Debt totals

May 5, 2017

Some of you have asked how much debt we have at the other taxing entities in El Paso.

This graphic came from the city’s 2016 certified annual financial report:

Your home cannot be in both the El Paso and Ysleta districts so you will need to subtract out whichever one is not applicable to you.

The debt total for the other taxing entities is almost two billion dollars.  Subtract $400,000,000 to eliminate a school district and you find that the total that applies to you is about 1.6 billion dollars.

That does not include the $668,000,000 that EPISD will issue soon.

Add the 1.6 billion to the $2,455,000,000 that the city owes and the total comes to around four billion dollars.

Your share is about $18,125.

You might keep that in mind when deciding about voting tomorrow.

We deserve better

Brutus

4 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

City council grandstanding

May 4, 2017

Many of our local politicians are upset over plans to expand the border wall.

Note that we said expand.

El Paso has had a border wall since 2008.

Does city council want the wall to be torn down?

According to this video, illegal crossings dropped from as many as 10,000 per day to 500 when the wall was finished.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

8 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

More trouble with the Arena

May 3, 2017

Not that it is any of our business, but city council has an executive session item on its Tuesday, May 2, 2017 agenda.

Multipurpose Cultural and Performing Arts Facility – Francis S. Ainsa, Jr., April 17, 2017 letter; Matter No. 17-1001-171 (551.071)

Mr. Ainsa is a prominent lawer in El Paso.

Evidently he has something going on that council wants to discuss in private.

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

A good way to divide the city

May 2, 2017

More quality of life shenanigans are being considered.

It seems that there is not enough money to finish the Eastside Sports Complex.

City council has this item on their Tuesday, May 2, 2017 agenda:

The City of El Paso, Texas is considering implementing a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) and public improvement district (PID) to fund a portion of the construction costs and maintenance costs associated with the Eastside Sports Complex as well as other public spaces and infrastructure. In 2012, partial funding for the Eastside Sports Complex was approved by City of El Paso voters as part of the quality of life bonds; together funds generated from the proposed TIRZ and PID would fund Phase II of the park’s construction costs.

Stealing our taxes

What the item would do is allow the future increase in property tax revenues from a certain part of the city to be spent solely on the Eastside Sports Complex and not contributed to the general fund.

If this kind of thing gets started we will see other cases where a neighborhood wants a facility and finds a way to direct their tax money to their benefit thus shorting the rest of the city.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

12 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Vote please

May 1, 2017

Our local debt situation makes it even more critical for people to explain to the candidates what we want.

We should also do what we can to help educate our friends and get them to vote.

You can vote early today (Monday, May 1) and tomorrow (Tuesday, May 2).

For those of you on the west side, the Polly Harris facility is not open.

The west side YWCA (on Bartlett) or the Doris Van Doren library (on Redd) are probably your best choices.

We deserve better

Brutus

1 Comment | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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