. This plan calls for creating multimodal streets that accommodate cars,
bicycles and pedestrians. Pursuing this
approach allows us to significantly
increase the capacity along our existing
streets without significant cost. I favor
efforts to bring commuter rail options to
our city incorporating a robust public
transit system, allowing people the
option to leave their cars at home. I am
also in favor of road systems to the east
that divert traffic currently going
through San Marcos giving motorists
that option to go around San Marcos
instead.

Code SMTX is the document that will

be used to implement the community
desires expressed in the
Comprehensive Master Plan. What
our land development code says and
allows will set the course of growth
for our city for generations to come.
It is crucial that we get this document
right the first time. Secondly, when
Code SMTX is finally approved, it is
important that we dont allow
exceptions to become the rule. If we
want to achieve the plan we all
worked on and approved, we must
then follow our plan to achieve the
outcomes we desire.

Scott Gregson
I favor incentives for careerbased jobs for our current and
future citizens. These jobs are at or
above the living wage, with
healthcare and education benefits
and that provide opportunities for
advancement and career
development. These types of jobs
allow people to hold their head high
knowing that they can provide food,
shelter, clothing and a quality
education for their families while
putting money away for a rainy day
and retirement. We owe it to the
taxpayers to make certain we dont
squander our limited resources on
jobs that only perpetuate the cycle
of poverty in our community.

City of San Marcos, City Council, Place 6

List your experience, education, and training that
qualify you for this position.

Considering the recent floods in our area, what can the City
Council do to help prevent wide spread future damage and
help mitigate current damages?

Melissa Derrick
I have served on our City Charter Review Committee,
am a member of the San Marcos River Foundation, and
a Neighborhood Commissioner for Sector 2, while also
acting as the Board of Advisor's Treasurer at Katherine
Anne Porter School. After receiving a B.A. from Texas
State, I have worked there for twenty managing budgets
much like those at the city level. My husband and I also
own and manage two small businesses in San Marcos.
My knowledge of budgets, grants, and our city codes,
along with my passion for San Marcos, make me
uniquely qualified for council.

Flood plain management and support of engineering efforts

towards long-term solutions are of paramount importance. It
is pertinent that our engineers evaluate our city's existing
policies and ordinances for development in flood plains, and
provide us with a plan to protect areas and identify areas
that should not be developed. I will support flood recovery
by waiving fees associated with rebuilding. I will engage
with citizens, assess unmet needs and have them met, while
supporting all long-term recovery efforts and assisting those
whose homes need to be raised for compliance with the
new flood plain elevation standards.

Shane Scott

U.S. Air force veteran, Criminal Justice Degree from

Southwest Texas State University, Resident of San
Marcos for twenty-seven years, Small business owner,
Five Years Experience on San Marcos City Council.
As a father I have been involved in our school system
for twelve years.

The city has been working on this issue for years. Some
homes that have been flooded previously have not been
upgraded to current flood standards. I would continue to
push for these standards and look at a regional plan that
could capture flood waters and allow them to be stored for
use during times of drought.

Your Vote is Your Voice

For more information on elections, call the Hays County Elections Office
at 512-393-7310, or find details on their website
http://www.co.hays.tx.us/elections.aspx.

Additional questions and responses, City Council Place 6

What kind of tax incentives are you
in favor of to encourage future
economic growth?

How can the city meet the

transportation and traffic needs of our
fast growing city?

How would you, as a city council

member, ensure that the
Comprehensive Master Plan is
implemented?

We have some great projects already in

the works. The FM 110 county project
will alleviate congestion on East IH 35,
the loop 82 overpass at Aquarena will
improve travel to and from the
University, sidewalks will be added to
Sessom from NLBJ to the University
and Old RR 12 from
Holland to Craddock, just to name a
few. The addition of sidewalks
promotes safe bike-able, walkable
alternatives needed for both
students and residents. Public transit
needs expansion, but through Code
SMTX, our transportation master plan
is being updated, which I hope will
include additional transit options along
with the tools to get there.

I will work diligently to ensure that

our new Master Plan is followed as
our Land Development Code continues to be updated in accordance
with it. I don't believe in making
changes to our plan, unless to do so
would benefit all stakeholders. The
time of changing zoning for whoever
gives us an offer for "anything" is
over. We have a clear road map for
development that must be strictly
adhered to in order to increase
predictability, which instills the trust
vital for investors and homeowners,
and will prevent San Marcos
becoming just another bedroom
community along the corridor.

The City and University can work

together on transportation options, such
as offsite parking for students that
commute from surrounding cities. We
already add bike lanes to all new
roadways that need construction. We
are about to push out our downtown
parking plan soon, to further help with
traffic.

This plan is nothing more than a

general direction in which the city
can grow, butits not in stone and is
subject to change based on the needs
of the community as a whole and the
general health of ourcity.

Melissa Derrick
Our economy depends upon above
average living wage jobs, and
utilizing tax based incentives as a
tool to attract employers who
provide these jobs with benefits.
Our city's existing jobs based
incentive policy
ensures what's good for the investor
is good for San Marcos. Sales
tax incentives must not to disrupt
the flow of the free market.
Such incentives can give an
advantage to one over all others,
and could make it difficult for
business to survive without
government assistance, moving us
away from the free market
philosophy that is proven to be the
healthiest tool for our economy.
Shane Scott

Any deal or incentive that is cash

positive for the city and would
bring jobs to our citizens.

City of San Marcos Propositions

PROPOSITION NO. 1, as it appears on the ballot:
Amending the San Marcos City Charter to add a separate section relating to fluoridation of the
San Marcos municipal water supply to read as follows: The City of San Marcos shall not add, or
direct or require its agents to add fluoride in the form of hydrofluorosilicic acid, hexafluorosilicic
acid, or sodium silicofluoride to the San Marcos municipal water supply.

NOTE OF EXPLANATION: Proposition 1 to change the City Charter is written in

the negative.
Thus, a vote for Proposition 1 is to stop adding fluoride to the water. A vote against
Proposition 1 is to continue adding fluoride to the water.
Arguments Regarding Proposition 1
For

Against

Proponents in favor of not adding these forms of fluoride to

City water say, based on numerous studies, that there is no
conclusive scientific data to prove that fluoridation prevents
dental decay.

According to numerous studies, fluoridation of

community water supplies is an effective health
measure to prevent dental decay.

Those in favor of not adding fluoride to the City water say that
it contaminates our fresh water supply; affecting both humans
and wildlife

Historically, the reason given for adding fluoride to

the municipal water supplies is ample evidence
suggesting that water with added fluoride benefits the
dental health of the total population, when US
guidelines are followed.

Using fluoridated toothpaste has been proven, in some studies,

to be good for oral health; negating the need for fluoridation of
the water supply.

Those in favor of continued fluoridation argue that

even with the widespread use of fluoride toothpaste,
fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing
dental decay.

Those in favor of removing fluoride from the City water

supply express concern that individuals within the community
consume contaminants in their water of which they are not
aware.

There is abundant research and information to support

fluoridation and the positive effects it provides to
communities, especially children and those who do
not have access to adequate dental care.

(Proposition 2 information continues on the next page. )

City of San Marcos Propositions, continued.

PROPOSITION NO. 2, as it appears on the ballot:
Amending Section 12.11 of the San Marcos City Charter, regarding charter amendments, to
include a cross-reference to the requirements for verification of signatures on any petition paper
in Section 6.03 of the city charter and to be worded as follows:
Sec. 12.11. Amending the Charter.
Amendments to this charter may be framed and submitted to the voters of the city in the manner
provided by state law and in compliance with the provisions of this charter pertaining to the
holding of elections, including the requirements in Section 6.03 for verification of signatures on
any petition paper that have been continuously in effect since the adoption of the original city
charter on February 24, 1967.

NOTE OF EXPLANATION: Proposition 2 would create a cross reference in the

City Charter.
Thus, a vote for Proposition 2 is to clarify the city charter requires verification of
signatures for all petitions filed with the City. A vote against Proposition 2 would leave
the wording as is in the charter, which has caused differing interpretations for different
petition types.
Arguments regarding Proposition 2
For
The purpose of Proposition 2 is a clarification of the petition
signature verification process. If citizens circulate a petition to
place a charter amendment before the voters, the signatures on
the petition must be verified by an oath or affirmation of the
person or group circulating the petition. This is consistent with
the signature verification requirements for an initiative,
referendum or recall petitions.
Proposition 2 will make it clear that the petition signature
verification requirements apply to any citizen petition in order
to place an item on the ballot; a requirement for any petition
paper since the original city charter was adopted in 1967.

Against
Requiring an oath of authenticity for signatures on a
petition to amend the city charter makes the process
more complicated for citizens.

Requiring signature verification is a limiting factor in

citizen participation in the governmental process.

Other Elections scheduled for November 3, 2015 in Hays County

State of Texas Constitutional Amendment Election for Seven Propositions
City of Buda General Election for Two Council Members
City of Buda Special Election on Alcohol Sales Hours
City of Woodcreek General Election for Mayor and Council Member
Wimberley Independent School District Election for Four Board Members
City of Mountain City General Election for One Council Member
Crosswinds Municipal Utility District Special Election on Road Bonds
Headwaters Municipal Utility District Election on Road Bonds and Taxes

NOVEMBER 3, 2015 ELECTION EARLY VOTING SCHEDULE

IN SAN MARCOS
Government Center
Conference Room.
712 S. Stagecoach Trail
San Marcos

October 19-23
October 24
October 25
October 26-30

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Hays County Health Dept.

401 A Broadway St.
San Marcos

October 19-23
October 24
October 25
October 26-30

8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
1 p.m. to 6 p.m
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Texas State University LBJ Student Ctr.

700 Student Center Drive, San Marcos October 27, 28 & 29

11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACES IN HAYS COUNTY, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

111 &112

Dunbar Center, 801 MLK Drive, San Marcos

110/113

Hays County Health Dept., 401 A Broadway Street, San Marcos

120

San Marcos Housing, Residents Office, 820 Sturgeon St., San Marcos

125/127/129

Tobias Elementary School, 1005 East FM 150, Kyle

221/223/225
224/228

Kyle City Hall, 100 W. Center, Kyle

Buda City Hall, 121 N. Main St., Buda

226/230/232/236/238

Hays Hills Baptist Church, 1401 North FM 1626, Buda

229/234

Goforth Water Supply, 8900 Niederwald Strasse, Niederwald

301/315/316/317

First Baptist Church San Marcos, 325 W. McCarty Lane, San Marcos

318/330/336/339

First Lutheran Church, 130 W. Holland St., San Marcos

332/334
333/335/337

Travis Elementary School, 1437 Post Road, San Marcos

413/414

Wimberley Community Center, 14068 Ranch Road 12, Wimberley

Allenwood Homes Auditorium, 1201 Thorpe Lane, San Marcos

416,/417/418/419/420/421

Wallace Middle School, 1500 W. Center Street, Kyle

440/441/449

Dripping Springs ISD Administration Ofc., 510 West Mercer St., Dripping Springs

442/443

Belterra Clubhouse, 801 Belterra Drive, Austin

444

Sunset Canyon Baptist Church, 4000 E. Hwy. 290, Dripping Springs

415/447

Promiseland Church, 1650 Lime Kiln Road, San Marcos