Our new city manager has appointed an interim chief financial officer. He is the former city comptroller and is both a CPA and a Phd.
The question
Does he learn quickly or is he trying to get his arms around his new job?
The Tuesday, August 5, 2014 city council agenda gives us reason to wonder. Item 9 on the regular agenda is “Presentation and discussion on the 3rd Quarter Budget Report for FY2014”. Some concerned citizens would like to study the report so that they might ask questions of city council as is their right. The report is not available on the website even though it should be.
Are they deliberately trying to avoid transparency? If this is an oversight why didn’t someone who knows the rules explain what he needs to do? If not providing the report to be published with the agenda was deliberate why was the item allowed to be placed on the agenda?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
They will say that they are not avoiding transparency because the numbers will be made available to the public, just not now. Like with so many other decisions both large and small, they are timing the release of information to minimize public debate and to avoid embarrassing questions that would be raised by citizens who would take the time to review the numbers and show up with tough questions that city management does not want to answer.
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Yes they may say that, but please read https://elpasospeak.com/2013/07/06/true-confession-2/
They ultimately changed the ordinance and made it 018031. Part of it says:
“WHEREAS, the public is entitled to know in advance which subjects will be discussed and acted upon at City Council meetings to that the public can provide or request additional information, communicate with Council members, arrange for themselves or other to attend Council meetings, and otherwise prepare themselves to express their opinions regarding actions of the City Council; and”
You can read 018031 here: https://www.elpasotexas.gov/muni_clerk/_documents/Ordinance%20018031.pdf
Brutus
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“It is easy enough to see what people think they’re doing. Nor is what they really are up to hard for common sense to make out.”
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The document was available from my computer… I was checking the agenda around 3 pm and saw the budget pdf as an attachment but didn’t have the time right then to open it.
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