What a Conflict of Interest that the BOD=City Council…who continues to vote in more gas wells
Here is the link to our BOD, http://www.arlington-tx.gov/arlingtonfoundation/who-we-are/leadership/board-of-directors/. They are 100% City Council….this has always been this way except for the first year or so when the pres of UTA and Judge Mary Tom Curnett’s dad.
I have been complaining about this conflict of interest and see there are two open seats in an ATF citizen advisory committee, http://www.arlington-tx.gov/news/2018/10/16/arlington-tomorrow-foundation-seeking-advisory-committee-members/?fbclid=IwAR1a6JQMbbTmqS-qVPIoOJ7tql4jpVm29NE_I-QCm-_Y4RjJfJrjziazxTI.
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
To: Carolyn Arlington <carolyn.mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2018 7:28 AM
Subject: When did the ATF start having an advisory comittee
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2018 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: When did the ATF start having an advisory comittee
Hi, Kim. The Advisory Committee role was added to our procedures in 2014.
Carolyn Mentesana
From: Trey Yelverton <Trey.Yelverton@arlingtontx.gov>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>; Jeff Williams <Jeff.Williams@arlingtontx.gov>; Kathryn Wilemon <Kathryn.Wilemon@arlingtontx.gov>; Sheri Capehart <Sheri.Capehart@arlingtontx.gov>; Lana Wolff <Lana.Wolff@arlingtontx.gov>; Michael Glaspie <Michael.Glaspie@arlingtontx.gov>; Robert Shepard <Robert.Shepard@arlingtontx.gov>; Victoria Farrar-Myers <Victoria.Farrar-Myers@arlingtontx.gov>; Roxanne Thalman <Roxanne.Thalman@arlingtontx.gov>; Jim Parajon <Jim.Parajon@arlingtontx.gov>; Helen Moise <Helen.Moise@arlingtontx.gov>
Cc: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2018 7:12 PM
Subject: RE: Show me the budget: Texas LIVE taxes will not be paying back $50 million ATF fund
Ms. Feil,
Please take a look at page 174 of the 2019 Budget and Business Plan. There are several pieces of information I would like to point out to answer your question.
First, a slight correction from Ms. Mentesana’s answer to you. The city’s source of repayment to the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation is not from general fund revenue. Rather, the transaction is handled within our Convention and Event Services Fund to ensure tourism-based dollars are being used to advance more tourism.
Look at the middle of page 174 and you will see a heading called Interfund Transfers. Three lines to look at here:
- To ATF, Corpus Reimbursement – You will see $2,846,838 is budgeted. Since the agreement was approved and through FY18, $5,444,663 of corpus reimbursement has already occurred. When corpus is returned, it is invested consistent with the Foundation’s Investment Policy to generate revenue for community grants.
- To ATF, Granting and Interest – You will see $1,304,833 is budgeted. Since the agreement was approved and through FY18, $3,983,679 has been returned to the Foundation for granting. These funds replace the bond investment fund returns that the Foundation was earning previously. In other words, the interest earnings that the Foundation enjoyed prior to the transaction has been maintained in order for the Foundation not to lose community granting capacity.
- Debt Service – Grand Hall – This debt was paid off in 2017 and has allowed the previous $1.2M in funding to be utilized for ATF corpus reimbursement and granting/interest. Healthy revenue growth in the fund make up the difference.
In summary, the city’s $50M commitment to Texas Live was structured in a manner to invest directly in our city’s entertainment district, instead of a fixed-income corporate bond fund. In a bond fund, we would send principal to a firm. They would invest it and send us earnings. If want our money back, we would ask for it and receive it. In this transaction, principal was invested in the Texas Live development. Cost savings and increased revenues in the Convention & Event Services Fund provide the city’s foundation its corpus reimbursement over time, while simultaneously providing interest earnings that can be (and have been) used to make community grants in an ongoing fashion.
I hope this helps answer your question. Have a great weekend.
Take care,
Trey
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2018 9:30 AM
To: Jeff Williams <Jeff.Williams@arlingtontx.gov>; Kathryn Wilemon <Kathryn.Wilemon@arlingtontx.gov>; Sheri Capehart <Sheri.Capehart@arlingtontx.gov>; Lana Wolff <Lana.Wolff@arlingtontx.gov>; Michael Glaspie <Michael.Glaspie@arlingtontx.gov>; Robert Shepard <Robert.Shepard@arlingtontx.gov>; Victoria Farrar-Myers <Victoria.Farrar-Myers@arlingtontx.gov>; Roxanne Thalman <Roxanne.Thalman@arlingtontx.gov>; Trey Yelverton <Trey.Yelverton@arlingtontx.gov>; Jim Parajon <Jim.Parajon@arlingtontx.gov>; Helen Moise <Helen.Moise@arlingtontx.gov>
Subject: Show me the budget: Texas LIVE taxes will not be paying back $50 million ATF fund
So where is the $3,333,333 line item in this years budget to pay back Texas LIVE?
$50 million divided by 15 yrs is $3.3/yr payback (not including interest).
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2018 4:27 PM
Subject: RE: Q on threshold balance before giving out ATF funds
The City’s source for the repayment to the Foundation is from general fund budgeting. This commitment is not associated with any business activities related to the Texas Live operation. Does that answer your question?
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2018 2:31 PM
To: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
Subject: Re: Q on threshold balance before giving out ATF funds
Forgive me for not understanding how it is to be repaid. If we are not collecting taxes from TexasLIVE for another 30 years, what funds will be used to pay it back in 15 years?
Thank you for your discourse in this matter.
From: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
To: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2018 2:24 PM
Subject: RE: Q on threshold balance before giving out ATF funds
Hi, Kim. The City’s plan is to repay the Foundation in 15 years with the interest.
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2018 8:29 AM
To: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
Subject: Re: Q on threshold balance before giving out ATF funds
Thank you for the quick and thorough response….it is my understanding that the city tax revenues (sales, hotel occupancy and alcohol) from TexasLIVE will be reimbursed to the businesses there for the next 30 years…is there a time line document for repayment with interest back to ATF?
Do we have to wait 30 years before seeing the repayments?
Kim Feil
From: Carolyn Mentesana <Carolyn.Mentesana@arlingtontx.gov>
To: “staff@arlingtonfoundation.org” <staff@arlingtonfoundation.org>; kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2018 7:17 AM
Subject: Re: Q on threshold balance before giving out ATF funds
Hi, Kim. The City Council gave the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation $100 million to establish an endowment. The endowment is invested and the earnings from the fund are the source of contributions to the city’s charities and the Parks Department. Non profits can apply for grants throughout the year. To date, we’ve awarded more than $20 million in grants.
Several years ago, the City Council recaptured $50 million from the endowment to help with costs associated with the Texas Live project. The City of Arlington is returning the $50 million to the Foundation’s endowment along with interest earnings.
If you have other questions, please let me know.
Carolyn Mentesana
From: kim feil <kimfeil@sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2018 6:37 AM
To: staff@arlingtonfoundation.org
Subject: Q on threshold balance before giving out ATF funds
In the past I recall that once the parks dept. get their share of royalties, anything over one hundred million goes to the money non profits can apply for…Is the new threshold now fifty million?
UPDATE Jan 2015 Here is a pic of me and Benzene in the background of a city video protesting at Ecofest 2014…
UPDATE Sept 12 2014 How ironic that blood money from drilling that funds the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation account is to be used in the name of “going green”. A recent city blog for our annual Eco Fest posted an Eco-Man video starring who I call…
In this video our mayor demands Eco-Man to “paint this town green”…..he must mean green like in money cause with all the gas wells painted into our landscapes and air & water sheds, thats an impossible demand thanks to Dr Cluck and our City Council. Our Arlington leaders allowed Urban Drilling in without first demanding a health and environmental impact study (EIS).
How ironic that an EIS is needed for a public rail system, but not for Urban Drilling. Nope we cannot count on Eco-Man to be able to stand up to BenZene of the BarnettShale. Ben owns our backyards, businesses, schools & churches…Ben is in our Downtown District…& in our Entertainment District!
Here is a quote regarding the 9/12/14 press release….
“Feds take step in studying high-speed rail, Dallas to Forth Worth
With announced plans of an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) upcoming, the Federal Railroad Administration has begun the process of studying the possibility of a high-speed passenger rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth.
“The development of high-speed rail could be a significant opportunity for our state,” said Victor Vandergriff, member of the Texas Transportation Commission. Vandergriff said the Texas Department of Transportation is studying possible high-speed rail corridors statewide to see if they are viable options to meet the transportation needs of a growing Texas population.
Local entities and the public will have 90 days to submit written comments on the scope of the EIS, which is intended to determine the potential impacts high-speed rail could have on a region’s communities, economy, open spaces, streams, floodplains and wildlife.”
UPDATE May 2014
The Make-A-Wish Foundation request for $10,000 to underwrite the wishes of two Arlington children was denied and the irony of it is that those children probably live near or go to school by those toxic gas wells…and I’m so sure the council and cluck cluck are happy with their conflict of interest in being the deciding body that approves all this industrialized carcinogenic activity and also has the final say on how that blood money gets spent….for shame…for shame…to their graves our council likes to march in no fear of God for what they do.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/05/23/5843335/city-council-happy-so-far-with.html#storylink=cpy
Tomorrow $$ Funds applicants
Past “Blood Money” recipients at http://arlingtonfoundation.org/ are as follows…. but first my message to the industry reading this is that…..
If the drilling industry will use electric rigs,
invent technology to prevent silica dust from leaving the drill sites,
use ATMOS gas to frack with,
show water and soil tests from mud farming are NOT going into our storm drains and produce,
put scrubbers on open hatch flowback tanks or
use ventless, pressurized flowback tanks, then they only have to guarantee that the
cement casings won’t rot,
and that the steel casings can withstand earthquakes,
and that the injection wells will not eventually migrate and contaminate our ground water….nevermind the human errors/accidents from the huge build out which “is not” an acceptable amount.
We live in BarnettShaleHell and you can’t fix that… You cannot undrill those wells, unpollute the water, unsicken the people & animals, and unpollute the air!
Oh and Mr Gas Mafia…please guarantee that the feds won’t come after the landowners to clean up any messes you (the drillers) are exempt from…
(rant over) and now for…drum roll…..Past “Blood Money” recipients…
Boys and Girls Club Building Expansion,
COA Animal Services First Strike- Animal Services,
Lamar Baptist Church Family Life Park,
Arlington Life ShelterReaching Out Program,
Family Pathfinders Family Self-Sufficiency Program,
Conflict of Interest Information Form
Name: Kim Feil Title: BarnettShaleHell blogger
Please describe below any relationships, positions, or circumstances in which you are involved that you believe could contribute to a Conflict of Interest (as defined in FOUNDATION’s Policy on Conflicts of Interest) arising.
1. Councilmember Bennett approves gas well permits and disperses funds
2. Councilwoman Wolff approves gas well permits and disperses funds
3. Councilman Galaspie approves gas wells and disperses funds
I hereby certify that the information set forth above is true and complete to the best of my (conscience)………
Signature:
Kim Feil
Date: 9/20/2012
UPDATE…..ArlingtonVoice newspaper has interviewed me and this is what I submitted…..The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation is not contributing to a thriving Arlington, but rather depriving Arlington’s future by the very existence of industrialized sites co-existing in neighborhoods and near schools. This hamster wheel of fortune is seeded with blood money for our guinea pig experiment under the guise of good deeds which makes those in leadership positions vying for these funds part of the shale prostitution problem when they are really good people with good intentions.
How do you feel about City Council members being able to sit on the ATF board which decides which organizations get what money? Is this a *conflict of interest?
If someone asked me to give an example of conflict of interest, I would site this incestuous relationship since council votes to permit the gas wells “and” as a council majority on the board also gets to decide “who” should receive these funds, which then makes them the pimps of this city’s shale prostitution ring. My husband thinks this money should be given back to the people and not to special interest groups.
What would you say to businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations who have benefited from money distributed by the ATF?
I would say that you who are entrusted with positions of leadership and influence that you have been misled, that you have been corrupted by the devil’s oldest trick in the book. No amount of money cannot buy back the damage done to our city’s livibility image, it’s air quality, affected market real estate values, and very possbily the long term health of our residents.
Any additional comments you would like to include would be great. I live & blog in BarnettShaleHell.wordpress.com
Arlington TX Barnett Shale Blogger 
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