Rick Koster for County Commissioner

1. What experience do you feel best qualifies you to be Collin County Commissioner?

The following experience qualifies me for County Commissioner

a.       The Commissioner's court is in charge of overseeing all engineering of county projects.  I have been a working engineer since 1982.  I have engineering experience in the private sector and in government.  Except for 2 years working for the US Army, most of my experience has been in the private sector.

b.      As an engineer I have been involved in design projects, consulting projects, and planning.

c.       Our county is diverse.  My professional experience has given me the opportunity to work with engineers and managers all over the world.  I will bring this contact with diversity to the Commissioner's court.

2. What are the top challenges for the Commissioner's Court pertaining to indigent health care?

I see two mayor challenges to indigent care in Collin County: budget pressures and red tape

1.      Budget pressures:

a.       Due to the current economic climate the fund set by the county with the proceeds from the sale of the county's hospital is being depleted.  The commissioner's court needs to find the proper mechanism to make sure the health care fund keeps up with the expected demand or it needs to add a budget item to the general county fund.  A budget item in the general county fund will require healthcare to be paid out of tax revenue.

b.      The county needs to take advantage of the provisions of the new Federal health care law to help balance the budget.  I expect the provisions in the new health care law to reduce the demand for indigent care in the county since the law will expand eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid.  The new law will also keep young people on their parent's insurance longer, reducing their need of indigent care.

2.      Red Tape:

a.       In order to apply for indigent care assistance in Collin County a citizen has to complete at least 12 forms and submit supporting documentation.  The completed application requires weeks of processing before a citizen finds out his eligibility for assistance.  This system is unfair to our citizens.

b.      As a commissioner I will work to streamline and automate the application process for assistance.  This will help both the citizen requiring services and the provider of services.

c.       I will also work to make the application for Medicare and Medicate fast and efficient in our county.

3. Do you believe Collin County's infrastructure is sufficient for our projected growth? How do you feel about DART Rail expansion?

The continuing growth of Collin County will require additional infrastructure.  We will need more water, electricity, sewage, natural gas, roads and transportation services.

Today I am confident that for the near future our electricity and natural gas supplies will remain stable.  I believe that to maintain our energy supplies stable, the county should encourage, through it projects and codes, the highest standard of energy efficiency on all public and private projects.

I am a bit concerned when it comes to water and sewage.  Our growth will require new reservoirs and new sewage infrastructure.  The new reservoirs will take over large parcels of land that are both productive and an environmental asset.  New sewage encroaches and disrupts the lives of current residents.  The current structure of the North Texas Municipal Water District makes it unaccountable to the citizens, so that the institution's power of imminent domain is not checked directly by the citizens.

The continued growth of Collin County will require the expansion of our transportation infrastructure.  We will need to expand existing roads, pave dirt roads and build new roads.  Being committed to road construction does not mean that I believe that we can have quality growth by just paving.  Collin County needs to have a reliable mix of transportation options to ease congestion and to improve air quality.  I support mass transit.  I support the expansion of DART.  I think County government can be a catalyst to solve the political and budget roadblocks for DART expansion in the county.