Earlier this week the voters authorized $413 million of bonds for the city.
Evidently that was not enough.
The Tuesday, November 12, 2019 city council agenda has this item on it:
We deserve better
Brutus
This is really stretching it
November 8, 2019
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City government | 
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Posted by Brutus
Bond issue results
November 7, 2019The voters have spoken.
Both bond issues passed.
Approximately 9% of the registered voters came out to vote.
The bonds passed with roughly 59% voting in favor.
That means that about 5% of the voters committed us to $838 million in debt.
In this case we don’t deserve better.
Brutus
19 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
Please vote today
November 5, 2019If you have not already voted please do so today.
This is the last day you can vote on the proposed bond issue.
My property taxes increased $800 dollars this year.
A large part of the quality of life bonds have yet to be sold. When they are sold our taxes will go up further.
Those of us that live in the EPISD district are now paying more than $3.07 per hundred dollars of valuation in property taxes.
That’s three percent of your property’s value every year.
That puts us at the highest property tax rate among the 50 largest cities in the United States.
What the city is asking for is a blank check.
If they need new buildings the should figure out how much they will cost and then ask us for the money.
We deserve better
Brutus
12 Comments | City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
Keep trying
November 4, 2019I spoke with an acquaintance the other day that did not know about bond election Tuesday.
He does now.
Talk with everyone that you can.
Ask them to go vote.
We deserve better
Brutus
1 Comment | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
More legal fees
November 1, 2019Talk about money.
Many of us have experience trying to get our attorney to do something quickly.
In the downtown multi-purpose performing arts facility case the attorneys on both sides evidently are thinking ahead.
At issue currently is an injunction that prohibits the city from tearing down buildings.
The anti-tear-down faction was given an unfavorable ruling by a local bench judge.
Within moments the anti-tear-down lawyers filed an appeal with an appeals court.
Shortly thereafter the tear-down lawyers filed a motion with the appeals court asking the justices to recuse themselves because of allegations of partiality.
These are lightening fast actions coming from lawyers.
Without an injunction prohibiting the tearing down of the buildings the city will probably move to do so within hours.
We deserve better
Brutus
2 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
And the winner is
October 31, 2019The district 6 city representative has just announced that she is a candidate for the state legislature.
State law considers that to be an automatic resignation from city council.
Now we have to pay for yet another city election.
If she had resigned a few months ago we could have voted on her replacement next week without paying for a special election.
Rush job
The city plans to call for this special election December 14, 2019.
That does not give potential candidates much time to run an effective campaign.
I wonder who the powers-that-be have chosen.
This is another example of flagrant disregard of the voters.
We deserve better
Brutus
9 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
Go ahead–do what you want
October 30, 2019Are they nuts?
The agenda item authorizing the city manager to sign a new agreement with the water park people contains this language:
“that the City Manager be authorized to sign an Economic Development Initiative Agreement in a form substantially similar to the attached documents…”
This involves more than $100 million of our money and they don’t even want to approve the final agreement.
What does “similar” mean here?
We deserve better
Brutus
8 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus
