City manager’s legal expenses

January 20, 2019

A reader sent this in:

For your call to open topics, I wanted to point out  that the recent decision by City Council to retroactively pay for Tommy Gonzalez’s attorneys’ fees (from past ethics claims and his defense thereof) violates Texas law.   The Texas Constitution prohibits retroactive payments for past services to public employees, meaning City employees.  For support of this concept, see this web site and the sources it cites to https://fmx.cpa.texas.gov/fm/pubs/paypol/general_provisions2/index.php?section=retroactive&page=retroactive.
When City Council recently decided to go back in time and pay Mr. Gonzalez for something in the past that was not previously agreed upon in regards to his past defense of ethics charges, they made a retroactive payment of the type prohibited by law.   The lone City Rep who was alleged to have leaked this deal was doing the public a favor, but no one seemed to notice that the payment was prohibited by law.   Not even the new City Attorney.  Just food for thought.

8 Comments | City government, State Government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Property tax cap

January 18, 2019
This came in the other day:
Brutus.
     [P]  Here is another website you might consider adding to your list — since in this ongoing Texas Legislative Session — legislators will be looking at reducing the property roll back cap trigger down from it’s current trigger level of 8-percent — to a 2-percent trigger cap.  See — https://www.gregabbott.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PropertyTaxReform.pdf
     [P]  Our local legislative delegation members will fight against lowering the cap — and Sunday night on the KVIA TV News Extra program — Senator Rodriguez indicated he is against it.  As he goes, the other members of the delegation will follow.  In addition, the city, county, UMC and school districthired lobbyists — will also raise objections and fight against any lowering of the cap.  The reality is — individual voters’ and property taxpayers — do not have hired lobbyists and others fighting for their interests.  Bottom line — that’s where your blog can create an impact!
     [P]  The 2-percent level is most likely too low — so that cap trigger level may possibly be only a negotiating point — so legislators can compromise at a 4 or 5-percent trigger cap.
     [P]  Since many of your faithful blog followers’ and creatively blunt posters — are pissed about always rising local property taxes, plus associated stupid spending — here’s a chance for them to get their ‘oars in the water’ — and let those state legislators outside El Paso who are pushing this issue — know there are El Paso voters’ and property taxpayers — who approve, plus appreciate and support their efforts.
————————————  Old Fart.
POST SCRIPT:  Since you keep your blog updated each day — with a fresh topic for public thought and discussion — it is certainly better than the stale blogs of David K, Max Powers, Zorro and some of the others.  Therefore, it certainly seems you have a daily opportunity — to make your blog an action site — by posting interactive web links as you have just started to do.
*************************************************
He is of course right.
We need to speak up and let the legislators know how we feel.
We deserve better
Brutus

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

Tell the city manager what you think

January 17, 2019

The city web site does have a way the public can communicate with the city manager:

The city manager probably has an employee handle the messages that are sent in.

Hopefully he takes this seriously and communicates back to the sender.

We deserve better

Brutus

9 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Another tax increase coming from the city

January 16, 2019

City council is in the process of approving ordinances that will allow them to issue new debt.

In 2017 the prior council raised the maximum debt rate to 35 cents per $100 of property valuation.

They evidently intend to bring us to the brink of that:

Don’t worry.  They can always raise the limit again.

We deserve better

Brutus

21 Comments | City government | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

Just the facts ma’am

January 14, 2019

A USA Today reporter from their Austin Texas bureau wrote a piece in the Times last week titled “Did border fence lower crime rates in El Paso?”.

She wrote:

“In his remarks, Paxton [the Texas attorney general] said El Paso had a high crime rate before the fence was constructed and that the rate of crime dropped substantially after it was completed.

That was not the case.”

Earlier in the article she told us that the attorney general had not specified which iteration of our border fence he was referring to.

Because he referenced border barriers erected under former president George W. Bush she concluded that he was talking about fencing authorized by congressional act in 2006.  She pointed out that the construction started in 2008 and was finished by mid-2009.

She wrote further:

“From 2006 to 2011–two years before the fence was built to two years after–the violent crime rate in El Paso increased by 17 percent.”

Would it be too much to ask her to tell us where she came up with that number?  Shouldn’t a reporter cite her sources?

This chart came from the El Paso police department’s 2011 annual report:

It was the case

According to the El Paso police department crime rates went down after the fence was built.  In fact the chart does not substantiate her claim of a 17 percent increase.

I don’t know if the reporter has ever lived in El Paso.  Those of us that lived here during that period of time know that property crime rates dropped significantly after the fence was built.

We deserve better

Brutus

 

 

10 Comments | City government, El Paso Times | Permalink
Posted by Brutus

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