Details of (CCHOA) Secret meeting with Mayor leak out

Oak Hill Gazette September 3, 2004

The following are excerpts from that article. It is not in electronic form...find it at your local grocery store this week.

.... Keel got motivated to try to arrange a meeting concerning the MoPac toll after the leaking of a private luncheon meeting that President Quentin Fennessy and other Circle C Homeowners Association directors had attended in Mid August with Wynn, Councilman McCracken and Rep. Krusee of Williamson County, who played a key role in crafting the 2.2 billion Austin area toll.

Fennessy told Gazette reporter this week that he and other Circle C directors were invited to the luncheon meeting at the Shady Grove restaurant by the mayor. The mayor reportedly communicated his desire for the meeting through McCracken.

But Matt Curtis, Wynn's spokesperson insisted ''the mayor was invited to the meeting (by the Circle C officials) to discuss the toll policy amendments and he jumped at the chance to talk to the constituents.''....

...Keel said he believes this should be a public meeting with Wynn and other city officials and Krusee. ''It should be open to anyone who wants to attend,'' he maintained....

...some have expressed great disappointment with their homeowners association for meeting with government officials on such a controversial issue without informing the community residents or soliciting their input....

...Daughery said ''For Terry Keel and I not to be invited to this meeting was ridiculous''...

....Costello, who resides in Circle C and is heavily involved in the www.AustinTollParty.com operation said new Circle C directors elected there this year ran on openness for our community.

''And, for them to have a secret meeting to even consider giving away a bridge we already paid for is unacceptable,'' said Costello. ''They are out of touch with the families in our neighborhood that find this a double tax.''

At the meeting with Circle C officials, Mayor Wynn reportedly suggested the idea of ''a pay once a day pass'' for Circle C residents. A Circle C board member reportedly asked if Circle C residents could obtain a free pass for use on Saturdays if they wanted to drive to stores in Sunset Valley...

.... Earlier, Perrin, the OHAN president, circulated an E-mail accusing Wynn, McCracken and Krusee of trying to ''divide and conquer'' the local neighborhoods fighting the toll plan they feel is unjust.

''No one neighborhood should negotiate for all the other ones,'' he said. And no Austin neighborhood should agree to any deal ignoring other ones.''

Board Meets in Private with Wynn

Circle C Homeowners Board Meets in Private with Wynn, McCracken, Krusee on Tolls.

Keath Milligan Thursday, August 26, 2004 12:49:19 PM
www.keathmilligan.net

I have learned that the Circle C Ranch Homeowners Association Board of Directors met in private with Mayor Will Wynn, Councilman Brewster McCracken and State Rep Mike Krusee to discuss toll roads (and presumably other issues) in an unannounced session that was not disclosed to Circle C residents.

News of the meeting reached Circle C residents through another State legislator's office. Normally audio recordings are made of all Board of Directors meetings for the community, but no recording was made of this session and no minutes or other records of it have been published.

During the 90 minute meeting, it was suggested that rather than initiating all of the toll road projects slated for March, CAMPO ''phase in'' toll projects over the course of the next couple of years.

Toll road opponents charge that this is the latest example of a 'divide and conquer' campaign designed to pit homeowners associations and other community groups against citizens who oppose the expansive and controversial CAMPO plan to convert many of Austin's highways into revenue-generating turnpikes. Some Circle C residents have expressed disappointment with their homeowners association for meeting with government officials on such a controversial issue without informing the residents of the community or soliciting their input.

Circle C residents can contact their homeowners association at info@circlecranch.com.

No Secret Meetings CCHOA!

No Secret Meetings CCHOA!
by Sal Costello

This is my opinion on what is wrong with our CCHOA board. The leadership is simply not at home.

Quentin Fennessy is the current president and he has focused on only one issue, the school. I support a new school as well, but many issues face our community, and we need to deal with all of them. We need a balance and someone that shares the views of the average homeowner. Quentin simply does not get it, and is out of touch with the community.

Quentin has spearheaded spending thousands of dollars for the school and joined neighborhoods all over the city. While in contrast, the HOA has refused to join ANY No Toll Group in Austin and not spent one dime. The toll bridge alone, that we have already paid for (100% paid for with gas tax dollars), will cost the average Circle C family about $80 a month. The toll plan is nothing more than a NEW TAX. We already have a way to pay for roads. It's called a gas tax. The gas tax has not increased at the rate of inflation or the cost of living since 1991.

HOA FUMBLE CAN COST CIRCLE C FAMILIES $2.8 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!
The 3,000 homes in Circle C will pay about $2.8 million dollars a year for a bridge that is already paid for. That cost does not include more than 10 more other daily commute highways shifting to toll roads in Austin. Our current CCHOA President, Quentin Fennesy has been out of touch with the toll road plan for months. Hundreds of angry residents at the Circle C Toll Road Town Hall meeting TxDOT put on illustrated moinths ago how the community felt. Quentin seemed unimpressed and told me only the mad people came out, and maybe the ones who liked it stayed home. Quentin has supported the toll plan for Austin for months. I have been trying to tell our president that he is there to represent the people of Circle C, not his own view of how he likes the toll road plan.

The other glaring problem in our CCHOA is a Vice President who does not show up for meetings. Jim O'Reilly is MIA. He does not show up. He does not communicate with the other board members. That is unacceptable. Months ago he swaggered into a meeting bragging about how he gathered $100,000 to help fight for a school. It turns out he was not telling the truth and there was no such $100,000.

Our current board needs to vote in a new president and Vice-president that more closely represent Circle C and that will show up for meetings. I would suggest Scruggs and Dietz. I would NOT support Mary Geohring being in the leadership position since she supports the toll plan as an ex-TxDOT employee. I strongly suggest they replace O'Reilly, since he does not show up.The replacement would be someone who has already been working hard for our HOA, architect Carl Kernodle. He should be asked first. Period.

Email the HOA today and demand they:

?• Have quarterly town halls to listen to residents and their needs.
?• No longer hold secret meetings.
?• Use electronic newsletters and have newsletters at mailcenters to save us money
?• Tape record ALL meetings with a quorum.
?• Fight to stop the toll plan today!
?• Vote in a new president and vice president from the current 6 members that MOST represent the people of Circle C.
?• Replace Jim O'Reilly since he does not show up for meetings. IMPORTANT: Tell them to replace Jim O'Rielly with someone that has ALREADY VOLUNTEERED THEIR SERVICE.

Tell your CCHOA to shape up today: info@circlecranch.com.

Get the paper !! Wow

I'm impressed, Sal!

I read the Gazzette from cover to cover and it was amazing !?

These guys really did blink !


Not only that, but the article on OHAN was very interesting, too! The October 23rd Oak Hill party sounds like the beginings of a great annual event.

If you haven't picked up our little paper in the grocery stores, this is a good week-end to do so!!

Cool Beans.


Thanks Sal !!