COLLIN COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 2

Dear Friends,

When I ran for Collin County Commissioner in 2010, I ran on a platform to save our tax dollars, stand up for our conserva tive values and make government more efficient and effective in these challenging economic times. During my first year in office that is exactly what I’ve done.

First and foremost, my colleagues and I are shrinking county government while maintaining a strong commitment to our core functions. My first county budget has been reduced 2.2% even though we continue to experience significant population growth.

When you elected me, I heard your message loud and clear: NO MORE “BUSINESS AS USUAL” IN COLLIN COUNTY. With that in mind, I led the charge to eliminate a costly retiree health care plan put in place just five years ago. Eliminating that one program erased a $96 million dollar liability, saved taxpayers $5 million annually and immediately released $9 million in cash previously pledged to the program. In addition, we fully funded our $37 million employee pension obliga tion saving Collin County taxpayers $3 million annually. While other cities, counties, and states across the country continue to see their unfunded liabilities grow, Collin County now has zero unfunded liabilities!

We are all doing more with less these days, and I know that county government is no different. That’s why we reduced staff in the Constable’s offices to better match their actual work load saving nearly $1 million annually. With your help and sup port, this is just a start when it comes to looking for ways to economize. I have requested a toptobottom review of several departments to identify inefficiencies and look for ways to reduce costs.

I traveled to Austin during the legislative session and testified in both the House and the Senate in support of a bill initiated by my colleagues and me. HB655 closed a loophole in state rules that allowed legal aliens to qualify for indigent health care funds from the county even when they have sponsors with the means to support them. Now, people who sponsor legal aliens coming into the country must also accept the responsibility of their health care. This legislation has reduced the burden on taxpayers for indigent healthcare in Collin County by more than $1 million dollars.

That’s $115 million saved in my first year alone! A pretty good start; however, it’s not just about saving money. It’s also about finding other sources of funding as well as increasing the tax base. Consequently, Commissioner Webb and I success fully secured an additional $10 million in transportation funding from the Regional Transportation Council which will go a long way toward improving our transportation infrastructure. Our business friendly environment and economic develop ment programs spur growth and business development which leads to higher revenues and helps us to keep your taxes low. Our new 50/3 program gives small businesses an opportunity to have the same type of economic development opportunities as larger businesses, incentivizing them to locate in Collin County, and create jobs for our citizens.

I am proud of these accomplishments and am deeply honored to represent the citizens of Collin County. There remains much more to be done and I cannot do it alone or in just four short years. I need your help to continue to make positive changes and implement new ideas. I fully expect to face opposition in the future and now is the time to prepare for the challenge. I hope you will contribute to my campaign and support my efforts to make Collin County the best place to live in the great state of Texas!

Contribute at www.votecherylwilliams.com.

Cheryl WilliamsCollin County Commissioner, Precinct 2 

Letter From Cheryl.pdf