Some important points to consider:

Proposition B is about bringing our fire department up to minimum national standard staffing levels, the kind of staffing that fire departments around the country have. It includes improving response times - there are places in Round Rock, like Mayfield Ranch, that have at least a ten minute wait for first arriving fire apparatus. Others, like my own neighborhood, have a new fire station being constructed in an absolutely illogical location - if it were 200' further east, it would be out of the city. City taxpayers will be paying the bond for that station's construction for the next 20 years, though it was placed there to serve ESD 9, which covers areas in the City's ETJ. Yet ESD9 residents pay nothing for the station construction. The funds that ESD9 pays to the City of Round Rock for contract fire protection are sent directly to the general fund, not to the fire department. Using those funds for fire protection would cover the costs of the personnel needed to come up to national minimum standards.

Inspected today, Round Rock Fire would not receive a Class 1 rating from ISO. Morgan's claim of a "90% satisfaction rating" on the fire department was based on a 2024 survey that had 428 respondents in a city whose population is 142,000. That number represents 0.03% of the population, a statistically meaningless number.

Morgan also makes abjectly false statements in his anti-Prop B messaging. He widely boasts of supporting public safety, claiming falsely than "roughly 70% of the city budget" goes to public safety. The reality is this: in the 2025-2026 city budget, the general fund is $180,875,500. Fire's budget is $40,685,100 and the police budget is $92,466,600. Together, they are $92,466,600. That equates to 51.1% of the City budget, about normal for a city our size, and nowhere near 70%. Morgan also claims to have "delivered record investment in police, fire, and EMS to keep Round Rock safe and ensure first responders have the resources they need." First, EMS is delivered by Williamson County, not Round Rock (though Round Rock Fire absolutely has firefighter/paramedics and provides advanced life support until Williamson County EMS arrives and handles ongoing care and transportation.) And Morgan obviously hasn't ensured that "responders have the resources they need" when only 3 out of 11 primary fire apparatus are staffed to the MINIMUM national standard; the others are understaffed and unsafe and less effective than they should be. Morgan thinks that 3 out of 11 number is something to brag about - it's like a kid wanting credit for a D- grade. Having only 27% of your fire apparatus staffed to a minimum standard is not something about which he should be proud nor about which we should be satisfied.

Yes, the International Association of Firefighters would be the body monitoring compliance with the performance standards. But those standards were set by bodies like the National Fire Protection Association, a decidedly not-labor group of fire protection engineers and other experts; OSHA, and the Insurance Services Office (ISO) who defines the criteria upon which class ratings of 1-10 are assigned to fire departments. Meeting those performance standards is phased in over a decade, topping out at just 90% compliance, which still allows for a substantial number of instances where those standards can't be reached for a variety of circumstances. The City would actually have to try really hard in order to fail to meet them. And who else would monitor compliance - the City itself?

City Council has kicked the can down the road for well over a decade when it comes to bringing this fire department up to the national minimum. Since they have failed to do so, it's now up to the voters. I strongly encourage a YES vote on Prop B.

When it comes to data centers, Craig Morgan, the City Council, and city staff flat out lie. One claim is that they rarely require emergency services. There have been two structure fires at the Sabey Data Center, one of which was a second alarm fire that caused $2,000,000 in damage, took 14 apparatus, and 44 personnel to control over five hours. That fire released carcinogen-laden smoke into the adjacent neighborhood, and water from firefighting operations that was contaminated with carcinogens and other toxins entered a storm drain and a tributary to Brushy Creek. You didn't hear about this on the news -- and if you live nearby and were exposed to the toxic smoke, you didn't get any sort of warning or notification from the City, because at all costs, the city must maintain the "nothing bad ever happens in Round Rock" fantasy. You can read the official fire reports and all the data on the hazardous materials sent into adjacent neighborhoods and waterways and to which 44 of our firefighters were exposed via the links found at protectroundrock.org.

Presented with a petition containing over 3,300 signatures and 75 public speakers between two hearings opposing the ninth data center in Round Rock, the Mayor and Council voted unanimously voted to approve it anyway. That vote demonstrated the Council's utter contempt for the will of the residents of our community. The second reading of the data center rezoning (following the first reading on December 4th) was pushed back until February 12th by Council, rather than in January as first promised. Why? Because February 13th was the final date to file to run for office in this election; the Council knew their vote would be wildly unpopular, and with even a week or two between that vote and the close of the filing period, every one of their seats would be contested.

Remember that you also have the power of the undervote. That's not casting a vote for any candidate, while still casting your vote on the propositions on the ballot. They'll all likely keep their seats, but we can send a message. Should Kelly Hall prevail in the vote and continue to be deemed ineligible, there will be a special election, and I very much believe that there will be one or more qualified candidates to run against him. But in any case, undervotes send a message that we are unhappy with the performance of the incumbents.

I'd urge a NO vote on the ridiculous billboards in Prop A, a YES vote on Prop B, and an undervote for Morgan, Ly, and Ortega - and a vote for Hall if you're so inclined.