MAKE PORT FREEPORT SELF-SUFFICIENT
The Ports of Galveston and Corpus Christi are self-sufficient, with no local property tax, and Port Freeport can and should do the same. In 2020, property taxes only made up 14% of total revenue, and if they were zeroed out in this year’s budget the Port would still have a positive net income. It’s not a matter of ability, it’s just a matter of priorities, and Rob is committed to lowering the Port Freeport property tax to zero.
REDUCE WASTEFUL SPENDING
One example: for attending two meetings per month, the commissioners pay themselves 9 times the average city council salary for communities within the Port’s taxing jurisdiction, plus car and telephone allowances. To add insult to injury, the commissioners have also made themselves eligible for employee healthcare benefits, including taxpayer-subsidized medical, dental and vision insurance. Contrast this with the Port of Corpus Christi, whose commissioners receive zero benefits or pay, and the Port of Galveston, where trustees are paid $10 per meeting with no fringe benefits.
TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE ONGOING DEBT EXPLOSION
In 2012, the Port’s total debt was $42 million. This had ballooned to $211 million by 2020, but they are just getting started on their borrowing binge. The current expansion plan forecasts total debt to rise to over $600 million by 2028, a 14-fold increase in only 16 years. A proper analysis must be conducted and a plan put in place to tap the brakes on this ever-expanding debt. An over-extended Port will never be self-sufficient.
ESTABLISH TERM LIMITS
Rob is a strong supporter of term limits and believes 12 years is long enough for an elected official to serve in any office. One of his first acts as commissioner will be to propose a 12 year term limit on port commissioners.