Too true

February 3, 2014

Brutus wrote about the city manager’s recent speech to a group downtown in City manager speaks of “undue tax burden”.

I followed the link to the El Paso Times article and read that she had said something else disturbing to me:

 “Some times you have people who have really great visions and are really forward thinking and sometimes they are a little ahead of their time and they push the envelop a little to [sic] far and a little too fast. But you have to do that to make change. We did a lot of really great things and I am really proud to be a part of the organization and the community.”

Too far, too fast

I googled “define too” and got this definition: “to a higher degree than is desirable, permissible, or possible; excessively“.

In other words more than they should have.

Try these explanations  and see what you get:

“Officer, I wasn’t speeding too much”.

“I didn’t steal too much”.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you too badly”.

Proud

It seems that her quote may define her administration.  I think she was saying that the end justifies the means.

That is precisely how we get out of control governments.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Cato

 

2 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times, Federal Government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Cato

Short changed

February 2, 2014

Item 3.3 on the January 28, 2014 city council consent agenda is unusual in that it requests permission to use a company to perform a service for three months.  The item would give city staff the ability to extend the period to nine months.

Why such a short contract?

Reading the backup material for the agenda item it appears that El Paso Electric used to maintain and operate the street lights in El Paso and then bill the city for their services.

Evidently the deal was changed effective January 1, 2014 and now the electric company only bills the city for the energy provided to the street lights.  The city has to maintain the equipment.

Is the short duration of the contract because the city wants to solicit bids for the service?  Maybe the city wants to have the work done by city employees.  The backup material does not tell us.

What is evident is that for the new company to gear up to provide the new service will cost money.  If they only provide the service for 90 days that should make the short term price more expensive than if the city had taken care of this matter properly before January 1.

Did this problem sneak up on the city?  I doubt it.

We deserve better

Brutus

2 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Trying to solve the equation

February 1, 2014

I’m confused.

Last week we saw several local school superintendents sign a document asking the state board of education to reinstate algebra II as a high school graduation requirement state-wide.

According to a state official, the local districts have the right to continue to require the course.  Evidently local districts can stipulate more stringent graduation requirements than the state does.

If that is the case, then what’s the problem?  The local districts can simply elect to continue to make the course a graduation requirement.  Reading the Times did not clear up the matter for me.

Is this somehow about money?

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Next Entries »