EPISD bonds–trust vs. belief

August 3, 2016

EPISD seems to be involved in a publicity campaign that tries to tie the bond issue to their past problems that have led to a lack of public trust.

It is probably fair to conclude that most voters do not see the current board of trustees in the same negative light that we saw past boards.  The new board seems to be working hard to provide better educations to our children.  Thankfully they appear to be doing it honestly.  Contacts within the district tell us that there is a much stronger sense of “obeying the rules” in the rank and file of the organization.

The anticipated bond issue will not hinge on a matter of trust in the integrity of the current board.

Belief

The bond issue’s approval or failure will hinge on whether the voters believe that the district and it’s staff can handle such a massive construction budget effectively.

Unfortunately we have seen countless bond fiascos lately at the city, county, and hospital district.  Even the most optimistic of us are learning that large, long-term bond issues are not handled well by our local governments.

At the school district we see that they are still trying to manage the funds that we gave them in a bond issue in 2007.

If it takes 10 years to spend any bond money that we might give them this fall,  we will have an entirely new board–a board that is not committed to spending the money the way we voted by the time they get around to spending this new money.

Downsizing

Many voters feel that the district needs some bond money, but not the blank check that ends up getting issued when managing bond projects that span many years.

Once again let’s make the point that if the district were to pick a few projects that were based upon most urgent need and ask for bond money for those projects only, the voters would be more inclined to approve the bonds.

This is not about feeling sorry for the current board or administration.  This is about common sense.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

 

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

No comments please

July 31, 2016

Our post the other day about the city council agenda item that introduced the proposed 2017 tax ordinance included these words from the agenda:

Public comment typically is not taken during the first reading of ordinances. Public comments are invited at the date of the scheduled public hearing.

Shame on them

There are many things wrong with their statement.

When does “typically” apply?  Do they encourage public comment when they need support?  Should council be able to choose when they hear comments about proposed ordinances?

Shouldn’t our elected officials encourage public involvement?

What moral right do they have to stop us from commenting?

Do we have to be invited to speak?

Their statement is an attempt to brow-beat citizens and discourage them from participating.  By discouraging public comment when the ordinance is first introduced they make it more difficult to bring forward suggested modifications at the “final” reading.

Council and city staff evidently feel that their time is too valuable to be wasted listening to the citizens.

We deserve better

Brutus

4 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

EPISD bonds–selective disclosure

July 29, 2016

This slide from a June 29, 2016 presentation to the EPISD facilities advisory committee shows that the district’s new deputy director of finance and operations has brought some of the techniques that she used to mislead us when she was our city’s chief financial officer over to help with the bond election:

EPISDBondElectionScenarios

What the chart fails to point out is that there is open talk at the district indicating that some of them think that the real bond requirement is north of one billion dollars.

To think that the district will go from 2017 to 2042 without another bond request is absurd.  We know that they requested bonds in 2003 and 2007 and will probably request the bond amounts shown in the chart above later this year.

As we saw over at the city her figures to not reflect reality.

We deserve better

Brutus

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

Don’t bother us, we’re busy taking your money

July 27, 2016

Item one on the Thursday, July 28, 2016 special (very, very special) city council agenda reads:

INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE PURSUANT TO SECTION 3.9 OF THE EL PASO CITY CHARTER

Please don’t attend

Public comment typically is not taken during the first reading of ordinances. Public comments are invited at the date of the scheduled public hearing.

The rest of the story

The item introduces the 2017 tax rate.

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

EPISD–bond bomb

July 26, 2016

According to the El Paso Times the consulting firm that EPISD awarded their bond management consulting contract to has “walked away” from the bond project.

The Times article said the consulting firm “reviewed data on enrollment, facilities’ needs, capacity, programs and more.  They then presented recommendations for school repairs, construction and closures to the EPISD Bond Advisory Committee over a few meetings.”

Hard to believe

Now we learn that “EPISD refused to enter into a contract for the services”.

Where does that leave us?  The facilities advisory committee has evidently been working with numbers that no one can be held responsible for.

Is a new study coming?  The committee has already made recommendations that were evidently based on unpaid work done by the consulting company.  Do they start over now?

Why?

What happened here?  Is the district’s new finance chief responsible for derailing this contract?  Does she have a favorite in mind like she seemed to when she was over at the city?

Or are we seeing the able hand of our new board president at work?  Could it be that things are rotten in Denmark and that the plug needed to be pulled?

Do over

Is it time to re-start the bond process from the beginning?

We deserve better

Brutus

11 Comments | City government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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