My Platform
So why me?
In 2013, I opened my own insurance and financial services agency as the youngest agent within Farmers Insurance Group of Companies in Texas.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve evolved and expanded my business into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Getting to where I am now has required a lot of humility and patience.
The nature of my work allows me to not only learn how different businesses function, but to also become a crucial part of their day to day operations. I work with businesses ranging in size from mom and pop shops to multi-million dollar companies.
Since 2015 Jennifer and I have had the opportunity to serve on numerous non-profit boards that govern the humanitarian efforts in this city. I’ve seen firsthand where our citizens hurt the most.
For seven years I’ve been on the City’s Building and Standards Commission. For the last 5 years I’ve been the Chairman. This commission is responsible for addressing the substandard housing in Cleburne. We condemn properties that are deemed hazardous and unsafe. This commission was fundamental in Cleburne’s adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code.
I’m currently serving a second term on the Executive Board with the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce. Aside from getting to work with some of the most entrepreneurial minds this city has to offer, I’ve also had the opportunity to promote local business efforts for Chamber members.
For years the Chamber board has managed the city’s Conference Center and Convention and Visitors Bureau, which both bring tourism and sales tax revenues to Cleburne.
Due to my profession, I have a unique skillset in asset and risk management as well as catastrophe response that will be a great addition to Cleburne’s leadership.
My several years of experience with non-profits and the Building and Standards Commission have allowed me to see firsthand where our citizens are suffering the most. My experience with reconciling substandard housing will be an added benefit to Cleburne’s leadership and to the taxpayers.
I truly believe that Cleburne is on track to become something much greater than its residents anticipate. Cleburne’s leadership has made some very great strides in the right direction over the last few years, the kind of strides that provide better educational facilities for our children, broaden capabilities of our first responders and set precedent for a much higher quality of infrastructure. Cleburne has given my family so much and I fully intend to pay it forward.
The key to our continued healthy economic development requires a conservative, but proactive approach toward the trends in the labor markets. Individual productivity affects wage and technology affects individual productivity.
To summarize, I understand finance and I understand business. A well operated business will take care of its staff and hold the consumers’ interest in the highest regard. The City is a business and its consumers are the citizens. To be successful, the citizens’ needs should be met.
I firmly believe that a proper blend of investment in our city’s infrastructure and human capital will be the catalyst for the explosive growth Cleburne has been pursuing. Cleburne’s future is very bright and also very contingent on the collective ideals of its citizens.
What I Believe In
Responsible Management of Cleburne's Growth and Resources
There is a right way and a wrong way to grow. The caliber of residential development sets the stage for the level of positive or negative impact there will be as the growth. The nicer the homes, the higher the income. The higher the income, the higher the spending. the higher the spending, the better the economy. House quality is only one part of the the big picture though. Quality growth should include quality jobs. As your Councilman I will work directly with Community Development Department to make sure that our potential developers are held to the highest standards.
Expansion and Support of Cleburne’s Police and Fire Departments
I am a huge proponent of our first responders and I truly believe that they should be held in the highest regard. Our police department is in dire need of a facility upgrade. As your Councilman, I will make sure that our first responders are fairly compensated and well-equipped for the day to day hazards they face. I will also make it my priority to find a solution to provide our police officers with proper facilities. I believe that the well-being of our first responders directly correlates with the safety of Cleburne’s citizens.
Repair and Strengthening of City Infrastructure
As the City of Cleburne grows, so too will the burdens on local services such as roads, parks, fire and rescue, schools, water, sewer hookups, etc. As your Councilman I will make sure that impact fees continue to be assessed in a proper manner so that our tax dollars can be used on existing issues such as repairing roads and pipes as opposed to installing new ones. The existing citizens of Cleburne SHOULD NOT bear the costs of infrastructure imposed by new development.
Lowering Cleburne’s Property Tax Rate
Texas does not levy a state-level income tax, so our property taxes are astronomical. I am a huge proponent of consumption tax and while I cannot enact change at the state level, I can do my best to ensure a couple of things happen at the local level. As your Councilman, I will push for commercial development that provides jobs, rooftops, and sales tax revenues. I will personally work with our Tourism Advisory Committee and CVB to make sure we are using our marketing dollars where they will have the highest impact. Tourism provides hotel occupancy taxes and sales taxes that can help offset the City’s operating costs, which with a lower tax burden, will allow opportunity to lower tax rates. I will also focus on our substandard housing problem, which when properly addressed, will lower crime rates, provide a safer environment for our citizens, and increase property values, which in turn could provide an opportunity for lower tax rates.
Please reach out if you have any questions. I’d love to speak with you.
bjones1990187@gmail.com
(817) 240-2122
1940 W Kilpatrick St
Cleburne, TX 76033