One week after the voters approved $413 million in bonds for the city they are back at the trough getting ready to issue $100 million in certificates of obligation without our approval.
Could this be a coincidence?
Or did city staff know that they would ask for the $100 million while the voters were considering what to do about the $413 million?
Would you have voted yes in the bond election if you knew that they planned to pile on more debt without our approval?
If you don’t have an opinion read this slide:
They planned to do this when they passed the budget.
Shame on them.
They clearly planned to put one over on the citizens and they did.
Is there anyone at the city that we can trust at this point?
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
As it is, this disgruntled retiree did not vote yes on the recent bond elections, as I knew the elected representatives on City Council have not finished their careless spending, and will not stop coming back to the trough over and over until we are bankrupt. So, short answers to your two questions: No and nobody.
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The issue is bigger than “not being honest with us.” The issue is that we are now using COs to pay for operating expenses on a regular basis because expenses are greater than total revenue. In a business, management would sit down and discuss cutting expenses drastically (including layoffs) and postponing planned capital investments until that financial trend was reversed. The city is borrowing more and continuing to spend on capital projects with operating costs we can’t afford. A CEO I knew at a company that did go bankrupt told me her biggest regret was not cutting expenses faster by implementing bigger layoffs earlier. Her attempt to keep as many people as possible resulted in far more losing their jobs in the end. We are the same mindset here—if we just spend more money things will turn around. They won’t and when it reaches the point when COs can’t be issued a lot more lives will be ruined than of the city had acted responsibly and cut back on adding nice to have but not needed infrastructure now. And all the city employees voting for bond issues and tax and spender politicians should be aware that when cities do go bankrupt, one of the first surprises employees get is that pension funds and benefits get restructured.
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Thank you for this excellent statement, Ticked off!
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No. You cannot trust the mayor, city council, the city manager or anyone in county government.
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Would think that SOME voters in El Taxo would learn, but apparently not. Every time the Mayor, Clown Council, the EPISD criminals say “Give us more, more, more.” Then SOME voters just do it without THINKING. Every vote on EVERY Bond THEY want, should be NO. Why do YOU vote YOURSELF another tax INCREASE???? Where are the POLICE??? That’s like telling the boss that YOU want a PAY CUT. “YOU “, US “stupid, ignorant peons” cannot TRUST these POLITICIANS, Public Officials in El Taxo. Lie, deny, deceive, cover up, lie again. THEY are only out for whatever THEY can get, TAKE from US.
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And when you are finished with the city check out the EPISD. They have a company that can write Certificates of Obligation without the approval of the voters. Brutus, check and see how much they have approved.
The Education Reform people came to El Paso and will leave just like the ex-President leaving El Paso and establishing Charter Schools for the money and our children will be left holding the bag and it will not contain a good education. When you hear them start talking about a 5-year budget you will know they are almost belly up.
And as they cry “but we have lost over 5,000 students think ——Just how much does it cost to educate 5000 students that you do not have.??????????????
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I voted “no” to begin with. The city’s unquenchable thirst for money from the sky is obvious and it gets spent on nothing useful. I’m saying no to all spending bills that come to a ballot. And I’m saying “no” to all elected representatives who vote in favor of certificates of obligation.
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Exactly, John H. The only vote for Bonds, whatever they want to TAKE from US, is hell NO.
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