City secrecy part three

June 10, 2015

Our city attorney seems to be the chief enabler of secrecy at city council meetings.

It seems that somehow she is also our city parliamentarian and is the one who should be enforcing the rules.

Back on July 6, 2013 Public confession told us about how in a discussion about agenda and backup posting rules our city attorney/parliamentarian told us “council wasn’t doing that anway”.

Whose fault is that?

We could say that the parliamentarian should have put a stop to it.  Then again the city attorney should have since at the time it was a violation of the city’s ethics ordinance.

Oops, that’s the same person.  One problem here is that the city attorney can be removed with the vote of the mayor and the majority of city council.  A city attorney might value his/her job more than their integrity.

Separate jobs

Don’t we deserve to have a separate parliamentarian or at least someone who sees to it that council obeys the law?  Maybe this is something that the Ad Hoc Charter Committee committee should take up.

Could we somehow have a city parliamentarian that is not beholding to city council for his/her job?

Why?

Another question is why the parliamentarian/city attorney allows  this to happen.

Secrecy is the most plausible answer to me.  Some seem to think that the voters should be kept in the dark.

We deserve better

Brutus

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Are the city’s goals just a joke?

June 9, 2015

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this on the city’s June 9, 2015 council agenda:

goal5

Goal number 5 is: Promote Transparent and Consistent Communication Amongst All Members of the Community

The communication and public affairs person was to make a presentation about goal 5.

You can see on the right of the web page that no backup files were available for public review.

Typical.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

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Saved from nothing

June 8, 2015

A loyal reader pointed this situation out to me.

According to the Times our new city manager has saved us $3.5 million dollars through personnel cuts.

Good for him.  I mean it and thank him for his efforts.

Can’t wait

I can’t wait to get my refund check.

I can’t imagine that would actually happen.  It would take city council deciding to save us the money.

Instead they will find something else that they think that we “need” or at least that they think we will not stop them from spending.

As it turns out the new fee/tax they imposed on us through the water utility was not necessary.  Dare we think that they should rescind it?

Now all of the old deputy city managers are gone.  That tells us what the new city manager thinks of the old organization.  Once again I am happy to agree with him.

Bad things happened to local businesses under the old regime.

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | City government, El Paso Times | Permalink
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Rollback process

June 7, 2015
A regular reader sent us this note:
Brutus
Here is what receive from the City Tax office you can post this also there is a petition form in PDF on the bottom of the e-mail. So far nothing from the county.
Subject: rollback rate
If a taxing unit, other than a school district, adopts a tax rate that exceeds the rollback rate, voters may petition for an election on the tax increase.
The rollback rate is the tax rate that would be needed to raise the amount the unit levied in the preceding year plus 8%.  The rollback rate is published along with the effective tax rate.
Rollback process starts after the taxing unit formally adopts the tax rate.  If the adopted rate exceeds the rollback rate, voters may start the petition drive.
If the tax rate adopted for the current year by the taxing unit imposes M&O taxes of $5 million or more, seven percent of the registered voters shown on the most recent official voter list must sign the petition.  If the tax rate adopted by a taxing unit imposes taxes for M&O of less than $5 million, the signatures of 10% percent of the registered voters in the unit are required on a petition.
We don’t provide the forms for the rollback petition.  Attached is a sample rollback petition and ballot, from the 2012 Truth-in-Taxation pamphlet provided by the Texas State Comptroller, Property Tax Division.
You may find this link helpful,

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Do we need these things?

June 6, 2015

This came in from Helen Marshall on June the first:

In today’s EP Times one front page story tells us that the Children’s Hospital is a financial disaster just waiting to blow up.  The op-ed by Dr. Papas continues that theme, noting that at the time it was proposed the math simply did not work, and many people said so – but not the wizards at the UMC, who are now working to assume control of the failed project they pushed for.   And below the fold we learn that Council will consider tomorrow the possible sites for the $180M Downtown arena – in secret, of course.  (What will happen with regard to the Children’s Museum and the Cultural Center is not included.)  Mr. Bryan Crowe asserts that the community has been included in ample discussions – translation, we will make a decision now, not you rubes.

I am waiting to hear what it is that cannot be satisfied now by the available facilities.  What high school graduation ceremonies do not take place?  What events do not come to El Paso because there is no downtown arena?   Is the intention to take some of the business away from UTEP’s Don Haskins Center?  Where will the parking be for the 12,500 people expected to fill this arena?  Please don’t tell me that they will arrive by Brio bus!
How can we be thinking of spending $180 million (in principal costs, not to mention the interest costs – and let’s note the projections about the impact of the Children’s Hospital bankruptcy on future El Paso bond ratings) while confronting significantly under-estimated costs for the Children’s Museum (undefined) and the Cultural Center (undefined).  The current New Mexico magazine has an excellent piece about the struggles of the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, and the costs to date.   Someone in the City should read it and sober up!
The two candidates in the District One run-off both assert that they are determined to see the city complete these three projects without asking the voters for more funds.   How?
Do we deserve better?

4 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Times | Permalink
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