A reader named “Constructive” made this comment the other day:
Here’s an idea for a future post. Invite commenters to list the services and expenses local government should cut.
That could be a good idea.
Let’s think about it over the weekend and then respond.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
that’s easy: Tax Collection
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🙂
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Maybe we should start with the basics by looking at the current budget. Where is our money going right now?
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…list the services and expenses local government should cut.”
I posted this earlier but it still goes.
Start with bond payments on the stadium and rescind the 2% HOT to make our hotels more affordable. Let it go bankrupt or Hunt and Foster can bail it out.
Stop payments into City retirement funds (that are underfunded anyway) and convert employees’ equity into annuities. Subsequently make annual contributions into employees’ IRA accounts so they are on a level playing field with the private sector that has largely abandoned pensions. Contribute what we can afford, like the private sector.
Stop corporate subsidies and giveaways. What, $20MM for Hunt’s new DTEP building? 2,300 acres in NE for Baron Foster in exchange for 10? Tell Great Wolf to join the capitalist economy and pay for their own goddam land.
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Thats easy, what governmental functions do you see that are underutilized? Here are three off the bat: bike lanes, the streetcars and certain bus routes. I’m sure Brutus’ always alert readers could easily expand on my list.
Ask your city rep to measure the utility of the function or service against what it is costing? Then what higher utility public services are going underfunded? Crappy city streets, faded roadway safety stripping, fewer police on the streets to respond to calls.
What I’ve seen is our local governments spend money, but never really measure the utility or benefit of those expenditures. There is no real hard core ‘oversight’ or accountability? Thankfully, that’s why this coming year the state imposed lower tax roll back trigger rates, which were really needed and more than justified.
Just listen to the way the city speaks to the public: ‘voters told us they want a progressive city.’
Another area to look at are the school districts, where there is declining student enrollment and the associated impact of underutilized school facilities.
Hope these thoughts help. And thanks Brutus for posting “Sound Off” links at the top of your blog!
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I have been noticing that you can’t even see the lane stripes on some major streets. It’s especially dangerous in the rain.
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The only time I’ve seen them measure utilization was when they were telling the guy that ran the Exploratorium and bought up a space footprint big enough to house an expanded facility at a fraction of the cost of the proposed (from the ground up Children’s Museum) that the 40,000 visitors a year he was reporting weren’t enough to justify contribution of $200k a year to keep it running. It was shut down in 2015 as a result: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2015/10/13/el-paso-exploreum-close-its-doors-dec-30/73864802/. We’ll get a new blingy Children’s Museum that costs a fortune because the idea of building on something a guy who wasn’t in the “in” crowd invested $6 million of his own money in isn’t good enough. The City said that 40,000 visitors a year wasn’t enough. But I’ve never seen them report numbers for Digiwall, the museums they do fund, the library system, parks, bike lanes,Tommy G’s water parks or anything else they spend tons of money on. I’m guessing none of those numbers are as high as 40,000 a year. Honestly, if all those things went away, I wouldn’t miss them. The internet is pretty much obsoleting brick & mortar libraries.
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If you think libraries are unimportant, then you and the people you bitch about agree on one thing.
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So, you hang out at libraries? The last time I was downtown it was a hangout for homeless people, and they had a police officer watching the restrooms because of an incident involving molestation. Certainly isn’t what it used to be, and no way I would let my kids go there today.
But you do you and be sanctimonious to people who have their own opinions.
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unknown person: Are you so seriously ignorant of the service that a Library provides to a community?! A functioning library is vital to the workings of any community! And, they certainly are NOT just ” hangout for homeless people!”
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Since the city council is a tax and spend entity, I don’t see anything being cut or done away with.
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I think Jud Burgess nailed a bunch of them.
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Eliminate economic incentives, 380 agreements, etc, save millions
Stop annexing land into the city so we don’t have to pay for streets and all other services
Cancel the Arena and the Children’s Museum. Give a bit more money to the museums the city already has. They can and do serve children and families now.
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well put. archaic.
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