Come learn how to fight your property taxes from a PRO! I first saw Cheryl's Seminar at a American's for Prosperity Summit. It was FANTASTIC and I promise you will not be disappointed you came! I asked Cheryl to come speak because of the high taxes that our Appraisers/Assessor put on our homes this year.  This free event will be held at Hill County Bible Church 303 East Pflugerville Pkway.

There is LIMITED SPACE SO IF YOU CAN'T COME PLEASE CHANGE RSVP!

Here is a commercial of Cheryl: http://www.youtube.co...

Here is the link to her office: http://www.co.galvest...

Here is a link to find directions to the church:

http://maps.google.co...

Cheryl's Bio:
A resident of the Bay Area since 1983, Cheryl is a courageous, energetic, and experienced leader. With nearly 30 years experience in real estate, government, tax, and legislative activities, she is devoted to serving the people with passion and commitment.

Her political involvement began in 1993 when she ran for a position on the Clear Creek Independent School District Board of Trustees. A parent, student, and taxpayer advocate, Cheryl worked tirelessly to bring more accountability to the district. As the only trustee to recognize that a proposed $120M bond would not achieve the true needs of the community, Cheryl encouraged the Board to consider other options before bringing the bond to the public. Upon the bond’s defeat, she facilitated a team of community leaders to develop a $63M alternative proposal that served hundreds more students plus brought equity to CCISD schools in both older and new neighborhoods. The same year, trustees approved adoption of a 10% local option homestead exemption fulfilling one of Cheryl’s first campaign promises to reduce taxes.

At the request of Senator Buster Brown to provide input on revisions of the Texas Education Code, Cheryl began a 14 year involvement with the State legislative process. She has developed friendships and professional relationships with many legislative leaders which continues to enable her to be effective in promoting changes in the Texas Capital.

As Galveston County Tax Assessor/Collector, Cheryl has continued efforts to bring about meaningful and sustainable property tax relief to Texas taxpayers while providing programs locally to assist them in successfully protesting their property values. Whether testifying on legislation in Austin or speaking at local chamber luncheons and taxpayer summits, she is dedicated to the premise that good government is possible, with fearless leaders challenging business as usual.

Delivering exemplary customer service to County residents and taxpayers is not only her job, it is Cheryl’s mission.

Representing the best interest of Galveston County’s taxpayers is a full time vocation. Cheryl E. Johnson is a dedicated public servant.

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
1993 to 2000 Founder and Member, Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility in Education
1994 to 1998 Appointee, State Senator J. E. Brown’s Advisory Committee on Education
1994 to 1997 Director, Clear Creek Education Foundation
1994 to 1999 Board of Trustees, Clear Creek Independent School District.
1995 Elected Secretary, Board of Trustees, Clear Creek Independent School District.
1996 Elected President, Board of Trustees, Clear Creek Independent School District.
1996 to 1998 Elected to Statewide Legislative Advisory Council for the Texas Association of School Boards
1996 to 1999 Member, Federal Relationship Network of the National Association of School Boards
1997 to 2000 Board of Directors, Galveston Central Appraisal District
Elected Chair of the Board of Directors, Galveston Central Appraisal District
Re-elected Board of Directors, Galveston Central Appraisal District
2000 Appointee, Galveston County Indigent Health Care Task Force
2005 to Present Ex-Officio Member, Board of Directors, Galveston Central Appraisal District
2006 to Present Legislative and Security Committees, Tax Assessor Collectors Association of Texas
2007 Programs Committee, Tax Assessor Collectors Association of Texas

MEMBERSHIPS
Galveston Association of Realtors
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Galveston Island Propeller Club
Galveston Kiwanis
Friendswood, Galveston, Hitchcock, League City, North Galveston County and Santa Fe Chambers of Commerce
Galveston Friends of Business
American Business Women’s Association of Santa Fe
Friendswood, Clear Creek, Galveston and Sandpiper Republican Women’s Clubs
Galveston Island Pachyderm
Tax Assessor Collectors Association of Texas
Texas Association of Assessing Officers
CLOUT (Citizens Lowering Our Unfair Taxes)
Americans For Prosperity Texas
Galveston League of Women Voters

Contact Katie Brewer with your Reservation or with any questions you may have.  Phone: 318-617-8292 Email: katieeebug@yahoo.com

Volunteers for the Erica Grignon for City Council Campaign will be meeting at Blue Marble Java on Sunday at 1:00 P.M. for the final time before early voting starts on Monday.  This is our final big push and we hope to knock on at least 500 doors! 

Erica will also be attending the PPD annual Bicycle Rodeo at the Pflugerville Highschool parking lot from 10:00 - 2:00 on Saturday.

If you would like to volunteer please call Erica @ 512-351-2452 or email erica4pflugerville@yahoo.com . 

Erica is pleased to announce endorsements from Texas for Accountable Government www.tagtexas.org , The Republican Liberty Caucus www.rlc.org/, and The Travis County Libertarian Party www.austinliberty.org .  While Erica is not a member of the Republican Liberty Caucus or the Libertarian Party her committment to low taxes, individual liberty, and government accountability has helped to earn their support.

We are meeting at Blue Marble Java at 10:00 A.M.  If you would like to volunteer please call Erica @ 512-351-2452 or email erica4pflugerville@yahoo.com.

I just got back from attending my first City Council meeting since I filed to run for place 5.  It was another packed house.  More development and zoning issues concerning yet another ALUR (Alternative Land Use) near a high end subdivision (Falcon Point).  Apparently the developer wants to make changes to the ALUR that are unpopular with many Falcon Point residents.  They want to change the minimum square footage on single residential homes from 1600 sqft to 1200 sqft.  The City of Pflugerville currently has a limit or standard of 1400 sqft.  If approved this would set a precedent of lowering the city standards to accommodate developers. There was also discussion of apartments possibly being built and that was extremely unpopular with the residents. Many came and spoke against the motion to amend the ALUR and even more wanted their opposition placed on record.  I decided to speak to the council and ask them not approve the amendment.  I told them the people bought their homes in Falcon Point for a reason and they should not have to worry about a decline in home value because of apartments or smaller houses. I hope the council does the right thing this time.  I am interested to see how the place 5 incumbent will vote or voted as I did not get to stay for the entire meeting.  He has consistent record of voting against the homeowners in favor of developers but maybe since it's an election year....

Another item of concern was the review of the city finances.  Developer income is down resulting in shortfall of 1.2 million dollars for 2009 and 2010.  Currently 47.6 percent of the city income comes from property taxes and 14 percent from sales tax.  The good news was the increase in sales tax and that helped make up for the loss in developer revenue.  The city had to postpone some road overlay projects and postpone hiring for three months to make up for the shortfall.  So far things are looking good and we could see an increase in sales tax from the new stores.  That sounds great to me but I do have some concern about the current economic conditions.  What if the downward trend continues?  What if the unemployment rates continue to increase as many have predicted?  How much retail shopping will people without jobs be able to do?  I hope the City has some kind of back up plan (other than raising taxes) in case the sales tax doesn't reach their predictions.

I participated in my first Candidate forum on Saturday May 21st.  It went better than expected considering how nervous I was.  It was a great experience and I learned a lot from it.  There were twice as many hits to the website that day and I am hopeful it was due to the forum. 

The incumbent was asked a question about the  New Quest development near Highland Park North.  On June 10, 2008 the City Council voted unanimously to approve rezoning for apartments from 20 to 25 units per acre. Link to official city minutes  http://tx-pflugerville2.civicplus.com/Archive.asp?ADID=1987

There were 25 residents who spoke in front of the council and over 200 who did not wish to speak but wanted their opposition recorded for the record.  When he was asked why he voted against the people in favor for the developer his response was "the developer didn't even have to ask us to approve it, they could have just done it anyway." 

Since this was not a debate and we were allowed no rebuttals I am writing what I would have liked to have said.  Why was this on the agenda and why did City Council even vote on this if it was unnecessary?  Why were the residents of Highland Park North led to believe that by coming to City Council they could have made an impact on the Council's decision?  This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Either the incumbent is lying or admitting that the City Council intentionally wasted everyone’s time for a formality. 

Are you tired of the "business as usual" mentality at City Hall in Pflugerville? If so please support my campaign.  I am a person just like you and can relate to your situation.  I will fight for you at City Hall!

Thanks for checking out the site.  This is just a start and we will have more content coming soon.   Facebook and twitter pages are being created and videos are also coming soon.  Check back for information about volunteer opportunies and campaign events. 

 

Sincerely,

Erica Grignon