Friday, August 9, 1996

One-Man, One-Vote Concept In Effect For Denton Election

By Associated Press

DENTON - They're carrying the old concept of one-man, one-vote to the max at a special election scheduled here Saturday.

Officials say they're assured of a 100 percent voter turnout for the election to establish an economic development district in the city.

That's because there's only one voter who lives in the district, and he moved there specifically to vote in the election. That's Assistant City Attorney Jerry Drake, who will also be the election judge and clerk.

Drake admits the situation is a little odd.

"I suppose so," he said, "but I'm proud that I've got the opportunity to do something good for Denton and its citizens."

Officials say they need the economic development district in order to lure Dell Computer Corp. of Austin, which has a one-year option to buy the 285-acre site, or another major corporation to the property.

When officials proposed the creation of the district they encountered just one problem. It had to be voted on, but no one lived in the district. So officials asked Drake to move there just for the election.
He's living in a travel trailer behind one of the Texas Instrument buildings on the property in northwest Denton.

Although Drake won't say how he will vote, it seems to be cut and dried how the election will turn out.

That displeases state Rep. Jim Horn, R-Denton, who says it reeks of a set-up to assure that the district is approved.

Supporters of the proposal say it's not uncommon for tax-levying districts to have only a handful of voters.

If the district is approved, the county stands to earn millions from sales-tax revenues from any company's sales.

County Judge Jeff Moseley said officials simply are carrying out a program the Legislature provided for small- and medium-sized counties to be competitive.

The city, county and Texas Instruments have been trying to sell the 500,000-square-foot building for almost five years, since TI shut down its Denton operations.

Denton City Councilman David Biles said the fact there is only one voter is not an issue because the district and its half-cent sales tax would affect only the TI property.

"The point is no one lived out there, and to adopt this, someone had to move out there to cast a ballot," he said. "It's not contrived. It's a pragmatic approach to solving a problem because this doesn't involve anybody's tax dollars."

If the district is approved Saturday, Denton's new Economic Development Corp., which is tax-exempt, will purchase the 285 acres from TI for an undisclosed price, officials said. The property's current taxable value is $18.58 million.

Drake will place his vote in a locked ballot box where it will remain until the poll closes at 7 p.m. He will then unlock the box, count his vote and make preparations to report the result.