ElPasoSpeak
City council spends more of our money
The city plans to have a runoff election for the district 3 representative position.
This is necessary because city council decided that the incumbent district 3 representative had resigned from city council when a post showing her to be running for the office of mayor was posted on social media.
There will also be a special election to replace the district 6 representative who is running for an open seat in the Texas house of representatives.
The cost to the citizens will be $157,619.55. This is money the county will charge to conduct the elections.
We deserve better
Brutus
More to the “story”
Oh, and by the way here’s another “story” related to the $100 million that city council seems to be determined sell.
Part of the $100 million will go to paying for cost over-runs on the quality of life projects.
We deserve better
Brutus
EPISD central office costs
Take a look at what the EPISD central office costs have been:
The district is shrinking but the central office is not.
We deserve better
Brutus
There’s more to the story
I’m not a reporter but I can think of another couple of stories that should be told about the debt that the folks at the city have run up on us.
This and prior city councils have approved projects that have yet to be completed.
I’m not talking about the quality of life projects or the recent bond election.
According to the city chief financial officer’s slide presentation there will be another $179 million needed to pay for previously approved projects that have not been completed yet.
The city was not sitting on a $100 million secret when they promoted the public safety bonds. They were sitting on $279 million.
Maybe that isn’t much money in our city manager’s view but it is to many of us.
We deserve better
Brutus
Nice try Mr. city manager
I was interested to see how city council handled the $100 million certificates of obligation issue so I watched the video of the meeting.
The city manager repeatedly made the point that “there’s no story here”. He kept telling council that if someone was to make a “report” there is “no story” since all of the money was approved “years ago” and thus there is “no story”
He was evidently trying to tell council that they had nothing to worry about with the voters not liking the issuance of the $100 million in bonds.
I believe that there is a story here.
He, city staff, and city council knew that they were going to need to issue the certificates of obligation but kept that quiet while the $413 million bond issue was being considered by the voters.
A more honest group would have told the voters that the $100 million would be brought at their first opportunity after the bond election.
We deserve better
Brutus
They don’t care what the state says
If you have any doubt about whether the folks at the city have found a way around the 3.5% maximum property tax increase that the state imposed last year take a look at this slide from a recent city council presentation:
The way they will get more money is to issue debt.
We deserve better
Brutus
Going backward
Speaking of city taxes, take a look at this slide from one of the presentations to city council:
Are they proud of the fact that Dallas has been able to stay basically flat with their tax rate and Austin has been decreasing their tax rate while we have suffered a 33% increase in taxes?
Why would they present a slide with two cities that make our city government look bad?
We deserve better
Brutus
Different times
City debt
As part of the requirements the city must meet before city council can approve the $100 million of certificates of obligation the city must notify us of what their current debt situation is.
From their notice:
the current combined principal and interest required to pay all of the City’s outstanding public securities secured by and payable from ad valorem raxes on time and in full is $1,818,279,445.84 (iii) the estimated combined principal and interest required to pay the certificates of obligation to be authorized on time and in full is $173,780,312.50;
The $100 million will turn out to be $173 million by the time interest is paid.
Before issuing the new certificates of obligation, and before issuing the $413 million that the recent election gave them, and before issuing the $180 million for the multipurpose performing arts and entertainment facility they will have to pay out $1.818 billion dollars.
That does not include the approximately $400 million that the police and firefighter pension plans are underfunded by.
Let’s add this up:
Existing debt 1,818,000,000 (that’s 1.8 billion)
New certificates of obligation 173,780,000
Police and fire pension 400,000,000
Recent bond election 413,000,000 (that’s without interest)
Total $2,804,780,000 (that’s 2.8 billion dollars)
Our city population is about 685,000 people.
Each of us owes about $4,094 at this point.
We deserve better
Brutus
Certainly not honest with us
One week after the voters approved $413 million in bonds for the city they are back at the trough getting ready to issue $100 million in certificates of obligation without our approval.
Could this be a coincidence?
Or did city staff know that they would ask for the $100 million while the voters were considering what to do about the $413 million?
Would you have voted yes in the bond election if you knew that they planned to pile on more debt without our approval?
If you don’t have an opinion read this slide:
They planned to do this when they passed the budget.
Shame on them.
They clearly planned to put one over on the citizens and they did.
Is there anyone at the city that we can trust at this point?
We deserve better
Brutus
Veterans day 2019
Today is Veterans day, a day where we honor those who have served in the United States armed forces.
By the way the official spelling does not include an apostrophe. The day does not belong to the veterans but instead is about them.
Memorial day is a holiday in May where we honor those who died while serving in the United States armed forces.
Armed forces day also occurs in May. It is a day where we honor those currently serving in our armed forces.
I thank all of our veterans.
Freedom is not free.
Brutus
EPISD shrinking even faster
EPISD enrollment is evaporating.
According to their newest five year budget forecast the average daily attendance at the district is down 1,829 students this school year.
Have you heard anything about cutting back at the central office?
We deserve better
Brutus
This is really stretching it
Earlier this week the voters authorized $413 million of bonds for the city.
Evidently that was not enough.
The Tuesday, November 12, 2019 city council agenda has this item on it:
We deserve better
Brutus
Bond issue results
The voters have spoken.
Both bond issues passed.
Approximately 9% of the registered voters came out to vote.
The bonds passed with roughly 59% voting in favor.
That means that about 5% of the voters committed us to $838 million in debt.
In this case we don’t deserve better.
Brutus
UTEP is changing
According to an article in the Times UTEP is having to cut its budget.
The new president is asking the deans and vice presidents for suggestions as to how they can cut their respective budgets.
It seems that in the past the “executive leadership” made those decisions.
I applaud Mrs. Wilson.
The ultimate decisions will have to be hers but at least she is giving her subordinates an opportunity to participate.
This is better
Brutus
Please vote today
If you have not already voted please do so today.
This is the last day you can vote on the proposed bond issue.
My property taxes increased $800 dollars this year.
A large part of the quality of life bonds have yet to be sold. When they are sold our taxes will go up further.
Those of us that live in the EPISD district are now paying more than $3.07 per hundred dollars of valuation in property taxes.
That’s three percent of your property’s value every year.
That puts us at the highest property tax rate among the 50 largest cities in the United States.
What the city is asking for is a blank check.
If they need new buildings the should figure out how much they will cost and then ask us for the money.
We deserve better
Brutus
Keep trying
I spoke with an acquaintance the other day that did not know about bond election Tuesday.
He does now.
Talk with everyone that you can.
Ask them to go vote.
We deserve better
Brutus
Self service or no service?
Someone sent this in:
I heard the other day that Walmart was going to be closed Christmas day.
Evidently they want to give their two checkers the day off.
We deserve better
Brutus