The city’s proposed budget book for next year is out, all 936 pages of it.
From the third page:
This budget will raise more total property taxes
than last year’s budget by $20,818,484 or 7.6%,
and of that amount $4,650,483 is tax revenue to be
raised from new property added to the tax roll this
year.
There you have it.
After they wrote that gem they decided to raise the tax rate even more (to just below the point where the voters would have to approve it), and are considering slapping sales tax on our electric and natural gas bills.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
If they raise the tax rate just below the threshold whereby voters would have to approve it, then add taxes to electric and gas bills, will not the added taxes and the property tax increase cross the threshold? This is malfeasance on a scale never before seen.
LikeLike
That’s all that WE can ever expect from THEM. Fabricated, inflated Property “Values”, always followed by MORE tax increases. All to finance unnecessary, useless “stuff” the politicians want. The only “Quality of Life” here is what THEY TAKE from US for themselves. Here “Life” never gets any better except for corrupt politicians, carpet bagger Public Officials. And THEY have the nerve to think that THEY deserve, WE should give them more pay. Inflated budgets should be cut, starting with what WE pay THEM to do a job for US. Considering all the “Back pocket” money, campaign “Donations” THEY get from Developers, Contractors, Special Interest, big business, they are over paid. THEY don’t work for US. Maybe voters, taxpayers, home owners will remember and pick better REPRESENTATIVES for US, next election or the next, okay, okay maybe the next election, tax increase after that? WE deserve better. Things just never get better for the PEOPLE in El Taxo.
LikeLike
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. — George Bernard Shaw
LikeLike
And Paul hires of lawyers to get his own tax bills reduced.
LikeLike
Exactly. And very doubtful that “Paul’s” properties, refinery, businesses, baseball field, homes have very little to NO “Taxable Value”. Same for the Mayor, City Council, Commissioners properties, homes, businesses. Doubt they have ANY “Taxable” “Value” at all. In El Taxo it’s “You scratch my back and I will give you campaign “Donations”.
WordPress.com |
anonymous commented: “And Paul hires of lawyers to get his own tax bills reduced.” | | Respond to this comment by replying above this line |
| | | |
| New comment on elpasospeak | |
| | | anonymous commented on Your very own tax increase. in response to Rico Suave: A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. — George Bernard Shaw And Paul hires of lawyers to get his own tax bills reduced. | Reply | Comments |
|
|
| Want less email? Unsubscribe from all follow-up comments or modify your Subscription Options. |
|
| |
|
| Thanks for flying with WordPress.com |
|
LikeLike
Paul doesn’t have a refinery. Western Refinery was sold more than a year ago corporate headquarters left town. That’s another issue no one is paying attention. We are losing what few corporate headquarters we have left. In most cities our size, large corporation headquarters help underwrite the amenities that we are funding solely with taxpayer dollars and help attract other corporations (plus often generate spin-offs as their employees leave and start their own companies. We don’t have that dynamic.
LikeLike
More taxes? Here is an example of how our tax dollars are wasted.
$15.5 million west side natatorium, which opened in April, will close for repairs because employees damaged the pool. The city acts like it was to be expected.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/community/2018/08/02/west-el-paso-westside-natatorium-closes-temporarily-pool-opened-april-bond-projects/894329002/
LikeLike
And ripper1951, here is the real kicker. My guess is their long-term plan is to keep raising the tax rate to just below the threshold every year so that they can raise taxes enough over several years to fund the operating costs and debt service overages that all these overbudget bond projects are incurring. The total debt service and operating costs of all this “nice to have” stuff is exceeding the current tax revenue base. We used to be a community that had several “buckets” that could cover unexpected expenses or special projects (general fund, HOT, etc). We’ve tapped all that out for overruns in the ballpark and other areas. Originally, we were told that by the time the operating expenses kicked in we’d have increased the business tax base to cover it. Isn’t happening. Now we are going to become a “destination city” and tourism will cover it. Wanna bet? When a corporation sees a strategy not working, they cut back expenses and rethink their strategic plan. When our city leaders see a strategy not working, they double down on spending, raise taxes and take out COs—until they can’t borrow any more money. Then they declare bankruptcy and renegotiate with their creditors. Either way, homeowners get screwed. Seriously, next election look at who has donations from the movers and shakers in town. Don’t vote for them. Forget about candidate qualifications because a lesser qualified candidate with a reform agenda will be better than a graduate of Shapleigh’s community scholars planning to spent us all into bankruptcy. And don’t vote for a pay raise for council and the mayor. One of the cardinal rules of old school politics used to be don’t vote yourself a raise at the same time you increase taxes. These idiots are too arrogant to even follow that advice.
LikeLike
It is almost impossible to vote around the shakers and movers. They cover all their bases by donating to multiple candidates so that they will have influence regardless who gets elected. Candidates also have a way of changing their positions once they get in office and start hobnobbing with the shakers and movers.
LikeLike
“One of the cardinal rules of old school politics used to be don’t vote yourself a raise at the same time you increase taxes.”
👍👍
LikeLike
Want real change? Support Rich Wright’s candidacy. He’s the enema that El Paso City Hall has desperately needed for decades.
LikeLike
So this year Central Appraisal did a 10% property appraisal increase, and immediately following then the city does just under a 10% tax rate increase. And nobody sees a problem here? We blame Trump for destroying America and the World, and then our own city council steals our money thru tax increases. Hmmm – I wonder will the world end before my house is repossessed? Where is KVIA and CNN. Oh yeah, they are too busy bashing Trump and boosting Beto to notice corrupt democrat city governments.
LikeLike
So, let me get this right. You really expect CNN or to investigate local El Paso government? If you expect a national network to do that, report it to your friends at FOX.
A far KVIA goes, you’re just wrong. They have reported on bull$&*! at city hall. For example:
https://www.kvia.com/news/el-paso/texts-reveal-el-paso-mayor-wanted-public-to-belive-city-attorney-retired/745546269
LikeLike
I read, thought and take you points. I am really PO’d because I’m just wondering how long this will go on. The missteps seem to be accelerating as fast as the tax rates. And so far as the city attorney fiasco, I re-read that, I remember that, well there was never any real resolution, it just sorta faded away, didn’t it? Was ther a slap on the wrist,
Respectfully, I have no friends at FOX, but I do vote, i did vote for the current Mayer, and I am disappointed. I pay my property taxes and see the streets in my neighborhood decay then read that our city pension fund is underfunded year after year. So I know we have a tax increase for those items, as well as others, in our future. And recently the City Council mulled levying additional user taxes on local utilities. Our police are going to be asked to write more tickets. I realize costs are going up, but El Paso property owners are also bearing the brunt of some badly thought out decisions birthed in the City Council year after year. While they argue about who sits next to whom. Can that be disputed?
So to address my original rant I’m hoping at some point somebody or some entity at state or local level will take a look at the books, at the way the decisions are reached, how financial estimates are prepared (or slanted), over and over, just some of these things. The news outlets simply report these cost overruns in matter of fact manner, says this will result in a X$ increase per 100k property value, move on, and on and on it goes. More time on those topics and less on the Kardassians, fluff, and twitter wars would actually serve local citizens well.
LikeLike
totally agree
LikeLike
Another late hitting thought. The City is projecting a revenue increase due to higher property values. Is it not a truism that taxes assessed do not equal taxes collected? I’m wondering about the true amount of taxes actually collected.
LikeLike
Well then there is the people who DON’T pay TAXES in El Taxo. Politicians, Public Officials, Political DONORS, whose homes, properties, businesses don’t have ANY “Value”.
LikeLike