My name is John Stratemann and I am running for Comal County Commissioner, Precinct 2. I look forward to giving back to a community that has given so much to my family since we arrived in 1845. 

I am running on a platform of bringing the taxpayer back into the Commissioner Court, which includes strict fiscal conservatism, taxpayer protection, and limited government.

The county government should operate with the same discipline that Comal County families and small businesses live by every day. 

A vote for me is a vote for a strong fiscal, experienced, pro-business conservative voice on the court.

Q&A Responses

1. Infrastructure and economic competitiveness

Q: How will you prioritize road, bridge, and infrastructure investments so businesses can move goods, serve customers, and grow without delays or added costs?

A: First and foremost, whatever the specific issue is, my decision making will be driven by data, transparency and a fiscally conservative framework that focuses on the taxpayer. Every day families and small business owners in Comal County have to make hard decisions based on their financial reality and a plan. They do not have contingency funds, or the ability to take from one line item to fund another, or the luxury of being surprised by an expense, and county government should operate in the same reality. After expenses are cut, and the government is operating in a more cost effective manner, funding necessary capital projects will not result in a $19m tax increase. Taking more taxpayer money should be the absolute last option, after every possible means to cut expenses has been exhausted.

I will have a plan for every component that makes up the Commissioner job. Not vague terms, not feel-good verbiage, a plan that is clear, predictable, supported by outside experts and also flexible when confronted with updated data.

It is within the framework described above that I have created my plan for prioritizing infrastructure investments for all of Comal County, which follows:

Safety Impact first
1. Focus on areas with high crash history, school zones and emergency routes and condition of bridges.
2. Safety of Comal County citizens will always come first.
Targeted Congestion relief
1. Turn lanes, signal improvements, intersection redesigns need to be reviewed and improved.
2. These actions have a high impact, but at a lower cost.
Fix it First approach
1. TXDOT studies show $1 spent early saves $4 - $10 at a later date.
Aggressively coordinate with TXDOT
1. Quarterly meetings with Charles Benavidez, Comal County District Mgr for TXDOT, and his team, with input from taxpayers.
2. Align county priorities with their priorities.
Transparency and Accountability
1. Publish quarterly road condition report.
2. Include project ranking list, clear explanation of why projects rise or fall.

Infrastructure is one of the three main pillars of county government. We owe it to the taxpayers to fix what we have, protect safety first and invest every dollar where it delivers the greatest public return.

2. Fiscal policy and predictability

Q: How will you balance responsible budgeting and tax rates with the need to invest in services and infrastructure that support a strong business environment?

A: I know this situation well. I will bring a business mentality to the Commissioners Court, not a Non-Profit or Public Service feel good mentality. An approach where shareholder (i.e. - taxpayer) value is maximized, where every decision is supported by data, and every dollar spent is scrutinized.

I know what environment allows businesses to thrive, and conversely, what makes the business community stay away, or minimize their investment in an area.

Following is my plan to support a strong business community while focusing on budgeting:

Focus on core services, not nice to have expenses
1. Public safety, roads and bridges, flood management, statutory services.
2. The business community values reliability over flashy projects.
Control long-term cost drivers
1. Scrutinize and better manage personnel growth, benefit costs, deferred maintenance and debt service, these drive future tax increases, which the business community does not appreciate.
2. Predictable low future costs equals a predictable low future tax environment which businesses prefer.
Focus on process efficiency
1. Faster, predictable permitting, clear development standards and coordinated reviews all with maximum transparency.
2. All of those are cheap, process improvements that yield a high benefit.
Coordinate with cities, TXDOT, Texas Econ Development Council, other counties, etc.
1. The business community does not care about jurisdictional boundaries.
2. Quarterly meetings and coordination prevents duplication, bottlenecks and increased costs for businesses.

A strong, growing business environment helps every Comal County taxpayer. To ensure this, what the county can do for the business community is to keep taxes low and predictable, infrastructure maintained and reliable, and rules clear and standard. In turn, these businesses give residents higher wages and stability, abundant opportunities, enhanced career mobility and personal well-being.

3. Growth management and development certainty

Q: How will you support sustainable growth while providing clear, consistent policies so businesses and developers can plan and invest with confidence?

A: As I said in my comments for question #2, I know this situation well. The business/growth community sometimes is portrayed as a bad actor, which could not be farther from the truth. These business owners and developers live in Comal County, they are raising families, worshiping and putting down roots here. They do not oppose rules or public goals, but they do have a problem with unclear and inconsistent standards, unfounded and incorrect expectations, and slow and unpredictable processes. To businesses, uncertainty equals higher costs and expanded timelines, and uninformed opinions increase risks.

My plan to support growth with policies that give businesses and developers confidence follows:

Establish clear, written policies
1. Eliminate guesswork and ad hoc policy making.
2. Support standards for plats, roads, drainage, etc.
3. Ensure that rules are applied consistently. d. Again, predictability is pro-business.
Protect water capacity
1. Quarterly meetings with TWDB, TCEQ, Texas Water Company and the local conservation districts.
2. Vague, unfounded outlooks upset citizens and create an anti-development narrative.
Plan and preserve ROW and corridors early
1. Request ROW dedication at plat stage.
2. Protect future expansion options.
3. Low and predictable future taxes, combined with fewer conflicts attracts development.
Improve process efficiency
1. Data driven reports with clear explanations helps all, businesses/developers and residents.
2. Concurrent quarterly reviews.
3. The business - citizen relationship thrives when information is clear, consistent and explainable