elpasospeak

Our city attorney has been under fire lately from some members of city council.  It seems that the city attorney has been negotiating deals with some developers and has been seen as an impediment to progress.  I guess that this judgment is a matter of opinion depending on which side of the table you are sitting on.

Many organizations do not use their attorneys to negotiate deals.  Instead they ask the attorneys to see to it that the necessary documents reflect the specifics of the deal and that the deal is both binding and legal.

I happened upon some information on the city attorney’s web site.  It is a list of services that the department performs for the city.

Negotiating is not on the list.  Read their list below:

Advise City officials and departments on a wide range of legal issues 

Research and provide advice, opinions and recommendations on legal issues that come before the City. 

• Draft municipal ordinances, resolutions, and agreements.
• Provide advice to City boards, committees, commissions, and City Council Legislative Review Committees.
• Advise Mayor, City Council, City Manager and other City officials of pending legislation and assist in drafting proposals for legislation in areas of concern to the City of El Paso.
• Provide legal advice on state and federal grants.
• Process claims on behalf of the City and against the City.

Functions of City Council:

• Judicial hearings
  • Provide legal representation
• Municipal Court
  • Represents the City in civil lawsuit
  • Prosecutes violations of City of El Paso ordinances and Class C misdemeanors
  • Handles property disposition hearings
• Administrative hearings
  • Represents the City at Civil Service Commission disciplinary hearings and arbitrations
  • Assists City Departments with discipline issues
  • Responds to EEOC complaints
  • Receives and processes complaints filed under the City Ethics Ordinance
  • Represents the City at hearings before various state agencies
  

  Acts as a liaison with other 
  governmental entities.

Should the city manager and his departments be handling these negotiations?

We deserve better

Brutus

Our frequent commenter Reality Checker posted a comment yesterday about city council refusing to provide restrooms in the remodeled (for the umpteenth time) San Jacinto Plaza.

The plaza renovations are one of the 2012 quality of life bond projects.

The situation is really sad in my opinion.

I’m having difficulty expressing my thoughts here.  I’m gobsmacked and my thoughts are erupting faster than I can filter them and make them an appropriate part of the discussion.

How can we have reached this state of affairs?

Are our city officials incompetent?  Do they not care about our quality of life?  Is this some kind of sick joke?

The design work was supervised by city staff.  It is possible that the city council members at the time were not aware of the lack of facilities.

What cannot be denied however is that this city council is aware of the problem and all but one member voted to go ahead without the bathrooms.  Shame on them.

El Paso may be open for business but it evidently is not open to the public.

Restrooms will have to be provided.  I suppose that portable johns will be the first offering.

In the meantime I agree with mamboman3‘s suggestion yesterday.  Let’s close the restrooms in the city operated buildings so that our public servants can learn better how to serve the public.

Quality of life my foot.

We deserve better

Brutus

The December 2, 2014 city council agenda featured item 13.1 on the regular agenda.  It was listed as “Financial Audit and Oversight Committee Report”.

1. For Notation Only:  Formal Report of the Financial Audit and Oversight Committee meeting held on October 27, 2014.
2. Discussion on Audit Plan Updates.
3. Discussion and Action on the City of El Paso Internal Audit Charter.
4. Discussion and Action on the FY 2015 Annual Internal Audit Plan.
5. Discussion and Action on HOT Audits Update.
6. Discussion on PeopleSoft update.
7. Discussion and Action on the City’s Investment Policy for FY 2015.
8. Discussion and Action on the City Debt Management Policy for FY 2015.
9. Discussion on update of development of City Fund Balance Policy

Even though the item was for notation only (we certainly don’t need to be talking about these things in public) two of the council members did express their thoughts about the need to formalize the policies regarding the replenishment of the fund balances if they are drawn below their minimums.

This post is for notation only.  Financial matters are evidently not things that citizens should be concerned with.

We deserve better

Brutus

One of the signature projects of the quality of life bonds is the digital wall.

El Paso will be the second city on the planet to have one of these 3 million dollar television sets.  The city hoped to get a donor to build an addition to the museum so that the wall could be inside.  There were evidently no takers for that million dollar project.

The wall  was originally scheduled to be completed in August, 2014.  It was later rescheduled to be completed in December, 2014.

We have not heard about it lately so I presume that completion in 2015 is more probable.

Several posts have been written about it in the past.  Links to them are listed here for the convenience of our many new readers who probably have not taken the time to search our archives:

Bridge for sale

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark

El Paso quality of life update

Shocking news

Going down under

Too many chiefs  (By the way I applaud the city manager–he evidently came to the same conclusion)

My prediction is that this thing will be a maintenance nightmare.

I can’t help but wonder how many streets could have been paved with this money.  Talk about quality of life.

We deserve better

Brutus