What value is there in this report?

December 8, 2015

The city released a report from our bond counsel that tells us that everyone did what they were supposed to do in the financing of the ball park bonds.

The bonds still cost us $22 million more than they would have if the bonds had been sold on a timely basis and not held until after the municipal election.

What else would we expect in a report from a company that makes money from the sale of our bonds?

We still have not been able to find a more recent contract but as we wrote in Nice work if you can find it bond counsel gets paid a percentage of the bonds issued.

bondcounselfees2008

They also seem to do work at the airport, water utility, housing finance organization, the  children’s hospital, and the county if our research is correct.

Should we actually expect this person to bite the hand that feeds him?

Of course “It’s all Good”.

We deserve better

Brutus

7 Comments | Ball park, City government, County Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Whom do you believe?

December 7, 2015

With the revelation that our former city manager seems to have lied to us and to KVIA about the $22 million cost overrun we are having to pay for because city council delayed selling the bonds until after their election, we thought that we should look at some of her other statements.

In an October 24, 2015 article the Times quoted her as saying:

“When someone talks about that we’ve created more jobs in the last two years than in the last eight years, we have to factor in that we went through a very difficult economic downturn in 2008 and 2009 where we lost a lot of jobs just like everyone else did around the country. So we actually recovered those jobs. … We have recovered a lot of the jobs that we lost during that period, plus we are adding new jobs,” Wilson said.

Then again

We also have this graphic from the Texas Workforce Commission:

2015employment

Will they really reappoint her to the central appraisal district board tomorrow?

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | City government, El Paso Times, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Fading star

December 6, 2015

The other day the Times ran an article about the bad situation that apartment owners are coping with in El Paso.

Several people in the apartment business were quoted.

Noticeably absent was any mention of the city’s former chief financial officer who is now the chief financial officer and chief operating officer of one of the largest local apartment owners.

In years gone by the Times was an active promoter of her career, even while her financial projections were horribly wrong.

Could it be that the bloom is off the rose?

We deserve better

Brutus

5 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Another restrictive bid?

December 5, 2015

The Tuesday, December 31, 2015 city council has an item on it that shows us what the community thinks of doing business with the city.

According to the backup material for agenda item 18.1 the city leases between 350 and 400 copiers.  A request for proposals was issued and four vendors responded.

If the city exercises the two one-year extensions tied to this three year contract, the vendor will be paid around $2.3 million dollars.

Four bidders responded.

Why is it that the tabulation sheet only rates one bidder–the one that they want to award the business to?

xeroxbid

Were the specifications made restrictive so that the vendor the city wants to do business with was the only one that could qualify?

What was wrong with the other three vendors that they were not even evaluated?

We deserve better

Brutus

 

3 Comments | City government, Purchasing | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Alice comments about El Paso

December 4, 2015

This gets curiouser and curiouser.

Item 12.4 on the December 8, 2015 city council agenda reads:

Discussion and action regarding a Resolution that the City of El Paso re-appoint Joyce Wilson as a regular appointee to the Central Appraisal District Board of Directors for a new term that commences on January 1, 2016.

We deserve better

Brutus

9 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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