FROM FARMERS BRANCH CITY COUNCILMEN TIM O’HARE (Place 2) and BEN ROBINSON (Place 5)

Dear Neighbor:

On May 12th, or during early voting, which runs from April 30th – May 8th, you will have the opportunity to decide the direction of our City.

As you are probably aware, Ordinance 2903, which prohibits apartment landlords from renting property to most illegal immigrants, comes to the voters for approval. We believe this ordinance is important to ensure the safety of our community, the values of our homes, the quality of our schools and the ability to redevelop many of our retail areas that have been in decline for several years. There is a tremendous amount of false information being spread about this ordinance and its effects. We want our community to have what we believe is the real information about the impact of Ordinance 2903 and other measures that we have passed to curb the influx of illegal immigrants into our City.

FALSEHOOD #1: Ordinance 2903 is Bad for Business
THE TRUTH: Since this ordinance was first brought to the community in August of 2006, many positive things have happened in the business community in our City, including:

•  a 200,000+ square foot building on the West Side of the City that had sat close to half vacant for years was leased in full
•  a major fast-food chain moved their corporate headquarters to Farmers Branch
•  a nationally known youth soccer club moved their headquarters to Farmers Branch – the contract guarantees our City 15,000 hotel room nights a year for 16 years, giving us substantial revenue for our Hotel-Motel Fund
•  The amount of square footage leased or sold is up 20% during the 4th Quarter of 2006 compared to the 4th Quarter of 2005
•  New homes are under construction in Branch Crossing at a record pace while homes continue to be built at The Courtyards after years of dormancy

FALSEHOOD #2: We Can’t Afford the Lawsuits
THE TRUTH: As a result of legal fees to date, there has not been one job eliminated within the City, not one service for our residents has been reduced or eliminated, and there has been no discussion of raising taxes to pay for legal fees. WE DO NOT HAVE TO RAISE TAXES TO PAY FOR OUR LEGAL FEES. Any assertion to the contrary is simply false. We have an insurance carrier who will pay all of our legal fees after our deductibles are met on two of the cases if they are not dismissed outright, which is a very real possibility. In addition, if the cases are dismissed or won by the City, we can seek reimbursement for all of our attorney fees from those who have sued us.

Defending these lawsuits has cost money. But, the question needs to be asked: what is the cost of not passing this ordinance? Our property value trends are not where they should be in relation to our location, services and natural beauty. From 2002 to 2006, our overall property values have gone down from approximately $3.9 billion to $3.5 billion. We must draw the line now and reverse the trend. If you want to see the result of not acting, tour the residential neighborhoods near Love Field and on either side of Harry Hines south of Walnut Hill.

FALSEHOOD #3: This Ordinance Gives Farmers Branch a Negative Image
THE TRUTH: According to a recent Dallas Business Journal poll, 84% of their readers approve of Ordinance 2903. A Fox 4 News poll indicated that 91% of their respondents were in favor of our actions. There have been other polls conducted through local media, and all of the approval ratings we have seen were overwhelmingly in favor of our efforts.  In addition, Sales Tax Revenue for the City from August – December 2006 was up on average more than 10% compared to the same time period in 2005.  You should also know that major crimes dropped 15.6% in the 4th Quarter of 2006. We believe this ordinance and its public discussion played a role in that reduction.

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

There are 5 candidates running for 2 open seats on our City Council. Only two candidates support Ordinance 2903: Tim Scott in Place 1 and David Koch in Place 4. In fact, David Koch’s opponent provided a key affidavit supporting the Plaintiff who filed the lawsuit against the City that has been the most expensive to defend to date.

Tim Scott is an active participant in our City through his church, Janie Stark Elementary and our School Community Relations Committee. He and his wife have one daughter. Tim was a vital member of the Branch Revitalization Task Force and has excellent marketing and sales skills which will benefit our Council. He is a 10-year resident of Farmers Branch and currently trains the sales force for Trane Commercial Systems.

David Koch was born and raised in Farmers Branch and is married with 3 children. David is a partner in a law firm where his primary focus is commercial real estate law. His experience in this area would benefit the City in its efforts to bring in new development. David has frequently appeared at Council meetings speaking about revitalization and redevelopment and brought the idea of Branch Crossing to the City after hearing about the efforts of Bellaire, Texas to revitalize their neighborhoods.

VOTE ON MAY 12th!

We believe that Ordinance 2903 is right for Farmers Branch. We believe it will help our property values appreciate, strengthen our schools, help us to revitalize our neighborhoods and bring high-quality retail into our City. We are asking you to join us in VOTING FOR 2903.

We also believe that Tim Scott and David Koch are the right men to lead our City into the future. Please join us in voting for TIM SCOTT, Place 1 and DAVID KOCH, Place 4.