Private club

May 1, 2014

Is our district attorney part of the corruption problem here in El Paso?

If we look at the problems that we have had with our local governments we see that our local district attorney is not involved in the prosecutions.

The word I get is that he will not prosecute another elected official.

I’m trying to find out what has happened with  our west side city representative who back in October was accused of threatening a city employee.  I have been told that the investigation is over and that our district attorney is stalling.

What about the mayor?

According to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure the mayor of an incorporated city is also a magistrate under the law (title 1, chapter 2, article 2.09 Texas Code of Criminal Procedure).

The code goes on further to specify:

Art. 2.10. DUTY OF MAGISTRATES.  It is the duty of every magistrate to preserve the peace within his jurisdiction by the use of all lawful means;  to issue all process intended to aid in preventing and suppressing crime;  to cause the arrest of offenders by the use of lawful means in order that they may be brought to punishment.

If the police investigation has not been completed at this point we clearly have a problem.  The accusation was made last October.

If the investigation clears the city representative of wrong-doing we have a right to know.

If on the other hand the investigation indicates that a crime has been committed we should move forward to a grand jury.

Our mayor should either let us know that the case is cleared or he should do his duty and bring charges.

We deserve better

Brutus

3 Comments | City government, County Government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

City marches on

April 30, 2014

It looks like the city’s plan to force the EPISD off the land that the district’s central office is on is continuing.

Item 3.2 on the April 29, 2014 consent agenda of the city council meeting is a resolution that allows the city manager to sign an amendment of the 50 year old lease agreement between EPISD and the city.  The lease is for the land that the EPISD central office is on.  Previously in Save the EPISD central office we saw that the city wants the district to be off the land by 2019.

District officials are telling us that the replacement facility will cost $40 million.  If recent estimates of the cost of public projects are indicative of what this project will really cost then we are talking about bond issue kinds of money.

The city plans to extend the lease for three years with two one year options.  That brings us to 2019.

We have some time.  Hopefully the new city manager and the next election cycle at the city will bring some fiscal responsibility back.

This is $40 million and more that we do not need to spend.

On the other hand, if moving the central office is the right thing to do for the school district they should take a hard look at the many industrial buildings that are now vacant in El Paso.  Our situation is that we have the 4th most expensive property taxes among the top 50 cities in the United States (see Top of the list).  Businesses are leaving El Paso.  Some are moving to Santa Teresa.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

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

Play ball

April 28, 2014

Our new ball park is scheduled to open today.

There will be difficulties.  The contract to build the facility does not require completion before the end of August.  Parts of the ball park are not finished but are not necessary to have a game.

Traffic and parking will be problems that hopefully the authorities can learn how to handle.

I agree with the mayor.  Many of us do not agree with how we got here.  However if the  venture is not a success we will end up paying much more than we think we will pay now.

In a few months the city should be finished with most of the project.  At that point in time the voters should be able to look at the bills to learn more about the costs incurred just because some people wanted to have a new city hall.  I may be wrong but I don’t believe that the sports team owners had to have the facility where it is or that it had to be completed for playing this year.  I still think that this was all about forcing the city hall issue.

The Times does not seem to be able to decide whether the ball park is a 72 million dollar project or if it is a 74 million dollar project.

It is neither.  One of these days we will start to learn about all of the costs.  The city has done much in the areas around the ball park that they are not talking about.  My uneducated guess at this point is that those costs will exceed 25 million dollars.

From all that I can see we now have a first class facility.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could say the same about our local government?

We deserve better

Brutus

 

15 Comments | Ball park, City government, County Government, El Paso Independent School District, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Let’s get real

April 25, 2014

The folks at our city airport have taken over half of the short term parking we used to have and are now using it for the benefit of the rental car companies and the limousines.  Some reports indicate that this will last for two years.

Many airports that I have been to shuttle rental car customers to off-site facilities.  I guess in El Paso business and money interests are more important to our governments than are the citizens.

Declining business

The city has decided to build a new garage and service facility for the rental car companies.  The facility is supposed to be paid for by a levy against rental car customers.  The city projects that there will be a one percent increase in business each year.

The first quarter numbers for 2014 show a decline in business.  Passenger counts at the airport are down 4.4% from the same quarter last year.  Freight traffic is down 8.1%.

This is before the Wright amendment expires later this year and Southwest Airlines will no longer have to stop in El Paso before going on to more western cities.

Financial Awfulsir

We are experiencing shortfalls in many revenue categories that the city has forecast.  Hotel occupancy taxes, sales taxes, airport business, franchise fees, revenue from fines and forfeitures, and residential building permit fees are all short of the budgets that our chief financial officer presented at the start of the fiscal year.

Now one rumor has it that she is in the running to be the new city manager.

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Another city hall move/ball park expense

April 24, 2014

Item 10.1 on the April 8, 2014 city council agenda contemplated spending $1.3 million to finish the move of the city’s traffic management center out of our demolished city hall building into new facilities.

The video shows city employees explaining that the management center is used to manage special events downtown like baseball games.

A city representative questioned what other city hall destruction and move projects need to be completed.  Our city manager actually laughed when she explained that some city employees were now located in a recreation center and that once they move out the center can be returned to its original purpose.

It reminded me of Cruella Deville.

We deserve better

Brutus

6 Comments | Ball park, City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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