It appears that our mayor has gotten the word about holding the line on taxes.
Up until the other day it appeared that city council was going to slap a 1% sales tax on our electricity and natural gas bills.
We also get garbage bills but it appears that they are not going to worry about adding $3 per month to each of our garbage bills in the form of a franchise fee. The franchise fee is designed to charge a city owned department for using city owned streets.
At least the 1% sales tax appears to be dead for the moment.
The Times reported that our mayor threatened to veto the sales tax after attending “community meetings” over the weekend.
We really would appreciate any information that our readers can give us that might let us know when and where those meetings were.
Listening to citizens does not appear to be one of his strong points.
Regardless of his motivation we thank him.
This is better
Brutus
When I signed the recall petition on Wed. they mentioned that the Mayor had changed his mind on the tax and credited the recall effort with influencing that. So, the idea that his about face occurred this weekend seems false.
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The mayor reversed his position last weekend, not this weekend. It was covered in the media a week ago.
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Margo is running scared now that the reality of the recall effort is in full swing. This move is all about Margo being self-serving and self-preserving.
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I think Margo also realizes the local Dems won’t protect him. This is a recall that could work because everyone will shortly be getting tax bills and if it happens, the Mayor pro tem becomes Mayor. Vote carefully in Nov, because one of those folks may be your new Mayor. Noe is Mayor pro tem now and he is timing out on Council.
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recalls have consequences that you’re totally ignoring because you’re so busy enjoying attacking Margo. the only outcome you care about is getting him out. sounds personal.
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That was my point in pointing out whomever is Mayor pro tem get the Mayor’s chair. The point isn’t to attack Margo, it is about removing an individual who seems to be leading the next level of creative taxation and borrowing here. I used to vote for Margo, but after I saw his activities on the EPSID Board of Managers I stopped. He is someone who appears to believe the only way we can get out of our current situation is to spend and borrow more. He also doesn’t seem to be a fan of transparency and makes unilateral decisions that he then expects Council to rubber stamp. He ran on a platform of holding the line on spending and taxes and seems to have entirely forgotten that until someone started a recall effort. I recognize we may get another tax and spender in that position, but I think the only way we will rein in this spending is if the Council starts to believe actions have consequences. Listen to the budgeting and tax revenue projections conversations reported by the media. Until the recall petition started there were no brakes to their love of tax increases. If Mayor Margo was questioning spending and asking for more detail/projected results on Q of L project budget increases, I’d feel differently. But he seems to be fine with simply taking out COs to fund greater spending and TIRZ trend is going to reduce available tax revenue at a time when debt service is increasing and the budget will need to grow to cover more Q of L project operating costs. It is fiscal insanity that only benefits construction companies and REIT investors planning to flip properties downtown.
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It’s obvious Margo is a bust who cares nothing about anyone outside of his Borderplex Alliance bubble. He needs to go. Once he’s history, then hopefully he will be replaced by someone gunning for mayor that will have learned that you can’t get away with the same old BS Margo pulled throughout his hopefully short tenure.
He talks about his track record, well if you’ve been paying attention, it is piss poor beginning from his neophyte days as a Texas Representative in Austin, on through his now obvious disastrous EPISD emergency board of manager stint withhis handpicked super Cabrera and Margo and Hunt’s attempt to slide charter and private schools to compete directly for EPISD $$$ to where we are today.
Michiel Noe is terming out so he will not become mayor. I’m not sure how it works if the recall is successful, but I imagine there will be another election for mayor with candidates running against him.
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Brutus,
One of the meetings Margo attended was Rep Morgan’s District 4 meeting where they were collecting recall signatures.
Not aware of Margo’s attendance at any other meetings
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While the mayor has serious limitations, it’s refreshing to think that someone is listening to the voter. Kudos to attendees at Rep Morgan’s meeting.
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absolutely right
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Ah, but the “Rulers” do not have to listen to us “Stupid, ignorant, peons”. That is why THEY, City Council, Commissioners set waaaayyyy up on that pedestal thing in big “Royalty” chairs. THEY can decide to listen to “Peons” or not. THEY can decide to talk to US or not. THEY can silence, dismiss a “Peon” with just a wave of their hand and yell “Tax’m, tax’ m.” I wonder if some of them have written down “Off with their heads, let them eat tortillas”??.
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(e_e)
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Yesterday at 6 am, l checked out this blog to become pleasantly surprised when l read about no new tax increases. Twelve hours later, l was channel surfing and ABC 7 mentioned that the new budget will include tax increases. lt’s sad that going a whole twelve hours without hearing about tax increases is considered an accomplishment in the modern 915.
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Whoever thought in El Taxo there would not be MORE fabricated, inflated Property “Value” increases, ALWAYS followed by MORE tax increases??. El Taxo has the HIGHEST fabricated, inflated Property “Values” in the state, most other states, cities. The politicians, Public Officials in El Taxo want too much “Stuff”. The only way THEY can get “Stuff” THEY want is to make US pay for it. Margo, City Council only represent themselves and whatever THEY can take from US. THEY LIED about tax increases. THEY LIE to US about everything. And now MILLIONS$$$ more for them, US to destroy Cohen Stadium and GIVE it away to whoever THEY can get the most pay-offs, kick-backs, campaign “Donations” from. Lie, deny, deceive. Just one big criminal Cartel.
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Don’t feel bad, little guy. It all depends on which tax you’re talking about. There are so many different taxes and fees, you need a scorecard to keep track of them.
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