Know what you are and then plan for the future based on that information.
For anyone in government right now, that is my recommendation.
Again, know what you are, not what you wish you could be and not what some other community is. Midland isn’t any other community in the state of Texas. Good or bad, that is how it is.
In the past two weeks, the Reporter-Telegram has brought you stories about the Hogan Park project and Wildcatter Trail, the bicycle pathway being dreamed up for bicyclists in both Midland-Odessa. The price tags for both are or will be incredibly ambitious. They won’t be the last “ambitious” projects.
As we move forward and we read about more wish list items for the city, county, school district, college and hospital district, we will hear about schools, jails, parks, water projects, health care facilities, educational transformations, infrastructure, entertainment options and more.
Even if voters approve projects at an unprecedented rate, there will still be projects that we have to put back on the shelf. Even with $100 oil, there are limits on resources. How do we know which ones aren’t right for Midland right now or in the future? Easy, know who you are and what Midland can be.
Some will say that puts limits on a community. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Knowing what you are and planning accordingly will allow us to have more, make each dollar count and be more successful electorally.
Why do bonds and tax referendums fail? Because someone misread a community. I have lived in Midland for more than 25 years, and there hasn’t been a bond proposal or tax election fail that was in the best interest of the Midland I know. If the plan is a good one, it will pass.
If the school district wants to pass a bond, then it should remember that MISD’s sole purpose is to make sure “All students will graduate prepared and ready for college or career.” Other considerations should include Midlanders’ appreciation for school choice.
If Midland wants to be a top-100 city, then its leaders should remember that based on the financial situation of the day there will be limitations in what it can be. In other words, city residents can’t have everything that they want. So, figure out what it is that will define progress in Midland over the next 30 years and check some boxes while knowing there is no way you can check them all. It would be a benefit that Midland does a few things incredibly well instead of many things terribly average.
The county has options that frankly no other taxing entity does. It was a mistake for Midland residents to grant a half cent of sales tax be collected for county government, but that is the bed we made for ourselves decades ago. With the money they bring in and the money still out there for the taking, county leaders can check off more boxes than most and not even break much of a sweat.
The fun thing is Midlanders will be able to put “know who you are” to the test pretty quickly. I am expecting as many as five or six tax elections in the next three years, and the cumulative price tag will be in the hundreds of millions (and that is before the interest is factored in).
We are blessed in this community to have foundations that put so much back into Midland and oil companies that reinvest in their community. But the truth is there aren’t enough conservancies in the world or enough mineral revenue to keep Midland’s entities from having to go to the voters. Tax elections are going to happen.
Here’s hoping when they do, they know what we are and then plan for the future based on that information – no more and no less.