MARK KEOUGH'S CONTRACT WITH MONTGOMERY COUNTY
I, Mark J. Keough, upon my election as the County Judge of Montgomery County, Texas pledge to the citizens of Montgomery County to serve them according to the following principles.
Mark J. Keough, Candidate for County Judge
Montgomery County, Texas
1. ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE. THEY DO NOT RULE, THEY SERVE.
a. I will promote throughout all levels of Montgomery County Government the essential principle that elected officials and their employees are servants of the people. Serving the citizens is a sacred trust granted to elected officials by those to whom they serve.
2. THE ACTIONS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE TRANSPARENT AND BEYOND REPROACH.
a. I will work to create an environment of transparency that will eliminate the
possibility of actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
b. I will end the practice of granting preferential treatment to elected officials and
their employees that does not apply to the citizens of this county.
c. I will ensure current County ethics policies have a mechanism of enforcement that
deters current and future ethics violations.
3. COUNTY GOVERNANCE WILL ALWAYS FUNCTION AS FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE TO THE CITIZENS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
a. I will work to reduce the tax rate of the county to account for increases in total
property values throughout the county. Appraisal goes up, rate should come down.
b. I will eliminate wasteful spending in our budget and ensure budget growth stays at or
below population growth plus inflation.
c. I will return any funds that are non-contingency related or are not carried over for
unfinished projects to the tax payers via reduction in tax rates.
d. I will ensure that the spending of public money will be related to the core functions
of county government.
4. COUNTYWIDE MOBILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR FACILITATING THE GROWTH OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
a. I will work openly with the county Commissioners and concerned citizens in workshop settings
to develop a county wide mobility plan that does not duplicate efforts and is designed to meet
the transportation needs of our growing community.
b. I will work to eliminate toll roads as a means of transportation infrastructure and will
leverage federal, state and budgeted local taxpayer dollars to fulfill the transportation
infrastructure needs of Montgomery County.
c. I will eliminate the use of “certificates of obligation” as a means to circumvent the will of
the people of Montgomery County. All road bonds both referendum and revenue will be approved by
the vote of the citizens of Montgomery County.
5. MONTGOMERY COUNTY IS FIRST
a. I will immediately end the influence that outside interests have upon the decision-making ability of those who govern and will replace this practice with what is the will of the people of Montgomery County.
On March 6th , 2018, the citizens of Montgomery county will have the sacred responsibility of selecting those who will lead this county into the next decade.
Therefore, I, Mark J. Keough, Pledge to you the people of Montgomery County, that I will work every day to implement the policies pledged in this contract. The results of these actions will culminate in a renewal of trust, and unity deserving of the people of Montgomery county.